Adult Education

Sunday, February 8, 8:45 AM, Pownall Room & Zoom

Adult Education takes place Sundays at 8:45 AM in-person & via Zoom.  

Sunday Worship

Sunday, February 8, 10:00 AM, Sanctuary

Join us for worship in-person in our historic Sanctuary or online. Worships are livestreamed on our YouTube channel - click here to view our Sunday worship livestream! Our Sanctuary is ADA accessible and listening devices are available. FCCLB is a liberal, Open & Affirming and unabashedly progressive church in the United Church of Christ denomination. Parking is available in the Civic Center parking structure on Broadway Ave & Third Street; we validate parking on Sunday morning. 

Acclaimed Activist-Artist Peggy Preacely to Visit First Church

Sunday, February 8, 11:30 AM

BOCA is excited to announce that Peggy Trotter Dammond Preacely, a former Freedom Rider and working member of the historic Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (“SNCC”), will participate in our worship service as lay liturgist on Sunday, February 8^th , followed by a forum and book signing. The talk and slide show presentation following the worship service is entitled "AIN'T GONNA LET NOBODY TURN US 'ROUND," a song from her freedom movement days.  The slide presentation will include images representing 150 years of her family's history, as well as her experience as a Freedom Rider in the Civil Rights Movement. Ms. Preacely is one of the great -great grandchildren of William and Ellen Craft who self-liberated from enslavement in Macon, Georgia in 1848, Ms. Preacely is a contributing author of “HANDS ON THE FREEDOM PLOW: PERSONAL ACCOUNTS BY THE WOMEN IN SNCC”  (2010, University of Illinois Press) which also describes her family legacy and history of activism that has shaped her life since she was a teenager growing up in Harlem, New York City. Ms. Preacely is the Poet Laureate of Holman United Methodist Church of Los Angeles and participated in the "Confluent" arts event at First Church in late 2024. She currently lives in Long Beach with her husband, Earnest.

UCO Benefit Concert – Ken Medema

Saturday, March 14th, 7:00pm

Please save the date for an upcoming benefit concert fundraiser for Urban Community Outreach and the Drop-in Center.  On Saturday, March 14th at 7 pm, Ken Medema will give a concert to benefit UCO. Ken has performed in churches across the country, including at a UCC Synod and other denominational gatherings and conferences. Ken is not only planning on the benefit concert, but he will also be involved in our Sunday service on the 15th and he will sing at the Drop-in Center that Sunday afternoon. This will be a very special weekend of music with a powerful social justice theme. PLEASE SAVE THE DATE!!