About
First United Methodist Church of Pasadena is located east of Old Pasadena in the Playhouse District and serves people from throughout the city, neighboring communities and the surrounding San Gabriel Valley. Founded in 1875, the congregation today includes families of all ages with a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences.
On October 23, 2011 members of First UMC voted overwhelmingly to become a Reconciling Congregation – a congregation committed to the full inclusion of LGBTQ persons in the life of the church. In the fall of 2015, in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark ruling, the congregation voted to allow same-gender weddings to be held in the church’s facilities and to support its appointed clergy in officiating at these services.
We seek to become disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
Leadership Team
Church Staff [L to R]: Aisha Figilis-Williams (Facilities Manager), Livingstone Zan (Custodian), Ashley Slade (Communications Coordinator), Jeff Potter (Camp Manager), Rev. Sandra Olewine (Pastor), Rev. Gregory Norton (Minister of Music & Communications), Rev. Deb Shepherd-Webster (Minister of Hospitality), Timothy Sun (Business Manager), Rev. Jennifer Chapman (Director of Intentional Faith Development), Calbert Murray (Custodian)
Rev. Sandra K. Olewine
Pastor
Born in Maryland and raised in California, Rev. Sandra Olewine (Sandy) is a graduate of the University of California, Davis (BS) and the Claremont School of Theology (M.Div / ABD).
Rev. Jennifer Chapman
Director of Intentional Faith Development
Born in California and raised in Texas, Rev. Jennifer Chapman is happy to be back in the golden state!
Rev. Gregory Norton
Minister of Music and Communications
A native of Redlands, (Calif.), Greg has spent more than thirty years serving churches in Colorado and Southern California, most recently at Westwood UMC in Los Angeles.