SUBSCRIBE TO THE UPDATE HERE
The
Episcopal News Update

A weekly newsletter serving the Diocese of Los Angeles

March 5, 2023

AbsalomJones_022623-12 image
AbsalomJones_022623-08 image

‘We’ve got work to do’ toward racial justice, Deacon Margaret McCauley preaches at Absalom Jones service


By Pat McCaughan


[The Episcopal News – March 1, 2023] The Rev. Margaret McCauley invited worshippers at the Feb. 26 annual diocesan Absalom Jones celebration to join the H. Belfield Hannibal chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians, the NAACP, the Urban League, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and Black Lives Matter, because “we’ve got work to do.”


McCauley, deacon at St. John’s Cathedral, Los Angeles, and guest preacher for the joyous service at Holy Faith Church in Inglewood, compared Jones’ refusal to move to the balcony of St. George’s Methodist Episcopal Church in 1786 to today’s Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement.


“When he was confronted with ethnic hatred in St. George’s Methodist Episcopal Church, he and Richard Allen led the Black people out of the church. This is an early example of Black Lives Matter,” McCauley said. Jones, a popular preacher, had increased the membership of the church ten-fold, which frightened the white congregation, who insisted Jones and other Black members sit in a balcony.


When Jones refused, he and Allen were removed from the church. Allen started the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Jones founded the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas in Philadelphia and became the first person of African descent to be ordained a priest in The Episcopal Church.


Episcopalians from across the diocese filled Holy Faith for the annual observance, which included the pouring out of water as a libation to “bring the ancestors into the room,” according to the Rev. Guy Leemhuis, of St. Luke’s of the Mountains, La Crescenta.


He called upon such historic names as Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, W.E.B. Dubois, Booker T. Washington, Frederick Douglass, Ida B. Wells, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Thurgood Marshall, James Baldwin, Nikki Giovanni and Hank Aaron, “thinkers and seekers who led us along and broke color barriers.”


Read more here.

OrchardView_1_md image

Senior housing project at St. Joseph’s, Buena Park, moves closer to breaking ground


By Pat McCaughan


[The Episcopal News – March 1, 2023] The Orchard View Gardens development at St. Joseph’s Church, Buena Park, has moved a step closer to providing much-needed affordable housing for at-risk seniors in north Orange County, according to the Rev. Cindy Voien, rector.


“People are excited and a little relieved,” Voien says, now that funding has been secured and permits are being sought to begin construction of the 66-unit apartment complex, generally expected to cost about $25 million and to break ground during the summer, with completion anticipated in 2024.


Orchard View Gardens is among a series of affordable housing initiatives spearheaded by Bishop John Harvey Taylor, who has pledged similar efforts to house at-risk seniors and others on at least 25 percent of the diocese’s 128 church campuses.


Two such projects currently are under construction: the Santa Angelina project at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in Placentia, and senior housing at St. Michael’s Ministry Center in Riverside. The Buena Park project is the third. “There are 10 more on the drawing board,” Taylor has said, adding that he hopes to include another 20.


Episcopal Communities and Services (ECS), an institution of the diocese, is a partner in the project, linking congregations with National Community Renaissance, or National CORE, a leading nonprofit affordable housing developer, which manages more than 10,000 units nationally.


Read more here.

February 2024 West African pilgrimage discernment group now forming

 

Members of the Diocese of Los Angeles community are invited to consider joining a group of prospective pilgrims to Senegal and the Republic of Guinea in February 2024.   


Sponsored by the Program Group on Global Partnership (PGGP) and IRIS, the diocese's refugee and migration ministry (www.iris-la.org), the group will spend the next year considering the history of forced migration from the West African “Slave Coast” through study and prayer.  

 

The Episcopal Church’s Sacred Ground dialogue series may inform the group’s preliminary work, which will take place mostly through virtual monthly meetings. The pilgrimage itself will engage participants in active ministry with diocesan mission partners in West Africa, including possibilities for teaching and post-pilgrimage partnership.

 

For more information and to be invited to an informational meeting, please contact Troy Elder, IRIS' executive director, at telder@ladiocese.org

People

Canon Jim White retires after 25 years on Commission on Ministry

Above: Bishop John Harvey Taylor congratulates Canon Jim White and shares in a prayer of thanksgiving for his service as he retires from the diocesan Commission on Ministry. Taylor presented White with a certificate thanking him for his 25 years on the COM, remarking that he has influenced generations of leaders in the church through his work training lay discernment committees in congregations of the diocese to ensure that they did their work well. Taylor remarked that he had personal experience of White's attention to clergy discernment, education and ordination: White was the bishop's shepherd when he was going through that process as a seminarian. "And I was never entirely sure that he was sure about me," the bishop quipped, amid laughter. Photos: Keith Yamamoto

Black History

BarbaraHarris_ image

Cathedral service will celebrate Bishop Barbara Harris


St. John's Cathedral invites the diocesan community to a special service celebrating the life and ministry of the Rt. Rev. Barbara Clementine Harris, late bishop suffragan of the Diocese of Massachusetts and first woman bishop in the Anglican Communion.


The service, to be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 11, is sponsored by the H. Belfield Hannibal chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians (UBE) and the Program Group on Black Ministry of the Diocese of Los Angeles. Bishop John Harvey Taylor will be the celebrant; the Rev. Canon Lynn Collins, first vice president of the church-wide UBE, will preach. 


A video invitation to the service is here.

The Bishop's Blog

The Bishop's Blog is online here.

St. Andrew’s Church, Ojai

February 27, 2023


Ojai means moon in the language of the indigenous Chumash. The pretty town of 7500 hovers and glows 750 feet of elevation above and 30 miles north of Ventura. Driving up on Sunday for a visitation at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church Ojai, and maneuvering to avoid a marathon, I approached the back way, along San Antonio Creek, glimpsing snowcapped mountains with each turn.

Read more here.

Weekend_022623_web image

Wonderful faces, wonderful weekend

February 26, 2023


Just a few of the wonderful faces from my wonderful weekend around the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. Saturday morning and afternoon, the Very Rev. Kay Sylvester, Adelle Yeaton, and the Ven. Laura Eustis Siriani were among 25 of us meeting at St. Paul’s Commons, Echo Park with postulants on the way to candidacy for Holy Orders. 

Read more here.

Events & Announcements

CPE for Lay Chaplaincy to begin spring training sessions


Training for lay chaplains will be offered beginning March 11 by the Center for Lay Chaplaincy (CFLC), a ministry of the diocese led by the Rev. Jana Milhon-Martin.


​During a 12-week, in-person training, CPE trainees use case studies, drawn from their own ministry sites, to deepen their self-awareness and interpersonal insight. Along with a small cohort of lay colleagues, trainees examine the meaning they make of their pastoral care and learn to respond to the spiritual needs of others – and develop and deepen their own self-awareness.


Lay CPE cohorts are forming now. Online information sessions are scheduled on the third Thursday of every month: the next meeting is March 16. To learn more and sign up, visit the CFLC website here and select "CPE for everyone."

'Inspiring Voices' at St. Edmund's, San Marino, will focus on spirituality in cinema


As part of its continuing speaker series, "Inspiring Voices," St. Edmund’s Church, San Marino, will host Jeanette Reedy Solano, author of Religion and Film: The Basics, on Thursday, March 2


In her book, Solano explores movie themes that shed light on faith, redemption, and contemporary lifestyle issues. A filmmaker, critic, and associate professor at Cal State Fullerton, Solano will focus her talk on the 2020 award-winning film Minari, as outlined in her book. In the acclaimed drama, a Korean American family struggles in their new life as farmers in a rugged area of Arkansas. Clips of the film will be shown to help enhance the discussion.


Inspiring Voices was launched in 2022 by the Rev. Jenifer Chatfield, rector of St. Edmund's. It is aimed at sharing “the healing power of stories.”


The March 2 event will begin with a reception at 6:30 p.m. followed by the program at 7 p.m. All are welcome. St. Edmund’s Episcopal Church is located at 1175 San Gabriel Blvd., San Marino.

SAVE THE DATE

2023 Episcopal Night at Dodger Stadium set


The Diocese of Los Angeles will once again descend on Echo Park for Episcopal Night at Dodger Stadium on Friday, Sept. 1 for a games against the Atlanta Braves, according to the Rev. Canon Greg Larkin (AKA "Canon Baseball"). Tickets may be ordered through each congregation's coordinator; more information will be available after Easter. For now, please save the date.

Silver_trebleclef_tn image

Singers invited to join St. Luke's, Monrovia, for annual Women's Evensong Invitational


After a three-year interruption due to the Covid pandemic, St. Luke's, Monrovia, will welcome experienced female singers from congregations around the diocese to take part in its annual Women's Evensong Invitational in Lent on Sunday, March 19. Singers will be asked to join a 2:30 rehearsals for the 4 p.m. service.


Singers may also attend rehearsals on the preceding Sundays, March 5 and March 12, at 12:30 p.m. Music will be available in PDF form ahead of time. Sight reading ability and advance preparation are essential, as there is little rehearsal time. In addition to an anthem, the choir will sing two canticles, the psalm (Anglican chant), two hymns, Preces and Responses and "Phos Hilaron."


All are invited to attend the Evensong, which will be followed by a wine and cheese reception. 


To participate, contact Kent Bennett, St. Luke's music director, at stlukesdirector@aol.com. An information sheet is here.

'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 rtomasian@ladiocese.org

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 connect@stmatthews.com or call the church office at 310.454.1358.

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.

The Shepherd's Cup: Click here to register and for more information.
CathedralCenter2014_tn image

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, cjohnson@stcross.org or 310.415.0288.

CampStevens_meadow_020123 image

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.

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.

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. 

ByYourSide_logo image

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 sbrown@ecsbyyourside.org 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.

In the secular press

A man with no home was treated as if he didn't matter. Then a group of people helped, saving his life in the process


[CBS Mornings – February 24, 2023] Cashman Whiteley was pictured on the cover of a local newspaper back in August with a simple headline: "Cash Whiteley is a man." But his struggles are more complicated. The 59-year-old started to experience homelessness when his life spiraled out of control and he couldn't break out of it.


Until recently, he was living on the street and in need of medical help – then a group of people who didn't know each other stepped in. Whiteley believes they saved his life in the process. 


... Jessie Smith, the pastor at St. Ambrose Episcopal Church in Claremont, California, where Whiteley showers twice a week and attends services, has taken Whiteley to multiple doctor's appointments. She said he gets offended when people don't treat him as if he matters.  


"I saw it over and over going to the emergency rooms with him, calling the paramedics, having the police called on him here or there or wherever," Smith said. "He was not seen as a human, he was seen as a nuisance." 


Read (and watch) more here.

From the wider church

Michigan Episcopal leaders rally support for common-sense gun legislation as hearings begin


[Diocese of Michigan – March 1, 2023] Episcopal leaders from across Michigan on March 1 called for passage of common-sense gun laws as lawmakers in the capital city of Lansing kicked off the first of two days of hearings to address a rising tide of gun violence.


“Gun violence is now the number one cause of death for our children,” said the Rt. Rev. Bonnie Perry, bishop of the Diocese of Michigan. “After so many years of waiting and begging and sharing stories, we are finally going to have hearings on gun violence bills that will save lives.”


Perry’s diocese, which spans southeastern Michigan, has been the site of two deadly school shootings in the last 15 months. On Nov. 30, 2021, four students were killed and six students and a teacher were wounded by a student at Oxford High School, located about 30 miles north of Detroit. This year, on Feb. 13, three Michigan State University students were killed and five others wounded by a gunman who entered two buildings on the East Lansing campus and opened fire.


Read more here.

Florida Standing Committee stands behind Bishop-elect Holt while citing situation’s ‘complexity and fragility’


By David Paulsen


[Episcopal News Service – February 28, 2023] The Diocese of Florida Standing Committee released a statement on Feb. 28 indicating it was taking time to “make our case” that the Rev. Charlie Holt should be the diocese’s next bishop while lamenting what it called a “media storm” that followed “the purportedly accidental leak” of an investigation into Holt’s November election by the churchwide Court of Review.


The intense focus on Florida’s election of a bishop coadjutor — its second such election, after the churchwide Court of Review found procedural problems with the May 2022 election — has “amplified the complexity and fragility of the situation considerably,” the standing committee said. “Many voices from around the church are involved at this point.”


The statement did not cite specifics, though it came on the same day that the Deputies of Color, an umbrella group of the House of Deputies representing its four ethnic caucuses, released a letter to all bishops and standing committees in the church urging them to withhold consent to Holt’s election. Majorities from both groups are needed for an election to be affirmed, under Episcopal Church canons.


Read more here.

UkraineFlag_tn image

Episcopal Church hosts prayer vigil, makes statement on Ukraine after one year of war


[Episcopal News Service – February 24, 2023] The Episcopal Church hosted an online prayer vigil to lament the human harm caused by violence and conflict on Feb. 24, the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Participants offered prayers for the people of Ukraine and Russia, people displaced by the war, and those living in countries across the region. They also called for a peaceful resolution to the crisis, one that would prevent further human suffering. The vigil was organized by the Friends Committee on National Legislation and The Episcopal Church.


An estimated 200,000 soldiers have been killed or injured fighting on both sides. And the United Nations Human Rights Office estimates 8,000 non-combatants have been confirmed dead over, though the actual number “is likely to be substantially higher.” 


Earlier in the day, The Episcopal Church’s Washington-D.C.-based Office of Government Relations issued the following statement:  


“Feb. 24th marks the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Thousands of people have died, with many more being injured or displaced as a result of this war. We lament the loss of life and the human suffering this conflict has caused."


Read more here.


Related story:

Institute for Religious Freedom says 500 churches, religious sites destroyed during Ukraine war [Religion News Service – February 23, 2023]

Pennsylvania bishops issue pastoral letter urging advocacy against gun violence


[Episcopal News Service – February 23, 2023] The bishops who lead the five Episcopal dioceses in Pennsylvania issued a joint pastoral letter on Feb. 23 lamenting the toll that gun violence takes on their state and urging advocacy for gun safety measures.


The bishops said they have partnered with the organization Heeding God’s Call to End Gun Violence and will attend a gathering March 6 at the state Capitol in Harrisburg urging passage of various pieces of legislation to address gun violence.


The text of the letter is here.

Calendar

THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 6 - 7:30 p.m.

Jump In & Dig Deeper: Episcopal Church 101 Classes (first session)

All Saints Church

132 N. Euclid Avenue, Pasadena 91101

Register here

Information: Thomas Diaz, tdiaz@allsaints-pas.org

Episcopal Church 101 is a series of presentations, discussions and small group meetings designed for anyone wanting to go deeper into the history, theology and core values of the Episcopal Church. The five-session hybrid (in person and online) course will be held on Thursday evenings March 2, 9, 16, 23 & 30. The program will conclude with the opportunity to receive the sacramental rite of Confirmation when Bishop Gene Robinson visits All Saints on Sunday, April 16. 


SATURDAY, MARCH 4, 5 – 7 p.m. 

Escuela para Ministerios en Español

All Saints Church (Seminar Room)

132 N. Euclid Avenue, Pasadena 91101

Register here

Information: Alfredo Feregrino, 626.583.2713 or aferegrino@allsaints-pas.org

Alfredo Feregrino leads. All Saints Church, Pasadena, offers Escuela para Ministerios en Español in partnership with the Diocese of Oregon. Dates are: Saturdays: March 4, 18, and April 1 (every other week). 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 1. Theology and Spirituality, 2. Theological Reflection, 3. Sacred Scriptures: Hebrew Bible and New Testament, 4. Church History and Anglican-Episcopal Tradition, and 5. Sacraments and Liturgy. Sacraments and Liturgy will be the module for Spring 2023. See the syllabus here


Saturday, March 4, 7 p.m.

Kinship Night with Brandi Miller

All Saints Church (Sweetland Hall)

132 N. Euclid Avenue, Pasadena 91101

Register here

Information: Mark Chase, mchase@allsaints-pas.org

A conversation (with Kinship Collective) with Brandi Miller, a Seattle-based theologian and storyteller doing the work of de-colonizing and de-constructing theology from the margins as a Black Queer woman. She hosts a podcast titled “Re-Claiming My theology,” where she and various guests do the liberating work of re-imagining a theology that is free from patriarchy, white supremacy, homophobia, ableism, and so much more.


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 info@allsaintsbh.org or here

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.


MONDAY, MARCH 6, 6 p.m.

Homeless Memorial

All Saints Church

132 N. Euclid Avenue, Pasadena 91101

Each year, thousands of homeless people die on the streets of our nation due to illness, exposure or violence, many from Pasadena, without the dignity and respect they deserve. Please join us Monday, March 6, at 6:00 p.m. in the Church, as we honor and acknowledge their lives and membership in the human family. For more information and/or to provide the name of someone you know who has lost their life on the streets (so they can be acknowledged in the service), contact Melissa Hayes at 626.583.2725 or mhayes@allsaints-pas.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.


SUNDAY, MARCH 12, 7 p.m.

Lenten Poems & Carols

Church of the Blessed Sacrament

1314 N. Angelina Drive, Placentia 92870

A Lessons & Carols format, alternating between readings, anthems, and congregational hymns, featuring T.S. Eliot’s Ash Wednesday and choral selections sung by the choirs of Blessed Sacrament and St. Andrew's Episcopal churches, Luminaria, Acacia Choir, and the California Children’s Chorus. Donations will be welcome to support Blessed Sacrament’s music ministry and California Children’s Chorus.


WEDNESDAY, MARCH 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.

SATURDAY, MARCH 18, 1 p.m.

Laós Chamber Music: 'Palette' 

Church of Our Saviour

535 W. Roses Road, San Gabriel 91775

An all-string quartet program, this concert will showcase new music by Grammy award winning composer, Caroline Shaw, music by Princeton composition professor Juri Seo, and masterpieces by Anton Webern and Franz Schubert, featuring a roster of young professional musicians based in Los Angeles. Celebrating its inaugural season, Laós Chamber Music is a new concert series led by Dustin Seo, founder and artistic director. In addition to its core season performances at Church of Our Saviour, Laós Chamber Music also collaborates with the other Church of Our Saviour ministries, including programming at Jubilee Homes sober living and Our Saviour Center in El Monte. 


SUNDAY, MARCH 19, 4 p.m.

Women's Evensong Invitational

St. Luke's Episcopal Church

122 South California Avenue, Monrovia 91016

Sung by the women of St. Luke's Choir and invited guests. Directed by Kent B. Jones. (See item in "Events and Announcements" for more information.) A reception will follow the service.


SUNDAY, MARCH 19, 5 p.m.

Chamber Music Concert IV: Clavierübung III

All Saints’ Episcopal Church

504 N. Camden Drive, Beverly Hills 90210

Information: 310.275.0123 or info@allsaintsbh.org or here

All Saints' own Collin Boothby, in his first solo recital at the church, presents Clavierübung III, Johann Sebastian Bach’s monumental organ mass, bookended by the famous "St. Anne" Prelude and Fugue in E-flat. Some of Bach’s finest chorale preludes are included in the collection, which contains pairs for each tune, representing Luther’s large and small catechisms. Tickets: $20 (students & seniors $10). Admission free with Music Guild donor season pass.


SUNDAY, MARCH 19, 6 p.m.

International Laureates Organ Series: Jonathan Ryan

St. James in-the-City Episcopal Church

3903 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles 90010

Information: 213.388.3015 or here

Free. Livestream and on demand at GreatMusicLA.org.

FRIDAY, MARCH 24, 8 p.m.

Chamber Music Concert featuring Beethoven's 4th Piano Concerto

St. Matthew's Episcopal Church

1031 Bienveneda Avenue, Pacific Palisades

Information here or 310.573.7422

Ukrainian-born Pianist Inna Faliks joins the Chamber Orchestra at St. Matthew’s under the direction of Dwayne S. Milburn. The program also will include Two Pieces for Small Orchestra by Frederick Delius and Molly on the Shore by Percy Grainger. Tickets: $35 or Music Guild Season Pass. 


SUNDAY, MARCH 26, 6 p.m.

Classical Sundays at Six: The Capitol Ensemble

St. James in-the-City Episcopal Church

3903 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles 90010

Information: 213.388.3015 or here

Free. Livestream and on demand at GreatMusicLA.org.

Additional events are listed on the diocesan calendar here. Calendar information may be emailed to news@ladiocese.org.

Opportunities

PILGRIMAGE AND TRAVEL

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.

HagiaSophia_Istanbul image

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

EMPLOYMENT


Listings may be sent to news@ladiocese.org. There is no charge.


NEW LISTING THIS WEEK:


TUSTIN: Sexton. St. Paul's Episcopal Church. 25 hours/week. The sexton serves to maintain a high standard of cleanliness and readiness of Church facilities to enable the work and ministry of the congregation and to create a pleasant atmosphere for members, guests, and staff. Job description here. Contact: administrator@stpauls.org.


CONTINUING LISTINGS:


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 grace@graceglendora.org 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 bx94860@yahoo.com or the Rev. Thomas Quijada-Discavage at tdiscavage@ladiocese.org.


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, skramer@allsaints-pas.org.


SAN MARINO: Parish Administrator. St. Edmund's Episcopal Church is looking for a full-time parish administrator to manage our office and assist in the success of our various ministries and operations. The administrator likes people, is organized, is a collaborative team-player, but also able to work independently, is open to new ideas, a self-starter, professional, available and flexible and is able to multi-task.A full job description is here


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 mbaker-wright@sjcsp.org 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 nwhitson@stpatricksdayschool.org.


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, 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 juniorwarden@stmarks-upland.org.


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, holynativityrector@gmail.com or 310.670.4777.

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

The Episcopal News Update is published on Wednesday afternoons. News items, job listings, calendar items, questions and comments may be sent to editor@ladiocese.org. 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