We are not gathering on Sunday, April 7th as we practice Sabbath rest.

Join us for Easter Sunday on March 31st at 10:15 am.

As per tradition, we’ll celebrate over mimosas and tacos!

Join us at Upper Canyonback Trailhead in Encino at 6 pm for our spring sunset hike!

17024 Mulholland Dr, Encino, CA 91436

Join us at 5 p.m. on December 24th for our Christmas Eve Service!

Join us at Holy Spirit Retreat Center for an Advent Silent Retreat on Saturday, December 9th, from 9 a.m. — 12 p.m.

There will be group meditation and time outside for walking and reflection.

You’re welcome to bring a journal to write during the open reflection time.

You’re invited to bring $10 as a free will donation to the retreat center for hosting this event.

Beginning December 3rd, join us for the season of Advent for a series of conversations of The Universal Christ!

Join us for our 8th Annual Love Feast!

We are hosting our 8th Annual Love Feast on November 19th at 10:15 AM. This will be a celebratory service of music and reflections on gratitude as we enjoy breakfast tacos and community together. Tacos will be provided, and everyone is invited to bring a festive dessert or beverage to share! This event is free, but please RSVP below to help us get a count for food. Thank you!

The Wild Within: Semler & Arielle Estoria

Join us for an incredible in-person event featuring the talented artists, Semler, Arielle Estoria, and Kitty Cole Designs! Immerse yourself in a night of captivating music, spoken word poetry, and art that will touch your soul.

Location: Mission Hills, 14941 Devonshire St., Los Angeles, CA 91345

Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to experience the beauty of their live performances. Let their words and melodies transport you to a world where creativity knows no bounds. Come and be a part of this unforgettable evening that celebrates the power of art and self-expression.

A special thank you to the Camille Grant Committee of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) for their support.

About the Artists

Arielle Estoria

Born and raised in foggy Northern California and now residing in Los Angeles CA, Arielle ​Estoria (R-E-L EH-STORY-UH) (she/her) is a Poet, Author and Actor. Her motto, "Words not for the ears but for the soul" stems from her dedication to remind anyone who encounters her and her work that words are meant to be felt and experienced not just heard. With a specific heart in empowering, encouraging and making space for audiences of women to feel at home in their own bodies. Arielle has shared her work through custom spoken word pieces, workshops and themed keynote talks with companies such as Google, Sofar Sounds, Lululemon, Dressember, Tedx, the SKIMS campaign by Kim Kardashian and more. She has consecutively emceed annual conferences and has led various writing, embodiment and self-acceptance workshops in various settings ranging from students to professional development spaces.

Semler

Semler (Grace Semler Baldridge) self describes as a “hopeful, unholy, preacher’s kid,” and has become a name well-known and well-loved in the queer Christian community. The name was chosen both because of the name's links to their maternal family history and because they prefer their music to be experienced from a gender-neutral viewpoint. Their February 2021 EP Preacher’s Kid, recorded independently and reaching over a million streams in the first few months, broke barriers when it rocketed to the #1 spot on the iTunes Christian music charts—making Semler the first openly queer artist to hold that position. In October 2021, Semler repeated the feat again rising to #1 – with their EP Late Bloomer. It racked up more than 250k Spotify streams in its first week, with double that on Apple Music.

Semler’s bookends of Preacher’s Kid and Late Bloomer found humor, hurt, and healing at the intersection of queerness and faith and ignited grassroots support for the artist who began booking shows around the US – both headlining and sharing stages with Katie Pruitt and Relient K. Semler takes a leap of faith in questioning aspects of Christian culture and Christian responses to the LGBTQIA+ community through satire, love, and earnest feelings of hurt. Semler’s steady growth and candid songs & content have both touched a nerve and united a community, not to mention earned the attention of hundreds of thousands of listeners eagerly awaiting their next project. Semler’s newest EP release, Night Aches, continues the journey speaking to what many queer people in the church have experienced including the song “Faith.”

Kitty Cole Designs

Born and raised just outside of London to a Sri Lankan father and British mother, Katie Sunderalingam of Kitty Cole Designs is a multidisciplinary artist, creating large and small-scale public art and licensable art for stationery, greeting cards, and home decor. She also works as an art director in film and commercial production. After studying set design for theatre in Liverpool, a strong sense of spacial narrative, whimsical dimension, and colorful environments were instilled in her work. Katie is always excited to bring her unique eye and design sensibility to new projects and collaborations.

Join us at Upper Canyonback Trailhead for our Fall Sunset Hike at 5:00 PM.

The trail is easy to intermediate level. 3 miles out and back.

Location:
17024 Mulholland Dr, Encino, CA 91436
https://maps.app.goo.gl/cUbAhnh6Vf89kZeY6

We are off this Sunday to observe a Sabbath Day of rest. Enjoy your Sunday. We’ll be back in person, on Sunday, October 15th! 🌈🌈

The Sabbath is the day that we learn the art of surpassing civilization.
- Abraham J. Heschel

UPDATED September 26

The Malibu Triathlon was moved to October 1st… then it was canceled… then on September 26, the Malibu City Council announced it was… uncanceled.
So, we are changing locations this year from Zuma Beach to North Beach at Leo Carillo State Park. Parking and information below.

Join us in Malibu on October 1st at 10 AM for our 7th Annual Beach Service!

Parking

Enter through the Leo Carillo Visitor Center entrance at 35000 Pacific Hwy W, Malibu, CA 90265, and drive straight to the parking at North Beach.

You will drive under the overpass and up the hill to the parking lot near Lifeguard Stand 5, which is a bit further north. See the photo below.

We will be set up near lifeguard stand 5. Look for the rainbow Mission Hills banner. 🌈

Bring

We will have coffee, pastries, snacks, and water. Feel free to bring an item to share! Bring a chair or towel to sit on and any other beach items you might need!
This is a dog beach, so feel free to bring your furry friends! 🐶 🐶

Service

Our service will include music, reflection, communion, and child dedications.
After, we will hang out and enjoy the day at the beach! 🏖️

Weather forecast

Partly sunny with a high of 68 🌤️.

A Night with Arielle Estoria

We are excited to announce that Mission Hills will be hosting acclaimed author, poet, model, and artist Arielle Estoria for a night of music, poetry, and community.

About Arielle

Born and raised in foggy Northern California and now residing in Los Angeles CA, Arielle ​Estoria (R-E-L EH-STORY-UH) (she/her) is a Poet, Author and Actor. Her motto, "Words not for the ears but for the soul" stems from her dedication to remind anyone who encounters her and her work that words are meant to be felt and experienced not just heard. With a specific heart in empowering, encouraging and making space for audiences of women to feel at home in their own bodies. Arielle has shared her work through custom spoken word pieces, workshops and themed keynote talks with companies such as Google, Sofar Sounds, Lululemon, Dressember, Tedx, the SKIMS campaign by Kim Kardashian and more. She has consecutively emceed annual conferences and has led various writing, embodiment and self-acceptance workshops in various settings ranging from students to professional development spaces.

Join us in September and October for an 8-week deep dive into contemplative Christianity through Cynthia Bourgeault’s book The Heart of Centering Prayer and The Cloud of Unknowing.

Cynthia Bourgeault brings a unique perspective to Centering Prayer by blending her deep understanding of contemplative Christianity with insights from Eastern spirituality and modern science. Her approach emphasizes the heart-centered aspect of this meditative practice, highlighting love as a transformative force. Bourgeault's teachings infuse Centering Prayer with a richer, holistic spirituality, expanding its scope beyond mere self-improvement to a path of profound inner awakening and interconnectedness. By bridging traditions and integrating wisdom from various sources, she offers practitioners a more inclusive, integrated, and spiritually fulfilling approach to Centering Prayer that resonates with a diverse and contemporary audience.

Centering Prayer is a method of Christian contemplation developed by Father Thomas Keating and Basil Pennington based on The Cloud of Unknowing. The Cloud of Unknowing is a 14th-century Christian mystical text attributed to an anonymous English author. This spiritual classic explores the path of contemplative prayer and the pursuit of a direct, intimate experience of God. The author advocates a form of meditation where the practitioner strives to transcend human understanding and knowledge, entering a state of divine union by surrendering all thoughts and concepts to a cloud of unknowing.

The book's relevance today lies in its enduring relevance to seekers of spiritual depth and wisdom across all religious traditions. In a secular age characterized by information overload and constant distractions, "The Cloud of Unknowing" offers a timeless message of quieting the mind, finding stillness, and seeking a profound connection with the divine. It teaches the value of humility, emphasizing that God cannot be grasped through intellect alone but through a heartfelt, wordless devotion.

Moreover, the book's emphasis on simplicity and detachment resonates with modern individuals seeking inner peace amidst the chaos of the digital age. It reminds us that spirituality isn't confined to any particular religious doctrine and that the pursuit of spiritual depth can be a universal human endeavor.

Wednesdays at 7 pm

Join us for our August service where we will discuss Nadia Bolz-Weber’s book, “Shameless: A Sexual Reformation.” If you want to and are able to read the book before joining the conversation, we have a recommended reading schedule below. Feel free to read as much or as little as you want to, as we will gear our conversation questions towards general themes for anyone to join. We recognize that we all have cultural, spiritual, familial, and philosophical influences on our own understanding of sexuality and sexual ethic (defined as: the personal beliefs, attitudes and feelings that a person has about their sexuality and the actions they take to live accordingly). We hope to create safe, inclusive space in this kind of conversation to explore together.

Read more here

Join us on Sunday, July 16th, for a Sunday morning retreat at Mission Hills at 10 am!

Join us on June 24th at 12:00 pm at Van Nuys City Hall as we march together for SFV Pride!

More details to follow!

Join us for Pride Sunday on June 4th at 10:15 AM. We will have breakfast tacos, liturgy, and conversation as we celebrate Pride together!

Join us at Upper Canyonback Trailhead in Encino for a Sunset Hike on Wednesday, May 31, at 6:30 pm. This is a moderate 2-mile out-and-back hike, suitable for most ages and fitness levels.
17024 Mulholland Dr., Encino, CA, 91436