Who We Are

We believe that ministry is to be shared by the whole community. We also believe that everyone has a place in ministry, and together, we can advance the message of God's hope to the surrounding community. We desire everyone to be actively involved using his or her gifts and resources to advance God's mission.

Westminster Lutheran Church (WLC) of Hope has responded to the changing demographics in the community by returning to its roots as a missional, community church of the Lutheran Christian faith. In challenging times, each of us needs hope more than ever before; as reflected in our name, we seek to bring God's hope to the community and to the world.

Today, WLC of Hope is seeing a steady increase in membership, with many young families joining the congregation. When new members join the church, they are encouraged to "join the mission team" and use their gifts to be part of the church's mission to serve our community and bring the good news of the gospel to our families, friend and neighbors. WLC of Hope values its multigenerational makeup. Members of every generation are encouraged to learn from, and worship alongside, those older and younger than they. Each member of WLC of Hope is a valuable piece of the puzzle, bringing his/her unique gifts to help complete the awesome picture God is creating among us. You are invited to join the story and become part of WLC of Hope's present and future.

If you are interested in learning more about Hope, including worship, children's and adult education, and service teams/missions, please contact Susan Isaacs at info@wlcofhope.com.

What We Believe

We believe, teach, and confess the Lutheran Confessions, the Apostles' Creed, and the Nicene Creed. At their core, these can be summed up in the following:

• We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
• We believe in the deity and humanity of Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His sacrificial death on the cross as payment for our sins, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, in His present rule as Head of the Church and in His personal return in power and glory.
• We believe that, "all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God", Rom. 3:23.
• We believe that only through faith in Jesus Christ can sinners receive forgiveness or atonement for their sin, the promise of which is eternal life with Him in Heaven.
• We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, who enables the Christian to live this new life.
• Our church bases all of its proclamation and teaching on the Word of God, the Bible. We say that the Bible is "our highest authority in matters of faith and life."
• We believe that we are called to serve God in the world, proclaiming in word and deed the Good News of the Gospel through acts of mercy, justice and compassionate service.

Our History

Westminster Lutheran Church started in 1958 in the living room of one of its members. The small group, led by Pastor Leslie Brandt, formed a council and eventually moved into the worship space of a local Presbyterian congregation. Westminster Lutheran Church experienced rapid growth as the result of a massive influx of workers and their families who came to southern California seeking work in the booming aerospace industry. These displaced families, many of whom were Lutherans from the Midwest, needed a new church home. The name, Westminster Lutheran Church, was all the advertising necessary to bring droves of Lutherans to their community Lutheran church. In its first year of existence, WLC recorded 188 members. Five years after the church opened its doors, it recorded a membership of over one thousand. WLC built its own sanctuary and an education wing, completed in the early 1960s. In 1972, the church started a Lutheran preschool, still in existence today. In 1982, a new sanctuary was erected with a capacity of 400 people, and the old sanctuary was converted into a fellowship hall.

Westminster Lutheran Church is currently a member congregation of Lutheran Congregations in Mission For Christ (LCMC), but has been affiliated with other Lutheran bodies throughout its existence. WLC was officially organized on April 26, 1959 under the mission program of the Lutheran Free Church (LFC), a Lutheran denomination in existence since 1897. Part of the LFC's heritage to us today is a primary focus on reaching out to the local community. In 1962, the LFC joined the American Lutheran Church, which became part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in 1988. In 2010, because of concerns over theological changes in the ELCA, Hope began a study process of other Lutheran bodies to align with and chose to affiliate with LCMC, a relatively young denomination based on the authority of God's Word and the importance of living out our faith in mission.