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Palms Westminster has been a multicultural church for over 20 years. We will celebrate our 70th anniversary on Oct. 7, 2007. We currently have 78 active members. In two years we have increased our membership by forty percent and have maintained our racial-ethnic and cultural diversity. Many of our new elders and deacons are leaders in our local West African community.
Demographics of our active membership
27% African American
35% Asian American
32% Euro American
6% Native American and Latino
Demographics of our nine-member session
60% Female
30% African American
30% Asian American
30% Euro American
We often sing Who is "My Mother, Who is My Brother" from the Sing The Faith Hymnal. The second verse captures our mission as an inclusive and reconciling faith community.
Differently abled, differently labeled
Widen the circle round Jesus Christ
Crutches and stigmas, cultures’ enigmas
All come together round Jesus Christ
Mission Statement
We define our church as being on the edge of different economic, social, age and ethnic groups. We address the pain of our members, non-members, the community, the country and the world with prayers. We share each other’s understanding and needs through ideas, friendship and concern for one another. We help people when they are in distress and are aware of the anxieties that surround us in this "inner city" portion of Los Angeles.
Example of Multicultural Urban Ministry
One warm July afternoon, our community was traumatized by gang violence. Three of our Latino youth were killed in three days. Many people jumped to the conclusion that this was a conflict between Black and Latino gang members. Palms Westminster reached out to the grieving families and supported our community efforts to respond with grace and hope.
The Sunday following the shootings, two of the grieving families attended our worship service so some of our elected officials could offer words of comfort. It just so happened that this was the same Sunday we had planned to baptize baby Jordan whose family is African American. After Pastor Howard anointed Jordan in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, Jordan’s mother placed him in the hands of the grieving families. This sacramental moment was very transformative. There were very few dry eyes in the sanctuary. Our fellowship hall has become a hub for various stakeholders to come together to reach out to our at risk youth and to work to transform a tragedy into hope.
Alexander Hamilton High School is right across the street from our campus. The vast majority of the students are African American and Latino. As part of our multicultural evangelism outreach, we cosponsor a tutoring program offering multiple subjects. About 20 students a week come together to receive tutoring and mentoring from recent UCLA college graduates.
This article was featured in our local paper, the Westside Chronicle.
West L.A. Reverend Honored for Community Service with At-Risk Youth
South Robertson (SoRo) community leaders honored Rev. Howard Dotson for outstanding service to the community Jan. 20. Dotson, pastor of Palms Westminster Presbyterian Church, was presented with a proclamation/commendation from the Los Angeles City Council for his extraordinary work in the SoRo community in initiating interfaith cooperation to develop educational and safety programs to recruit and assist at-risk youth.
In addition, Dotson was commended for his work with other vulnerable populations, including the mentally ill and disadvantaged. He led the way promoting and coordinating successful efforts for students, teachers, LAPD, school police, City Council offices, parks and recreation, UCLA outreach programs and the SoRo Neighborhoods Council to prevent gang violence and promote involvement of at-risk youth in a fully subsidized winter camp, hip hop events, school safety programs for parents and students, community vigils and community celebrations.
The City Council proclamation was presented by Elizabeth Carlin, field deputy for Councilmember Herb Wesson and Katherine Hennigan, field deputy for Councilmember Jack Weiss to Dotson. Also in attendance were members of the Board of Directors of SoRo Neighborhoods Council; Nicole Griffin, director of the Robertson Recreation Center; Beth Ryan, president of the Crestview Neighborhood Association; Stephanie Marquez and Christel Wilson, local philanthropists and owners of Many Paws; and Senior Lead Officer for the LAPD, Rashad Shareef. |
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