Bel Air Presbyterian Church
Encyclopedia
Bel Air Presbyterian Church is a Christian
megachurch
located in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles
, California
. The church is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
currently averages more than 3,000 in attendance each weekend.
. The church is located at 16221 Mulholland Drive
, on a hill overlooking the San Fernando Valley
.
The original sanctuary organ
was a four-manual, sixty-eight rank mechanical action pipe organ by Casavant
. It was seriously damaged, mostly by water leakage, in the 1994 Northridge earthquake
. It was later rebuilt as a pipe combination instrument with a digital console from Rodgers Instruments
Corporation, in protest of which Casavant declared it to be "destroyed" and stricken from their register of surviving instruments. At the time of its re-dedication, it was one of the world’s largest digital/pipe combination organs in the world.
In 2007, the church completed a $12 million dollar campus expansion program, The Campaign for Bel Air: Phase I, which included the two story Education Building, Discipleship Center, and Administration Building, including staff offices with views overlooking the The Valley
.
Former Senior Pastors include Dr. Louis H. Evans Jr., Dr. Michael H. Wenning, and Dr. Donn D. Moomaw
. Dr. Moomaw gave the invocation at President Ronald Reagan
's first inauguration in 1981
.
Bel Air Presbyterian Church is an active member of the Presbyterian Church (USA)
(PCUSA) denomination, and has participated in vigorous debates among the mainline denomination
, on issues of theology
. Bel Air has tended to be more conservative and Evangelical than others in the PCUSA. The church is also a member of the Evangelical Willow Creek Association.
The church is currently led by Senior Pastor Dr. Mark Brewer.
Weekly church attendance currently exceeds 2,500, making it one of the largest and fastest-growing Presbyterian
churches in the United States.
Many members of Bel Air Presbyterian Church are involved in the entertainment industry, and many are prominent within the Westside L.A. community. In addition, many young actorsattend the church's midweek young adults service, The Foundry. Bel Air also has many young families from The Valley in its congregation. President
Ronald Reagan
and First Lady
Nancy Reagan
regularly attended the church after leaving office, and Mrs. Reagan still occasionally attends. Famous celebrities that have been spotted at Bel Air in recent years include Jessica Simpson
, Britney Spears
, Paris Hilton
, Lance Bass
, Sean Astin
, and Leonardo DiCaprio
, garnering Bel Air the title of "L.A.'s Celebrity Church".
Every Easter
Sunday, the church holds the largest worship service in Southern California
at the famous Hollywood Bowl
, with attendance exceeding 10,000.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
megachurch
Megachurch
A megachurch is a church having 2,000 or more in average weekend attendance. The Hartford Institute's database lists more than 1,300 such Protestant churches in the United States. According to that data, approximately 50 churches on the list have attendance ranging from 10,000 to 47,000...
located in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The church is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
The Presbyterian Church , or PC, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. Part of the Reformed tradition, it is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the U.S...
currently averages more than 3,000 in attendance each weekend.
History
Since its founding in 1956, Bel Air Presbyterian has become one of the largest churches in Los Angeles. The church's motto is Making Los Angeles the greatest city for ChristChrist
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
. The church is located at 16221 Mulholland Drive
Mulholland Drive
Mulholland Drive is a street and road in the eastern Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California. It is named after Los Angeles pioneer civil engineer William Mulholland...
, on a hill overlooking the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
.
The original sanctuary organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
was a four-manual, sixty-eight rank mechanical action pipe organ by Casavant
Casavant Frères
Casavant Frères is a prominent Canadian company in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, which has been building fine pipe organs since 1879. As of 2008, they have produced over 3800 organs.- Company history :...
. It was seriously damaged, mostly by water leakage, in the 1994 Northridge earthquake
Northridge earthquake
The Northridge earthquake was a massive earthquake that occurred on January 17, 1994, at 04:31 Pacific Standard Time in Reseda, a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, lasting for about 10–20 seconds...
. It was later rebuilt as a pipe combination instrument with a digital console from Rodgers Instruments
Rodgers Instruments
Rodgers Instruments Corporation is an American manufacturer of classical and church organs. Rodgers was founded in 1958 by Rodgers W. Jenkins and Fred Tinker, employees of Tektronix, Inc., of Portland, Oregon, and members of a Tektronix team developing transistor-based oscillator circuits...
Corporation, in protest of which Casavant declared it to be "destroyed" and stricken from their register of surviving instruments. At the time of its re-dedication, it was one of the world’s largest digital/pipe combination organs in the world.
In 2007, the church completed a $12 million dollar campus expansion program, The Campaign for Bel Air: Phase I, which included the two story Education Building, Discipleship Center, and Administration Building, including staff offices with views overlooking the The Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
.
Former Senior Pastors include Dr. Louis H. Evans Jr., Dr. Michael H. Wenning, and Dr. Donn D. Moomaw
Donn Moomaw
Donn Moomaw is a retired American football player and Presbyterian minister.Moomaw played for UCLA as the center and linebacker for the team. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1973....
. Dr. Moomaw gave the invocation at President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
's first inauguration in 1981
First inauguration of Ronald Reagan
The first inauguration of Ronald Reagan as the 40th President of the United States was held on January 20, 1981. The inauguration marked the commencement of the first four-year term of Ronald Reagan as President and George H. W. Bush as Vice President. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger administered...
.
Present
Presbyterian Church (USA)
The Presbyterian Church , or PC, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. Part of the Reformed tradition, it is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the U.S...
(PCUSA) denomination, and has participated in vigorous debates among the mainline denomination
Christian denomination
A Christian denomination is an identifiable religious body under a common name, structure, and doctrine within Christianity. In the Orthodox tradition, Churches are divided often along ethnic and linguistic lines, into separate churches and traditions. Technically, divisions between one group and...
, on issues of theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
. Bel Air has tended to be more conservative and Evangelical than others in the PCUSA. The church is also a member of the Evangelical Willow Creek Association.
The church is currently led by Senior Pastor Dr. Mark Brewer.
Congregation
Presbyterianism
Presbyterianism refers to a number of Christian churches adhering to the Calvinist theological tradition within Protestantism, which are organized according to a characteristic Presbyterian polity. Presbyterian theology typically emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scriptures,...
churches in the United States.
Many members of Bel Air Presbyterian Church are involved in the entertainment industry, and many are prominent within the Westside L.A. community. In addition, many young actorsattend the church's midweek young adults service, The Foundry. Bel Air also has many young families from The Valley in its congregation. President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
and First Lady
First Lady of the United States
First Lady of the United States is the title of the hostess of the White House. Because this position is traditionally filled by the wife of the president of the United States, the title is most often applied to the wife of a sitting president. The current first lady is Michelle Obama.-Current:The...
Nancy Reagan
Nancy Reagan
Nancy Davis Reagan is the widow of former United States President Ronald Reagan and was First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989....
regularly attended the church after leaving office, and Mrs. Reagan still occasionally attends. Famous celebrities that have been spotted at Bel Air in recent years include Jessica Simpson
Jessica Simpson
Jessica Ann Simpson is an American recording artist, actress, television personality, and fashion designer whose rise to fame began in 1999. Since that time, Simpson has achieved many recording milestones, starred in several television shows, movies, and commercials, launched a line of hair and...
, Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
, Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton
Paris Whitney Hilton is an American businesswoman, heiress, and socialite. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton . Hilton is known for her controversial participation in a sex tape in 2003, and appearance on the television series The Simple Life alongside fellow socialite and childhood...
, Lance Bass
Lance Bass
James Lance Bass , best known as Lance Bass, is an American pop singer, dancer, actor, film and television producer, and author. He grew up in Mississippi and rose to fame as the bass singer for the American pop boy band 'N Sync. 'N Sync's success led Bass to work in film and television...
, Sean Astin
Sean Astin
Sean Astin is an American film actor, director, voice artist, and producer better known for his film roles as Mikey Walsh in The Goonies, the title character of Rudy, and Samwise Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. In television, he appeared as Lynn McGill in the fifth season of 24...
, and Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio is an American actor and film producer. He has received many awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Aviator , and has been nominated by the Academy Awards, Screen Actors Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television...
, garnering Bel Air the title of "L.A.'s Celebrity Church".
Every Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
Sunday, the church holds the largest worship service in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
at the famous Hollywood Bowl
Hollywood Bowl
The Hollywood Bowl is a modern amphitheater in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, California, United States that is used primarily for music performances...
, with attendance exceeding 10,000.