Gardena Valley Baptist Church

"I have been attending this Church for a handful of years. Growing up in a very small non-denom church, I found that going to this church was Iike being in a small church because of the big heart of the attendees, but different in other ways. Small independent churches have to worry a lot about money so they make it almost like a guilt factor if you do not tithe. But here it is not like that. Giving is of the heart. They also have Sunday School/ child care for infant through College, lots of small group and mid-week group opportunities, constant events, and since COVID they are also online every Sunday and have an after service zoom for those who cannot attend in person or are not ready. I feel blessed to be a part of this community."

"I am so grateful to be able to call Gardena Valley Baptist my home church. Recently, Pastor Daniel Matsuda was installed as our new senior pastor. His vision for helping our congregation change from the inside out is making a difference in the lives of people in our congregation. Rather than having individuals just focus on changing behaviors or to do "good works", he is encouraging us to spend daily quality time with God, reading His Word and talking with Him. The overflow of that deepening, intimate relationship and love for God is the impetus for wanting to please Him and to live out our faith. We are so blessed to not only have a pastoral staff who inspire us through wonderful Biblical teaching, but who encourage us to use our spiritual gifts to serve one another and work together with us to build up the body of Christ. Whatever your life stage, this is a place where you can find connection and support. We are so fortunate to be an intergenerational church. The older generation have great wisdom and experience to share with those younger and the younger have new ideas and energy to benefit the body at GVBC. They have an excellent Children's Ministry, Youth Ministry, a growing College/Young adult group, and Women's Ministry. Their Re-Engage program supports married couples whether you are newly married or have been married for a long time. They also offer community small groups for all life stages that meet weekly to learn together as well as to get prayer and support. (These are key opportunities to translate what we hear on Sunday mornings into how we live our everyday lives at home, at school, with our families, friends and at church). GVBC does their best to balance nurturing their church family while also not forgetting to focus outward as well. They try to share God's love by doing outreach and loving their local community as well as supporting those who are doing the same thing overseas. The "Fun with Friends" or the "Prime Timers" (senior) group utilize their gift of hospitality to plan social events where you can meet new people and can invite your friends to have fun and do the same. GVBC is not a perfect church because a perfect church does not exist. We are imperfect people, who are redeemed by God's incredible grace and mercy, and empowered by His Spirit to share that love with others. We make mistakes, but hopefully, we can learn from them, and then humbly move forward."

"I attended on 10/9/22. I considered it a truly wonderful Christian experience. Mostly Japanese ~ I think I was one of very few caucasions there. I was greeted kindly at the door. A Japanese man introduced himself to me shortly after I took my seat. And another Japanese man greeted me soon after. Everyone was so overtly kind and friendly. I thought the music was absolutely superb. The Christian message was excellent and thought-provoking. Finally, I was very sad to read that some people had a very bad experience there. But, for me, I felt so welcomed and accepted. I hope to attend again."

"I have attended this church for many years. It was the church that introduced me to my Savior and Lord Jesus. It has been the church that has nurtured my faith and help me grow into a more mature Christian. It has been the church that has helped my children know and love the Lord. Like any human institution, GVBC is not perfect. We all have flaws and areas where we can improve. But, overall, this church has been an incredible blessing to myself and hundreds of others. It has been a light in the community and I pray that this church, my church, will continue to share the Gospel until we are all called home. God Bless GVBC."

"I am not a big fan of this church. We are not Japanese but my wife is a Hapa from Honolulu. We recently moved to Gardena and was looking for a place of worship. We went to this church in June. What we were shocked was how they poorly they treated us. When we entered the church they were very unwelcoming and acted as if we did not belong there. After the service, when I held out my hand to the pastor to shake his hand he just blew right past me. I could not believe it. When I asked my Japanese neighbor about the church, he admitted to me that the church does not like "Gai-jin". I told him that they have white people on their staff. He told me that that was just a front. When I visited the YELP website, I noticed how they filtered all of their negative reviews and keep all their positive ones. They are really corrupt. Avoid this church at all costs."