On September 26, 2026, Mission Hills Christian Church will be hosting their third annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival On Tour event. Besides a line-up of nine great short documentaries, they are featuring two guest speakers, forager Pascal Baudar from Forgotten Flavors and Isaias Herndandez (aka QueerBrownVegan) from From Soil to Soul: Food Justice in LA. Director Margaret To will also lead a panel discussion about From Soil to Soul. In addition, their audience will receive a luxury charcuterie box (vegetarian and vegan options available), complementary wine, beer or soft drinks. They will also be holding a silent auction to raise money for local environmental and social justice non-profit organizations.
Mission Hills is committed to creating radically inclusive spaces of belonging, healing, and wholeness. In this, they hope to ensure there is no doubt about what they mean by “all are welcome at the table.” Mission Hills is egalitarian and fully supports the leadership and ordination of women and gender non-conforming folks in accordance with their understanding of the priesthood of all believers.
Mission Hills practices the full affirmation and inclusion of LGBTQ+ folks in membership, leadership, ordination, and marriage. They celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit to continue carrying out the work of Love in our world. They seek to be a space where all can experience rest and peace, knowing that all persons, regardless of identity, can experience true belonging here.
Mission Hills is committed to being a pro-reconciling/anti-racist church. Christ calls to dismantle white supremacy and systemic racism and advocate for justice in community and world. As a community, they are committed to pursuing anti-racism not as an option but as an essential. They are committed to supporting anti-racism work in their own community, families, and as part of the greater Los Angeles area. They commit to acting justly within their structure, policies, and activism involvement. They recognize that stepping into brave space means that sometimes they will misstep, but they continue to push forward in creating spaces for true belonging.
At Mission Hills, they believe beauty is best experienced together. They gather around food, music, nature, art, and ideas, hosting night markets, concerts, film screenings, festivals, and live events with authors, artists, and speakers who stir imagination for a more compassionate future.
They value community engagement by centering practices that benefit their neighborhood, city, and planet. They practice this through activities like their organic community garden, local partnerships, little free library, community art events, wellness workshops, yoga classes, and vegetarian community meals. They are 100% solar powered, a Certified Green Chalice, 1% For The Planet Member, and offset all of their operations and driving. They practice eco-spirituality and are continually creating green spaces at Mission Hills.
Wayne Karatsu, Selection Team Member for Mission Hills Christian Church, says, “Mission Hills Christian Church values community engagement that benefits our neighborhood, city and planet. We do this through activities such as music and art events, storytelling nights, wellness retreats, and our community garden. The Wild & Scenic Film Festival On Tour event is our largest and most ambitious event of the year and celebrates everything that we stand for as a church.”
Wayne goes on to say, “For me, the favorite thing about putting on this event is connecting our audience with local environmental and social justice non-profit organizations that we partner with. Since most of the WSFF On Tour audience shares the same values as these organizations, it is an excellent way for them to see what they can do to get involved and participate in promoting these values. In addition, there is a cross-pollination of ideas between our partner organizations. For example, one of our partners, Climate Reality SFV hosted another, SOW Collective, to give a talk on urban community gardens. WSFF On Tour does a great job of inspiring activism in our community!”
