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by Pat McCaughan

[The Episcopal News – June 29, 2022] It should come as no surprise to anyone who knows Canon “Dr. Steve” Nishibayashi that a wall in the Secretary of Convention’s office at St. Paul’s Commons is painted Dodger blue.

A native Angeleno and retired pediatrician turned diocesan Secretary of Convention, Nishibayashi’s love of all things Dodgers – and The Episcopal Church far and wide – is well-documented.

He grew up at St. Mary’s, Mariposa, the diocese’s historically Japanese American congregation which his grandparents helped to found, where his parents met and married and where he raised his children and sang in the choir. He credits the tight-knit community with instilling within him a sense of cultural identity and connection and love of church and service.

“We went to church faithfully on Sundays from Rosemead when there was no I-10 freeway. There were no Asians in Rosemead in those days. I was one of three Japanese boys in high school,” Nishibayashi told The Episcopal News in a recent interview.

In 1970, then-Bishop Francis Bloy appointed him a youth delegate to the General Convention in Houston, Texas – an appointment, he still believes, he was given through the influence of St. Mary’s legendary priest, the Rev. Canon John Yamazaki.

“It was a transformative, formative week for me, like a bomb that exploded in me. I got a lot out of that week, and it did commit me to the work of the church,” Nishibayashi recalled. A year later, he reported to the 76th annual meeting of the Diocese of Los Angeles, held at the Anaheim Convention Center, a 50-year anniversary noted by Bishop Diocesan John Harvey Taylor at the 2021 convention in Riverside.

Read more here.

By Bob Williams

[The Episcopal News – June 29, 2022] From Orange County to Pasadena, Episcopalians from across the Diocese of Los Angeles shared in LGBTQ+ pride celebrations June 25 – 26, marking a 30-year milestone for the diocesan Bishop’s Commission on LGBTQ+ ministries.

“We have come so far in these 30 years, yet we have so much more work to do, especially on behalf of our transgender, queer, and gender non-binary siblings,” said the Rev. Canon Melissa McCarthy, diocesan canon to the ordinary, preaching the June 26 Pride Sunday homily at St. John’s Cathedral, where the Trans L.A. Chorus highlighted musical offerings.

Video of McCarthy’s full sermon is here.

“And after Friday’s release of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, it is clear that we have work to do around what makes someone fully human, with all the dignity and respect that goes with that,” McCarthy added. “Now is the time for us to stay strong, to stay proud, and to stay focused.”

Bishop John Harvey Taylor – joined by Canon Kathy O’Connor in welcoming to their Pasadena home some 70 attendees of the annual diocesan LGBTQ+ ministries garden party June 26 – also underscored the importance of renewed justice advocacy on current urgent issues, encouraging those gathered to increase their civic engagement locally, regionally, nationally, and in the churchwide context of General Convention legislation.

Read more here.

By Susan Russell

[The Episcopal News – June 29, 2022] And just like that we've reached the end of June. With the turn of the calendar page, we look back on a month that celebrates graduations, ordinations and weddings; summer, fathers and LGBTQ Pride.

Here in the Diocese of Los Angeles, this year we celebrated the 30th anniversary of diocesan ministry with and to the LGBTQ community. Fredrica Harris Thompsett famously said that the reason we learn our history is to back up and get a running start on our future – so here’s a little history.

“I want to be very clear – this church of ours is open to all – there will be no outcasts – the convictions and hopes of all will be honored.” These words – spoken in September 1985 by Presiding Bishop Ed Browning in his acceptance speech after his election – are words that continue to call us to action on this present day.

They were words that inspired our own Bishop Diocesan Fred Borsch to call the Rev. Mac Thigpen to convene the first gay and lesbian ministry team here in the Diocese of Los Angeles in 1992 – combining “… the authority of the diocese with the directive of the bishop to organize diocesan ministry and local parish ministry as well to the gay and lesbian community in Los Angeles; to educate, encourage, and change hearts and minds within and outside the church; and reach out to the gay and lesbian community with God’s Good News of hope and healing.”

Read more here.

All Saints Church, Pasadena, hosted a June 24 community protest against the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling overturning Roe vs. Wade. The decision will allow states to decide whether or not to allow abortions, or to restrict access to the procedure.

The rally drew hundreds of people of all ages, many carrying signs protesting the court's decision.

California law permits abortions up to the point of viability (about the 24th week); terminating a pregnancy after that point requires certification from two doctors. Abortions are legal in California at any time in cases of rape or incest, or if the pregnant person's life is threatened.

Since 1967, The Episcopal Church has maintained its “unequivocal opposition to any legislation on the part of the national or state governments which would abridge or deny the right of individuals to reach informed decisions [about the termination of pregnancy] and to act upon them.”

The Rev. Canon Susan Russell of All Saints (pictured below left) was among those who spoke at the rally. “Today, we catch our breath, because we’ve been gutpunched," she said. "We grieve because we’ve been wounded. We lament because we can. And we vent and we rage, and, yeah, we say, ‘I told you so.’ We grieve, and then we fight.”

Photos by Luwin Kwan.

Secular press coverage of the rally:

Hundreds Rail Against Supreme Court Abortion Decision at Pasadena Protest (Pasadena Now – June 25, 2022)

Joy, fear, anger at Sunday church services shows widening divide over abortion (Los Angeles Times – June 26, 2022)

The Rev. Faye Hogan, a longtime chaplain at an Oxnard medical center and assistant at several congregations in the norther area of the Diocese of Los Angeles, died June 5. She was 90.

Bishop John Harvey Taylor presided at a funeral service on June 25 at St. Peter's Church, Santa Maria, where Hogan served most recently. The Rev. Caro Hall, rector of St. Benedict's Church, Los Angeles – another congregation Hogan served as an assisting priest - preached the sermon. Taylor wrote in a Facebook/blog post later that day that Hogan was "beloved for her energy, wonderful sense of humor, devotion to justice, and keen, empathetic pastor’s ear."

In addition to St. Peter's and St. Benedict's, Hogan served at Trinity Church, Santa Barbara (2000 - 2004) and St. Paul's Church, Ventura (1996 - 1999 and again from 2002 to 2004).

Her primary ministry was as a board-certified chaplain in the intensive care and critical care units at St. John's Regional Medical Center, Oxnard (1993 - 2004).

An obituary is here.

Diocesan offices at St. Paul's Commons will be closed on Monday, July 4 in observance of the Independence Day holiday. Most offices will reopen on Tuesday, July 5.

Have a happy and safe Fourth of July.

Click on the image above or here to register for this online event.

Right-click on images below for larger view (select "Open image in new tab"), or see listings in the calendar section ("Coming up") below.

CLUE (Clergy & Laity United for Economic Justice) and CHIRLA (Coalition for Human Immigrant Rights) invite the diocesan community to join them for an ecumenical and interfaith vigil on Tuesday, July 5 to honor and remember the 51 immigrants who died in extreme heat while locked in a trailer found abandoned in San Antonio, Texas – and to demand that such tragedies be stopped through immigration law reform.

"This is so heartbreaking, and it hits at the very core of our hearts that their lives were taken away by the indifference of others to their humanity," according to the event invitation. "This also points to the broken promises of both parties to enact humane immigration reform. We must demand action."

The vigil will be held on Tuesday, July 5, 9 – 10 a.m. at City Hall West, 200 N. Spring Street, Los Angeles 90012.

CLUE was founded in 1996 by a coalition of faith leaders and allies to help effect a living-wage law in Los Angeles. Clergy and lay leaders of the Diocese of Los Angeles are among its longtime members; Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy is on its board of directors.

CHIRLA, founded in 1986, is one of L.A.'s largest and most effective advocates for immigrant rights, organizing, educating and defending immigrants and refugees in the streets, in the courts, and in the halls of power.

[The Episcopal News – June 22, 2022] A Mental Health Justice Town Hall – set to underscore professional best practices for dealing with mental health crises often referred to local police – will be hosted via Zoom at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 19, by the Bishop’s Commission on Gospel Justice and Community Care of the Diocese of Los Angeles. All are invited to attend. Advance registration is required: click here.

The town hall will be opened by Bishop John Harvey Taylor, who will introduce a pre-recorded video presentation by U.S. Congresswoman Katie Porter, who represents the 45th congressional district in Orange County. An Episcopalian, Porter has long advocated for deploying mental health professionals to respond when people living with psychological issues need assistance or restraint.

Porter’s remarks will be followed by a live discussion with panelists Taun Hill, founder of the Miles Hall Foundation in memory of her late son who during a mental health crisis was fatally shot by police; Gigi Crowder, executive director of the National Alliance of Mental Illness, (NAMI), Contra Costa County; and Pete Cohen, retired sergeant, San Diego Police Department.

Read more here.

A group of Girls Friendly Society members and leaders will travel to Boston during the first week of August for the GFS National Assembly. According to GFS-Los Angeles President Margaret Nolde, one of the customs at National Assembly is for each delegation to bring trading pins that represent their locality. "It occurred to me that maybe some people have pins gathering dust in drawers," said Nolde, "and they might be willing to donate so the members can share a bit of California with other GFS members while on the East Coast.

The pins can represent California in any way – sports teams, national parks, cities, the Disneyland Resort or other local theme parks and attractions, schools, organizations, the California grizzly bear, the state flag, the state flower (California golden poppies), etc.

Nolde asks that anyone who has such pins to spare and who would like to donate them to the GFS delegation mail them to her at St. John the Divine Church, 183 E Bay Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92627 (please note corrected zip code). The deadline to receive the pins is July 25.

For more information, contact Nolde at [email protected].

[The Episcopal Church – June 8, 2022] Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael Curry invites Episcopalians everywhere to mark the season after Pentecost with 30 days of prayer leading up to and encompassing the 80th General Convention in Baltimore, Maryland.

“A Season of Prayer for Revival” – from June 12 through July 11 – will feature daily prayers drawn from the Book of Common Prayer. Individuals can sign up online to receive the prayers and inspirational messages via email. The prayers will also be posted daily on social media accounts for The Episcopal Church and Forward Movement. (The prayer for June 12 is shown above.)

Downloadable bulletin inserts are available for congregational use. All materials are in Spanish and English.

“As we move toward and adapt to a shorter, smaller General Convention, I invite every Episcopalian—whether you’re in Baltimore or Alaska or Honduras, whether you’re a deputy, a bishop, or a new member sitting in the pews—I invite all of us to pause each day just for a moment to pray for the expansive, reviving power of the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts and minds,” Curry said. “We are people of common prayer; may we embrace this season as an opportunity for us all to become a church that truly lives, looks, and loves like Jesus.”

The 80th General Convention is scheduled for July 8-11.

St. Michael's Apartments, an affordable housing project under construction at St. Michael's Episcopal Ministry Center in Riverside, is seeking tenants to live in its 51 units, half of which are designated for those who are homeless, and half for low-income families.

For more about St. Michael's Apartments, click on the image or here to see a larger version of the flyer, visit the website or call 951.944.8004. Prospective tenants may join an interest list, which will be open until June 30, 2022. (Income restrictions and application requirements are listed on the flyer and website.)

Read more here.

After a two-year Covid pandemic-imposed hiatus, Episcopal Night at Dodger Stadium will be back on Friday, Sept. 23. Game time is 7:10 p.m. The home team will play the St. Louis Cardinals, and the game, win or lose, will be followed by fireworks.

Bishop John Harvey Taylor will throw the ceremonial first pitch. He writes about his preparations here.

In response to the Dodgers' recent shift to electronic ticketing, the Rev. Canon Greg Larkin will email instructions on how to order tickets this year to each congregation's coordinator, who will receive and distribute tickets for his or her congregation. Clergy in charge of congregations: email the congregation name and city and the Dodger coordinator's name and email address to Larkin at [email protected].

[CSN – June 1, 2022] The Center for Spirituality in Nature (CSN) is partnering with TryTank – an experimental lab for innovation within the Episcopal Church led by the Rev. Lorenzo Lebrija – to bring its Spirituality in Nature Groups (SING) program to the Episcopal Church network.

In partnership with TryTank, CSN will form a pilot cohort of 10 Episcopal SINGs, providing resources, training, curriculum, and facilitated cohort meetings. These new communities will explore their local ecosystems, learn how best to support and care for them, as well as engage in ancient traditions related to finding God in nature.

The Center for Spirituality in Nature provides opportunities for deepening spirituality through nature and for nurturing loving relationships with the Earth. It offers a variety of programs, classes, webinars, talks, gatherings and resources for both individuals and groups.

Read more here.

[The Episcopal News – May 11, 2022] To mark its 70th anniversary, Camp Stevens invites alumni, former staff, friends and the diocesan community to a Restorative Justice Retreat Oct. 28 – 30. The weekend will celebrate the camp's history of impact and growth while looking to the future.

Valarie Kaur – renowned civil rights leader, lawyer, award-winning filmmaker, educator, innovator, best-selling author of See No Stranger, and founder of the Revolutionary Love Project to reclaim love as a force for justice – will deliver a keynote address at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29. More about Kaur is here.

Read more about the retreat as well as other anniversary events here.

The Episcopal Church's Safe Church Office has produced three new educational modules – "Pastoral Relationships," "Inclusion," and "Power and Relationships" – as part of its Safe Church, Safe Communities training for the prevention of sexual and other abuse. Completion of the series is mandatory for Episcopal Church clergy and lay leaders, and must be renewed every three years.

The new training modules bring the total number to nine, all of which can be found on the Praesidium Academy website here.

Read more here.

By David Paulsen

[Episcopal News Service – June 29, 2022] Episcopalians have a range of ways they can support efforts to end gun violence, through prayer, education and advocacy, Episcopal bishops said in a June 28 webinar, “Doing Our Part,” that was organized by Bishops United Against Gun Violence.

The hourlong Zoom event, which was livestreamed on Facebook, came after a volatile week for advocates and opponents of tougher gun laws. On June 23, the Supreme Court expanded the rights of gun owners to carry firearms in public by striking down a New York law. Two days later, on June 25, President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan bill that that has been praised for directing the most significant new federal gun safety measures in nearly 30 years.

“Much has been happening in our country,” Michigan Bishop Bonnie Perry said to open the webinar. “Our federal government has passed a piece of sensible gun legislation into law; our Supreme Court has struck down a sensible piece of gun legislation. What all of this means is that we need to educate ourselves, organize ourselves and work at the state level to keep people safe.”

Read more here.

Supreme Court limits restrictions on guns in public places, rejecting tighter controls backed by Episcopal leaders (ENS - June 23, 2022)

The Episcopal Church's Office of Government Relations invites all to "A Closer Look: The Dobbs Decision and the Future of Reproductive Rights," an online conversation to be held on Friday, July 1, 10 – 11 a.m. PDT (1 – 2 p.m. EDT). Professor Sally Frank of Drake University will provide an overview of the Supreme Court’s holding in Dobbs and its implications for reproductive rights going forward.

To register for the call, click here.

By David Paulsen

[Episcopal News Service – June 28, 2022] Eleven Episcopal women broke down barriers to ordination on July 29, 1974, when they became the first female priests in The Episcopal Church. Now remembered as the Philadelphia Eleven, their story is the subject of a feature-length documentary currently in production, and an online sneak peek is scheduled for June 30 of work-in-progress scenes from the film.

Margo Guernsey, director and producer of “The Philadelphia Eleven,” told Episcopal News Service in a phone interview that she was born the same year the 11 subjects of her film were ordained to the priesthood, at Philadelphia’s Church of the Advocate. Two years later, women’s ordination was officially authorized by General Convention. Guernsey, who grew up in Williamstown, Massachusetts, where her family was part of a United Church of Christ congregation, said she was aware as a child that the Episcopal church in her community had a female priest.

That didn’t seem unusual to Guernsey growing up, so when she first learned a few years ago about the trail to equality blazed by the Philadelphia Eleven, it came as something as a shock. Outside of The Episcopal Church, “it’s not a very well-known story,” she said.

Read more here.

[Episcopal News Service – June 28, 2022] The Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations released a statement on June 28 mourning the death of 50 migrants discovered in and near an abandoned a tractor-trailer in San Antonio, Texas, and the office called for federal reforms to address the dangers facing immigrants, migrants and refugees.

“The Episcopal Church mourns the horrific and preventable tragedy in San Antonio,” the Washington, D.C.-based Office of Government Relations said. “We pray for those who lost their lives and their families. These deaths should never have happened nor the deaths of any migrants attempting to arrive to the United States.”

The human disaster was discovered around 6 p.m. June 27 by an employee of a nearby building after hearing someone shouting for help, according to police. In addition to those found dead at the scene, authorities say 16 people, including children, were still alive but suffering from heat exhaustion and were taken to hospitals.

Read more here.

[Episcopal News Service – June 24, 2022] The U.S. Supreme Court on June 24 upheld a Mississippi law that outlaws abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, effectively overruling Roe v. Wade, the almost 50-year-old opinion that guaranteed a constitutional right to abortion.

“The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote, in his 79-page majority opinion. In the past, the Supreme Court has held that the “due process” clause of the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees “some rights that are not mentioned in the Constitution,” Alito wrote, “but any such right must be ‘deeply rooted in this Nation’s history and tradition’ and ‘implicit in the concept of ordered liberty.’

“It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.”

The Episcopal Church’s two presiding officers, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, president of the House of Deputies, issued statements reacting to the decision.

“While I, like many, anticipated this decision, I am deeply grieved by it,” Curry said in his written statement. “We as a church have tried carefully to be responsive both to the moral value of women having the right to determine their healthcare choices as well as the moral value of all life. Today’s decision institutionalizes inequality because women with access to resources will be able to exercise their moral judgment in ways that women without the same resources will not.”

Read more here.

By David Paulsen

[Episcopal News Service – June 24, 2022] General Theological Seminary in New York would affiliate with and effectively relinquish its governance to Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria while formally remaining two distinct institutions, under a partnership plan that is moving toward the final stages.

The plan was discussed at a June 16 online meeting of the 80th General Convention’s Agencies & Board committees and was detailed in a report by The Living Church. It partly hinges on General Convention’s approval next month of a resolution, A139, that would extend authority to General Theological Seminary’s board of trustees to change the Episcopal seminary’s constitution.

The church’s two oldest seminaries have been fleshing out the details of a partnership since announcing preliminary talks in January 2021. At the time, the seminaries underscored that their growing collaboration was not a merger, but reflected a mutual interest in “shared leadership” and in developing “shared programming and some form of collaborative governance.”

The Very Rev. Michael DeLashmutt, acting dean and president of General Theological Seminary, confirmed to Episcopal News Service the outlines of the affiliation that now is proposed, saying it was driven by financial necessity at his seminary. “We absolutely needed to find some kind of partner,” DeLashmutt told ENS in a phone interview. “We can’t make it alone, as a stand-alone institution, which was difficult to realize but also not uncommon among theological schools.”

Read more here.

More reporting from Episcopal News Service is here.

The 80th meeting of The Episcopal Church's General Convention will be held in Baltimore, Maryland, July 8 – 11, 2022 (shortened and scaled down due to increased cases of Covid-19 – see story here). The stories below explore issues of church-wide interest to come before the meeting, as well as logistical matters.

At the convention, the Diocese of Los Angeles will be represented by its bishop and by four clergy and four lay deputies. Learn more about General Convention here.

By Egan Millard

[Episcopal News Service – June 28, 2022] At their meeting on June 27, the Prayer Book, Liturgy & Music committees narrowed down the large number of proposed resolutions before them into a few that will go before the 80th General Convention, July 8-11 in Baltimore, Maryland. The committees consolidated, deferred or rejected some of the more high-interest resolutions, including open Communion and feast days for Bishop Barbara Harris and others, but adopted resolutions addressing liturgical language that could be interpreted as antisemitic or racist.

The proposed resolution that had attracted perhaps more interest than any other – C028, which would have repealed the canon restricting the Eucharist to those who have been baptized – ultimately died without much debate. Two people testified against the resolution proposed by the Diocese of Northern California, both referencing the sacramental arguments against open Communion that have been raised by theologians over the past month.

“The resolution as I read it is admirably rooted in a theology of hospitality. I worry, however, that the hospitality it offers is a cheap hospitality,” said Tyler Sampson, a lay preacher and theological student from the Diocese of Washington. “Baptism is no dinner ticket to Communion, but entry into the life in Christ.”

Bishops and deputies voted to take no action on C028, effectively killing it. Bishops’ and deputies’ committees have distinct rosters and vote separately, but they often meet together for hearings and deliberations on resolutions.

Read more here.

[CPG – June 28, 2022] The Church Pension Group (CPG), a financial services organization that serves The Episcopal Church, announced the release of its Report to General Convention. This report provides updates to CPG’s earlier Report to the 80th General Convention (The Blue Book) and addresses questions on topics of interest to those attending the 80th General Convention of The Episcopal Church.

The report features video reflections from CPG senior leaders; The Church Pension Fund Board of Trustees (CPF Board), including Canon Kathryn McCormick, chair-elect of the CPF Board; and clients, such as Bishop Kimberly Lucas from the Episcopal Church in Colorado; Peter Pereira, former treasurer and chief financial officer of the Episcopal Church in Hawai`i; and Roberta “Tutu” DuTeil, the 100-year-old widow of the Rev. Claude DuTeil.

The report also includes a link to CPG’s response to Resoluti­on 2018-A237, which offers a review of the current state of parity between the pensions of lay and ordained Church employees, domestic and nondomestic Church employees, and Church employees of disparate incomes. The resolution has a particular focus on how income disparities in the Church, which directly affect pension benefits, are manifested across gender and racial or ethnic lines.

Read more here.

By Pat McCaughan

[Episcopal News Service – June 28, 2022] General Convention committees on Racial Justice and Reconciliation recently received testimony on resolutions that would: create a reparations fund commission, develop an official church teaching on racism, reaffirm the role of ethnic ministries, and appropriate $2.5 million to create a truth-telling commission to preserve the stories and promote the healing of survivors of Indigenous boarding schools.

“There is a lot of hurt in this resolution,” the Rev. Leon Sampson, deputy from The Episcopal Church in Navajoland, said while testifying June 23 in support of an amended Resolution A127, “Resolution for Healing Surrounding The Episcopal Church’s History with Indigenous Boarding Schools and Other Forms of Oppression,” proposed by the Presiding Officers Working Group on Truth Telling, Reckoning, and Healing. The amended legislation combines similar measures D033, and A128, and would allocate $2.5 million for implementation.

“It brings back a lot of memories for our congregations, but it’s a process that allows our people to start to heal,” Sampson said.

Read more here.

By Mary Frances Schjonberg

[Episcopal News Service – June 24, 2022] When The Episcopal Church’s Office of Pastoral Development applies the church’s clergy discipline canons to a bishop, the resulting process can “perpetuate systemic, white male, episcopal privilege in a way that is costly to the church in terms of money, members, and institutional integrity,” according to a group of Western and Eastern Michigan Episcopalians who recently experienced such a process.

The Episcopalians in the dioceses of Western and Eastern Michigan have proposed Resolution D095 to the 80th General Convention to start breaking what they call the “systemic cycle of privilege by virtue of position (and perhaps gender and race) [that] still has a firm hold on us,” according to their sharply worded explanation.

They called for a “Task Force for Review of the Presiding Bishop’s Office of Pastoral Development and Title IV Process” to examine the implementation of Title IV cases in which a bishop is the respondent; the consistency of Title IV processes for priests, deacons, and bishops; the process of episcopal transition, especially the placement of interim or bishops provisional; and “other pastoral care offered and authority exercised by the office.” The disciplinary process is outlined in Title IV of the church’s constitution and canons.

Read more here.

By David Paulsen

[Episcopal News Service – June 23, 2022] The bishops’ and deputies’ committees on Social Justice & U.S. Policy wrapped up their work ahead of the 80th General Convention with a marathon online session June 22 in which the committees advanced 16 resolutions on topics ranging from women’s reproductive rights to the threats to electoral democracy embodied by the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

In an evening meeting that stretched nearly to three hours, the bishops and deputies also held a final hearing, on Resolution D066. That measure would call on The Episcopal Church “to advocate for access to gender-affirming care in all forms … and at all ages.” The resolution was proposed in response to Republican elected officials’ push to pass anti-transgender legislation nationwide, including measures that would deny transgender minors medical treatments to align their bodies with their gender identities.

Six people testified in favor of the resolution, including transgender clergy, parents of transgender children and members of the group TransEpiscopal.

Read more here.

Between General Conventions, church makes some progress on sexism, harassment, pay equity (ENS, June 22, 2022)

Committees vote to condemn Russia’s war in Ukraine, defer action on Israel ‘apartheid’ resolutions (ENS, June 21, 2022)

Committees’ actions send full-communion agreements, other ecumenical matters to General Convention, defer another until 2024 (ENS, June 21, 2022)

North Texas approves merger with Diocese of Texas, sending plan to General Convention (ENS, June 21, 2022)

Environmental committees move resolutions to House of Bishops’ consent calendar (Episcopal News Service, June 15, 2022)

Older stories are archived here.

More General Convention-related stories from ENS are here.

The Lambeth Conference will meet at the University of Kent and Canterbury Cathedral in England July 27 - August 8. Bishop John Harvey Taylor and Canon Kathy O'Connor will attend along with bishops from around the Anglican Communion. Below are stories about the meeting and its history. The Lambeth Conference usually meets about every 10 years; the last meeting was in 2008.

Archbishop of Canterbury, Lambeth Conference planners set tone of unity over division for upcoming summer gathering (ENS, June 22, 2022)

Lambeth Conference history articles publicly available (Historical Society of the Episcopal Church, June 15, 2022)

Edendale Grove at St. Paul's Commons

840 Echo Park Avenue, Los Angeles 90026

Information here

Join us for another Friday Night Farming! Work with us in the Edendale Grove garden and living labyrinth as we make the space beautiful, productive and welcoming through the warm summer months. After our time in the garden, we'll head to the rooftop to enjoy a fabulous, fresh dinner.

St. Paul's Commons

840 Echo Park Avenue, Los Angeles 90026

Information here

Celebrate this year's Lotus Festival with Seeds of Hope and some of our wonderful friends! Bring food scraps to compost and contribute to the zero waste movement, get your hands dirty harvesting and working in the garden, and enjoy refreshments to keep you feeling festive!

St. Mary's Episcopal Church

428 Park Avenue, Laguna Beach

Tickets/information here

Questions: Linda Bratcher at [email protected] or Joslyn Aitken at [email protected].

Boxed dinners are provided by local Laguna Beach restaurants GG's Bistro and Noonerz. Wine and beer will be available for purchase. Tickets: $25; meal add-on is $20; drinks are $5. Proceeds to St. Mary's ECW outreach. Other concerts in the series will be on Aug. 20, Sept. 17 and Oct. 8.

Additional events are listed on the diocesan calendar here.

Donors may save up to 15 minutes by completing pre-donation reading and answering health history questions here, rather than filling out forms on the day of donation.

Reservations are required. All donors and staff will be screened before entering the facilities.

Grace Episcopal Church (Baxter Hall)

555 East Mountain View Avenue, Glendora 91741

Reservations here or call 1.800.RED.CROSS (1.800.733.2767)

Sponsor code: GECG

Donate and get an exclusive Red Cross recycled cotton tote bag, while supplies last.

535 W. Roses Road, San Gabriel 91775

Reservations here or call 1.800.RED.CROSS (1.800.733.2767)

Sponsor code: COSEpiscopal

St. John's Episcopal Church

Vicenti Hall

4745 Wheeler Avenue, La Verne 91750

Reservations here or call 1.800.RED.CROSS (1.800.733.2767)

Sponsor code: STJOHNS

St. John Chrysostom Episcopal Church

30382 Via Con Dios, Rancho Santa Margarita 92688

Reservations here or call 1.800.RED.CROSS (1.800.733.2767)

Sponsor code: STJOHN (note, no "s")

Questions? Contact Gary and Dena Graves, [email protected] or [email protected]

Will your church host blood drives in coming months? Send the information to [email protected] for inclusion in the calendar. Please include the date, times, location and sponsor code.

Led by the Rev. Grant Holmes, honorary assistant priest at St. George's Church, Paris, France; and former vicar of St. Mary's Church in St. Alban's, U.K. Stops include a tour of London, Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral; St. Alban's Pilgrim Church Trail; Canterbury, including a boat tour; the Cotswolds; Ely Cathedral; Cambridge; York; Edinburgh and St. Andrew's in Scotland. Highlights will include Evensong services, a private tour of Parker Library at Corpus Christi College (not open to the public), and free time for exploration. Package includes 12 nights' accommodation, daily breakfast, six lunches and two dinners; all guides, entrance fees, touring and transportation. Cost: $4,700 for double occupancy. Airfare, incidentals and additional meals not included. A $500 deposit is required; final payment is due June 17. A brochure is here. For information contact Bonnie Waite at 480.899.8006 or [email protected]

Listings may be sent to [email protected]. There is no charge.

BEVERLY HILLS: Parish Administrator, All Saints Episcopal Church. The Parish Administrator is an essential and integral part of the mission of the church, enabling volunteers and staff to carry out their ministries effectively. This person is responsible for providing executive oversight in a calm, well-organized and timely manner. They demonstrate and utilize their overall knowledge of procedures, protocols, and expectations regarding the functioning of All Saints’ on a multitude of levels: canonical, operational, and financial, based on the priorities of the priest-in-charge and the vestry of All Saints’. They report to the priest-in-charge, will supervise other staff members, and work collaboratively with staff, vestry, treasurer, and volunteers. Full time, exempt. Excellent health benefits, time off, and retirement plan. A full position description is here. To apply send a resume and letter of introduction to the Rev. Canon Andrea McMillin, [email protected]

COSTA MESA: Full Charge Bookkeeper at St. John's Church. Part time, non-exempt. Manage all of the business's accounting, financial and compliance needs. Besides the typical task of maintaining the business ledger, the bookkeeper prepares financial statements and any required tax filings, records complex transactions such as adjusting journal entries and processes timesheets and payroll. Full job description here. Email resume and cover letter to [email protected].

FILLMORE/VENTURA: Community Engagement and Development Coordinator, The Abundant Table, a non-profit, organic certified farm and BIPOC- and women-led worker collective in Ventura County, California that seeks to transform our food system towards justice, liberation, and increased health for all people, while caring for the land and all who tend the land. Community Engagement and Development Coordinator will be responsible to oversee and coordinate the TAT community engagement and development processes, including management; fundraising; community engagement, coordination and development. 30 hours/week; salary and benefits $32,864.Full job description here.

LONG BEACH: Operations Manager, St. Luke’s / San Lucas Episcopal Church. The operations manager is the primary point of contact with the public, manages office administration, parish record keeping, print and digital communication, social media, tenants, and use of space, and provide support with worship. The operations manager reports to the rector, and works collaboratively with the staff, lay volunteers, and wardens. To be successful at this position the person must be able to work independently, anticipate needs, deal with frequent interruptions, be open to grow into the position, and handle confidential information with discretion. Job description is here. To apply, send a cover letter and resume to [email protected].

LOS ANGELES (ECHO PARK): Credit Union CEO/Manager, Episcopal Community Federal Credit Union. To provide strategic, vision, leadership, and management in all functional areas. Plan, direct and control credit union activities in accordance with credit union plans, policies, directives and activities as established by the Board of Directors. Responsible for ensuring financial stability and member satisfaction commensurate with the best interest of members, staff and credit union. A full job description is here. For more information and to apply, click here.

LOS ANGELES: Receptionist/Administrative Support, Diocese of Los Angeles (St. Paul's Commons). This position is unique and very important to the ministry of the diocese, being the first face and voice of communication representing the bishops and staff and the ministries that take place at St. Paul’s Commons. Duties and Responsibilities: Greet and welcome guests with grace and hospitality on the phone and in person; direct guests to their destinations; assist with bookings/calendared events at St. Paul’s Commons; invoicing; database management. A job description is here. Send applications to Canon Anilin Collado, Human Resources manager, at [email protected] or call 213.482.2040, ext. 250. Application deadline is July 15, 2022.

LOS ANGELES: Preferred Communities Afghan Intensive Refugee Case Manager, IRIS (Interfaith Refugee & Immigration Service). IRIS offers refugee resettlement assistance, intensive case management and immigration legal services to the low-income refugee and immigrant community of the greater Los Angeles region. Responsible for coordinating medical and/or mental health services and provide case management to individuals with refugee and asylum status who have significant physical and/or mental health conditions. The PC Afghan Intensive Case Manager will be part of a specialized team within IRIS that focuses on intensive case manager for the agency’s most vulnerable clients. The position will work to promote self-sufficiency and goal attainment for clients, through connections to ongoing programming and mainstream supports, in compliance with IRIS programs and contract guidelines. This position reports to the Refugee Program Supervisor and IRIS executive director. Full job description and application instructions here.

LOS ANGELES: Coordinator for Capacity Building, Outreach and Volunteers, Interfaith Refugee and Immigration Service. IRIS offers refugee resettlement assistance, intensive case management and immigration legal services to the low-income refugee and immigrant community of the greater Los Angeles region. The coordinator for Capacity Building, Outreach and Volunteers is responsible for: recruiting, training and supervising volunteers and co-sponsors; tracking and maintaining data; working with IRIS staff, donors and partners to coordinate donations of household goods; coordinating IRIS community engagement efforts including education and outreach to program partners, faith groups, educational institutions, and other community partners; and develop and distribute materials to engage local stakeholders around resettlement service activities that positively impact refugee and immigrant communities in the region. Full job description here.

LOS ANGELES: Preschool Director, St. James' Episcopal School. The preschool director oversees the Grammercy Place Preschool and is the supervisor for the St. Andrew’s Place preschool site director. The preschool director is responsible for curriculum, evaluation, professional development and parent and family engagement and communications for both preschool campuses. Website is here. Full job description here.

LOS ANGELES: Marketing Coordinator for Stillpoint: The Center for Christian Spirituality. Part time. Under the supervision of Stillpoint's executive and program directors, the marketing coordinator designs and implements communications strategies and effective messaging for organizational and project-specific goals; develops and oversees design, distribution, and maintenance of high-quality print and digital collateral including flyers, brochures, presentations, newsletters, social media, video, and retreat/event invitations (Constant Contact); oversees the website messaging and marketing efforts, keeping it current and geared towards expansion (Squarespace); evaluates marketing efforts using data analytics and identifies trends and insights. Full job description here. Email resume and cover letter along with a website, social media handle or portfolio showcasing recent designs to [email protected].

PACIFIC PALISADES: Live Stream Manager. St. Matthew's Parish is an inspiring house of worship situated in beautiful Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles. The Director of Program Ministry seeks a part-time Live Stream Manager who is an experienced audio/visual consultant to partner with our ministry team to broadcast our live Sunday morning worship service and special services. A full job description is here. Please email your resume to [email protected]. Learn more about St. Matthew's here.

PACIFIC PALISADES: General Maintenance Worker, St. Matthew's Church and School. St. Matthew's is a vibrant community that includes both a Church and a School situated in beautiful Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles. The Director of Facilities and Operations seeks a full time maintenance staff member with maintenance experience. This is a "hands-on" position and the ideal candidate will have repair maintenance and event setup experience, great people skills and a history of providing the highest level of customer service. A full job description is here. Please email resume to [email protected].

PASADENA: Bookkeeper, All Saints Church. See the entire job description here.

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA: Youth Minister, St. John’s Episcopal Church and School. St. John’s is a community that lives in gratitude for the love and generosity of God. The Youth Minister will have a living commitment to the Gospel of Christ and will value the ethos of the Episcopal Church. From this vantage, the person we seek will share with the youth the transforming love of Christ in real and meaningful ways. The Youth Minister will lead in the creation, development, and delivery of programs that support the spiritual formation and well-being of youths, grades 6 through college, in and from the parish. The minister will model for the youth spiritual growth, ethical insight, age-appropriate theological and interfaith awareness, and engagement in the community with the living Gospel. This minister will also assist greatly in the pastoral care of the youth and their families. This is a part-time position. Request a full job description via email, [email protected]. Submit resume and cover letter to Rev. Christopher Potter via email at [email protected]

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].

WOODLAND HILLS: Receiving Supervisor, West Valley Food Pantry. The Receiving Supervisor is responsible for coordinating the daily staging and oversight of a drive-through food delivery operation. Empathy and kindness to the clients should be part of this individual’s makeup. The Receiving Supervisor is the Food Pantry’s liaison with donating markets, and should cultivate excellent communication with the market's managers. Relationships with our volunteers is paramount, and a positive demeanor is a necessity. The Receiving Supervisor is responsible for accepting, tracking and inventory of all incoming deliveries and donations, in cooperation with the Warehouse Assistant. Full job description here.

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 attachments (rather than embedded in a document). To subscribe, click here.

— Janet Kawamoto, editor