St. George's e-News for February 21, 2019

St. George's gets its Wings!

Soon you'll be able to take a photo of yourself here at St. George's with angel wings! Thanks to Beth and Mercedese!

There'll be adult wings and child wings!

Credit for the idea to paint a pair of wings at St. George’s should be attributed to artist Colette Miller. In 2012 she started The Global Angel Wings Project. She began painting the wings to “remind people that we are the angels of this earth”. Her wings have been painted in several major cities in the United States, with largest collection in the city of Angels, Los Angeles. Her wings can also be found around the world, including in Japan, Australia, Germany and Cuba.

Since the project was started by Ms. Miller other artists have painted wings throughout the United States including Nashville, Houston and New Orleans. The painted wings serve as interactive works of art for everyone to enjoy.

Our wings are not officially part of Ms. Miller’s project, but we hope that the people of St. George’s and the visitors to our campus experience “a little bit of heaven” having fun taking photographs with our St. George’s angel wings.



--Mercedese Bantz, People's Warden

Resident Artist, Chair of St. George's Creative Communications Committee

Coming soon -- a Love Board! Share your understanding of this complicated emotion!

--Rev. Pat

So, anyone visiting the city's website (estimated 30,000 views per month), will see our icon just to the left of the central photo on the city's landing page. They will be able to click on it, view our video and also click on a link to our website. At some point, the video will also be posted on our website as well. Our video will also be included in another area of the city's website, that deals with community and quality of life.

This is an exciting opportunity to further establish ourselves in the city and to connect with city officials, to raise awareness of our presence (since 1891) in this community and --hopefully-- to drive traffic to our website and to inspire people to visit and become church members. It could be a game-changer.

Our creative communications committee, chaired by Mercedese Bantz, has been working with CGI Communications, along with our staff Rose Williams, Sandra & JC Hernandez, and myself to plan for the creation of our video.

We have decided to create two 30-second videos, one focused on the church and our ministries and another focused on Bourne Hall and St. George's as a community hub and place where all are welcome. 

We have determined 2 dates that CGI will be on our campus filming: Ash Wednesday from 6-8PM and Easter Day from 10AM to 12 noon. Mercedese will have more detail at our meeting, but we are hoping to begin to get the word out to encourage the congregation to actively participate.

Please keep this project and our hopes in your prayers.

Blessings,

Rev Pat

This year St. George's is going to offer

Drive-Thru Ashes!

8AM & 6PM on

Wednesday, March 6

in addition to our regularly scheduled

Holy Eucharist & Imposition of Ashes

at

12Noon & 7PM

TRAFFIC VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: SEE ROSE WILLIAMS

Sunday, March 10: God's story, Our Story, Part 1

Sunday, March 17: God's Story, Our Story, Part 2

Writing about where God has been with us.

Sunday, March 24: Celebrating Our Song

What are our favorite songs? Scripture? How would we like to be remembered?

Sunday, March 31: Unburdening, Healing

Sunday, April 7: Chili Cook-Off!!

More info, Sign-up sheets to come. Volunteers are needed.

... & another kind of bible study

With the roads too icy to drive on, I've been spending my time off from work exploring the 50-acre park down the road from us.

It's quite beautiful, with snow covering the trees, and icicles hanging from the picnic shelters. Such a nice reprieve from the mundane rainy grey weather we typically have. 

It has also given me time to put the finishing touches on my application to the residential M.Div program at CDSP beginning this fall.

Editor's Note: Please continue to pray for Ryan! Especially in the snow! Yes, that's him in the photo!

Upcoming Special Events ...

We pray this week for those on our Parish Cycle of Prayer:

Jo Culbertson, Amy Cullen,

Andy & Anne Cullinane, Andy Cusolito,

Tony D'Amico

and

for those discerning a call to ordained ministry: Ryan Macias and to lay ministry.

Our Immediate Family Our Extended Family

To include prayer requests email:

[email protected] or

fill out forms in the narthex and place in the collection plate

or contact the church office at 949-837-4530

Please Save the Date ...

From Bishop John H. Taylor:

A pastoral letter on suspension of the statute of limitations

January 24, 2019

My siblings in faith in the Diocese of Los Angeles:

The canons of The Episcopal Church (Canon IV.1) say that "the Church and each Diocese shall support their members in their life in Christ and seek to resolve conflicts by promoting healing, repentance, forgiveness, restitution, justice, amendment of life and reconciliation among all who are involved or affected."

To help make sure that the Church keeps its promise especially to those the Church itself has injured, the 79th General Convention, which met this summer in Austin, passed Resolution DO34. The measure suspends the statute of limitations on reporting acts of sexual misconduct by bishops, deacons, and priests against adult victims.

This means that if you were the victim of sexual misconduct by a clergy person, no matter how long ago it occurred, you may lodge a complaint. The three-year suspension window opened on January 1, 2019. It closes on December 31, 2021, after which the statute of limitations will again be in effect.

The leaders of our Church took this step in response to the #metoo movement, which also inspired them to organize a service of truth-telling and accountability during convention. From these and other experiences, as our culture wakes up to the reality of its legacies of power imbalances and abuses of power, we have learned that victims often keep their secrets for years, even lifetimes.

If something happened to you, and you felt you wouldn't be heard or it wouldn't be safe to speak, the Holy Spirit has opened a door. As your bishop, I wholeheartedly support this measure, pray for those whose voices it may at last enable to be heard, and promise to do all I can to make sure the allegations are taken seriously and investigated thoroughly.

I commend to your attention another letter on this topic, by our Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and President of the House of Deputies Gay Clark Jennings which may be found on the diocesan website, as well as the canons of The Episcopal Church, including the Title IV disciplinary canon.

Let us pray together for God's healing or anyone harmed by clergy misconduct and for God's blessing on The Episcopal Church as we live ever deeper into our kingdom work of justice and peace.

Yours in Christ's love,

The Rt. Rev. John Harvey Taylor

Bishop of Los Angeles

Notes from the February 12, 2019 Laguna Hills City Council Meeting :

Nothing affecting the Interchange issue was discussed or presented during the opportunity for Public Comment.

St. George's has been encouraged to address our concerns and arrange to speak with City Manager, Donald J. White. We are following up.

The scheduled Council meeting on February 26, 2019, is canceled: the next City Council Meeting will occur on March 12, 2019, at 7 pm.

El Toro/I-5 Interchange Issue--what we know so far :

-OCTA is expected to present its preferred project option--in the form of a draft proposal--in April. There will be a 30-day public comment period.

--Submitted by Muriel Witham, El Toro Committee Member

Many, many thanks to all :

Please Note: We are a Smoke-Free facility at ALL times .

Volunteers are needed at St. George's for :

Opportunities for Ministry:

ONGOING :

English 3X - Intro to Creative Writing

Spanish 230X - Beginning Practical Spanish

Philosophy 231X - Freethought Philosophy

to register: www.saddleback.edu/emeritus