Gardena resident Larry Dozier has been appointed pastor of St. John’s United Methodist Church, 1715 Santa Ana St. North in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Area Episcopal Bishop Minerva Carcãno offered the assignment to Dozier to serve as spiritual leader of the 140-member congregation.
“I was honored and pleasantly surprised to be considered,” said Dozier, who preached his first sermon at the church on July 3.
Dozier is currently a member at Gardena’s Hollypark United Methodist Church where he serves as Administrative Council Chair. He has also served as Lay Leader, co-youth director with his wife, Erma, Sunday school teacher, and several other positions.
A national leader within the UMC, Dozier just completed a four-year term as president of United Methodist Men (UMM) for the Western Jurisdiction. He previously served as president of UMM’s California Pacific Conference and president for the former UMM Long Beach District. Also, he is a board member of the General Commission on United Methodist Men and vice president of the UMM Foundation.
Dozier retired from the U.S. Postal Service in 2008 after serving 39 ½ years. He managed the public relations function in L.A. and was the spokesperson for the Postal Service in the Los Angeles basin.
He earned an Associate’s degree at Los Angeles City College and a Bachelor’s degree from Kensington University. He is also a graduate of Claremont University’s Certified Lay Minister (CLM) program.
A fitness buff, Dozier has completed 15 Los Angeles Marathons and plays golf at every opportunity. He also likes theater and has been affiliated with the Cornerstone Theater Group in LA. He’s performed at the prestigious Mark Taper Forum and won a Garland Award for his acting and singing performances in a production called For Here or to Go?
Dozier sings with a family Gospel recording group called the Dozier Singers Family and Friends (DSF), and is the group’s manager.
The Doziers have three grown children of their own, but have served as foster parents for more than 30 years and have reared more than 100 children in their Gardena home.