The Verdugo Community Church’s Podcast

Pastor Gail Whitcome Linstrom – “After the Clouds of Doubt … Jesus Remains” – Verdugo Community Church Easter Sunday April 20, 2025

In her sermon, “After the Clouds of Doubt …. Jesus Remains,” Pastor Gail uses John 20 to show us that the resurrection is more than just a story we can take or leave. It shows us the first Easter was not the joyous day we celebrate, but one full of the doubts and fears that the followers of Jesus had in trying to believe what had happened and what it meant. Jesus on Easter and then for forty more days demonstrated that he was alive and reassured them that the relationship they had with him had not stopped but was as alive as he was. Today, as then, we struggle with doubts and fears regarding what is the true meaning of our faith. We should be reassured that our relationship with Jesus is alive and that he will be with us now and in the future.

 

Verdugo makes its Sunday sermons and select worship services available to you on Facebook at https://facebook.com/verdugochurch and posts audio copies of the services and sermons at https://verdugochurch.podbean.com. Please note that video copies will be deleted after 90 days under Facebook rules.

 

All song titles, lyrics, and music are used with permission. CCLI license # 2486815.

 

Verdugo Community Church is a Free Methodist congregation serving the Glassell Park, Eagle Rock, and Glendale areas in Los Angeles. It is located at 4300 Verdugo Road, Los Angeles, CA 90065. Our email address is verdugofmc@gmail.com. Contact Pastor Gail at (323) 500-3343.

 

Worship service copyright 2025 by Verdugo Community Church. Sermon copyright 2025 by Gail Whitcome Linstrom and Verdugo Community Church.

VERDUGO COMMUNITY CHURCH EASTER SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE APRIL 20, 2025

We begin our service with Pastor Gail Linstrom welcoming all to worship and to participate in the life of our church family. Dale Reynolds begins our time of worship with an Old Testament reading from Isaiah 9 and 25. Dale and Pastor Gail lead us in a Responsive Call to Worship, and Pastor Gail opens us in prayer. Nick Baltazar, Ed Manacop, Caroline Sandoval and Marvin Juan lead us in our joyous singing. Greg Hart takes up the praises and concerns of the church, our city, and our world in the Prayers of the People. Chaplain David Saltzman concludes our service by leading us in Communion, and you are invited to participate.

 

In her sermon, “After the Clouds of Doubt …. Jesus Remains,” Pastor Gail uses John 20 to show us that the resurrection is more than just a story we can take or leave. It shows us the first Easter was not the joyous day we celebrate, but one full of the doubts and fears that the followers of Jesus had in trying to believe what had happened and what it meant. Jesus on Easter and then for forty more days demonstrated that he was alive and reassured them that the relationship they had with him had not stopped but was as alive as he was. Today, as then, we struggle with doubts and fears regarding what is the true meaning of our faith. We should be reassured that our relationship with Jesus is alive and that he will be with us now and in the future.

 

Verdugo makes its Sunday sermons and select worship services available to you on Facebook at https://facebook.com/verdugochurch and posts audio copies of the service and sermon at https://verdugochurch.podbean.com. Please note that video copies will be deleted after 90 days under Facebook rules.

 

Prayers of the People have been edited to respect the privacy and confidentiality of those participating or mentioned.

 

All song titles, lyrics, and music are used with permission. CCLI license # 2486815.

 

Verdugo Community Church is a Free Methodist congregation serving the Glassell Park, Eagle Rock, and Glendale areas in Los Angeles. It is located at 4300 Verdugo Road, Los Angeles, CA 90065. Our email address is verdugofmc@gmail.com. Contact Pastor Gail at (323) 500-3343.

 

Worship service copyright 2025 by Verdugo Community Church. Sermon copyright 2025 by Gail Whitcome Linstrom and Verdugo Community Church.

Chaplain David Saltzman – “The Colt, the Cloaks and the Crowd” – Verdugo Community Church April 13, 2025

In his sermon “The Colt, the Cloaks and the Crowd,” Chaplain David Saltzman looks at the events of Palm Sunday described in Mark 11 as a foreshadowing of Jesus’ ultimate victory over sin and death. He comes to Jerusalem riding a borrowed humble donkey, not as a victorious leader on a warhorse. The disciples and the crowd throw what was then their most valued possession, their cloaks, in front of him, showing how valuable Jesus is to them. Yet because Jesus is not coming as a victorious military leader, the same crowd will, in a few days, go from adoration to demanding his crucifixion. Many people today reach the same conclusion about Jesus and reject his message of love, grace, mercy and self-sacrifice. Jesus shows us that following him means servitude, not conquest, but he enters our hearts bringing peace and love. When we show this peace and love to others, they will see Jesus as well.

 

Verdugo makes its Sunday sermons and select worship services available to you on Facebook at https://facebook.com/verdugochurch and posts audio copies of the services and sermons at https://verdugochurch.podbean.com. Please note that video copies will be deleted after 90 days under Facebook rules.

 

All song titles, lyrics, and music are used with permission. CCLI license # 2486815.

 

Verdugo Community Church is a Free Methodist congregation serving the Glassell Park, Eagle Rock, and Glendale areas in Los Angeles. It is located at 4300 Verdugo Road, Los Angeles, CA 90065. Our email address is verdugofmc@gmail.com. Contact Pastor Gail at (323) 500-3343.

 

Worship service copyright 2025 by Verdugo Community Church. Sermon copyright 2025 by David Saltzman and Verdugo Community Church.

VERDUGO COMMUNITY CHURCH WORSHIP SERVICE APRIL 13, 2025

Pastor Gail Linstrom welcomes all to our service worship and to participate in the life of our church family. Dale Reynolds and Chaplain David Saltzman call us to worship with a responsive reading from Psalm 118. Luisa Fernandez opens us in prayer. Nicolas Baltazar and Ed Manacop lead us in our praise singing. Albert Ramseyer takes up the praises and concerns of the church, our city, and our world in the Prayers of the People. Pastor Gail baptizes River Ace Gullusci. She also concludes our service by leading us in Communion, and you are invited to participate.

 

In his sermon “The Colt, the Cloaks and the Crowd,” Chaplain David Saltzman looks at the events of Palm Sunday described in Mark 11 as a foreshadowing of Jesus’ ultimate victory over sin and death. He comes to Jerusalem riding a borrowed humble donkey, not as a victorious leader on a warhorse. The disciples and the crowd throw what was then their most valued possession, their cloaks, in front of him, showing how valuable Jesus is to them. Yet because Jesus is not coming as a victorious military leader, the same crowd will, in a few days, go from adoration to demanding his crucifixion. Many people today reach the same conclusion about Jesus and reject his message of love, grace, mercy and self-sacrifice. Jesus shows us that following him means servitude, not conquest, but he enters our hearts bringing peace and love. When we show this peace and love to others, they will see Jesus as well.

 

Verdugo makes its Sunday sermons and select worship services available to you on Facebook at https://facebook.com/verdugochurch and posts audio copies of the service and sermon at https://verdugochurch.podbean.com. Please note that video copies will be deleted after 90 days under Facebook rules.

 

Prayers of the People have been edited to respect the privacy and confidentiality of those participating or mentioned.

 

All song titles, lyrics, and music are used with permission. CCLI license # 2486815.

 

Verdugo Community Church is a Free Methodist congregation serving the Glassell Park, Eagle Rock, and Glendale areas in Los Angeles. It is located at 4300 Verdugo Road, Los Angeles, CA 90065. Our email address is verdugofmc@gmail.com. Contact Pastor Gail at (323) 500-3343.

 

Worship service copyright 2025 by Verdugo Community Church. Sermon copyright 2025 by David Saltzman and Verdugo Community Church.

Pastor Somer Reed – “He Is with Us in the Preparation” – Verdugo Community Church April 6, 2025

Pastor Somer Reed from Marina Christian Fellowship, in her sermon, “He Is with Us in the Preparation,” continues our Lenten journey by reminding us that we should seek God not just at the milestones in our journey of faith, but as we prepare for them. This theme is found in the Psalms, the prophets and Paul’s letters, and, lived out by Jesus in his ministry. Our lives are like a long and winding road, with twists, highs and lows. What we learn in the low spots makes it possible to understand and appreciate God’s role in the high spots. Rather than dwell on past problems, we should strive, as Paul said in Philippians 3,:12 to “press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.“

 

Verdugo makes its Sunday sermons and select worship services available to you on Facebook at https://facebook.com/verdugochurch and posts audio copies of the services and sermons at https://verdugochurch.podbean.com. Please note that video copies will be deleted after 90 days under Facebook rules.

 

All song titles, lyrics, and music are used with permission. CCLI license # 2486815.

 

Verdugo Community Church is a Free Methodist congregation serving the Glassell Park, Eagle Rock, and Glendale areas in Los Angeles. It is located at 4300 Verdugo Road, Los Angeles, CA 90065. Our email address is verdugofmc@gmail.com. Contact Pastor Gail at (323) 500-3343.

 

Worship service copyright 2025 by Verdugo Community Church. Sermon copyright 2025 by Somer Reed and Verdugo Community Church.

 

VERDUGO COMMUNITY CHURCH WORSHIP SERVICE APRIL 6, 2025

Pastor Gail Linstrom welcomes all to our service worship and to participate in the life of our church family and then calls us to worship. Dale Reynolds focuses our hearts and minds with a reading from Psalm 86. Michael Blanco opens us in prayer. Marvin Juan, Ed Manacop, and Caroline Sandoval lead us in our praise singing. Greg Hart takes up the praises and concerns of the church, our city, and our world in the Prayers of the People. Pastor Gail concludes our service by leading us in Communion, and you are invited to participate.

 

Pastor Somer Reed from Marina Christian Fellowship, in her sermon, “He Is with Us in the Preparation,” continues our Lenten journey by reminding us that we should seek God not just at the milestones in our journey of faith, but as we prepare for them. This theme is found in the Psalms, the prophets and Paul’s letters, and, lived out by Jesus in his ministry. Our lives are like a long and winding road, with twists, highs and lows. What we learn in the low spots makes it possible to understand and appreciate God’s role in the high spots. Rather than dwell on past problems, we should strive, as Paul said in Philippians 3,:12 to “press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.“

 

Verdugo makes its Sunday sermons and select worship services available to you on Facebook at https://facebook.com/verdugochurch and posts audio copies of the service and sermon at https://verdugochurch.podbean.com. Please note that video copies will be deleted after 90 days under Facebook rules.

 

Prayers of the People have been edited to respect the privacy and confidentiality of those participating or mentioned.

 

All song titles, lyrics, and music are used with permission. CCLI license # 2486815.

 

Verdugo Community Church is a Free Methodist congregation serving the Glassell Park, Eagle Rock, and Glendale areas in Los Angeles. It is located at 4300 Verdugo Road, Los Angeles, CA 90065. Our email address is verdugofmc@gmail.com. Contact Pastor Gail at (323) 500-3343.

 

Worship service copyright 2025 by Verdugo Community Church. Sermon copyright 2025 by Somer Reed and Verdugo Community Church.

 

 

Pastor Gail Whitcome Linstrom – “Remembering God’s Faithfulness” – Verdugo Community Church March 30, 2025

In her sermon, “Remembering God’s Faithfulness,” Pastor Gail reminds us that God has promised to be with us at all times. When our desires to follow our society undermine our relationship with God, then we need to remember what God has done for us and others, and that God has a plan for our lives, that are, as Jeremiah 29:11 announces, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Remembering what God has done, and sharing that with others, is something that the Psalmist, and the prophets proclaim as a vital part of our faith. A time of personal sharing, edited to respect the privacy and confidentiality of the participants, occurred before the sermon was concluded.

 

Verdugo makes its Sunday sermons and select worship services available to you on Facebook at https://facebook.com/verdugochurch and posts audio copies of the services and sermons at https://verdugochurch.podbean.com. Please note that video copies will be deleted after 90 days under Facebook rules.

 

All song titles, lyrics, and music are used with permission. CCLI license # 2486815.

 

Verdugo Community Church is a Free Methodist congregation serving the Glassell Park, Eagle Rock, and Glendale areas in Los Angeles. It is located at 4300 Verdugo Road, Los Angeles, CA 90065. Our email address is verdugofmc@gmail.com. Contact Pastor Gail at (323) 500-3343.

 

Worship service copyright 2025 by Verdugo Community Church. Sermon copyright 2025 by Gail Whitcome Linstrom and Verdugo Community Church.

 

VERDUGO COMMUNITY CHURCH WORSHIP SERVICE MARCH 30, 2025

We begin our service with Pastor Gail Linstrom welcoming all to worship and to participate in the life of our church family. Dale Reynolds leads us in a responsive call to worship based on Psalms 96 and 97. Albert Ramseyer opens us in prayer. Nick Baltazar and Ed Manacop lead us in our praise singing. Greg Hart takes up the praises and concerns of the church, our city, and our world in the Prayers of the People. Pastor Gail concludes our service by leading us in Communion, and you are invited to participate.

 

In her sermon, “Remembering God’s Faithfulness,” Pastor Gail reminds us that God has promised to be with us at all times. When our desires to follow our society undermine our relationship with God, then we need to remember what God has done for us and others, and that God has a plan for our lives, that are, as Jeremiah 29:11 announces, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Remembering what God has done, and sharing that with others, is something that the Psalmist, and the prophets proclaim as a vital part of our faith. A time of personal sharing, edited to respect the privacy and confidentiality of the participants, occurred before the sermon was concluded.

 

Verdugo makes its Sunday sermons and select worship services available to you on Facebook at https://facebook.com/verdugochurch and posts audio copies of the service and sermon at https://verdugochurch.podbean.com. Please note that video copies will be deleted after 90 days under Facebook rules.

 

Prayers of the People have been edited to respect the privacy and confidentiality of those participating or mentioned.

 

All song titles, lyrics, and music are used with permission. CCLI license # 2486815.

 

Verdugo Community Church is a Free Methodist congregation serving the Glassell Park, Eagle Rock, and Glendale areas in Los Angeles. It is located at 4300 Verdugo Road, Los Angeles, CA 90065. Our email address is verdugofmc@gmail.com. Contact Pastor Gail at (323) 500-3343.

 

Worship service copyright 2025 by Verdugo Community Church. Sermon copyright 2025 by Gail Whitcome Linstrom and Verdugo Community Church.

Pastor Gail Whitcome Linstrom – “Journeying with the Lord through Prayer” – Verdugo Community Church March 16, 2025

In her sermon, “Journeying with the Lord through Prayer,” Pastor Gail looks at the challenging call by Jesus in Luke 9 to take up our cross daily and follow him. She reminds us that we are to take up our crosses, not Jesus’s, and that this is not a call to martyrdom but to focus on bringing the Kingdom of God closer in our daily lives. We do this through prayer, both petitioning God and, as important, listening for his response. Jesus modeled this by constantly praying and gave us the Lord’s prayer to help guide us in our prayer life. We have to put aside the world’s pressures and look to God for our strength to face our daily challenges.

 

Verdugo makes its Sunday sermons and select worship services available to you on Facebook at https://facebook.com/verdugochurch and posts audio copies of the services and sermons at https://verdugochurch.podbean.com.

 

All song titles, lyrics, and music are used with permission. CCLI license # 2486815.

 

Verdugo Community Church is a Free Methodist congregation serving the Glassell Park, Eagle Rock, and Glendale areas in Los Angeles. It is located at 4300 Verdugo Road, Los Angeles, CA 90065. Our email address is verdugofmc@gmail.com. Contact Pastor Gail at (323) 500-3343.

 

Worship service copyright 2025 by Verdugo Community Church. Sermon copyright 2025 by Gail Whitcome Linstrom and Verdugo Community Church.

VERDUGO COMMUNITY CHURCH WORSHIP SERVICE MARCH 16, 2025

We begin our service with Pastor Gail Linstrom welcoming all to worship and to participate in the life of our church family. She then leads us in a responsive call to worship. Dale Reynolds focuses us with a reading from Psalm 16. Michael Blanco opens us in prayer. Nick Baltazar and Ed Manacop lead us in our praise singing. Greg Hart takes up the praises and concerns of the church, our city, and our world in the Prayers of the People. Chaplain David Saltzman concludes our service by leading us in Communion, and you are invited to participate.

 

In her sermon, “Journeying with the Lord through Prayer,” Pastor Gail looks at the challenging call by Jesus in Luke 9 to take up our cross daily and follow him. She reminds us that we are to take up our crosses, not Jesus’s, and that this is not a call to martyrdom but to focus on bringing the Kingdom of God closer in our daily lives. We do this through prayer, both petitioning God and, as important, listening for his response. Jesus modeled this by constantly praying and gave us the Lord’s prayer to help guide us in our prayer life. We have to put aside the world’s pressures and look to God for our strength to face our daily challenges.

 

Verdugo makes its Sunday sermons and select worship services available to you on Facebook at https://facebook.com/verdugochurch and posts audio copies of the service and sermon at https://verdugochurch.podbean.com.

 

Prayers of the People have been edited to respect the privacy and confidentiality of those participating or mentioned.

 

All song titles, lyrics, and music are used with permission. CCLI license # 2486815.

 

Verdugo Community Church is a Free Methodist congregation serving the Glassell Park, Eagle Rock, and Glendale areas in Los Angeles. It is located at 4300 Verdugo Road, Los Angeles, CA 90065. Our email address is verdugofmc@gmail.com. Contact Pastor Gail at (323) 500-3343.

 

Worship service copyright 2025 by Verdugo Community Church. Sermon copyright 2025 by Gail Whitcome Linstrom and Verdugo Community Church.