About
Our Leadership
Sang Ho Yi
Lead Pastor
Pastor Sang Ho Yi completed his Master of Divinity in May 1996 and his Doctor of Ministry in May 1997 from the School of Theology at Claremont. After his ordination in June 1998, he was appointed to various UM churches, including those in Alaska, Hawaii, and Southern California, over his 27-year tenure. On July 1, 2024, Bishop Dottie Escobedo-Frank appointed him as pastor, dividing his time between Van Nuys UMC (¼ time) and First UMC of Reseda (¾ time) in the North District.
He is talented in teaching, preaching, administration, and organization, and is very energetic, devotional, spiritual, and goal-oriented.
His ministry goals are to establish a Jesus-life sharing, mission-oriented, multicultural, and multi-racial church with the congregation he serves.
His spouse, Jin Yi, who holds a Master's degree from USC, works as a clinician for the City of Ventura. They have two sons, Joseph Chanwoo Yi and Mark Hyunwoo Yi, and are grandparents to Tainoa Sooho Yi (born on December 3, 2023).
He and his wife are very excited to serve the Reseda congregants and the people in the neighborhood, no matter who they are.
Farid "Chef Fred" Abbassi
Event Chef
"Chef Fred" has been part of Reseda UMC since December 2021 when he joined to assist with our Kingdom Christmas Banquet. Since then he has been part of our Reseda family preparing hot meals for our friends at Kingdom Food Pantry and various church events.
Donna Edmundson
Ministry Assistance
Church Vision
The vision of First United Methodist Church of Reseda is to be a family of faith where all people are welcome within a caring fellowship to worship God and be in service with the community and the world.
Our Faith
As United Methodists, we have an obligation to bear a faithful Christian witness to Jesus Christ, the living reality at the center of the Church’s life and witness. To fulfill this obligation, we reflect critically on our biblical and theological inheritance, striving to express faithfully the witness we make in our own time.
Source: http://www.umc.org/what-we-believe/basics-of-our-faith
GETTING INVOLVED
Do you have talents to serve and be part of the kingdom building. Contact the church office to volunteer.
• Helping in the church office during the week
• Helping with food pantry on Wednesdays
• Helping with fixing thing around the church with gift of your “handy”
• Helping with children’s ministry on Wednesdays and Sundays
• Help serve coffee and cookies on Sundays during fellowship
Thanks for for your interest in getting involved with your community! Please check your email for further instructions.
Reseda Church History
The beginning of the First United Methodist Church was set against the backdrop of a rural community composed of a school, grocery store, drugstore, food store, service station and a bank. The heart of Reseda was the intersection of Sherman Way and Reseda Boulevard.
Harry and Elsie Cady were the pioneers who fostered a dream of forming a church. This dream was born in September, 1923, when they invited interested persons to attend a Sunday School in their home. Twenty-four attended the first class. An enthusiasm was sparked and meetings continued in homes, a vacant store building, and a bean factory where the only bench was a bean sack.
The church was officially chartered in 1924 as the Reseda Community Church in the Pacific Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, with the Rev. Enoch Eiland as the first pastor.
To meet the needs of a growing church, a new building was begun in February, 1925 and completed on August 9, 1925 at the cost of $16,000. It was located at the corner of Amigo and Gault.
The continuing growth of the congregation over the next twenty-seven years led to a decision in 1952 to relocate. Building funds were raised through pledges amounting to $58,000, the sale of the existing site and contributions from Temple Judea which had shared the church's facilities for two years.
Ground breaking at the corner of Lindley and Saticoy took place on May 23, 1954. During construction, worship services were held at the Reseda Theater and classes were conducted in homes. The Chapel, Friendship Hall, Fireside Room, and Church School rooms were dedicated on February 20, 1955. Construction of the sanctuary followed and the dedication was held in 1961.
In 1968, the West Van Nuys United Methodist Church, which had begun its ministry in 1950, merged with the First United Methodist Church of Reseda, with the membership of the two congregations being joined.
A total of thirty pastors have been appointed to the Van Nuys and Reseda churches during the years of their ministry. For the past eighty-eight years the First United Methodist Church has played a vital part in the life of the community. Known for inspiring music, mission and outreach in the local community and around the world, and a strong education ministry, the church continues to serve with dedication and endless care.
