A Lutheran Anchor in West Torrance Since 1957
Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd (LCGS) has called the west side of Torrance home since 1957, when the American Lutheran Church sent Mission Pastor Gerald Garlid to plant a neighborhood congregation among the new homes going up around Anza Elementary. The first gathering met at the school on March 24, 1957; within months the young church was sharing a building with Anza Avenue Baptist Church, and by March 15, 1959, members had built and dedicated their own worship center. Almost seven decades later, the church at 21100 Victor Street runs a worshiping congregation, a preschool founded in 1969, a deep small-group calendar, and a network of mission partnerships stretching from the South Bay to Uganda.
LCGS calls itself "a family of families," and that phrase shapes how the church talks about nearly everything it does. The mission statement reads it out plainly: "Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and Preschool is a God-Formed Family of Families, passionately responding to God's love, powerfully joining Jesus in loving our neighbors, our community, our world, purposefully raising up children and families to know and grow in Jesus." The vision is "a life-changing community on mission for Christ," and the work of the church has revolved around those two phrases for most of its history.
The congregation's denominational address has shifted twice with the wider Lutheran landscape. The original American Lutheran Church (ALC) merged into the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in 1988; in 2010, LCGS found its current home in Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC). The move was a deliberate return to a more congregational flavor of Lutheranism, and the underlying commitments have not changed. Love for Jesus, openness to neighbors, and the authority of Scripture remain the through line.
Two Sunday Services, One Family
Worship at LCGS happens twice on Sunday morning. The 8:00 a.m. service follows the Lutheran Book of Worship, with hymns, liturgy, and spoken prayer in a traditional order. The 10:00 a.m. service is a blended service that keeps some liturgy but adds a live band and contemporary songs. Both services hear the same scripture and the same message, and both celebrate Holy Communion every Sunday.
The 10:00 a.m. service is also the one that is livestreamed, and the church notes that occasional footage of the first few rows of pews makes it into the broadcast. Greeters can seat guests toward the back of the room if they would prefer not to appear on camera. Communion is open to any baptized believer who wishes to receive. Prayer ministers are also available during the 10:00 a.m. service for anyone who would like someone to pray with them.
The dress code is famously relaxed: the only requirement is that guests wear something, and jeans are absolutely welcome. Coffee, tea, and hot chocolate are poured in the courtyard before services begin. Ushers hand out bulletins, but no guest is asked to stand, give, or do anything publicly. Some people lift their hands in worship; that is optional, too. LCGS sums up the room this way: "We are a small church with a big belief in God's limitless power and love."
Kids, Students, and the Next Generation
Children stay with their families for the first part of the 10:00 a.m. service and are then invited to Kids Church for an age-appropriate lesson. Three groups meet at the same hour:
- Little Lambs Nursery for infants and toddlers up to age 3, staffed by caregivers who provide a safe, play-based environment while parents worship.
- Preschool and Kindergarten, where children are introduced to Jesus through worship, storytelling, art, and play, anchored in four Vital Truths: God hears you, you are loved by God, Jesus is your friend, and Jesus loves you and died for you.
- 1st through 5th grade, where the curriculum expands into the gospel and the plan of salvation: Admit, Believe, Commit.
4th and 5th graders also have their own ministry built around three words: Belong, Believe, Become. The group meets weekly for fellowship, interactive Bible teaching, and early leadership opportunities so that preteens can see themselves as an active part of God's family right now, not just someday. Every volunteer serving in children's ministry passes a third-party background check before stepping into a classroom, and the staff is also trained on a written set of policies and procedures.
The student ministry has two tracks. Middle schoolers (6th through 8th grade) work through a three-year Affirmation of Baptism curriculum that walks the sweep of the Bible, Christian apologetics, and Luther's Small Catechism - aimed at a mature confession of faith at confirmation. High schoolers (9th through 12th grade) meet under the name Encounter for worship, teaching, small groups, and prayer. Tuesdays belong especially to the older students: from 3:30 to 6:00 p.m. the Youth Room is open as a homework-help, snack-and-games space supervised by background-checked adult staff; at 6:30 p.m. the High School Youth Group kicks off with dinner and runs until 8:00 p.m. Retreats, mission trips, and graduation celebrations mark the mile markers along the way. Daniel Welch, the Student Ministry Coordinator, was baptized at LCGS himself and confirmed his faith at thirteen.
Young adults (roughly 18 to 30) meet on Sundays at 12:30 p.m. in the Fireside Room under the name YA. Worship with the larger church is followed by coffee in the courtyard and a slow, open-Scripture time built around Hebrews 10:24 - "Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds." The group exists to wrestle honestly with the Bible, ask the questions college and early-career years tend to produce, and stay in touch through the week.
The Calendar of Small Groups
"Life is better together" is the small-group motto, and LCGS builds an almost-daily calendar around it:
- Sunday mornings and afternoons. A verse-by-verse Bible Study meets after the first service at 11:45 a.m., with a parallel Topical Studies group at 12:15 p.m. Parents of children from birth through the teen years meet at 11:45 a.m. around Ephesians 6 and walk through parenting stages together. Alive in Him gathers in the Prayer Chapel at 11:45 a.m. to work through a structured "Read the Bible in a Year" plan. YA (Young Adults) meets in the Fireside Room from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m.
- Monday nights. Monday Night Alive from Uganda is a Zoom-based discussion group using RightNow Media video studies, led by missionary Michael De La Rocha from Tororo.
- Tuesday mornings and evenings. Brothers in Arms, the men's small group, gathers on Zoom at 6:30 a.m. From 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. the Worship Center is open for a dedicated hour of prayer. Pastors Paul and Renee Spaulding lead the Tuesday Evening Bible Study from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. in the sanctuary. Rooted in Scripture meets Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. for adults who want a more applied, serving-oriented group.
- Wednesdays. Phase2 Parenting (for parents of adult children) meets bi-weekly at 6:00 p.m. Women's Café gathers at 7:00 p.m. in the Fireside Room for prayer, study, and conversation.
- Thursdays. Growing Together meets at 1:30 p.m. for women who want a slower weekday study.
- Saturdays. The Bible Bunch starts at 7:30 a.m. with a "bring your own breakfast" fellowship and moves into an hour of prayer and study from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Feed My Sheep, a group of senior women, meets at 10:00 a.m. in the Center for Discipleship.
A "Read the Bible in a Year" plan is published each January as a shared congregational rhythm, accompanied by a How to Read the Bible Guide. Sermon recordings and teaching resources round out a strong online study library.
Men's and Women's Ministries
The Men's Ministry gathers for breakfast on the first Saturday of each month from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. in the Community Life Center, with a rotating cast of visiting speakers and topics chosen by the men themselves. An annual retreat brings the men to a Southern California mountain site for a weekend of teaching, fellowship, and rest. Quarterly service projects have included painting classrooms at the church, helping with the Women's Spring Fling, packaging food at Community's Child in Torrance, and working with the Habitat LA ReStore and Habitat for Humanity on new builds in Torrance and Long Beach. Brothers in Arms, the men's small group, anchors the weekly rhythm on Tuesday mornings.
Women's ministry gathers on the second Saturday of the month (bi-monthly) for a 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. breakfast and keeps a steady drumbeat of other events: a Spring Fling, a Christmas Cookie Exchange, an annual retreat, and quarterly service projects. Small groups for women include The Bible Bunch on Saturday mornings, Women's Café on Wednesday evenings, and Feed My Sheep for senior women on Saturday mornings. The Women's Ministry also sponsors Hope4Kids and partners with a local women's shelter.
GriefShare and DivorceCare
Two structured support groups walk alongside people in the long seasons of loss. GriefShare is a 13-week program built around the GriefShare video series and a workbook ($25, with scholarships; free for returning participants). DivorceCare runs in 13-week cycles twice a year, drawing on the DivorceCare curriculum to cover topics such as grief, anger, forgiveness, financial survival, and rebuilding life. Both groups are confidential, voluntary, and open to anyone regardless of church background.
A House of Prayer
"Prayer is to the Christian as air is to the human being." That line sets the tone for the church's prayer ministry. Prayer ministers are available during the 10:00 a.m. communion. Every Tuesday from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., a dedicated hour of prayer is open to anyone in the worship center. The Shepherding Ministry - a team of lay ministers who visit members who are homebound, ill, or otherwise unable to attend worship - brings the Word, the Sacrament of Holy Communion, and prayer to those visits. Prayer requests can be submitted online, by phone, or on a card during Sunday services.
The Quilter's Group has been stitching and donating handmade quilts, pillows, and other comfort items for nearly twenty years, with each quilt prayed over before being given. The quilts go to women and children at a local shelter, with the prayer that the eyes and hearts of each recipient would turn to Jesus.
A Hand Extended Across Torrance and Beyond
LCGS frames its outreach around Acts 1:8 - witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Locally, LCGS partners with several organizations:
- Community's Child in Torrance, which now operates its Homeless Prevention and Assistance Programs and Infant Pantry / food distribution programs through the Hope Community Center.
- Harbor Interfaith Services in San Pedro, which provides shelter, transitional housing, food, job placement, and childcare across the South Bay.
- Pueblo de Dios Lutheran Church in Compton, which distributes groceries and meals in its neighborhood; LCGS has partnered with Pastor Samuel Nieva for over ten years.
- South Bay Village, which helps Torrance seniors stay in their homes with volunteers who drive them to appointments, run errands, and tackle small home repairs.
Nationally, LCGS volunteers have worked with the Los Angeles chapter of Habitat for Humanity for over twenty years, helping build, rehab, or repair hundreds of homes across the region.
Internationally, two long-running partnerships anchor the church's global work:
- Rancho la Paloma in Tecate, Mexico. Each spring, a team of LCGS volunteers spends four days in Tecate helping build a home for a family in need. LCGS has been going since 2012 and has helped build thirteen homes. No construction experience is required.
- Smile Africa Ministries (SAM) in Bison, near Tororo, Uganda. Since 2007, LCGS has helped fund buildings at SAM, including a water tower and an administration office. LCGS commissioned a member, Michael De La Rocha, as a missionary in 2011 after he had served on the LCGS staff and made multiple trips to Uganda. He and his wife Sylivia married in Uganda in 2011 and now have four children; together they live near Tororo, where SAM serves as a safe haven for vulnerable children - education, nutrition, medical care, and the teaching of Jesus Christ. The ministry also empowers women through support groups and offers vocational training in hairdressing, welding, baking, and tailoring. Since 1996, SAM has helped more than 12,000 children and 10,000 women.
What LCGS Believes
LCGS holds a classical Christian confession. The basic belief statement runs in one breath:
We believe in the reality of God, all-powerful, all-knowing, and the master of the direction of history. God is Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and the Creator of everything and everyone. We believe that every person matters deeply to Him, but we have all sinned and need Jesus as our Savior. Jesus died for our sins, rose again from the dead, and is returning. Salvation comes by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. We also believe in the reality of heaven and hell, as well as angels and demons, including Satan. As believers, the Holy Spirit lives within us, equipping us with gifts and power to live and serve. We believe the Bible is the true and powerful Word of God.
The longer doctrinal statement expands on each point: the Triune God (Genesis 1:1; Matthew 28:19); Jesus Christ as co-equal with the Father, sinless, crucified, risen, ascended, and returning as King of Kings (Matthew 1:22-23; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4); the Holy Spirit as fully God, indwelling every believer and gifting them for service (John 16:7-13; Ephesians 1:13); the Old and New Testaments as the Word of God, "inspired by the Holy Spirit, and without error in their original writings" (2 Timothy 3:16; Psalm 119:105); humanity as created in God's image, broken by sin, and restored through Christ (Genesis 1:27; Romans 3:23); heaven and hell as eternal realities (John 3:16; Revelation 20:15); salvation as an unearned gift received by faith (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5); the eternal security of the believer (John 10:28-29; Philippians 1:6); baptism, of both infants and adults, as the sacrament through which God adopts us as His children (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 16:30-33); and Holy Communion as a real and tangible encounter with the risen Christ in bread and wine (1 Corinthians 11:23-29).
Lead Pastor Ebassa Berhanu describes his own theology as moderate and orthodox. "I believe that the Old and New Testaments are the inspired, inerrant Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16) and the ultimate authority in matters to which they speak," he writes. "My mission is to ignite a passion for the glory of God in all aspects of life, bringing joy to people through Jesus Christ."
Leading the Church
Ebassa Berhanu joined LCGS as lead pastor in September 2022. He and his wife have five children, and he likes to say that he sees the Torrance area as a mission field where he wants everyone to come to know and love Jesus through a real, meaningful community.
Greg House serves as executive pastor, having moved to the Los Angeles area from Lansing, Michigan to be near his wife's family. He holds a Master of Divinity from Moody Theological Seminary (2018) and has worked in ministry since 2004. He and his wife Kate lead a music duo called The Asking and stay active across worship and student ministry.
Kristen Anwandter has been on staff since 2005 - first as office assistant, then as communications coordinator, and now as children's ministry director - putting her elementary and preschool teaching experience to work for the Kids Church and nursery teams. Rafael Gessey, a member since 2001 and a staffer since 2007, serves as director of operations, with roots in the Neighbor-to-Neighbor partnership and Vacation Bible School. Dave Koenig, a sound engineer with forty years in the Los Angeles music industry, has managed audio for the church's services and events since 2008 and is a regular on the Mexico mission trips. Daniel Welch, the student ministry coordinator, was baptized at LCGS in 1991 and confirmed his faith at thirteen. David Peters leads the GriefShare ministry, and Christy Saville coordinates the Shepherding Team.
LCGS describes itself as "volunteer-driven, staff-led, elder-protected." A board of elders sets the "goal lines" or guardrails for the congregation and protects the staff as the staff implements the vision. The church rests on six core values: We are children of God. We are alive in the Spirit. We are everyday, ordinary missionaries. We are joyfully generous. We are a God-Formed Family of Families. We invest in the next generation.
Sermon audio and video are posted to the church's YouTube playlist, and online giving is available through a secure giving portal.