First and foremost, to be Lutheran means to be Christian. We believe and wish to live out the words of the Apostles creed, believing in God the creator, Jesus the Savior and the Holy Spirit, God’s gift to the church to bring us together in love with God, each other and this world.

Second, to be Lutheran means to understand that God does everything, we can do nothing without God. Instead of believing somehow we can do enough right things to impress God, we humbly admit God loves us first, reconciles with us first, offers the Holy Spirit to us first, and then, because we are loved, we have the ability to love others.

As Ephesians 2:4-5 says, “God, who is rich in mercy, loved us, even when we were dead to sin and made us alive together with Christ. By grace, you have been saved.” Lutherans rely entirely on God’s grace, this gift which was given to us to make us whole.

To be a Lutheran in Southern California means to take this love of God, a powerful healing gift, and share it with our diverse neighbors. Southern Californians live with the enormous privilege of good weather and easy transportation. We have a good economy and various ways to earn a living and an education. We have access to health care and services. This does not mean everyone has access to everything. But there are options available, and as Christians answering a call to love our neighbors generously, we work to connect those without services to meet their basic needs. 

We are connected to the land, the ocean and the mountains in ways many other regions of the country cannot. We have a serious need to love and care for our resources and environment.