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Annual Rummage Sale – August 23-24
Save the date. Donations are now being accepted.
Healing & Reconciliation Holy Eucharist – Wednesdays at noon in the Chapel
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Annual Rummage Sale on Aug. 23-24 | |
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Bring your donations Monday through Friday, August 5-19, 9:30am to 2:00pm.
Sale dates Friday, August 23, and Saturday, August 24.
We will need lots of helpers to sort, wash, price, and put items in the proper location. No need to sign up, just show up for a couple of hours and spend the day with our friendly crew.
We would like sign-ups for sale days. Needed: cashiers, baggers, security wanderers (or sit and watch), will call station, kitchen help for crew lunch.
Bicycle enthusiasts: please help! We need someone to check two donated bikes to see if they are worth repairing.
For more info: call Gloria Jones at 310-415-8240. Thank you!
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The Bishop's Office
Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles
Letter to the Diocese from The Rt. Rev. John Harvey Taylor
August 13, 2024
My siblings in Christ:
Isaiah writes this: “I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” [43:19].
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Vocalizing the promise of our gracious God, the prophet manages to address whatever we may be worried about. Illness or a job crisis. Politics and climate change. And also transitions in leadership. In the name of Christ and in thanksgiving for the ministry we share in the Diocese of Los Angeles, it is my blessing to acknowledge the Standing Committee’s call for the election of a bishop coadjutor at our annual convention in Riverside in November 2025. The eighth bishop of Los Angeles will assume their duties in the summer of 2026, in anticipation of my retirement that October at age 72, as required by the church’s canons.
The transition process began in June, when the Standing Committee, under the leadership of its president, the Rev. Lester Mackenzie, met with the Rt. Rev. Todd Ousley, bishop for pastoral development in Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s office. Earlier this month, the committee appointed Judy Stark as search consultant. A lay leader in the Diocese of Southwest Florida and a former newspaper editor and reporter, Judy has provided consulting services in over 20 bishop searches.
In the days ahead, the Standing Committee will announce the names of the search committee. From that point forward, the search committee will take responsibility for reporting on its progress. But I can give you the key details now.
This autumn and Advent, the committee will prepare a diocesan profile. In winter, it will publish the profile and call for nominations. From springtime through summer 2025, it will review candidate files, conduct interviews, and invite the finalists to a retreat. The search committee will announce a slate of candidates in early autumn, allowing time for petition candidates under the canons. Members of the diocese will have a chance to meet the candidates at a series of town meetings.
With an election in November 2025, we expect that the bishop coadjutor will be prepared to take up their duties in May 2026, affording them and me an opportunity to work together until the consecration and ordination of the new bishop and passing of the crozier on July 11, 2026. I will remain as a consultant until September and then begin a sabbatical that will take me through my October retirement.
Once we have our slate of candidates, the search committee will pass the baton to a transition committee, also appointed by the Standing Committee. The transition committee will be responsible for the town meetings, the consecration service, and hospitality to the candidates, the new bishop and their family, and Kathy and me.
Wherever and however this news reaches you, I imagine it provokes emotions akin to those I feel as I write. During all our transitions, we can be anxious, joyful, and sometimes both at the same time. Transitions in life embody some of the substance of the way of the cross. But fear not. The touchstone of our faith is the proximity of our risen savior, making all things new all the time. Isaiah invites us to wade in the living streams of God’s never-ending creative work. It has been my blessing to walk along this grace-drenched way with you, and I will relish each day of the two years I have left as your bishop.
Yours in Christ’s love,
The Rt. Rev. John Harvey Taylor
VII Bishop of Los Angeles
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Letter from our Scholarship Fund recipient | |
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Dear St. Francis' Scholarship Fund,
My third year was indeed pack-filled and challenging but amazing nonetheless. I strived to reach all of my academic goals and while I was indeed faced with challenges sometimes, I continued to center myself, pray to God, and remember who I am doing it all for, my family. I continue to reach new heights academically, excel in my place of work, and do all I can in my extracurricular activities, such as now becoming the president of the Nigerian Student Association club!
You and this organization have been a literal backbone for me to financially continue my path here at UCI, and I truly could not thank you enough. Your patience, kindness, and unwilling faith in me are a few of the things that continue to push me to reach my degree. I would truly appreciate it if, for my last year, this foundation could help me once again. With your help, my debt from school has been reduced massively and I can honestly say I would not have been able to afford much if it was not for your help. I thank you Ms. Taylor and so does my family.
Please, for this last year, I am truly hoping once again this foundation can aid me. May God continue to bless you and watch over you, as well as this foundation. I hope to hear from you soon!
Best Regards,
Tamilore Odunlami
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Don’t let Perfection be the Enemy of the Good | |
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I first heard this phrase nearly ten years ago from a dear friend who was in the altar guild, a verger, and former principal of an elementary school. Perfection has stymied innumerable projects of mine over the years, from my model train layout when I was in elementary school, followed by model planes, drawings, paintings, and school work (though the last suffered from boredom more than a desire to be perfect). This is also true for my writing; the backspace key is used more than any other on my keyboard. Part of this desire to be perfect was inherited; my dad is a perfectionist and has a mostly remodeled house to prove it. But it’s also cultural. Society has a bad habit of speaking out of both sides of its mouth, telling us it’s ok to be different and to follow our own road, but only if it’s flawless and worthy of praise. When I set out to do “serious” art I accomplish very little; the number of canvasses that have made it past the finish line is painfully small, compared with the number sitting in the closet. But when I draw with my children or doodle during meetings (it helps me listen) I make some pretty cool stuff - things I like and have fun creating. It’s fun because there’s zero investment - I’m using crayons or a BIC pen on scrap paper. It’s no big deal if I don’t like it. But if I spend money on paints, canvas, and brushes, I feel like I need to make something worthy of the price spent, which is ridiculous. Better to use it for something bad than have it sit unused for nothing. But it’s not even the money - if someone gives me quality paints, brushes, and watercolor paper I’m still hesitant to create because I don’t want to waste the quality materials on something less than perfect.
Sometime later someone else said to me, “Don’t let the good be the enemy of the perfect.” If the former saying was like balm for my soul, the latter was like salt in an open wound. Striving to be perfect has done nothing good for me. I strive to be better, which is not the same. In the Matthean sermon on the mount, Jesus said, “So be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Perfect today means without blemish or defect, but the Greek word in Matthew’s gospel is teleios (τέλειος), which means complete. Be complete, as your heavenly Father is complete. What makes us complete - what makes us whole? Striving to make something flawless does not make me feel whole - it does the opposite. But creating with my children, and signing with the congregation, those things make me feel whole. Love, community, and joyful creation make me feel whole. Flawlessness is not of God; God is never whispering in our ear, saying “That’s not good enough,” but rather is speaking directly to us and calling us worthy of love, grace, and salvation. We are called to love, which may be complete but is rarely if ever flawless. Don’t let flawlessness be the enemy of the good; don’t let self-doubt be the enemy of love.
—Fr. Jason Shelby
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Fr. Jason's Week in Review | |
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Why a Week in Review?
“What do you do when you’re not working on Sunday?” asked James, in between bites of chicken tenders. “Do you sit in the church by yourself?” “Sometimes,” I replied. James was in the fourth grade, and I was sitting with him and several other kids from the church during one of our Wednesday night dinners at St. George’s, Clarksdale. The other children looked at me with interest, wondering what I did with my time when they didn’t see me. I said, “Well, I help plan the services and work on my sermon, and a lot of people call or come to the church office who want to talk to me.” “What do they want to talk about?” I explained that most needed help paying their bills and some needed food or a safe place to stay for the night. I told them about hospital visits, taking communion to the homebound, and preparing for vestry meetings. My bishop at the time kept a journal detailing his day-to-day activities, and it was published every month in the diocesan newspaper. I decided to follow suit, thinking that James and the other kids weren’t the only ones curious about how I spend my time during the week. When I arrived at St. Francis, it was suggested that I do a week in review rather than the whole month, and so I did.
August 9: Day off.
August 10: Sermon prep; day off.
August 11: Sunday services; Wayfarer’s did another excellent job of hosting coffee hour; we had at least a pew full of visitors from Franklin, Tennessee.
Monday: Jennifer and I went to the Reagan Library; highlights were Airforce One, the Oval Office, and the Star Wars exhibit.
Tuesday: Worked in the office all day; calendar planning, sermon prep.
Wednesday: Healing service; admin tasks.
Thursday: Home with Archie, who has a cold or croup; did some writing and calendar planning.
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Get Involved at St. Francis | |
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Good Grief Loss Support Group: Alternating Wednesday mornings (11 am to noon) and evenings (5 pm to 6 pm) in the St. Francis Library.
Men’s Corner: Monthly for dinner at Corner Bakery. Contact Ed Hinz (kn6jn@yahoo.com).
Quilting and Knitting Group: Thursdays at 1 pm in the Board Room. Contact: Anna Eakins (annatkozaki@gmail.com).
SAGES (Senior Adult Group of Episcopalians): Group outings, social gatherings, guest speakers, and more.
St. Anne’s Guild: Meets on the 4th Monday of Sept-June at 6pm. Join us for fellowship, plan church events (like the Rummage Sale and Antiques Show), potluck dinners, and our Christmas charity event! Contact Anna Eakins.
St. Teresa’s Guild: Meet a few times a year to raise money for charities that support women and children through dues and our famous Chinese New Year event. Contact: Robin Pano.
Friars: Meets as needed to cook meals for Parish events (e.g. Lenten Suppers). Contact: Dick Briggs.
Yoga: All Levels Hatha Yoga for Strength and Mobility: Mondays, 11 am to 12:30 pm. All Levels Gentle Yoga for Vital Mobility and Balance: Wednesdays, 9am to 10:30 am. Contact: Jill Lynch (jillfenskelynch@gmail.com).
Visit our website calendar for more events, dates and times.
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Consider making a donation of altar flowers in honor of a special occasion or in memory
of someone you love. (The suggested donation is $50.) Contact Jessica Salazar in the church office at 310-375-4617 or by email.
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Each week we change the photo in the header of this weekly email newsletter. But we need more up-to-date photos... Get your photo featured! You can submit your photos of the St. Francis campus, events, and people to us at social@stfrancispalosverdes.org for consideration. We'll even run your name as a photo credit. So get snapping—we can't wait to see what you create! | |
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Liturgy and Worship
Sundays at 8:00 am
Holy Eucharist Rite I with hymns in the Chapel.
Sundays at 10:00 am
Holy Eucharist Rite II with choir and music in the main church.
Wednesdays at noon
Healing & Reconciliation Holy Eucharist Rite II with hymns in the Chapel.
Taizé: Last Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm
A meditative service of music and prayer in the Chapel.
(No communion.)
For other worship services and parish events, visit our calendar.
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Livestream Worship and Sermons Online
We livestream Sunday 10am worship on Facebook and YouTube. You can view past sermons or entire livestreams on our YouTube channel.
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Nursery School and Sunday School
Sunday school for children in kindergarten through fifth grade will be held in the Parish Hall from 9:50 am to 10:40 am (ish ... the kids typically come in at the Peace). There is a nursery for children 6 months to 5 years old.
Contact: Kristina Pelá
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Pastoral Care
In need of prayer? Send prayer requests to Fr. Jason.
Contact Kristina Pelá to arrange for a Lay Eucharistic Minister to safely bring you communion.
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Parish Directory
Our directory is available online. If you need the password, contact the church office or email Jessica Salazar.
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Calendar of Events
All of our worship services, events, and small groups are listed on our church calendar.
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Communications
and Notices
Please send all notices you wish to be included in the enews or bulletins to Father Jason and Wayne Hastings.
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Coffee Hour
Ministry
To volunteer to help one week after the 10am worship service, see the sign-up sheet at Sunday coffee hour.
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Yoga with Jill
A spiritual mind and body practice led by Jill Lynch in the St. Francis Parish Hall.
Mondays 11:00-12:30 pm – Level 1/2 Hatha for Strength and Mobility
Wednesdays 9:00-10:30 am – Level 1 Gentle Yoga for Vital Mobility and Balance
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