Bel Air Presbyterian Church

Infobox church
name = Bel Air Presbyterian Church
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denomination = Presbyterian, Evangelical Christian
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founded_date = 1956
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seniorpastor = Dr. Mark Brewer
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address = 16221 Mulholland Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90049
country = United States
phone = 818.788.4200
website = [http://www.belairpres.org/ belairpres.org]

Bel Air Presbyterian Church (or simply Bel Air Pres) is an Evangelical Christian megachurch located in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Bel Air is a member of the Willow Creek Association.

History

Since its founding in 1956, it has become one of the largest and most influential churches in L.A. Indeed, the church's motto is "Making Los Angeles the greatest city for Christ." The church is located at 16221 Mulholland Drive, on a hill overlooking the San Fernando Valley.

Many members of Bel Air are involved in the entertainment industry, and many are prominent within the Westside L.A. community. In addition, many young actors attend the church's midweek young adults service, "The Foundry". Bel Air also has many young families from The Valley in its congregation. Former President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan, regularly attended Bel Air after leaving office, and Mrs. Reagan still occasionally attends.http://webcenters.netscape.compuserve.com/celebrity/becksmith.jsp?p=bsf_faithabundant"] Famous celebrities that have been spotted at Bel Air in recent years include Jessica Simpson, Britney Spears [ [http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20045126,00.html Britney Spears's Man Mystery Deepens - Britney Spears : People.com ] ] , Paris Hilton, Lance Bass, [http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/dc9/2007/10/gay_odyssey_with_lance_bass.php ] ] and Leonardo DiCaprio, garnering Bel Air the title of "L.A.'s Celebrity Church."

was completed, with a seating capacity of 1,400. The organ is world-renowned in the organ and classical music communities. It has been featured in many recordings, magazines and radio programs.

Weekly church attendance currently exceeds 2,500, making it one of the largest and fastest-growing Presbyterian churches in the United States. , as Bel Air tends to be more conservative and Evangelical than the majority of the PCUSA. The church is also a member of the Evangelical Willow Creek Association.

Former Senior Pastors include Dr. Louis H. Evans Jr., Dr. Michael H. Wenning, and Dr. Donn D. Moomaw. Dr. Moomaw gave the prayer at Reagan's first inauguration in 1981.

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 stunning views overlooking the The Valley.

Every Easter Sunday, the church holds the largest worship service in Southern California at the famous Hollywood Bowl, with attendance exceeding 10,000.

Theology

We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God.

We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We believe in the deity and humanity of Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, in His present rule as Head of the Church and in His personal return in power and glory.

We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful people regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.

We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.

We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost – the saved unto the resurrection of life, and the lost unto the resurrection of eternal separation from God.

We believe in the spiritual unity of all believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.http://www.belairpres.org/who/believe.html]

Philosophy

Bel Air Presbyterian Church is ultimately about making disciples of Christ. A disciple is someone whose behavior and attitudes are being transformed into the likeness of Christ. We focus on making disciples to accomplish a further purpose: to build bridges and partnerships with other churches in and around Los Angeles so that LA becomes known as the greatest city for Christ in America!

Transforming people into the likeness of Christ, we encourage our members to grow in three areas:

1) Understanding God’s Word, and applying it to our lives.

2) Developing healthy, accountable relationships with other Christians.

3) Appreciating and exercising our spiritual gifts.

Dr. Mark Brewer

The church is currently led by Senior Pastor Dr. Mark Brewer. In 2004, Brewer broke with the denomination and opposed the controversial PCUSA "divestment from Israel" decision (an official anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian statement). He currently serves on the board of directors of "The Committee to End Divestment Now" (CEDN), a Presbyterian affinity group opposed to the PCUSA's anti-Israel statements and activities.

Because of this and other ongoing debates within the PCUSA (regarding the ordination of homosexuals among other liberal views), many believe Bel Air may eventually leave the liberal denomination and join a more conservative one, such as the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC), as many other Evangelical Presbyterian churches around the U.S. have done.

References

External links

* [http://www.belairpres.org/ www.belairpres.org] Official web site
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=16221+Mulholland+Drive,+Los+Angeles+CA+90049&ie=UTF8&z=15&om=0&iwloc=addr/ Aerial Photograph from Google Maps]