WESTCHESTER UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

What WESTCHESTER UNITED METHODIST CHURCH does

Westchester United Methodist Church is a Reconciling Congregation within the United Methodist Church denomination, operating from a single campus at 8065 Emerson Avenue in the Westchester neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It delivers spiritual services and community programming to a local congregant base as well as the broader Westchester/LAX-area community. Core offerings include a 10:00 a.m. Sunday in-person worship service, a Zoom-based Breakfast Church at 8:00 a.m. Sundays, a Wednesday Morning Prayer Check-In, and sacramental services including baptism and funerals/ memorials officiated by Senior Pastor Lyda. Supplementary programming includes the monthly Sound Sanctuary Sound Bath (capacity 14), the Rhythm & Food HealthRHYTHMS drum circle, Community Dinner Church (Soulful Soup and Hearty & Holy variants), and a weekly Craft Group.

The church's technology stack is composed entirely of commodity SaaS tools: Wix for the wumcla.org website, Zoom for virtual worship, ParishSoft for online tithes and offerings (giving.parishsoft.com/app/giving/wumcla), and Eventbrite for ticketed event reservations. There are no proprietary technology assets, custom platforms, APIs, or AI/ML capabilities. Revenue is generated through recurring tithes and offerings collected during worship services and through the ParishSoft online giving portal, supplemented by special collections — notably the direction of 100% of Christmas Eve and Easter offerings to Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services' suicide prevention programs. Distribution relies on the physical campus plus Zoom broadcast, with event promotion conducted through social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, LinkedIn) and a monthly email newsletter.

The customer base spans four overlapping segments: a general open-and-affirming congregation, LGBTQIA+ individuals seeking an explicitly Reconciling congregation, low-income residents served through the LAX Food Pantry partnership in Inglewood/Westchester/El Segundo/Hawthorne, and individuals in mental health crisis reached via the Didi Hirsch partnership and the annual Alive Together! event at UCLA. Strategic anchor relationships include Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services (since 2019), LAX Food Pantry (since 1985), Reconciling Ministries Network, and the HealthRHYTHMS protocol. The organization holds no patents, has no subsidiaries, and reports no funding rounds or M&A activity.

Name

WESTCHESTER UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Legal name

Westchester United Methodist Church

Website

https://wumcla.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Westchester United Methodist Church is a Reconciling United Methodist congregation in Los Angeles offering hybrid in-person and Zoom worship, wellness programming (drum circles, sound baths, community dinners), and outreach partnerships including suicide prevention with Didi Hirsch and food assistance via the LAX Food Pantry.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (813110), Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG)

Keywords

• Religious worship services
• Spiritual community programs
• Community outreach ministry
• Faith-based services
• Congregational services

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: Traditional church giving through weekly offerings during worship services and special collections (Easter and Christmas Eve offerings directed to suicide prevention).
2. Online Giving: Digital giving platform through ParishSoft allowing congregants to give online via the church website.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Westchester United Methodist Church operates as a Reconciling Congregation providing Christian worship services in both in-person and Zoom formats, supported by community wellness programs including a HealthRHYTHMS drum circle, sound bath meditation, and free community dinners. The church delivers sacramental services (baptisms and memorial services) and partners with Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services for suicide prevention awareness and the LAX Food Pantry to address food insecurity in the Los Angeles area.

Product overview

Westchester United Methodist Church operates as a spiritual community offering religious services and community programs. The church provides two primary worship formats: in-person worship on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. and virtual Zoom-based Breakfast Church at 8:00 a.m. Sundays. Additional programs include the monthly Sound Sanctuary Sound Bath, Rhythm & Food Drum Circle using HealthRhythms protocol, Community Dinner Church (Soulful Soup and Hearty & Holy variations), and Craft Group. The church offers sacraments including baptism and memorial services. Community outreach encompasses suicide prevention partnerships with Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services and food pantry support. Digital giving is available through ParishSoft online platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• In-Person Worship Sunday morning worship service held at 10:00 a.m. in the church sanctuary in an informal, come-as-you-are format that is kid-friendly and dog-friendly, combining traditional and contemporary worship styles with piano, organ, and worship band music.
• Breakfast Church (Zoom) Virtual worship experience held Sundays at 8:00 a.m. via Zoom that explores scripture through questions and conversation in an informal setting, with participants joining via video conference with coffee and breakfast.
• Morning Prayer Check-In Virtual prayer gathering held Wednesday mornings from 7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. via Zoom that includes check-in, celebration sharing, and group prayer for daily experiences.
• The Sound Sanctuary Sound Bath Monthly sound bath experience held first Sundays at 4:00 p.m. using crystal singing bowls, chimes, gongs, and harmonic instruments for immersive rest and reflection, limited to 14 participants with reservations via Eventbrite.
• Rhythm & Food Drum Circle Monthly drum circle program using the evidence-based HealthRhythms protocol, held second Tuesdays at 11:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall, combining recreational music-making with a shared lunch meal; free and open to adults with drums provided.
• Community Dinner Church Free community dinner held first and third Wednesdays at 5:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall with two rotating formats: Soulful Soup (first Wednesday) and Hearty & Holy (third Wednesday), open to families, singles, adults, kids, teens, college students, and seniors.
• Craft Group Weekly craft gathering held Wednesdays at 12 noon in the Craft Room for all skill levels, where participants bring their own lunch and work on personal craft projects.
• Baptism Services Baptism services conducted during worship services in the United Methodist tradition, signifying church membership and including christening; baby dedication services are not conducted.
• Memorial Services and Funerals Memorial services and funeral ceremonies officiated by the Senior Pastor, with guest pastors able to participate in consultation with the Senior Pastor; arrangements coordinated through the church office.
• Suicide Prevention Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of Christmas Eve and Easter Offerings donated to suicide prevention

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Didi Hirsch Mental Health ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Westchester UMC has been a proud partner of Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services' Suicide Prevention & Awareness Programs since 2019. The church sponsors the annual Alive Together! suicide prevention event at UCLA. Pastor Lyda received the Hero of Hope award for her work in suicide prevention. 100% of Christmas Eve and Easter offerings are donated to suicide prevention.
• LAX Food PantrycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1985The LAX Food Pantry was established in 1985 and assists low-income clients in Inglewood, Westchester, El Segundo, Hawthorne, and parts of Los Angeles by providing food for 2 days or six meals. Westchester UMC serves as a drop-off site for food donations.
• Reconciling Ministries NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReconciling Ministries Network equips and mobilizes United Methodists of all sexual orientations and gender identities to resist evil, injustice, and oppression. Westchester UMC is a Reconciling Church that welcomes and affirms all, working for justice and full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ siblings.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Westwood United Methodist Church: A progressive, Reconciling United Methodist Church located in Westwood, Los Angeles. Highly comparable to Westchester UMC in denomination, progressive theology, hybrid in-person/online worship, and community-outreach programming for the Westside LA area.
• First United Methodist Church of Hollywood: A historic United Methodist Church in Hollywood serving a diverse, progressive congregation. Comparable to Westchester UMC in denomination, inclusive/Reconciling posture, community-outreach orientation, and serving the greater Los Angeles metropolitan region.
• Glendale First United Methodist Church: A United Methodist Church serving the Glendale/LA area with both traditional and contemporary worship plus community-service work. Comparable denomination, regional service area, and dual in-person/online worship delivery.
• Pasadena United Methodist Church: A long-established UMC in Pasadena with progressive programming and community-service emphasis. Directly comparable as another Los Angeles-area United Methodist congregation operating social-outreach programs alongside traditional worship.

Broad incumbents

• Lake Avenue Church: A large, established evangelical megachurch in Pasadena with broad programming across worship, education, missions, and counseling. Operates in the same LA County faith market as Westchester UMC but at materially larger scale and with a different theological profile.
• All Saints Church Pasadena: A progressive, historic mainline (Episcopal) congregation in Pasadena with extensive community outreach, social-justice programming, and arts/community engagement. Overlaps Westchester UMC on progressive theology and outreach orientation but is materially larger and denominationally distinct.
• Brentwood Presbyterian Church: A progressive Presbyterian church on the Westside of Los Angeles with a Reconciling-style inclusive stance and substantial community-service programming. Comparable on inclusive theology and Westside LA geography, though denominationally Presbyterian and materially larger.

Emerging players

• Mosaic Church: A younger, multi-site progressive church in the Los Angeles area with contemporary worship and community programming. Comparable on progressive theology and use of contemporary, non-traditional formats, but represents a newer and more scalable multi-site model than Westchester UMC's single-campus approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/westchester-united-methodist-church

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WESTCHESTER UNITED METHODIST CHURCH