Pastor Lisa Williams
Lisa Williams is the Pastor of the San Pedro United Methodist Church (San Pedro UMC), and a passionate activist for our un-housed neighbors. This passion began in 2015 when she heard someone say, “the faith community has abandoned those in need.” Appalled by that idea, she decided her calling was to embody the opposite.
As a native Southern Californian, Lisa first learned how important it was to take care of those “living on the margins” from her father, who was also a Methodist minister. Since being appointed to San Pedro UMC, Lisa has been instrumental in helping create the San Pedro Faith Consortium, a broad-minded interfaith group of clergy who address social issues in the community. Through this collaboration, her church hosts homeless families enrolled in Family Promise of the South Bay quarterly.
Lisa is a visionary who likes to think outside of the box. Involvement with Family Promise resulted in she and her church imagining the possibility of building affordable and permanent supportive housing on church property. Under Lisa’s leadership, San Pedro UMC has embraced those in need, and she and the church are working with a non-profit developer to make that mixed-use project happen.
With the help of Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn’s office, Lisa has brought vaccination clinics and monthly mobile showers to the neighborhood. She was also instrumental in creating the Children’s Christmas Shopping Spree, where children from Toberman Neighborhood Center experience the joy of giving as they select a present for adult members of their family. This past year they served over 450 children and youth.
Prior to coming to San Pedro, Lisa founded Kid Zone, an after-school and summer camp program at Rolling Hills United Methodist church. In addition to providing quality care she was known for mentorship with her staff and building strong relationships with families.
In 2019, Lisa was the Woman of the Year recipient for the Los Angeles County Commission on Woman, representing the 4th Supervisorial District, Supervisor Janice Hahn.
Lisa is a Trustee at Toberman Neighborhood Center, a member of Rotary San Pedro and serves on the Quality of Life Committee for the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce. She chairs the Harbor Neighborhood Relief Fund and is a participant in the C2 Leadership Institute, empowering faith, and community to work together.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Behavioral Science from California State University, Dominguez Hill and is currently enrolled in seminary classes at Claremont School of Theology. Married to her high school sweetheart, Peter, they have a son Steven who lives in San Francisco.
Sally Berman, Choir Director
A longtime member of our choir, Sally was named Director in July of 2015 when Ken Sanson stepped down as our leader. Sally’s experience with music is well established through her participation in numerous choral and theatrical productions.