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Healing & Reconciliation Holy Eucharist – Wednesdays at noon in the Chapel
Good Grief Support Group – Wed., Sept. 11, 5:00 pm and Wed., Sept. 18, 11:00 am.
Men’s Corner – Wed., Sept. 11, 6:00 pm.
Quilting Group – Thur., Sept. 12, 1:00 pm and Thur., Sept. 19, 1:00 pm.
Get Connected Sunday – Sun., Sept. 15 after the 8:00 am and 10:00 am services.
Outreach Scholarship Fundraiser "Pizza with a Purpose" – Mon., Sept. 16 at CPK Rolling Hills. (See below for details.)
Finance Meeting – Wed., Sept. 17, 6:00 pm
Vestry Meeting – Wed., Sept. 17, 7:00 pm
St. Luke’s Breakfast Outreach – Sat., Sept. 21, 7:00 am
Wayfarers Chapel Exchange
- Sept. 22: Wayfarers Chapel to worship with us at the 10:00 am service.
- Sept. 29: We will worship with Wayfarers in the St. Francis Chapel at 10:15 am.
- We will have our usual 8:00 am worship in the St. Francis Chapel on both Sundays.
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Reflection on James 1:19-27 | |
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"You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.
But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.
If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world."
When I entered seminary in the fall of 2004, I don’t remember any professor who thought much of the Epistle of James, not because of the epistle itself, but because of how it had been interpreted and applied throughout the life of the church. Every professor taught and preached that it is by grace alone that we are saved - that there is nothing we can do to save ourselves, no matter how many good works we achieve in our life. They taught us that there’s nothing so terrible we can do to make God love us less, nor anything so great to make God love us more - that God’s love for us is immeasurable.
I agree that it is by grace alone that we are saved. I also believe that when we are judged there’s no tome full of our rights and wrongs, but rather, we are asked if we accept Christ’s forgiveness. There are those who will fall to their knees in thanksgiving, and those who will reply, “Forgiveness for what?” But our actions matter. How can we be in the frame of mind that accepts forgiveness unless we recognize that we need to be forgiven for things done and undone? But put all that to the side, as our faith isn’t about getting into heaven—at least it shouldn’t be about getting into heaven. Our faith is based on God’s love for us, and our response to that love.
“If any think they are religious and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless,” (James 1:26, NRSV). This seems unnecessarily harsh and graceless; maybe one’s religion is worthless at the moment one speaks hateful/hurtful things, but to say that the whole of one’s religion is kaput because you called someone an idiot negates grace and forgiveness. As I am writing this I understand more clearly why my professors didn’t like James—but in throwing out the whole Epistle, they did the same thing he did.
We are called to be doers of the word—we are called to respond fully to Christ’s commandment to love one another. It’s not an abstract idea or philosophical problem: how do we love one another? It’s a pragmatic and practical question with an equal solution. Care for the widow, feed the orphan - which is to say, take care of those who have been marginalized and forgotten, who have no one else to care for them. We care for them by looking them in the eye and calling them by name, by giving them our time as well as our money.
There’s a lot wrong with the Letter of James, but there’s a lot of good in it too…much like the body of Christ.
—Fr. Jason Shelby
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Outreach Scholarship Fund Update | |
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Six New Freshmen Students
- We purchased laptops for Sophia, Carlos, Johnathan, Maaz, John, and Ibrahim.
- Attending El Camino College, UCLA, UC Berkeley, and Cal State Long Beach.
- 6 laptop computers purchased totaling $10,739 (including Microsoft Word 365)
- Disbursements for the fall quarter and semester are upcoming for continuing students.
You can help!
This is the reason for our restaurant fundraiser at California Pizza Kitchen.
“Pizza with a Purpose”
When: Monday, September 16, 11 am to 10 pm
What: SFOSF receives 20% of all checks good for Dine-In, Take Out, or Online orders not just pizza—the full Fall Menu (including alcohol!)
How: Just take the flyer or mention St. Francis Outreach Scholarship Fund
Where: California Pizza Kitchen. 25306 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance, 90505
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Thank you from one of our scholarship recipients:
"Hello! My name is Tami Odunlami and I am a fourth-year undergrad student at UC Irvine. I am majoring in Informatics with a specialization in Human-Computer Interaction and minoring in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. During the past three years in Irvine, I have been through a lot, learned a lot, and overcame many trials and tribulations. What I have found most inspiring since coming to this school is learning to let go of all my fears and have faith in myself that everything will work out according to God’s plan for me. I entered this school afraid of the unknown not knowing what I truly wanted to study. Today, I am confident, knowing that I have done all I can to achieve my goals because I have put all my faith in God to lead me in the right direction and will continue to do so. My journey is far from over but I am so proud of how far I have come. As I enter my last year of undergrad, I hope to accomplish more academically, spiritually, financially, and mentally."
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Fr. Jason's Week in Review | |
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August 30: Sermon prep for Sunday; day off.
August 31: Sermon prep for Sunday; pastoral call; lots of errands.
September 1: Sunday services.
September 2: Labor-daybor. I asked a friend which hero of labor he was going to dress up as but he never replied. I dressed up as Samuel Gompers.
September 3: Helped with carpool duty at Town and Country; met with Deacon Celeste; met with Senior Warden; admin tasks; pastoral phone call.
September 4: Healing service; staff meeting; admin tasks; lots of writing.
September 5: Spent the morning writing/planning; admin tasks.
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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. For people suffering loss of any kind including death, divorce, loss of health due to an illness or accident, et al.
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 10:00 am
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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