The
Episcopal News Update
A weekly newsletter serving the Diocese of Los Angeles
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Thomas Wing-Fu Chow presents to Bishop John Harvey Taylor banners reading “good shepherd," "wise teacher," and "love God and love God’s people.” Chow, a priest from Hong Kong assisting at St. Gabriel's Church, created the banners, which hung in the church during the Lunar New Year service on Feb. 5. Photo: Janet Kawamoto | |
Chinese congregations celebrate Lunar New Year in ‘a place between laughter and tears’
By Pat McCaughan
[The Episcopal News – February 8, 2023] Members of the diocesan community gathered Feb. 5 at St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church in Monterey Park, in a “place between laughter and tears” for a joint Lunar New Year celebration.
“This is the first time in three years that we have held this celebration in person” since the Covid-19 pandemic, the Rev. Canon Ada Wong Nagata said when welcoming about 100 guests to the gathering.
“This is supposed to be a happy occasion, but there is no way we can celebrate with full hearts,” she added, referring to the Jan. 21 mass shooting at the nearby Star Ballroom Dance Studio, which claimed 11 lives and injured another ten at a Lunar New Year celebration.
Authorities, who identified the shooter as Huu Can Tran, 72, of Hemet, Calif., say a motive for the shootings is unclear. Tran died later that day of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Bishop John Harvey Taylor called for a moment of silence in memory of the Monterey Park shooting victims and those affected by “all the acts of gun violence in recent weeks and months all over our country.”
Read more here.
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New grants program will fund personal development programs for girls
The Girls Friendly Society in the Diocese of Los Angeles recently announced a program of grants to congregations to help fund personal development programming for girls.
An informational session will be held on Zoom on Friday, Feb. 17 at 11 a.m. to explain this new grant and to answer questions. This grant is available to churches in the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, and is designed to help fund creative proposals for personal development programs for girls in a church's neighborhood communities. The primary goal of any program proposal must be to "create a community for girls and/or young women (through high school graduation) to find friendships, develop relationships and support each other."
Letters of intent and accompanying letters of support will be accepted at [email protected] through March 17, 2023. Read this document to understand the purpose of the funding, any restrictions, and how to apply. This grant is offered by GFS (Girls' Friendly Society) in the Diocese of Los Angeles.
Email questions to [email protected]. The grant document, application timeline and FAQs will be posted at www.gfscalifornia.org by February 17.
Log-in for the Feb. 17 Zoom meeting is here, or use meeting ID 842 5660 7864 and passcode 984439.
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'Under My Roof': A Lenten invitation to discern the welcoming of refugees
As Lent approaches, Interfaith Refugee and Immigration Service (IRIS), the Diocese of Los Angeles' migration ministry, invites Episcopalians to a three-session Zoom series on welcoming refugees.
“Lent beckons us to take especially seriously Bishop Taylor’s Convention call to imagine a world where everyone belongs, everyone is free and safe, everyone has an equal and a blessed place,” said Troy Elder, IRIS’s executive director. “This series will help congregations prayerfully reflect on how God might be calling them to join in Christ’s work in welcoming our newest neighbors.
Occurring on three Wednesdays in Lent — March 1, 15, and 29 at 5 p.m — the series is designed to equip congregations to engage directly in IRIS’s life-saving work of refugee resettlement. It will feature testimonials from around the diocese from those who have housed refugees, whether on a church campus or in a private home, and will explain the different types and levels of engagement that are possible.
To register, email Ruben Tomasian, IRIS’s manager for Capacity Building and Community Outreach, at [email protected].
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Episcopal Church-sponsored 'Concert for the Human Family' coming to the Southland
The Concert for the Human Family, a traveling series funded and organized by the office of Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, will come to the Diocese of Los Angeles in two performances: 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25 at St. Cross Church, Hermosa Beach; and at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 26 at St. Patrick's Church, Thousand Oaks.
The concert, with the theme of racial reconciliation brings together Grammy-nominated composer Kory Caudill and Wordsmith, a Baltimore-based songwriter, artist and performer, to explore the idea of Beloved Community through music and spoken word.
"The Concert for the Human Family is an inspiring collaboration between musicians and church leaders who believe in the power of music and storytelling to foster Beloved Community," according to the event announcement. "Experience genre-crossing original music that bridges jazz, hip-hop, rock and bluegrass, performed by a performed by a multi-cultural, award-winning team of recording artists, led by Kory Caudill and Wordsmith. Guided by their music and friendship, they invite concertgoers into an exploration of Beloved Community and the power of racial reconciliation through relationship."
Tickets are $20 ($15 for students), and may be purchased here for the Hermosa Beach performance and here for the Thousand Oaks performance. The concert will also be held on Feb. 24 at St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church in San Diego (information is here).
Video resources for the Concert for the Human family include a concert reel; a video showcase; and a behind-the-scenes video series.
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James K.A. Smith to deliver Stern Lecture at Pacific Palisades parish
The Parish of Saint Matthew, Pacific Palisades, has announced that James K. A. Smith will deliver the 2023 Stern Lecture, to be held at St. Matthew’s on Friday evening, March 3, and Saturday morning, March 4. Smith will also serve as guest preacher at the 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. services on Sunday, March 5.
Smith is professor of philosophy at Calvin University He serves as editor-in-chief of Image journal, a quarterly devoted to “art, mystery, and faith,” and is author of On the Road with Saint Augustine: A Real-World Spirituality for Restless Hearts. Smith’s lecture will explore the ways in which Augustine is surprisingly dialed into the challenges and opportunities of the present moment. Trained as a philosopher with a focus on contemporary French thought, Smith is an award-winning author and widely traveled speaker, and has emerged as a thought leader with a unique gift of translation, building bridges between society and the church.
Lecture schedule is:
Session One: Friday, March 3, 7:30 p.m.
A Spirituality for Wanderers and Wayfarers: Augustine & Monica on Route 66
Session Two: Saturday, March 4, 9 a.m.
The Art of Testimony: Augustine the Storyteller
Session Three: Saturday, March 4, 10:30 a.m.
Ambition, Anxiety and Friendship: Augustine Our Contemporary
There will be a short break between the Saturday morning sessions, and a light lunch with be offered for registered participants on Saturday at noon. The event will be held at St. Matthew's Church, located at 1031 Bienveneda Avenue in Pacific Palisades. The Stern Lecture is free of charge; however advance online registration is required (click here or visit The Parish of St. Matthew website.
The Stern Lecture was established in 1986 by W. Eugene Stern in memory of his wife, Libby Naffziger Stern, and is dedicated to bringing international scholars to the Parish of St. Matthew for lectures and preaching opportunities. For more information, email [email protected] or call the church office at 310.454.1358.
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Diocesan service commemorating Absalom Jones set for Feb. 26
The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles Program Group on Black Ministry and The H. Belfield Hannibal Chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians invite the diocesan community to an Absalom Jones Celebration Evensong Service at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb 26 at Holy Faith Church, Inglewood.
The celebration commemorates the life and witness of Absalom Jones, the first African-American priest in the Episcopal Church, who gained his freedom in the post-Revolutionary War era. Jones, who contributed greatly to one of the first free Black communities in the United States, is remembered on the Episcopal Church's calendar on Feb. 13. A biography is here.
The Rev. Margaret McCauley, deacon at St. John's Cathedral, will preach; the Rev. Joseph Oloimooja will preside. A soul food reception will follow the service.
A video invitation to the service is here. Holy Faith Church is located at 260 N. Locust Street, Inglewood 90301.
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Events at St. Mary's, Laguna Beach, will celebrate Black history
St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Laguna Beach, will host free cultural events on Feb. 10 and 24, 6 - 8 p.m., to celebrate African American art, music and literature, sponsored by the local nonprofit organization We All Matter.
Friday, February 10: Resistance
Rebecca Washington-Lindsey will speak on “Resistance,” this year's national Black history theme. She will talk from her experience and her heart about the manifestation of resistance, show and compare two film clips, identify how resistance is played out in the media, and determine useful resistance strategies when working through oppression. There is no charge for this event.
Friday, February 24: Expression Through Celebration
This event will celebrate the 97th anniversary of the first African American/Black history commemorations (starting with a week-long observance in 1926). Multiethnic art will be on display. Laguna Beach resident and saxophonist Reggie will host the music, featuring a 70s – 90s Motown lineup. Donations will be taken at the door.
Both events, which will include light refreshments, will be held in the parish hall at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 428 Park Avenue, Laguna Beach.
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Beaumont parish to honor Absalom Jones at Feb. 19 service
The Rev. Stacey Forte-Dupré will preach the sermon at "A Service Celebrating the Feast of Absalom Jones" at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 19 at St. Stephen's Church, 225 E. 8th Street, Beaumont.
The service, which also will be live-streamed on the parish's Facebook page here, will feature vocalist Lacy Mason; Sandy Beamon and the Praise Team; and liturgical dancer Charisma Ballard.
Forte-Dupré, who with the Very Rev. Bill Dunn and the Rev. Cecelia Schroeder serves the collaborative ministry of St. Stephen’s; Trinity Church, Redlands; and St. Alban’s, Yucaipa, is pictured at left at her ordination to the priesthood on Jan. 14, 2023.
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The Bishop's Blog is online here. | |
A Lunar New Year celebration
February 6, 2023
Leaders of Episcopal Asiamerican Ministries in the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles planned last night’s Lunar New Year celebration at St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church in Monterey Park long before the gun violence murders that occurred just two weeks ago, just a few blocks away. Ecclesiastes, read out at the service, teaches that there’s a time to laugh and a time to weep — not necessarily because God planned it that way, but because human actions inspired by hatred, fear, and prejudice keep filling oceans with tears.
Read more here.
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St. Mary’s Church (Mariposa), Los Angeles
February 6, 2023
St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Los Angeles, known as St. Mary’s Mariposa, first served Japanese immigrants in the early years of the last century. It was darkly ironic that the United States chose this place of welcome as a staging area for Japanese Americans whom President Roosevelt sent to concentration camps during World War II. Their belongings were stacked on the church steps. The church’s first vicar, the Rev. John Yamazaki, held regular Holy Eucharist services for internees.
Read more here.
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All are invited to inaugural Shepherd's Cup Golf Classic on April 24 at Industry Hills Golf Club
Tournament will benefit diocese's capital campaign
[The Episcopal News – February 1, 2023] The first-ever Shepherd's Cup Golf Classic and Dinner will be held on Monday, April 24 at the Industry Hills Golf Club and Pacific Palms Resort in the City of Industry, one of the most distinctive golf facilities on the West Coast and home to several professional golf tournaments.
Proceeds from the event will benefit the Generation to Generation capital campaign supporting the mission and ministries of the Diocese of Los Angeles.
The golf tournament is open to foursomes and individuals; prizes will be awarded to the winners. Registration for a foursome is $800; for an individual, $225. Early-bird registration for a foursome is $800; for an individual, $225. (Prices will rise after March 1.) Registration includes green fees, use of putting greens and the driving range, golf bag drop-off service, a golf cart, golfer grab bag, and the evening reception and banquet. The tournament will begin at 11 a.m.
Read more here.
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How is God calling you? The Commission on Ministry will help with discernment at March 4 workshop
The Commission on Ministry (COM) of the Diocese of Los Angeles will hold a one-day Discernment Information Gathering (DIG) workshop for church members who wish to explore what answering a call to ministry - lay or ordained - can mean in their lives.
The in-person workshop will be held on Saturday, March 4, 9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. at St. Paul's Commons, 840 Echo Park Ave, Los Angeles.
"We’re often surprised that God calls us ... all of us," according to the commission's announcement. "Today’s world pulls us in so many directions that it's sometimes hard to discern. Have you been wondering where God is calling you in your life, your work, your church and beyond?"
The day will include defining discernment, group discernment exercises, and an explanation of the orders of ministry. It will also include breakout sessions led by experts from around the diocese on the Ordination Process, Opportunities for Lay Leaders, Sponsoring Clergy Responsibilities, Spiritual Direction, Bi-vocational Ministry, Education Pathways, Chaplaincy, and Congregational Discernment.
Cost is $20 per person, which includes lunch. Registration is required; click here. For information, contact Cameron Johnson, [email protected] or 310.415.0288.
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Registration is open for summer sessions at Camp Stevens
Camp Stevens, the diocese's facility in Julian, California, opened registration for its summer camp sessions on Feb. 1
The summer schedule is:
- Adventure Session 1: July 9 – July 14
- Adventure Session 2: July 16 – July 21
- Adventure Session 3: July 23 – July 28
- Adventure Session 4: July 30 – August 4
- International Odyssey: August 6 – 12
Teen Wilderness Trips will also be available:
- Sea Kayaking 1: July 10 – 14
- On the Road: July 23 – 28
- Sea Kayaking 2: August 7 – 11
Camp Stevens uses tiered pricing, and encourages families that are able to pay at the top tier to help make camp available to as many children as possible. Camperships are available: application forms may be filled out after the camper is registered.
To register, click here. Families registering for the first time will need to create an account; returning families will need to update their passwords.
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Bloy House announces new spring formation classes open to clergy and laity
Bloy House, the Episcopal Theological School at Los Angeles, has announced several continuing education and formation classes for laity and clergy.
The fee for formation classes is $25. Click here for more information and to register.
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TUESDAYS, MARCH 7, 14, 21, and 28, 7 – 8:30 p.m.
The Spiritual Journey: A Lenten Exploration
Facilitated by the Rev. Elizabeth Rechter
This Lent, Bloy House will offer an interactive, contemplative experience that invites participants into a deep exploration of their personal spiritual lives in a safe, small-group setting. It will be a time to reconnect with God in body, mind and spirit to see more clearly the path that is beckoning you. Exploring together the topics of prayer, the sacred in the daily, images of God and theological assumptions that guide us, and our own experiences of God. Facilitated by the Rev. Elizabeth Rechter, Stillpoint’s director since 2015. Stillpoint, The Center for Christian Spirituality, an institution of the Diocese of Los Angeles, has been offering programs for spiritual exploration & formation for nearly 40 years.
Coming in April/May
Registration and details will be announced soon.
SATURDAY, APRIL 29
21st Century Ministry in Multicultural Contexts:
Enjoying our Colorful Tapestry
Ministry - lay or ordained- in our diocese is a multicultural experience. How do we gain skills and insight, not only to understand others' languages and cultures, but to be open to transformative friendships? One day workshop, facilitated by the Rev. Carlos Ruvalcaba and the Rev. Melissa Campbell-Langdell. Note: class will be hybrid in-person and Zoom.
SATURDAYS, APRIL 29, MAY 6, 13
Deacons: Who, What, Why
Three two-hour sessions will offer a glimpse into the life and history of the diaconate. Facilitated by the Rev. Dennis Sheridan.
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Grief Recovery Workshop series to begin at St. James' Church, Newport Beach
Dana Rubin and the Rev. Richard Rubin will offer a Grief Recovery Workshop series at St. James' Church, Newport Beach, beginning at 12 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12 and continuing for eight weeks.
The workshop is designed to help those who have experienced the loss of a loved one, the loss of a career, loss of health, or any other loss or grief ways to move beyond those losses. For more information, contact Dana or Richard Rubin at 909.675.9732 or [email protected]. St. James' Church is located at 3209 Via Lido, Newport Beach 92663.
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New 'By Your Side' training session to begin in March
By Susan Brown
Since 2011, the mission of By Your Side has been to support people in times of change and difficulty, particularly in health crisis, and to be at their bedside at the end of their lives as needed. We train volunteer community members to be a compassionate presence.
While we continue to develop teams of people to serve in hospital settings, since 2013 we've also trained residents and neighbors of our ECS communities to be even more present with one another. Residents have companioned their peers having difficulty with changes in their lives, with challenging diagnoses, sometimes with increasing frailty, and notably with adjusting to life in our Courtyards memory care. Staff have had the opportunity to deepen their understanding of what it means to really be “with” the residents they support, and residents, staff, and members of the larger communities all gain tools for taking care of themselves while being there for others.
The pandemic brought all of us to an acute awareness of life’s fragility, realizing that what is most important is connection. As we move back into greater physical closeness, we take with us a renewed commitment to being with one another, no matter what.
Please join us in this exploration. Our next training will be hybrid (in-person and Zoom). There is no obligation to volunteer at the completion of the training.
The next 10-hour, five-week course will be held at the Canterbury in Rancho Palos Verdes on Tuesday evenings, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m., from March 7 to April 4.
To enroll, email [email protected] or call 818.822.6044 for more information. Enrollment is limited to 30 people. A fee of $70 (which includes all materials) is due by the second class. Scholarships are available. CE (12 hours) for nurses is available for an added $30 under California Board of Registered Nursing Provider Number CEP 16239.
Susan Brown is administrator of By Your Side, a ministry of Episcopal Communities & Services.
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Groundbreaking Episcopal priest Pauli Murray will be featured on US quarters
By Egan Millard
[Episcopal News Service – February 2, 2023] The Rev. Pauli Murray, the first African American woman to be ordained a priest and a pioneer in the struggles for racial and gender equality, will be featured on U.S. quarters in 2024, the U.S. Mint announced on Feb. 1. She and four other women are being honored next year as part of the Mint’s American Women Quarters series, celebrating the contributions of women to American history.
Murray, whose feast day is celebrated on July 1 in The Episcopal Church’s calendar of saints, was also a lawyer, writer and co-founder of the National Organization for Women. Often the first or only Black woman in the positions she held, Murray was a groundbreaking leader in the civil rights movements of the 1960s, though her contributions were long overlooked.
She is being honored along with Patsy Takemoto Mink, the first woman of color to serve in Congress; Mary Edwards Walker, a Civil War surgeon, women’s rights advocate and abolitionist; Zitkala-Ša, an advocate for Native Americans’ right to U.S. citizenship; and Celia Cruz, the Cuban-American “Queen of Salsa.” The quarter designs will be unveiled this summer, the Mint said.
Read more here.
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RIP: George Werner, past House of Deputies president, dies at 85
By ENS staff
[Episcopal News Service – February 7, 2023] The Very Rev. George L.W. Werner, who served as House of Deputies president from 2000 to 2006, died Feb. 6 at age 85 after suffering since at least last year from a progressive dementia. Werner’s death was announced by his son, Bill Werner, in a Facebook post.
Werner, the 31st president of the House of Deputies, was elected at General Convention in 2000 in Denver and re-elected in 2003 in Minneapolis. From 1994 to 2000, he served as vice-president under President Pamela Chinnis. He also served eight terms as a General Convention deputy and as deputation chair from the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
During the then-brewing dispute between the Diocese of Pittsburgh and the wider Episcopal Church over the latter’s stand on the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in the life of the church, the Pittsburgh diocesan convention did not re-elect Werner as a deputy in 2004. That made him ineligible for election to a third and final three-year term as president. Only sitting deputies can stand for election to the leadership post. The House of Deputies vice president at the time, Bonnie Anderson of Michigan, was elected to succeed him at the next meeting of General Convention in 2006.
Read more here.
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Bexley Seabury pilots an innovative mentor-assessed path to the master of divinity degree
[Bexley Seabury Seminary – February 2, 2023] Bexley Seabury welcomed its most diverse group of students on Saturday, January 28, when faculty and staff joined 12 new students for the online orientation gathering of its new Mentor Assessed Path (MAP) masters of divinity (MDiv) pilot program. The students – seven Native Americans, a Tongan, two people of European descent who are working in Alaskan villages, a European-descent Mainer and a European-descent Minnesotan – are participating in the school’s entrée into what the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) calls competency-based theological education (CBTE).
CBTE is a paradigm shift in theological education that focuses on preparing students to demonstrate competencies in and for their own ministry contexts. Bexley Seabury, one of the first Episcopal seminaries to recognize the need for and to improve upon low or no-residency seminary education and formation, is one of the first mainline denominational seminaries and the first Episcopal Seminary to formalize CBTE as part of its graduate-level programs.
... The Office of Indigenous Ministries of the Episcopal Church identified the lack of accessibility as a key reason there was only one Indigenous Episcopalian in an American seminary in 2020. The Rev. Mary Crist [of the Diocese of Los Angeles], Indigenous theological education coordinator, has been directly involved in MAP’s design and development. “Soon after I began my work with the Office of Indigenous Ministries, I began working with Bexley Seabury to develop appropriate paths to prepare Indigenous leaders for lay leadership and ordained ministry,” Crist said. “Working with a mentor team will help students develop a customized plan that matches their learning style and vocational goals. I’m glad to be helping Bexley Seabury build on its history of providing theological education to Indigenous peoples.”
Read more here. In photo: Bexley Seabury colleagues at Winter Talk 2023 pose with Presiding Bishop Michael Curry. Left to right: Mary Crist (of the Diocese of Los Angeles), Julie Lytle, Curry, and Lelia Fry
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Heads of churches in Jerusalem speak out on escalating violence
[Episcopal Journal & Cafe] The patriarchs and heads of the churches in Jerusalem, including Archbishop Hosam Naoum of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem (pictured at right), issued on Jan. 30 a statement on the increasing violence in the Holy Land.
They called upon “all parties to practice restraint and self-control,” adding that they have been “constantly warning of an exploding, senseless cycle of violence that will only cause hurt and suffering to everyone.”
Noting the “unwarranted” deaths of 32 Palestinians and seven Israelis since the start of the new year, they said that “everyone must work together to defuse the current tensions and to launch a political process based upon well-established principles of justice that will bring about a lasting peace and prosperity for all.”
The full statement is available here.
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CDSP announces shift to fully hybrid education model
M.Div program will comprise online learning, in-person intensives, and funded curacies
[CDSP – February 1, 2023] Church Divinity School of the Pacific (CDSP) and Trinity Church Wall Street announced today that the seminary will transition to a fully hybrid education model, beginning with the class entering in summer 2025. This model, which builds on the success of CDSP’s current low-residence Hybrid Program, will consist of online learning, in-person intensives each year, and post-graduation curacy funding.
As a result, CDSP will cease admitting new residential students as of fall 2023 and will end the residential program with the class of 2025.
“Since 2019, when CDSP and Trinity began our partnership, we have been looking to define and focus on CDSP’s unique contributions to preparing clergy to meet the changing requirements for successfully leading and growing churches of the future,” said the Rev. Phillip A. Jackson, chairman of the CDSP Board of Trustees and rector of Trinity. “While there certainly is a continuing need for residential education, CDSP’s core strength lies in its already successful hybrid learning model. We believe that by expanding and enhancing that model – through additional practical-skills training and curacies to help new clergy as they embark on ministry – we can best serve our students and the Episcopal Church in the years to come.”
Read more here.
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Church pairs Eucharist for homebound members with livestreamed services, fostering connection
By David Paulsen
[Episcopal News Service – February 3, 2023] Grace Allen of Columbia, South Carolina, attended her first service at St. Martin’s-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church in 1959. Last September, at age 91, Allen attended one of her final worship services in the comfort of her own bedroom, with her daughter and granddaughter by her side and a family friend, Sally Peek, on hand to administer Communion.
The bread and wine brought by Peek had been consecrated at the 8 a.m. Sunday service, and in a unique twist on St. Martin’s-in-the-Fields’ traditional Eucharistic visitor ministry, the sacrament was incorporated into Allen’s viewing on YouTube livestream of the congregation’s 10:30 a.m. service. When it was time for worshippers in the church to approach the altar and receive the bread and wine, Allen also took Communion.
“I think what was so special about this format was just being able to share most of the entire service with Grace and her family. I can’t tell you how much richer it makes that experience feel,” Peek, 46, told Episcopal News Service. “I think it’s humbling to be able to share that experience with another person.”
Like many Episcopal churches, St. Martin’s-in-the-Fields has long trained lay Eucharistic visitors to bring the sacrament to homebound members after Sunday worship services have concluded. Those volunteers usually administer Communion by following a condensed worship form written specially for those visits. In the past year, however, the church has experimented with this new variation, in which Eucharistic visitors join in watching the livestream worship, so Communion at home and at church can be simultaneous.
Read more here.
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 7 - 8 p.m.
A Taizé of Love
St. Andrew's Episcopal Church
1432 Engracia Avenue, Torrance 90501
Information: 310.540.1722
The mutual ministry of St. Andrew's and Christ Church, Redondo Beach, invite all to this candlelit service of music, meditation and prayer. Taizé services will be held in-person or online throughout the year. Online services available here or via Zoom code 911 2340 9275, password 2020
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 8 p.m.
Quasi una fantasia: David Kaplan, pianist
St. Matthew's Episcopal Church
1031 Bienveneda Avenue, Pacific Palisades 90272-2314
Information/tickets here
Hailed by critics as “excellent and adventurous” and possessing “grace and fire” at the keyboard, David Kaplan has performed solo recitals and joined forces with orchestras in some of the most prestigious venues in the world. The title of his program, “Quasi una Fantasia,” borrows Beethoven’s own title for the Moonlight Sonata and will feature music of Couperin, Janacek’s Sonata for Piano (1905), Brahms’s Fantasies, op. 116, and a world premiere by composer and cellist Andrea Casarrubios. A graduate of UCLA and Yale University, Kaplan currently serves as assistant professor of piano at UCLA. Tickets: $35. Pre-concert "Liner Notes with Tom Neenan" will precede the concert. All in attendance will need to show proof of full vaccination at least two weeks prior to the concert and will be required to wear a mask.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Free Legal Clinic (in-person)
Jackie Robinson Community Center
1020 N. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena 91103
Sponsored by All Saints Episcopal Church, Pasadena, and Public Counsel. Open to all individuals and community members who need legal assistance, but lack the resources to hire an attorney. Please bring with you any and all papers related to your case. Renters’ or Homeowners’ Rights; Access to cash, food, or health benefits; Unemplyment benefits; Immigrants’ rights; Questions about a will or trust; Divorce or child custody issues. If you can’t attend the clinic and are in need of support, call Public Counsel at 213.385.2977.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Repair Café
All Saints Church
132 N. Euclid Avenue, Pasadena 91101
Repair Cafe is a free event where volunteers repair clothing, appliances, electronics, and bicycles. We offer a “Really, Really Free Market” (where everything is 100% off), free plants and seeds, backyard fruit, gardening advice, and music. The purpose of Repair Cafe is to avoid waste (throwing away broken items), to save people money, and to build community. Repair Cafe has won a Pasadena Green city award and recognition at COP 21 in Paris. This is an established event in Pasadena with 7 to 10 events per year since 2012. To protect volunteers and guests, All Saints requests that everyone wear a mask and come in good health. To volunteer, click here. More descriptions and photos are here.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
West Valley Food Pantry Community Center Groundbreaking
5700 Rudnick Avenue, Woodland Hills 91367
Bishop John Harvey Taylor will be one of several speakers as the long-running food pantry launches construction of a new community center on the grounds of Prince of Peace Episcopal Church.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 8 p.m.
Golden Bridge Consort
504 N. Camden Drive, Beverly Hills 90210
Information: 310.275.0123 or [email protected] or here
The Golden Bridge ensemble, led by Suzi Digby, OBE, features the finest professional singers in California. Their eighth annual concert will explore the relationship between the English and American choral traditions, and Renaissance works juxtaposed with newly commissioned compositions. Tickets available at the door, Music Guild members admitted free with season pass. A reception will follow the concert.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 12 p.m.
Online Film Salon: 'Til Kingdom Come
All Saints Church, Pasadena (online)
Register in advance here for a link to watch the film and a meeting link to join the discussion
Millions of American Evangelicals are praying for the State of Israel. Among them are a dynasty of Kentucky pastors and their Evangelical congregants in an impoverished coal mining town. They donate sacrificially to Israel’s foremost philanthropic organization, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, because they fervently believe the Jews are crucial to Jesus’ return. This film traces this unusual relationship, from rural Kentucky to the halls of government in Washington, through the moving of the American Embassy in Jerusalem and to plans for annexing the West-Bank. Watch the film for free at your convenience; then join the Q&A discussion with Mark Braverman, author and executive director of Kairos USA; Maya Zinshtein, Israeli filmmaker and investigative journalist; Bruce Fisk, author, senior research fellow, Network of Evangelicals for the Middle East; the Rev. Don Wagner: author, Presbyterian minister, former National Program Director at FOSNA; and Lara Friedman, president of Foundation for Middle East Peace, moderator. More about the panelists is here.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 5 - 7:30 p.m.
Interfaith Study Group:
The Changing News Landscape: From Cronkite to Fake News
Islamic Center of Southern California
434 S Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles 90020
Information: Amanda McCormick, [email protected]
Val Zavala presents “The Changing News Landscape.” Ms. Zavala spent 30 years as a broadcast journalist at KCET public television in LA – winning numerous journalism awards, including 19 LA Area Emmy® Awards. She retired in 2018. During her time at LA’s preeminent PBS station, she served as a reporter, anchor, producer and VP of News and Public Affairs. For much of that time she was also anchor of Life & Times and executive producer/anchor of SoCal Connected. Bring an open heart and mind willing to listen and learn, and a vegetarian dish to share in our potluck. The Interfaith Study Group is sponsored by All Saints Church, Pasadena, the Islamic Center of Southern California, and the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 4:15 p.m.
Solemn Evensong
St. James in-the-City Episcopal Church
3903 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles 90010
Information: 213.388.3015 or here
Choir of St. James’, James Buonemani, director. Free. Live-stream and on demand at GreatMusicLA.org.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 6 p.m.
Classical Sundays at Six “International Laureates Organ Series”
St. James in-the-City Episcopal Church
3903 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles 90010
Information: 213.388.3015 or here
With Stephen Tharp and David Briggs, organ. Presented in cooperation with the Clarence Mader Foundation. Free. Live-stream and on demand at GreatMusicLA.org.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 9 a.m.
Women’s Lectionary Online Bible Study
On Zoom: Register in advance here
What does it look like to tell the good news through the stories of women who are often on the margins of scripture and often set up to represent bad news? How would a lectionary centering women’s stories, chosen with womanist and feminist commitments in mind, frame the presentation of the scriptures for proclamation and teaching? Join us for online Bible Study. Each session will begin with a reflection on the readings and Dr. Wil Gafney’s notes from a noted woman of color who is a theologian, priest, deacon, bishop, biblical scholar, psychologist, etc. in order to ground the conversation in the womanist perspective from which the lectionary was written. Feb. 13 leader is the Rev. Chantal Morales McKinney, founding pastor and mission developer of Christ’s Beloved Community, Winston-Salem.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 7 p.m.
All Saints', Beverly Hills, LGBTQ+ Valentine's Eve Party
Schmitty's
8737 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood
A video invitation is here.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 7 - 8 p.m.
The Gift of Love Taizé
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
525 E. 7th Street, Long Beach 90813
Information: 562.436.4047
St. Luke’s Long Beach invites all to this virtual candlelit service of music, meditation and prayer. Taizé services can be found online here or via Zoom code 868 1576 3175, password 525
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 7:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Taizé Service
All Saints’ Episcopal Church
504 N. Camden Drive, Beverly Hills 90210
Begun many years ago at the ecumenical French monastic community called Taizé,these services, with candlelight and singing of chants, are a wonderful way to refresh in the midst of a busy week.
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FRIDAY - SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 17 - 19
Art Exhibition and Sale: Earth, Sea, Sky
St. Mark’s in-the-Valley Episcopal Church
2901 Nojoqui Avenue, Los Olivos
The beauty of the Santa Ynez Valley and the Central Coast will shine in an art show and sale by artists Chris Chapman and John Iwerks to benefit St. Mark’s-in-the-Valley Episcopal Church. St. Mark’s serves as a community center for programs, preschool, music, and arts and the SYV Community Kitchen. Chris Chapman and John Iwerks, a married couple, have been painting and teaching for more than 30 years. They are part of the St. Mark’s community, and as long-time members of the Oak Group, where they have helped raise funds through art sales to protect open spaces throughout Santa Barbara County, Santa Cruz Island, Marin, and the Eastern Sierra since 1986. Learn more here. Exhibit hours: Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m.– 1 p.m.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2 p.m.
Memorial Eucharist: Canon Lydia Lopez
All Saints Episcopal Church
132 N Euclid Avenue, Pasadena 91101
Bishop John Harvey Taylor will preside. An obituary for Lopez, a longtime lay leader and advocate for civil rights for the Latinx community, is here.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 5 - 7 p.m.
Escuela para Ministerios en Español, Spring 2023
All Saints Church (Seminar Room)
132 N. Euclid Avenue, Pasadena 91101 and online
Information: Alfredo Feregrino at 626.583.2713 or [email protected]
Sponsored by All Saints Church, Pasadena, in partnership with the Diocese of Oregon. Classes are every other Saturday (February 18, March 4 and 18, April 1) Led by Alfredo Feregrino. The program taught entirely in Spanish, consists of five modules of formation that will be conducted throughout the liturgical year – and you can join at any time during any module. This program is offered for anyone interested in learning and engaging in an immersive Spanish Theological experience. The five modules are: Theology and Spirituality; Theological Reflection; Sacred Scriptures: Hebrew Bible and New Testament; Church History and Anglican-Episcopal Tradition; and Sacraments and Liturgy. Sacraments and Liturgy will be the module for Spring 2023. All are welcome.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 4 p.m.
Takács Quartet: All-Beethoven
St. Mark’s in-the-Valley
2901 Nojoqui Avenue, Los Olivos
The Takács Quartet includes Edward Dusinberre, first violin; Harumi Rhodes, second violin; Richard O'Neill, viola; and András Fejér, cello. The repertoire features two of the late and great quartets of Beethoven: String Quartet No. 12 in E-flat Major, Op. 127; and String Quartet No. 15 in A Minor, Op. 132. Tickets: $20 (students free); click here. St. Mark’s in-the-Valley provides an intimate concert experience with seating for just over 100, and is pleased to offer the SYV Concert Series as a community arts enrichment program.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 5 p.m.
February Jazz Vespers: Jason Luckett
All Saints Church
132 N. Euclid Avenue, Pasadena 91101
Information: [email protected]
Jason Luckett is a singer, songwriter, guitarist and essayist. Supporting six albums and three independently released EPs, Luckett regularly tours the United States and Europe. He’s performed at South by Southwest in Austin, TX and Glastonbury Festival (UK), and has shared the stage or recorded with Tracy Chapman, the Indigo Girls, Melissa Etheridge, Jeff Buckley, jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell and members of Bauhaus and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Also featuring Russell Ferrante on piano, Edwin Livingston on bass, Reggie Quinerly on drums. Nailah Porter will join on vocals for a couple songs. Josslyn Luckett, assistant professor in the NYU Department of Cinema Studies and affiliated faculty of NYU’s Asian Film and Media Initiative, will offer a meditation. There is no charge. No reservations are required. Validated parking available at Plaza las Fuentes.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 6 p.m.
Classical Sundays at Six
St. James in-the-City Episcopal Church
3903 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles 90010
Information: 213.388.3015 or here
Peter Wittenberg, piano. Free. Live-stream and on demand at GreatMusicLA.org.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 9 a.m.
Women’s Lectionary Online Bible Study
On Zoom: Register in advance here
What does it look like to tell the good news through the stories of women who are often on the margins of scripture and often set up to represent bad news? How would a lectionary centering women’s stories, chosen with womanist and feminist commitments in mind, frame the presentation of the scriptures for proclamation and teaching? Join us for online Bible Study. Each session will begin with a reflection on the readings and Dr. Wil Gafney’s notes from a noted woman of color who is a theologian, priest, deacon, bishop, biblical scholar, psychologist, etc. in order to ground the conversation in the womanist perspective from which the lectionary was written. Feb. 20 leader is the Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s canon for Evangelism and Reconciliation.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 7:30 p.m.
Missa Mystica for Ash Wednesday
All Saints’ Episcopal Church
504 N. Camden Drive, Beverly Hills 90210
Information: 310.275.0123 or [email protected] or here
All Saints’ Choir will sing Craig Phillips' Communion Service in G and William Byrd's "Miserere mei, Deus."
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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2 - 4 p.m.
Film Screening and Q&A: Blurring the Color Line
All Saints Church
132 N. Euclid Avenue, Pasadena
(Online and in person: email [email protected] for online link)
Featuring a Q&A with filmmaker Crystal Kwok. In Blurring the Color Line, Kwok "unpacks the history behind her grandmother’s family, who were neighborhood grocery store owners in the Black community of Augusta, Georgia during the Jim Crow era" and "serves to disrupt racial narratives and bridge divides." Presented by the Racial Justice Ministry and AAPI and Friends Community of All Saints Church. Free: all are invited.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 6 - 8 p.m.
The Guibord Center: Screening of Hebridean Treasure,
with John Philip Newell
The Los Angeles Baha'i Center
5755 Obama Blvd., Los Angeles 90016
Information here
Register here
“Hebridean Treasure: Lost & Found” is a film version of a live-stage dance, music, and song performance by some of Scotland's most talented young artists in which the acclaimed writer John Philip Newell tells the story of Celtic spirituality and its love of Earth through the lens of the Western Isles of Scotland. It includes the pathos of the "Highland Clearances" in which tens of thousands of Scots were cleared from their ancestral lands, an injustice that has been perpetrated repeatedly against Native peoples throughout the world. All events at The Guibord Center are free and open to the public. Earth and Soul will request a free-will offering to help them complete the product. Free parking on-site and hospitality will be available.
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SUNDAY, MARCH 5 at 5 p.m.
Choral Evensong
All Saints’ Episcopal Church
504 N. Camden Drive, Beverly Hills 90210
Information: 310.275.0123 or [email protected] or here www.allsaintsbh.org
All Saints’ Choir will perform "Pilgrims’ Hymn" by Stephen Paulus; Preces & Responses by Gerre Hancock; Magnificat and Nunc dimittis (Mt. St. Alban) by David Hogan; and The Beatitudes by Arvo Pärt. A reception will follow.
SUNDAY, MARCH 5, 6 p.m.
Classical Sundays at Six: Colburn Youth Orchestra
St. James in-the-City Episcopal Church
3903 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles 90010
Information: 213.388.3015 or here
Conducted by Maxim Eshkenazy. Free. Livestream and on demand at GreatMusicLA.org.
SUNDAY, MARCH 12, 4:15 p.m.
Solemn Evensong
St. James in-the-City Episcopal Church
3903 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles 90010
Information: 213.388.3015 or here
Choir of St. James’, James Buonemani, director. Free. Livestream and on demand at GreatMusicLA.org.
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Additional events are listed on the diocesan calendar here. Calendar information may be emailed to [email protected]. | |
The Holy Land
April 12 - 22, 2023
Members of the Diocese of Los Angeles community are invited to join members of St. James’ in-the-City Episcopal Church for a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in April 2023. We hope you will consider coming along on this exciting and soulful adventure. Walk the footsteps of Jesus during an 11-day pilgrimage to the Holy Lands and Jordan, with Pastor Jim Boline of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and the Rev. Dr. Kate Cress of St. James in-the-City Episcopal Church. Itinerary is here. Click here to register.
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Turkey: Footsteps of Paul
April 14 - 29, 2023
Scheduled for the week after Easter, this tour will be led by the Rev. Canon George Woodward, vicar of St. Paul's Anglican Church, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and former rector of St. Edmund's Church, San Marino. The itinerary will follow the travels of St. Paul of Tarsus, with stops in Istanbul, Antioch, Tarsus, Cappadocia, Lystra, Konya, Antalya, Perge, Ephesus and Kusadasi. Canon Woodward lived in Turkey for two years and is personally familiar with all the tour destinations. The tour cost of $3365 per person (double occupancy) will include tour guide and manager, deluxe hotels, daily breakfast, some lunches and dinners, coach transportation and entrance tickets. (The main tour group will depart from Mexico City; pilgrims from other areas will fly directly to Istanbul.) Operated by St. Cecilia Tours. For detailed information and to register, click here. Photo: Hagia Sophia, Istanbul
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EMPLOYMENT
Listings may be sent to [email protected]. There is no charge.
GLENDORA: Organist. Grace Episcopal Church is seeking a professionally trained church organist to be a part of our strong and vital music ministry. The organist will be expected to play for one Sunday service and one choir rehearsal per week, feast days, and for festive concerts. We offer a traditional Rite II service at 10 a.m. on Sundays. The preferred style of music is classical sacred music, ranging from Palestrina to Rutter. The pipe organ is by Manuel Rosales, built in 1977, with a new console in 1980, and substantial reconditioning work in 2016. The organ has two manuals and 26 ranks. The organist will work directly under our choirmaster/director of music in a collaborative manner. Salary: $18,000. Weddings and funerals will provide additional compensation. A full job description is here. Send resume to the Rev. Susan Scranton via email at [email protected] or by postal mail at 555 E. Mountain View Avenue, Glendora 91741.
LOS ANGELES: Administrative Assistant, St. Philip's Episcopal Church. Part time (no more than 15 hours/week). On site as much as possible. Wage: $18/hour. Requires English and Spanish. Full job description here. Contact: Marc Nesbit, senior warden, at [email protected] or the Rev. Thomas Quijada-Discavage at [email protected].
LOS ANGELES: Coordinator for Refugee Housing, Interfaith Refugee & Immigration Service (IRIS). Identify and secure safe, affordable, appropriately furnished housing that meets the Cooperative Agreement for refugee clients. Conduct home visits for safety evaluation and housing orientation with newly arrived refugee clients. This position manages home furnishing donations and coordinates donation drives and deliveries. This position reports to the Resettlement Supervisor. Position will be based out of the IRIS office located at 3621 Brunswick Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90039. The job also entails traveling to and from client appointments, airport pick-up, home visits and other community events, trainings and meetings. Full job description / application instructions here.
PASADENA: Director of Giving, Development and Economic Justice, All Saints Church. The director reports to the rector and will provide leadership, strategic direction, management and coordination of all fundraising and fund development efforts for All Saints Church. The director will stimulate and sustain an attitude of generosity throughout the institution and lead the community in articulating a theology of giving and faithful engagement with economic systems in our personal and corporate lives. Full job description here. Submit cover letter and resume to Samantha Kramer, [email protected].
SOUTH PASADENA: Parish Administrator. St. James’ Church is seeking a Parish Administrator. A full-time, exempt position, the parish administrator supports the overall work process of the church office, works with the priest-in-charge and parish accounting manager, and provides general supervision to the office volunteers and contractors. Prior experience as a church/parish administrator in one or more churches is preferred (experience in an Episcopal parish a plus). Social media (at a minimum, Facebook, Instagram, and Mailchimp) and database skills are important. Must possess excellent interpersonal and communication skills. For more information, please contact the Rev. Michelle Baker-Wright at [email protected] or 626.799.9194.
THOUSAND OAKS: Head of School. St. Patrick's Day School seeks a skilled educator whose leadership is distinguished by a warm, welcoming, and inclusive personal manner, exceptional verbal and written communication skills, a commitment to values-based education and spiritual development, and a love for young children. They will bring the skills, initiative, and drive to help further realize a compelling and sustainable vision for the future of the school. Position information and application instructions are here.
THOUSAND OAKS: Assistant Principal, St. Patrick's Episcopal Day School. Duties include helping with admissions, development, parent relations, student supervision, and program development. Candidate must have a college degree, a teaching credential, and a minimum of five years working in a school. Administrative experience is desirable. If interested, please send resume to [email protected].
UPLAND: Music Director and Organist. St. Mark’s Episcopal Church seeks a part-time Music Director and Organist who can bring gifts, creativity, faithfulness, and joy to our community. The Music Director is central to our shared ministry and life together as a Parish. Sunday worship responsibilities include playing one hymn at the conclusion of our 8 a.m. service, rehearsing with singers and other musicians, and accompanying worship at our 10 a.m. service. Practices for our choir, handbells, and band have been held in the late afternoon and evening one or two days per week. We have a 2-manual tracker pipe organ with a non-AGO flat foot-pedal system that is E.& G.G. Hook and Hastings, Boston, 1873, Opus 734. We also have an Eric Herz harpsichord, Kawai spinet piano, handbells and chimes. The salary range is $18,000 to $26,000 per year, depending upon experience and scope of responsibilities. Weddings and funerals will provide additional compensation. A full position description is here. Cover letter, resume, references, and links to musical performance recordings should be sent to our selection committee, in care of: [email protected].
WESTCHESTER: Parish Administrator, Holy Nativity Episcopal Church. Part-time. Good communication skills, computer skills, and organization skills required. $20/hour at 15 hours per week (over 3-4 days per week. Contact: The Rev. Michael Foley, [email protected] or 310.670.4777.
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Episcopal Church Center
LOCATION NEGOTIABLE / NEW YORK, NY: Editor/Reporter. Episcopal News Service is seeking a full time Editor/Reporter to join its team and help to embolden the church's primary source of news and ministry of storytelling. Full job description here.
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The Episcopal News Update is published on Wednesday afternoons. News items, job listings, calendar items, questions and comments may be sent to [email protected]. Weekly deadline is Tuesday at 12 p.m. Photos are welcome: please include them as email attachments (rather than embedded in a document). To subscribe, click here.
— Janet Kawamoto, editor
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