On a quiet residential stretch of El Dorado Street in Torrance, just inland from the Pacific in the South Bay, First Christian Church of Torrance gathers every Sunday morning at 9:30 for worship shaped around an open Communion table. The congregation belongs to the larger Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) family through the Pacific Southwest Region, but it governs itself locally and takes pride in being a congregation where "all are welcome." That welcome is lived out each month in the parking lot, where the Torrance Table food pantry hands out free groceries, and throughout the week in Zoom prayer circles, in-person Bible studies, a long-running prayer shawl ministry, and a deep bench of outreach partnerships with agencies across Los Angeles County.
Sunday Morning at 9:30: In-Person and Online
Worship is the rhythm of the week. Sunday service begins at 9:30 a.m. in the sanctuary and is simultaneously broadcast on Facebook Live and through a Zoom webinar, so members who are traveling, sick, or simply prefer to join from home can take part. The service centers on the celebration of the Lord's Supper, which the congregation describes as the focal point of every Sunday gathering. Communion is offered to all who seek to follow Jesus, with the door deliberately held open to people of every age, ability, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, and national origin.
Who They Are: An Open and Affirming Disciples Congregation
First Christian Church of Torrance describes itself in its own statement of identity as a community that "finds unity through faith in Jesus Christ and has no other doctrinal tests for fellowship." Members are committed to welcoming others as they have been welcomed by God, and the church is explicit about being open and affirming. The congregation welcomes a range of views on scripture, noting that some members interpret the Bible literally while many do not, but all take the Bible seriously as a guide for Christian living and mission.
The church practices believer's baptism by full immersion but readily recognizes the baptisms of those who come from other traditions. Each local congregation makes its own governing and financial decisions, although the church is "happily joined" to the wider Disciples of Christ and supports the work of the general church through special offerings at Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, and Thanksgiving, along with the Week of Compassion emergency relief ministry.
Meet the Senior Pastor
Rev. Ryan Thrasher serves as Senior Pastor. An ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), he came to Torrance after pastorates in Texas, Missouri (as a Lilly Clergy Resident), North Carolina, and Washington, D.C. Before earning his Master of Divinity from Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University, he worked as a professional musician and teacher, holding music degrees from Michigan State University and the Yale School of Music, and performing as a bassist in orchestras in Texas, Michigan, and Connecticut. He describes his larger call as exploring the connections between worship, the arts, and God's call for wholeness, justice, and reconciliation. He shares his life with his spouse, the Reverend Monica Banks, and their English bulldog, Jojo.
Andi Capoziello is the Office Manager and a long-time South Bay resident. Jill Teruya serves as Nursery Attendant and Youth Leader; she is a psychology major at El Camino College and has been an active part of the congregation for fifteen years.
Children and Youth on Sunday Mornings
FCC Torrance invests heavily in its youngest members. Every Sunday at 9:30 a.m., infants through age three are cared for in the nursery. Three-year-olds through second graders take part in Worship and Wonder, a Montessori-style program that walks children through the four-fold order of worship in a special space with multi-sensory storytelling materials, wondering questions, communal prayer, and a shared feast. Third through sixth graders attend Sunday School, and fifth through twelfth graders meet at 10:30 a.m. for a youth program that uses the KidsOwn Worship curriculum from Group to build Bible-based compassion and spiritual growth.
Each summer, Vacation Bible School fills the church with energy. Recent themes have included "On the Go with God," a road-trip adventure built around Joshua 1:9 ("The Lord your God is with you wherever you go"), and "Rainforest Falls - Exploring the Nature of God," a faith-driven, immersive program that pairs storytelling with hands-on activities for kids from the neighborhood and beyond.
Torrance Table: A Monthly Food Pantry with Heart
One of the most visible ministries is Torrance Table, a monthly food pantry held in the church parking lot from 10:00 a.m. to noon on the fourth Saturday of each month. Free groceries and fresh food are distributed to anyone who stops by, and the atmosphere is intentionally warm - "Pray. Serve. Celebrate." is the team's motto. On any fifth Saturday of the month, volunteers also serve a hot meal alongside the groceries. Those who cannot make it in person during the distribution hours can sign up for delivery through an online form. Volunteers help with setup, distribution, and delivery, and partner organizations help spread the word to neighbors, friends, and families across the South Bay.
Outreach Beyond the Church Walls
Torrance Table is only one piece of a much larger outreach commitment. FCC Torrance is a core congregation with Family Promise of the South Bay, joining more than thirty other faith communities in moving homeless families with children toward housing stability. Each summer the congregation supports Love INC's Backpack Drive, assembling hundreds of backpacks filled with school supplies for local children in need. As Thanksgiving approaches, members fill baskets with non-perishable items, a turkey, and all the trimmings for five families identified through Love INC. In December, the Christmas Angel Tree program partners with All Peoples Community Center, Eastmont Community Center, and Love INC to gather and deliver presents for dozens of disadvantaged children in the region.
On a wider canvas, the church supports All Peoples Community Center in South Central Los Angeles and Eastmont Community Center in East Los Angeles through the Pacific Southwest Region, contributing to programs for underprivileged youth, a continuation high school, day care, parenting classes, and job training. Disciples Mission Fund special offerings at Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, and Thanksgiving underwrite colleges, seminaries, new church starts, and regional ministries, and the Week of Compassion offering each February sustains disaster relief across North America and around the world.
Disciples Women
All women of the church are part of Disciples Women, whose stated purpose is to provide opportunities for spiritual growth, enrichment, education, and creative ministry, and to develop personal responsibility for the whole mission of the Church of Jesus Christ. Two small groups have long been central to that work. The Faith Group meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 1:30 p.m. in the Fireside Room for fellowship, conversation, and Bible study. New Hope gathers on the fourth Wednesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. in Room 2. The larger ministry sponsors an annual Holiday Boutique and Grandma's Attic in November, a Friendship Dinner, monthly luncheons with speakers and service projects, and a Spiritual Growth Retreat in the mountains at Loch Leven. Members also support regional retreats and global outreach opportunities through the Pacific Southwest Region.
The Prayer Shawl Ministry
The Prayer Shawl Ministry is one of the congregation's oldest expressions of pastoral care. Members knit and crochet shawls that are prayed over and blessed, then given to people in need of comfort - during illness and recovery, before surgery, as someone approaches death, after a loss, for prayer or meditation, as a bridal or baby shower gift, for a wedding, child dedication, or anniversary, or simply as a tangible reminder of being held in community. Shawls are given to people inside the church and to neighbors and strangers outside it. The group meets via Zoom every Wednesday from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. and every Thursday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. for crafting, learning, sharing, and blessing the shawls, and is open to all ages, skill levels, men, and women.
Bible Study, Prayer, and Choir
The church keeps a steady weekly calendar of formation and prayer. In-person Bible Study meets on Tuesdays at 1:30 p.m. in the Fireside Room, and a second Bible study convenes on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom. A Prayer Circle gathers in the sanctuary on Tuesdays at 4:30 p.m. The choir rehearses on Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. in the sanctuary, leading worship and giving the congregation a chance to sing together.
The Prayer Wall and Pastoral Connection
Outside of in-person gatherings, the Prayer Wall is a year-round extension of the church's ministry. Members and visitors alike can submit prayer requests online, choosing whether to share them publicly, share them anonymously, or keep them private. The wall carries ongoing concerns from the congregation and a steady stream of requests from people far beyond Torrance, creating a quiet, ongoing connection point between the church and the wider community. Those who post can ask to be notified by email whenever someone prays for them.
How Giving Works
Generosity is a core part of how the church sustains its ministry. Members can give by cash or check during Sunday worship, with designated gifts recorded through offering envelopes, or online through a Vanco donation portal. The church also accepts gifts through Zelle sent to office@fcctorrance.org. Beyond the weekly general offering, the First Christian Church of Torrance Endowment Fund provides a permanent funding source held separately from the operating budget, with a portion of earnings distributed each year for outreach, education, worship, debt reduction, property upgrades, or parsonage repair, in keeping with a written policy that no more than five percent of the portfolio's market value is released in a single year. The fund welcomes cash, checks, stocks and bonds, bequests through wills and trusts, and property, often given in memory or in honor of a loved one.
Planning a First Visit
Visitors are welcomed warmly. Sunday worship begins at 9:30 a.m. in the sanctuary at 2930 El Dorado Street, with parking available in the church lot - the same lot that hosts the monthly Torrance Table pantry. Those joining online can find the livestream on Facebook Live or connect through Zoom at bit.ly/fcctorrancezoomworship. Children from infants through twelfth grade have a place in their own programs during and after worship. The church office can be reached at (310) 328-2820 or at office@fcctorrance.org, and the "I'm New" page collects prayer requests, contact information, and giving in one place. Newcomers are invited to stop by the Fireside Room after worship for conversation, to pick up a newsletter, or to ask about Bible study, Disciples Women, the Prayer Shawl Ministry, or the next food pantry date.
Rooted in the South Bay, Open to the World
First Christian Church of Torrance sits at the intersection of local care and wide-armed welcome. A monthly food pantry, an open Communion table, a prayer shawl that travels to someone in hospice, a back-to-school backpack for a child in need, a Zoom Bible study open to anyone with a link - the pieces are varied but share the same conviction. Whether members gather in the sanctuary on Sunday morning or in the Fireside Room on a Tuesday afternoon, the church's posture is the same: all are welcome here, and there is room at the table.