On the southeast edge of Lake Merritt, between downtown's high-rises and the multi-ethnic blocks of International Boulevard, Lake Merritt United Methodist Church fills a city block with a sanctuary whose entire west wall is glass. From the pews, worshipers look straight out across the water toward the downtown skyline. Inside the room, they look up at one of the most unusual sights in any Methodist church in the country, three enormous glass mosaics designed under the personal supervision of Louis Comfort Tiffany, weighing more than a ton apiece, glowing in favrile glass since the 1920s. The congregation that gathers here calls itself an inclusive Christian community committed to feeding Oakland's spiritual and physical hunger, and the ministries that stretch out from the building, lunch wagons circling the lake, a monthly food pantry, and a growing primary school in West Africa, are what the church is known for beyond its walls.
One Hundred Sixty Years of Methodist Witness in Oakland
Lake Merritt United Methodist Church came together in June 1984, when two long-standing Oakland congregations merged on the first Sunday of the month. The Rev. Don Cunningham officiated a "marriage" ceremony between the two churches, and a congregational photograph from that morning is still in the church's history gallery.
One of those churches was First United Methodist Church, Oakland's original Methodist congregation, founded in 1863 by the Rev. C. E. Rich just ten years after Oakland was incorporated. First Methodist had moved through buildings at 6th and Washington, 9th and Washington, 14th and Clay, and finally Broadway and 24th Street, and absorbed the Eighth Avenue Methodist Church in 1959 as "one church, two locations." On July 4, 1981, the First UMC building on Broadway caught fire, the cause never determined, and was mostly destroyed. Stained-glass windows and some contents were rescued.
The second partner in the merger was St. Stephen's United Methodist Church, founded in 1913 by the Rev. A. J. Hanson and fifteen charter members as part of the City Church Extension Society. For several months the new church met in a tent; the permanent edifice at Park Boulevard and Thirteenth Avenue was built in 1923. After the First UMC fire, St. Stephen's extended an invitation that grew into the 1984 merger.
The new name, Lake Merritt United Methodist Church, was chosen for the merged congregation, and the eastern-shore site at 1330 Lakeshore Avenue was purchased. The previous building on the lot, a former Christian Science church, was razed. The Rev. Donald Kuhn served as the first lead pastor and oversaw construction of the new building in cooperation with architect Terrill Wade of Gillis, Judson, and Wade. Wade is a current member of the church. Funding came from the sale of the two former church properties and two parsonages, plus three giving campaigns; no mortgage was needed. The completed building was consecrated on March 21, 1991.
Subsequent lead pastors were the Rev. Renae Extrum-Fernandez, the Rev. Mary Elyn Bahlert, the Rev. Jim Walker, and the Rev. Pamela Kurtz. The current lead pastor, the Rev. Sunae Cho, began her pastorate on July 1, 2022.
In 2024, on Pentecost Sunday, May 19, Lake Merritt UMC was joined by its neighboring congregation of Lake Park United Methodist Church. The merger was presided over by California-Nevada Conference Bishop Minerva Carcaño. The two congregations now operate as one church with two campuses: the Lake Merritt campus at 1330 Lakeshore Avenue, which is the site of Sunday worship, and the Lake Park campus, which is available for community rentals, small group meetings, and events.
Lake Park had its own deep roots. It was formed in 1968 from the merger of Lake Park Methodist and West 10th Street Methodist. West 10th had been founded in 1887 as the Oakland Japanese Methodist Episcopal Church, with the Rev. Sokichi Doi as its first pastor. During World War II, its educational building, Meander Hall, was used to store the possessions of 135 Japanese American families during incarceration. West 10th sold its building to the Oakland Redevelopment Agency in 1966 and began joint worship with Lake Park that year.
The Tiffany Panels: Te Deum Laudamus
The single most striking feature of the sanctuary is the trio of glass mosaic panels that covers almost the entire north wall. They are known as Te Deum Laudamus, "We Praise You, Lord," and were designed and rendered under the direct supervision of Louis Comfort Tiffany in New York around 1920. Frederick Wilson was the designer. Each panel measures 17 feet tall by 8 feet wide, weighs over a ton, and is composed of roughly two million pieces of iridescent favrile glass about an eighth of an inch thick. A 1923 critic in International Studio wrote that, of all the mosaics executed under Tiffany's personal supervision, "none equals in beauty of color and sublimity of subject" these three panels.
The center panel, Christ Seated in Glory, was the gift of Mr. and Mrs. Martin H. Mosier in memory of Martin Henry Mosier Jr. The flanking panels were given by Mrs. Melvina A. Lott in memory of Austin E. and George F. Lott. All three were originally made for First United Methodist Church of Los Angeles, whose building at 813 South Hope Street was completed in 1923. They spent sixty years in that sanctuary.
When First UMC Los Angeles was sold to Southern Gas in 1983 and the building was later demolished, art conservator James Ford Grant was contracted to preserve the panels. In 1985, the Los Angeles church offered Te Deum Laudamus to the newly merged Oakland congregation. Architect Terrill Wade immediately incorporated them into the design of the new building, and in 1987 the transfer of ownership was completed. To make them earthquake-safe, the panels were encased in steel frames and backed with reinforced concrete. On July 24, 1990, the three arrived in Oakland on two flatbed trucks, and each was lifted by crane through the roof of the still-to-be-completed church.
The center panel depicts Christ enthroned in glory, attended by angels and archangels and worshipped by Moses, Paul, the boy martyr Pancras, and other saints and kings. The left panel portrays a processional of choristers with lamps and incense emerging from the tent tabernacle of the One God of Israel as the people move out of Egypt toward the Promised Land. The right panel, called the John Panel, shows John reading aloud from the Holy Book, accompanied by a processional of choristers and the choir of the faithful, with the monastic leader proclaiming Colossians 3:16: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom." The colors carry their own meaning: gold for divine glory, silver for redemption, blue for the heavenly aspects of the firmament and royalty, crimson for love and sacrifice. Visitors are invited to touch the panels and see the texture of the glass.
The Building on Lakeshore Avenue
Two entrances serve the building. The western main entrance at 1330 Lakeshore Avenue features a colored granite grand staircase leading up into the Worship Center. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame the lake and downtown Oakland. The Tiffany triptych dominates the north wall. Comfortable upholstered chairs and a moveable platform allow for a variety of seating configurations accommodating up to 250 people; about 165 chairs are normally set up.
The eastern entrance at 1255 First Avenue, at International Boulevard, includes a parking lot and is wheelchair accessible. Between the two wings of the building is a courtyard children's playground. One wing houses administrative offices; the other wing holds children's classrooms used for Sunday School and for a weekday preschool that rents the space.
Several multi-purpose rooms fill out the interior. The Franklin Stark Room is a large fellowship space with a commercial-grade kitchen, parquet floors suitable for dancing, and glass doors that open onto the fully enclosed courtyard. The Minnie Mae Edwards Room across from the entrance to the Worship Center is furnished as a parlor with a small kitchenette, upholstered chairs, and a grand piano; works by local artists are regularly exhibited on its walls. Both names honor predecessors: Franklin Stark was an Oakland attorney active in First UMC life, and Minnie Mae Edwards was the mother of television host Ralph Edwards, who attended St. Stephen's UMC.
The lower floor holds the octagon-shaped Aldersgate Room, which seats about 40 and is widely used by community-based recovery groups, and a large parking garage. An elevator makes the lower level wheelchair accessible. Stained-glass windows saved from the destroyed 1981 First UMC fire are installed in light boxes in the lower level hallway, with additional geometric windows in the administrative office hallway.
The music program uses a Yamaha grand piano in the Worship Center and a pipe organ originally built in the 1920s by the Pilcher Company of Louisville, Kentucky. The organ is fully enclosed within three expression chambers, with 25 stops, 31 ranks, and 1,962 pipes, and a moveable drawknob console with a Solid State Logic multi-level capture system.
Sunday Worship at 10:15 AM
Worship happens at 10:15 AM every Sunday, in person in the Worship Center and online simultaneously on Zoom, Facebook Live, and YouTube. Joining by Zoom uses meeting ID 879 9397 9913 with passcode 326043, or by dialing 1-669-900-6833. In-person programs for children are also available during the service.
The preaching rotation includes the lead pastor, the Rev. Sunae Cho, and a circle of guest preachers who often include the Rev. Jeff Kunkel, the Rev. Mary Elyn Bahlert, the Rev. Dr. Judith Pruess-Mellow (a Deacon), the Rev. Ken Schoon (a Deacon), and the Rev. Motoe Yamada Foor. Sermon series in recent months have included "Rediscovering Jesus as Teacher," "Rediscovering Jesus as Lord," and "Rediscovering Jesus as The Way."
The service is supported by a strong music program. The choir, directed by Music Director Jim Meredith, rehearses on Tuesdays from 7:00 to 8:15 PM in the sanctuary, with additional rehearsals on the second and fourth Sunday mornings before worship from 9:30 to 10:00. The bell choir, directed by Margaret LeWright, rehearses on Thursdays at 12:30 in the sanctuary. Pianist Ellen St. Thomas substitutes when Meredith is on vacation.
A PDF bulletin is posted each week, and tithes and offerings may be given by mail or online. Giving is available online through a secure giving portal, and giving by check may be sent to the church office at 1255 First Avenue.
Lead Pastor and Staff
The Rev. Sunae Cho has served as lead pastor since July 1, 2022. Korean-American and born in Seoul, she immigrated to the United States with her family at 15 and grew up in San Jose. She graduated from San Jose State University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and worked for many years as a Registered Nurse at Kaiser Santa Clara and Valley Medical Center before discerning a call to ministry. She earned a Master of Divinity from Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley and was ordained as an Elder in the California-Nevada Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church in 2014. Before Lake Merritt, she served Bethel Korean UMC, New Community Mission Church, Korean United Methodist Church in Santa Clara Valley, Calvary UMC, and Evergreen Valley UMC. She is married to Michael, and they have two grown sons, Edward and Anthony, and a small dog named Butters.
Music Director Jim Meredith is a singer, pianist, organist, arranger, composer, and conductor born in North Carolina and trained at the University of North Carolina and Tulane. He has worked internationally as a soloist, accompanist, and conductor, has led ensembles including the Oakland Symphony Chorus and the Sonos Handbell Ensemble, and has taught masterclasses at several colleges and universities. He was on the faculty of Merritt College. He was Music Director at Lake Park UMC before the 2024 merger.
Church Operations Manager Sean Hyland is an operations manager, educator, and former Peace Corps volunteer. He served as a Youth Development Specialist with Peace Corps Morocco and later designed and taught Liberal Arts Foundations at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane. He first came to LMUMC as a volunteer with Lake Lunches in the summer of 2024 and moved to the East Bay in 2025.
United Methodist Beliefs
LMUMC is a United Methodist congregation in the California-Nevada Annual Conference. The church describes United Methodism as a tradition in which members share a commitment to the basics of Christianity and a Christian life, rather than assenting to a particular scheme of beliefs. Four interdependent guidelines inform the faith: Scripture, Tradition, Experience, and Reason, and they allow for variety in theology.
Sources for the faith include the Bible, John Wesley's writings, the Articles of Religion, the Confession of Faith, the United Methodist Book of Discipline, and the work of theologians and educators. The church points to the United Methodist Social Creed as a contemporary expression of its commitments: belief in God as Creator, in Jesus Christ as Redeemer, and in the Holy Spirit; affirmation of the natural world as God's handiwork; joy in the blessings of community, sexuality, marriage, and family; commitment to the rights of men, women, children, youth, young adults, the aging, and people with disabilities, and to the rights and dignity of racial, ethnic, and religious minorities; belief in the right and duty of persons to work for the glory of God and the good of themselves and others; and commitment to the elimination of economic and social distress.
The congregation's own welcome statement is direct: all are welcome as the church seeks to build a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, and multi-cultural community, and the congregation welcomes and affirms the full participation of the LGBTQIA community in the life of the congregation.
Children, Youth, and Families
Children are welcomed in worship and have their own formation during it. Godly Play, a Montessori-based curriculum of religious language, story, and play, is available during worship for children ages 5 to 12. Nursery and preschool care are provided for children up to five years old on Sundays during worship starting at 10:30 AM in the nursery room.
Youth in middle school and high school, ages 12 and older, gather as a youth group led by two adult volunteers. The group meets monthly during worship and throughout the year participates in field trips and service projects. Recent and recurring programs have included the Lake Tahoe Youth Retreat, Pizza and a Movie Nights, and Oakland and Bay Area cultural events. All youth are welcome.
Fellowship and Study Groups
A circle of small groups gathers around the life of the church. The Sunday Morning Bible Exploration Group meets from 9:00 to 10:00 AM in the Office Conference Room, reading and discussing scripture, most often from the UMC Lectionary, and at times working through seasonal books or study guides.
Food for Thought gathers on the first Sunday at 6:00 PM for a meal and a thoughtful, engaging discussion centered on spiritual exploration and self-actualization.
Women in Sisterly Love meets on the second Wednesday at 1:30 PM at a San Leandro residence near I-580, open to women from anywhere, practicing study, community building, fellowship, love, witness, and prayer.
Men's Prayer Breakfast gathers on the first Friday at 6:30 AM for breakfast, prayer, singing, and sharing. All men are invited.
Peace in Palestine, the Friends of Wadi Foquin Prayer and Advocacy Circle, meets on the first Sunday at 12:30 PM in the Wesley Conference Room. The diverse group prays, educates, and brings awareness to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and violence in Palestine and Israel, and through the United Methodist justice mission called Friends of Wadi Foquin advocates for and supports the people of the Palestinian village of Wadi Foquin.
Lake Lunches and the Food Ministries
The Lake Lunches program is the heart of the church's outreach on the street. On Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM, volunteers with wagons deliver healthy lunches and hygiene supplies to people experiencing homelessness around the southwest end of Lake Merritt, going to where people are living. The program provides about 400 lunches a week, roughly 20,000 over a year. On Tuesdays at 12:30 PM, walk-up bag lunches are also distributed from the church parking lot. All lunches are prepared every Monday at 2:00 PM. Volunteers are needed Monday through Thursday to keep the program running.
The Food Pantry, a partner program with the Alameda County Community Food Bank, has served the Oakland community for more than thirty years. Distribution happens on the third Saturday in November and December and the fourth Saturday in 2026, from 8:00 to 9:30 AM, on the Lakeshore side of the church building. The pantry operates a client-choice model where guests can select items rather than receive pre-filled bags, providing nutritious shelf-stable foods and fresh fruits and vegetables. In a recent year, the program distributed 130,000 pounds of food, including 85,000 pounds of fresh produce, to over 15,000 people. Volunteers help receive and set up the food on the Friday before distribution from 10:00 to 11:00 AM and facilitate distribution on Saturday morning from 8:00 to 10:00 AM.
On Thanksgiving Day, the church hosts an annual sit-down Community Thanksgiving Meal, served from 12:00 to 1:30 PM. In 2026, the meal marked its forty-first year.
The Sierra Leone School Project
Across the Atlantic, the church's longest-running international partnership supports the Safieko Preparatory School in the Town of Lungi in North West Sierra Leone. The Sierra Leone School Project broke ground on the school in March 2024, opened it in 2025 with four classrooms and two offices, and now provides quality primary education to sixty young learners in a community where demand is high and resources are limited. The school is building a sustainable path toward brighter futures for children and their families, with a dedicated local team and national accreditation underway.
Back in Oakland, the project hosts annual fundraisers. The Walkathon each summer loops 3.2 miles around Lake Merritt after Sunday worship, and the Jollof Rice Fundraising Dinner each fall features Sierra Leone signature dishes prepared by the Koroma family. Donations to the school project can be made through the church's giving portal.
Weddings, Concerts, and Facility Rentals
The Worship Center, the Franklin Stark Room, the Edwards Room, the Aldersgate Room, and the courtyard playground are available for weddings, holy unions, receptions, banquets, concerts, meetings, and seminars. The Worship Center seats up to 250 in upholstered chairs with the Tiffany panels as backdrop; the Stark Room can be configured for banquets of 200 or stand-up receptions of 250 with the parquet floors open for dancing; the Edwards Room, with its separate Lakeshore Avenue entrance, suits groups up to 50; the Aldersgate Room on the lower level seats about 40 and is regularly used by community-based recovery groups.
Concerts and musical productions are a long tradition at Lake Merritt. Past performers have included Kitka Women's Vocal Ensemble, Voci Women's Vocal Ensemble, World Harmony Chorus, Women's Antique Vocal Ensemble, Harmony Bay Chorus, the Festival Chorus of the East Bay, the Oakland/East Bay Gay Men's Chorus, Voices Lesbian Choral Ensemble, Transcendence Gospel Choir, and Lisa Rafel and Friends. The room's acoustics are a favorite among choruses.
Rental fees are based on the rooms needed and the number of attendees. A refundable security deposit of $250 plus 50% of the rental fee reserves a date; the balance is due at least 30 days before the event. All renters must submit a 501(c)(3) non-profit determination letter and a certificate of liability insurance listing the church as an additional insured. Alcohol, smoking, and drugs are not permitted on the premises. As part of its open and welcoming identity, the church rents its facilities to groups and individuals regardless of age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, spiritual path or religion, marital status, economic status, or personal ability, and expects renters to respect those same principles of inclusivity while on site.
Finding the Church
Lake Merritt United Methodist Church sits along the southeast side of Lake Merritt, next to a 25-story high-rise apartment and not far from the Oakland Museum of California. There are two entrances. The front entrance on Lakeshore Avenue is at 1330 Lakeshore Avenue; the administrative entrance, with the accessible parking lot, is at 1255 First Avenue at International Boulevard. Both share the Oakland, CA 94606 zip code. The phone number is (510) 465-4793 and the office email is office@lakemerrittumc.org.
A small guest parking lot is available at the First Avenue entrance. The underground parking garage on Lakeshore Avenue is open only by prior arrangement. Street parking on Lakeshore Avenue is metered Monday through Saturday 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM and Sunday noon to 8:00 PM at $2 per hour. Street parking is also available in the neighborhood across from the First Avenue entrance. By BART, the church is a half-mile walk from Lake Merritt station.
A Congregation Rooted in Oakland and Open to the City
Lake Merritt United Methodist Church brings together, in one congregation, the memories of Oakland Methodism going back to 1863, three of Louis Comfort Tiffany's most important mosaics saved from a Los Angeles demolition, a feeding ministry that puts more than 20,000 bag lunches a year into the hands of neighbors living on the street, and a primary school rising on the coast of Sierra Leone. The Sunday worship at 10:15 AM is the steady center, with the lead pastor and a wide circle of guest preachers, a choir and bell choir, and a children's program that welcomes the youngest members of the congregation into the same room where the Tiffany panels glow above the north wall. From that room, the ministries of the church pour out across the lake, across the East Bay, and across an ocean, carrying the congregation's stated mission: to live and love like Jesus, to foster authentic connection and unconditional belonging, and to make a difference for the most vulnerable among them.