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LAST CHANCE! Parish Small Group Meetings
Final two sessions: today and Wednesday.
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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Family Reunion Reflection | |
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by Fr. Jason Shelby
My father’s father’s father was born on December 27, 1850, in Covington, Indiana. John Wallace Shelby was raised a Methodist, and he and his first wife Mary Francis were married in the Methodist Church. Between 1876 and 1883 they had four children, none of which survived for more than a year. John and Mary Francis were beyond distraught, and feared that they would never have children. It happened that there were Mormon missionaries in the area, and they told the young Shelby couple that if they converted and moved to Utah they would have a large and healthy family. Feeling as though they had nothing to lose they made the move, though John’s father cut him out of the family inheritance for his conversion. They arrived in Utah in 1885 and shortly thereafter had their first child, LeRoy, who lived to be 87. LeRoy was followed by five more children, all of whom lived long and healthy lives. Mary Francis died in 1910 at the age of 56. In 1914 John remarried; he and Clara had six children, one of whom was my grandfather, John Wallace Shelby, Jr., born in 1917.
John Jr. enlisted in the Army Air Force after Pearl Harbor, and was selected to be a paymaster. He was sent to Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indianapolis, Indiana for his training, and it was there that he met my grandmother, Florence Christoph, at a rollerskating rink. They quickly fell in love, and when John proposed Florence told him that they would have to be married in the Episcopal Church, and that she had no plans on converting to the LDS Church. John wasn’t a devout Mormon and had no problem with her stipulations, and they were married in 1942. After the end of WWII John mustered out of the Army Air Force, and Florence asked that they return to Indianapolis to be close to her family. John happily honored her request, and they lived there until 1950, when they moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana.
This past weekend we drove to Eden, Utah for a family reunion, where 125 descendents of John Wallace Shelby gathered together for the first time in years. John Jr had four sisters and one brother, so there were only a handful of people with the last name Shelby, though we all traced our lineage back to John Sr. It’s a wondrous thing to see how a family grows over time, and what started in 1850 with John’s birth is alive and well in 2024, 174 years later. The faith and perseverance of John Sr and his family is remarkable. John Sr. stood to inherit his father’s horse farm and land, both of which were incredibly lucrative, but he gave it up at the chance hope of having a family, based on the words of a Mormon missionary. But the missionary’s prediction came true - John and Mary and then Clara were very fruitful, having 12 children in all. During the Great Depression John Sr. was unable to work due to his old age and John Jr. worked to keep the family afloat. They had so little that John and his sisters would go to the markets and dig through the garbage to find fruit and vegetables that had been thrown away and would cut the rotten parts out in order to have something to eat. All the girls wore flour sack dresses, and when John Jr. wanted to go to the World’s Fair in New York City, he hopped a train there and back. He worked for various farmers during harvest and didn’t go to school until October or November, but did well enough that he was never behind.
My dad talks about how his dad was always busy doing something, and that the only time he relaxed was for his short nap after work during the week and for Ed Sullivan on Sunday. John Jr., like so many other children of the Depression, collected canned goods, coats, and clothes, and was loath to throw anything away. His was called the Greatest Generation, but I like to think that anyone faced with their challenges would rise to the occasion and do what needed to be done.
Hearing the stories about my grandfather and meeting my relatives was worth the thirteen hours it took to get to drive to Eden. I pray that we never face the same challenges as my grandparent’s generation, and I also pray that we remember to be thankful for all that we have; none of it came free. At some point in our family line, someone made incredible sacrifices for us to live the way we do, and one of the best ways we can honor those sacrifices is to reach out to the people digging through the garbage for food to eat and offer them something better. We are surrounded by blessings; let us take those blessings, and bring them into the world.
Photos by the Rev. Jason Shelby from his Utah road trip.
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Save the Date: Annual Rummage Sale | |
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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, put items in proper location. No need to sign up, just show up for a couple 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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You serve the best by
doing what you love most!
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Fr. Jason has invited the Vestry to host a series of small group meetings with our parish family. This is an opportunity for us to come together and explore what we love that brings us joy in church and our daily lives and to understand how it can further the Kingdom of God in our community. | |
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The gatherings will be in July and August for 8-10 members per group. Sessions will be held in the church library following the 8 am and 10 am Sunday services or at other times in the home of a Vestry member. (See the list of dates, times, and places below). Sessions will last approximately one hour or as long as needed so that everyone is able to participate.
You are invited to talk with any Vestry person to ask questions. These discussions are intended to help deepen our relationship with God and each other as we share our experiences, joy, and love.
Please don’t miss out on this chance to grow together. Select a date and time that works for you. Call the church office at 310-375-4617 to reserve your spot or email Jessica Salazar.
We will also have a signup sheet after the 8 am and 10 am services for the next several weeks.
Planned meeting times:
Sunday, August 11 - 9:00 am and 11:30 am church boardroom
Wednesday, August 15 - 6:00 pm Cronin Residence (PVE between La Venta and Malaga Library)
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Make a joyful noise...in Summer Choir! | |
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Summer is here! For me, that means more relaxing times (beach!) and family and friends time. During the summer, the St. Francis choir follows the same maxim and our anthems are generally easier and much more fun, which means…we hope you will join us for an adventure, perhaps, by singing in the choir on Sundays.
All you need to do is come to a pre-service rehearsal at 9 am on Sunday mornings in July and sit amongst the choir members who will be, I can assure you, VERY pleased to have you there and VERY helpful!
Give it a try. If you are uncomfortable singing in the service, we won't make you! It might even be fun!!
You can email me at sternstag520@gmail.com if you have any questions.
I hope to see you on Sunday mornings!
—Mark Bennett, Director of Music
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Fr. Jason's Week(s) in Review | |
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July 25: Claire Erbeznik’s last day at St. Francis; we shared a delicious lunch in the break room with Elaine and Jessica; left for San Diego in the evening.
July 26: Went to San Diego Comic Con to people-watch with Jennifer and the kids, though the kids only lasted about ten minutes. We saw Mario and Luigi (from Mario Brothers) and a few other people in costume, but we got there too early to see good costumes. The kids favorite part of the adventure was riding the carousel at a nearby park.
July 27: Returned home; Funeral service for June Bacon, where her nephew and sons gave beautiful eulogies; sermon prep for Sunday.
July 28: Sunday services.
July 29: Admin tasks; pastoral phone calls; Rachel was with me in the office as she wasn’t well enough to go to school (turns out she had croup - not just for babies).
July 30: Lunch with David Brown from Wayfarer’s Chapel; admin tasks.
July 31: Met with Deacon Celeste; Healing Service; went home to help get ready for trip to Eden, Utah for the Shelby family reunion.
August 1: Left home at 5:07am for Eden, Utah, and arrived to my parent’s AirBnB at 830pm Mountain time. We saw some incredible scenery on the way there, though Utah between St. George and Salt Lake is not big on variation.
August 2: We took the kids to a Children’s Museum in nearby Ogden, Utah, where they had full run of the place for two hours; that night we went back to Ogden for dinner, and the kids were enthralled by the two musicians playing in the restaurant.
August 3: Shelby Family Reunion! There were 125 of us, and it was great to meet so many of my relatives.
August 4: We left for California with my parents in the van (the only way to ensure they got here), and turned west in Salt Lake City, going through the Great Basin National Park in Nevada, and seeing some truly amazing scenery - our only regret was we didn’t have a geologist in the van.
August 5: Recovered from all the driving.
August 6: Took my parent’s to Point Vicente Lighthouse; dinner with friends, where my parents were treated to a quintessential California dinner that included tri-tip and brussels sprouts.
August 7: Took my parents to the church to show them around; did the healing service, where I had the opportunity to bless my mom and dad; art day.
August 8: Took my parents to the airport; spent the rest of the day writing.
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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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