The Episcopal Diocese 

of Northern California

Beloved Community

Resource Newsletter

Published by

The Commission for

Intercultural Ministries

December 2023 

Episcopal Church Becoming Beloved Community

Newsletter Highlights:



• Presiding Bishop Michael Curry's Christmas Message 2023: "A Sign for You"
• Advent Lessons and Carols at the Church of St. Martin, Davis
• How Will You Wait This Advent?
• Update Your Church's Episcopal Asset Map During Advent
• Creation Care Car Clinic
• Howard Thurman and the Parable of the Talents
• Rainbow Ministry Mission Statement

Hello to my family of faith in The Episcopal Church, and to all of our ecumenical and interfaith friends, and to all people of love and goodwill.

I want to first thank you all for your prayers and well wishes this year as I have weathered some health issues. Please know that I'm doing well, following the doctor's orders.

I'm also ever more aware of the power of the messages of Advent to watch, to wait, and to listen to the pregnant voice of silence, as one version of the Bible says. And out of that watching, waiting, and listening, following the way of Jesus of Nazareth and his way of love, the Spirit of God being our helper.

So please allow me to offer a reading from the Gospel according to Luke. You know it well. The deep truth embedded in it, simple story of the birth of a baby. That deep truth has long given me strength for these 70 years, strength that I often did not have on my own. For some, it may seem fanciful, but in its own way, it points to what the Bible calls hope beyond hope. It reads:

View this wonderful and creative service of lessons and carols celebrated by the Church of St. Martin, Davis, on December 3rd with music by Indigenous composers. Translations and notes can be found starting on page 9 of the service bulletin. The Rev. Dr. Pamela Dolan, Rector, provided an inspiring meditation on the Virgin of Guadalupe. The service was followed by Los Posadas.

Elis Lui is a postulant in the Episcopal Diocese of New York and author of Holy is His Name: Daily Devotions for Advent, recommended for reading by Bishop Matthew Heyd.

After she graduated from college, Elis interned with Episcopal nuns of the Community of St. Mary, Southern Province, for nine months and became intimately familiar with the four gospel canticles which are near and dear to her heart. Hear what she has to say about the impact of song in her life and particularly in 2019 during protests in her hometown of Hong Kong.

Advent is about waiting for the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Right?

This past weekend I heard three inspiring sermons that urged me to not wait passively, like waiting for a bus, but to Keep the Fire Burning, Strive, and Tell the Good News. How can I do this, I pondered? Here’s the answer that has come to me, with help from each preacher and Spirit. I will Keep the Fire Burning for a Lasting and Just Peace in the Holy Land, Strive for Justice, and Tell the Good News of Jesus’s Love.  What are your answers to this question? How will you wait actively, this Advent?

Here’s a resource that might be helpful for you. The Episcopal Office of Government Relations advocates for legislation and policies that promote Building the Beloved Community, the vision and long-term commitment of our church. Click here to advocate for Peace, Justice, and Love of our neighbors and our planet. By advocating, you will be “making the way (and his paths) straight” during this Advent, as we were encouraged by Isaiah and Mark to do in this past Sunday’s lessons.

God Bless your season of waiting.

Submitted by:

Bob Wohlsen - bob.wohlsen@gmail.com

Advocacy Team Chair

Commission for Intercultural Ministries

Episcopal Diocese of Northern California

Join The Episcopal Church's Office of Government Relations and the Office of Global Partnerships for a conversation with Dean Richard Sewell of St. George’s College in Jerusalem. He will provide a perspective on what is happening in the Holy Land and share updates on the situation for Palestinian Christians.

Note: Due to a technical difficulty, there is a short disconnection at around the 22:04 mark.

Image by Jeff Jacobs from Pixabay

As the festive lights twinkle and carols fill the air, December brings a unique blend of joy, reflection, and celebration. In this special month, we embrace not only the sacredness of Christmas but also the rich tapestry of diverse traditions that enrich our church and our lives.

This Christmas season, we are especially reminded of the beauty and importance of cultural diversity. Each tradition, with its unique customs and stories, is a thread in the vibrant fabric of our shared humanity. In recognizing and honoring these differences, we find deeper understanding and appreciation for one another, fostering a spirit of unity and love.

In this spirit, we have invited members of our community to share their special cultural traditions. These stories are not just narratives; they are invitations to journey into the heart of our community’s diversity. They are opportunities to see the world through the eyes of others, to learn, and to grow. From the candles of Kwanzaa, from midnight Mass to the melodies of Advent, each practice carries a profound significance, weaving a story of faith, hope, and love.

Calling all diocesan racial justice leaders!

On the first Wednesday of each month, racial justice leaders and practitioners from dioceses throughout The Episcopal Church will gather to discuss pressing issues, exchange best practices, and illuminate the diverse ministries making an impact across our church. This monthly gathering will be a sanctuary for ideas, strategies, and mutual support. Our first meeting will be Jan. 3, 2024.

This gathering is more than just a meeting; it is a beacon of hope and solidarity. Together, let us harness our collective strength and wisdom. 

Jan. 9, 6 p.m. (ET) - The Presiding Officers' Advisory Group on Beloved Community Implementation is pleased to make available funds to catalyze the church’s work of racial healing, reconciliation, and justice. Grants will be invited beginning Jan. 5 and received through March 1. Bring your ideas, questions, and concerns to the information session hosted by the Revs. Miguel Bustos and Shaneequa Brokenleg. 

A nonprofit movie company led by Episcopalians is about to unveil its biggest project yet. Its feature-length documentary inspired by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s message of unselfish love is headed for a nationwide theatrical release on Jan. 23.

The film, “A Case for Love,” is expected to appear in at least 1,000 theaters for the one-day initial release, and more dates could be added if large numbers of moviegoers turn out for the premiere. The nonprofit, Grace-Based Films, also hopes to generate interest from streaming services.

“There’s a hunger for stories like this,” director Brian Ide told Episcopal News Service. He founded Grace-Based Films with fellow members of All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Beverly Hills, California, some of whom worked in the film industry. Grace-Based Films started as an All Saints’ ministry. Now, as an independent nonprofit, it plans to devote revenue from “A Case for Love” to funding future storytelling projects.

The new film is structured as seven chapters featuring 14 individual stories of people from a wide range of backgrounds, whom Ide described as “ordinary people doing ordinary-to-extraordinary things.” The stories cover a wide range of experiences, from racial justice issues and the fight for LGBTQ+ rights to the foster care system and the military.

Keeping Track of Sacred Ground

Are you forming a Sacred Ground Circle? Let the Commission for Intercultural Ministries know by registering it here: https://forms.gle/hriHCPKmLwjUHEyEA

Are you interested in joining a Sacred Ground Circle? Sign up here: https://forms.gle/G26EPxDzEFSpnsZW7

St. Alban's Creation Care Team sponsored a conversation between services on November 12th. We met in the parish hall to discuss ways to save dollars and gas. In all the info and lists, tire pressure is the number one cause of increasing gas usage. We moved to the parking lot. Every car we checked had low tire pressure, as much as one third of suggested. One Prius had just been serviced and every tire was off. It was really an eye opener. This is an activity that all churches can do to lower the the use of fossil fuels and help out the pocket book. I am attaching my bulletin board. I also have a photo of Daniel Moyer checking Mother Sara's car. - Betsy Neal

After 13 days of advocating at the United Nations’ annual climate conference for stronger public and private actions to help solve the global climate crisis, Episcopal delegates said they left feeling disappointed yet hopeful.

From Nov. 30 to Dec. 12 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, a record 90,000 world leaders, policymakers, climate scientists, activists, corporate executives and interfaith representatives registered and participated at the 28th U.N. Conference of Parties of the Framework Convention on Climate Change, or simply COP28. Twenty-one Episcopal delegates participated on behalf of Presiding Bishop Michael Curry — nine in person and 12 virtually. California Bishop Marc Andrus has been chairing the Episcopal delegation every year since 2015.

The first day of the conference started out promisingly with the UAE and Germany both pledging $100 million to assist the world’s poorest countries that are most vulnerable to climate change’s irreversible damage. The conference concluded with U.N. member states agreeing that fossil fuels are a major contributor to climate change; however, the agreement didn’t include an explicit commitment to phase out fossil fuels, resulting in widespread criticism from climate scientists and activists.

Lynnaia Main, The Episcopal Church’s representative to the United Nations, told Episcopal News Service that compromise and disappointment are both inevitable at U.N. conferences.

The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) closed today with an agreement that signals the “beginning of the end” of the fossil fuel era by laying the ground for a swift, just and equitable transition, underpinned by deep emissions cuts and scaled-up finance.

In a demonstration of global solidarity, negotiators from nearly 200 Parties came together in Dubai with a decision on the world’s first ‘global stocktake’ to ratchet up climate action before the end of the decade – with the overarching aim to keep the global temperature limit of 1.5°C within reach.

“Whilst we didn’t turn the page on the fossil fuel era in Dubai, this outcome is the beginning of the end,” said UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell in his closing speech. “Now all governments and businesses need to turn these pledges into real-economy outcomes, without delay.”

“The Indigenous people, The Episcopal Church are providing a kind of leadership for all of us — that we’ve had a longing for — in terms of how can Christian tradition, which has a long history of being weaponized through colonialism, become part of the healing of the planet and the healing of people? There are lessons from Indigenous communities that have been a part of their landscapes and their environments for thousands of years,” Rachel Taber-Hamilton, who is Shackan First Nation, said during the panel.

Howard Thurman was the preeminent Black theologian of the mid-twentieth century, writing a book,"Jesus and the Disinherited," that had a huge influence on the civil rights movement. We celebrated Thurman's birthday (Nov. 18) this past Sunday at Trinity Cathedral.

Thurman was born in 1899 in the Deep South when slavery was a living memory, and he died in 1981 in San Francisco after building a racially integrated church.

I believe his words still speak to us.

Our Diocese of Northern California is leading an effort to have Thurman included on The Episcopal Church calendar of Holy people (commonly called "saints"). I preached about Thurman Sunday. I also gave a different take on "The Parable of the Talents." https://www.lectionarypage.net/.../AProp28_RCL.html... What if the parable isn't about "good stewardship," as it is it typically interpreted, but really about the evil of slavery?

I don't usually post sermons, and alas, the video had technical difficulties, but here is a link to the audio https://drive.google.com/.../1Ducm_8BH.../view... and the text is posted below:

Join us on Thursday, January 4, 2024 from 3:00PM-5:00PM EST [12 pm - 2 pm PT] for 

a celebration, tribute and send off to commemorate the work of Dr. Catherine Meeks for the Absalom Jones Center.

Dr. Catherine Meeks Open House Celebration is a hybrid event that will be physically hosted at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 435 Peachtree Street, Northeast Atlanta, GA 30308. 

If you can not attend in person, you can participate online via Zoom https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84761403411. 

Registration is open for the next sessions of the Episcopal Latino Ministry Competency Course, an innovative eight-day intensive course, and Virtual Episcopal Latino Ministry Competency Course, a five-day intensive course, designed for diocesan staff, clergy, lay leaders, and seminarians to gain practical knowledge and cultural competency for Latino/Hispanic ministry. All courses are conducted in English.

The next 2024 sessions will be held:

• January 8-12, 2024 (Virtual by Zoom) – register by December 31, 2023 
• August 10-17, 2024 (in person in Atlanta and at Sewanee, The University of the South) – register by July 10, 2024.

A federal judge on Friday prohibited the separation of families at the border for purposes of deterring immigration for eight years, preemptively blocking resumption of a lightning-rod, Trump-era policy that the former president hasn’t ruled out if voters return him to the White House next year.

The separation of thousands of families “represents one of the most shameful chapters in the history of our country,” U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw said moments before approving a settlement between the Justice Department and families represented by the American Civil Liberties Union that ended a legal challenge nearly seven years after it was filed.

• Urge Congress to Pass Safe Storage Laws
• Urge Your Representative to Support Global Nuclear Disarmament

For more information, contact Bob Wohlsen, Advocacy Team Co-Chair, bob.wohlsen@gmail.com.

The Episcopal Diocese of Northern California

The Commission for Intercultural Ministries