Creating a Bridge Across Los Angeles

By Taylor Villanueva

Union Church of Los Angeles opened 93 years ago in Little Tokyo. Since the very first day, the place of worship has stayed constant to many things- its location, its mission and its religious values, to name a few.

But some things have changed throughout the years.

Rev. Tim Yee, the pastor of Union Church, said that one of the things the church is most proud of today is the varying degrees of races and ethnicities of the people who attend services there.

“It’s a mix up of all different kinds of people,” Yee said. “All different kinds of ethnic groups.”

Yee said that a major goal for the church is to be inclusive.

“Our lead usher is a resident at one of the missions and spent most of his life in prison. We also have doctors, lawyers and students.”

But it’s not the only church in the area whose members are looking to diversify.

The pastor said that Union Church has been at its 3rd street location since the 1920s, but a neighboring church had been holding its services there for several years. Bel Air Presbyterian Church recently decided to join forces with Union Church to increase participation and grow into a multicultural environment.

Union Church consisted of mostly Japanese and Japanese-American attendees, while Bel Air Presbyterian was made up of mostly Hispanics.

Yee was appointed as the man to enact the collaboration between the two churches. Today, the collaborative program is called The Bridge at Union Church.

The pastor said that he feels the new crowd of people coming in from Bel Air Presbyterian Church is helping to renew the idea that a young generation can be involved in God’s work.

The crowd from Bel Air is a lot younger, with a majority of the members in their 20s. This contrasts with the members of Union Church.

“The average age of a long-time Union Church member is 80 years old. It’s a Japanese church, an old church,” Yee said.

“It’s kind of a dying, city-center church that was looking for a future.”

He said that part of that future includes The Bridge, and he feels very blessed to be included in the church’s new vision.

“Bel Air was seeing an opportunity downtown with USC students and different types of people,” Yee said.

“When my wife and I came in, it was two years after Bel Air Presbyterian experimented with that and they could see they needed new direction.”

Yee says he was part of the new direction that both churches were looking for.

“Primarily, we’re trying to clearly communicate in a very historic, orthodox way that Jesus Christ was a real person, and that he was not just God’s representative but God himself, and that he is the way to reconnect back to God.”

Yee said the church always welcomes new members, so long as they are “open to God and admit that they need him”.

“We’re praying for people to have their hearts changed and their minds changed. We’re praying for people to look outside of their own selfishness and self-concern, to serve and bless the city.”

Yee and other members of the parish said they have a motto that keeps their faith with them even through tough times in a big city.

“We have this saying that we exist to love God and to bless the city, that you’re not in L.A. by accident. God has placed you here for a purpose. Not to just bless yourself, but to bless the city, love Him and bless others.”

Members of both churches believe the continued diversity is helping to inspire more people to become involved in service.

“We’re hoping with this diverse community that we are building that we will be able to bless the city together.”