The

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

— John 13:35

My siblings in Christ:

Acts of gun violence, one of them in our own diocese, weighed on our hearts last weekend as we gathered to praise and worship the Risen Christ. In the name of our Lord, I write with three invitations to the people of God.

Much has yet to be learned about the motives of the shooter in Laguna Woods, a seeming critic of Taiwan. His act of hatred came close to our diocesan family. At least two priests and their families have ties to the Taiwanese Presbyterian congregation he attacked, including the pastor who courageously intervened to save lives.

Read more here.

Leer en español aquí.

By Pat McCaughan

[The Episcopal News – May 18, 2022] A visit from Guatemalan Bishop Silvestre Romero and capital campaign updates were highlights of the May 12 online meeting of Diocesan Council.

Romero in January 2022 hosted members of the diocesan border ministries committee for a pilgrimage along “the migrant road,” from Guatemala to Mexico, in witness to the struggles of those seeking refuge in the U.S. “Since then, we’ve been exchanging ideas about how we can make a difference … to find a way to support them give them options and information and walk with them, as necessary,” he told council.

He also expressed hopes for collaborative ministries and welcomed future visits between the two dioceses.

Bishop John Harvey Taylor said Romero visited several churches and ministry centers; the Interfaith Refugee and Immigration Service, or IRIS, an institution of the diocese; and met with diocesan staff and clergy in charge of Spanish-speaking congregations. He has been a pioneer in New Community ministries and asset-based development, prior to his November 27, 2018, installation as bishop of Guatemala. He had also served congregations in Washington, Massachusetts, and California, said Taylor, who introduced Romero.

His diocese represents 38 mission congregations, yet the largest congregation’s average attendance is 600 – but not on Sunday, “because Sunday is market day,” Romero said. Members gather instead on Tuesdays, holding all-day meetings. “Six hundred people gather to pray, to have fellowship,” Romero said. “The area where they sit on the ground, to share their meal is massive. It is a wonderful community.”

Read more here.

By Janet Kawamoto

[The Episcopal News – May 18, 2022] Multicultural ministry, the future of Latino/Latina ministry in the Episcopal Church, and immigration issues are among the topics explored by the Rt. Rev. Silvestre Romero, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Guatemala, during a week-long visit to the Diocese of Los Angeles concluding May 15.

Several members of the border ministries committee of the Diocese of Los Angeles who were Romero’s guests in February during a visit along Central America’s “migrant road” hosted the bishop during his visit. Among them was the Rev. Pat O’Reilly, vicar of St. George’s Church, Hawthorne; and the Rev. Norma Guerra, associate for formation and transitions for the diocese, whose father, Armando Guerra Soria, is retired bishop of the Guatemala diocese, which is part of the U.S.-based Episcopal Church.

Romero’s visit, he said, gave him a sense of what might be done with cooperation among U.S. and Central American dioceses. “I’m excited about the possibilities of what we can do with each other and for each other as we are working for the common subject of justice, well-being and the love of God,” Romero told diocesan staff members at a lunch in his honor on May 12.

One of those possibilities, according to O’Reilly, is formation of a transnational church-based network to help provide assistance for migrants.

Read more here.

by Pat McCaughan

[The Episcopal News – May 18, 2022] The recent shooting at a Laguna Woods house of worship underscores the unique challenges churches face as they balance safety and security with serving as beacons of welcome and hospitality for everyone.

“You want to help people and to offer resources and yet we also have a duty to protect our parishioners,” said the Rev. Julie Beals, associate rector of the mutual ministries of St. Andrew’s, Torrance and Christ Church, Redondo Beach. Each church recently received a $200,000 grant through the California Office of Emergency Services to upgrade campus security.

For example, unhoused persons congregating in the courtyard on the Torrance campus “were cutting electrical wires to turn off the lights so they could sleep at night,” she said. “It’s sad, at such a deep level, and it’s frustrating, because it costs a lot of money to repair the lights.”

Similarly, break-ins at St. Alban’s Church in Westwood prompted the Rev. Christie Mossman to also seek a Cal OES grant. A risk assessment had indicated the need for increased outdoor lighting, door and window and other upgrades at the aging facility.

Read more here.

Several members of the diocesan community took part in a May 16 rally held in Los Angeles by the Poor People's Campaign, which advocates for policies that "lift from the bottom," supporting low-wage workers and other impoverished people so that they can improve their lives.

Participants gathered at Los Angeles City Hall and marched around Grand Park past a number of government buildings. National PPC co-chairs Bishop William J. Barber II, Protestant minister and social activist, and the Rev. Liz Theoharis, an Episcopal priest, were among the speakers.

Rally organizers said that their goals, focused on the priorities of poor and low-wealth people, include advocating for political leaders to update the poverty measure to reflect the real cost of living; enact a living wage; guarantee the right of all workers to form and join unions; guarantee quality health care for all; and ensure the right to vote. The rally was a precursor to a planned "Mass Poor People's & Low-Wage Workers' Assembly and Moral March on Washington and to the Polls" on June 18.

Among Episcopalians attending the rally were the Rev. Canon Frank Alton, recently retired rector of St. Athanasius Church, Los Angeles; Joyce Swaving, lay leader at St. George's Church, Laguna Hills; and the Very Rev. Keith Yamamoto, rector of St. Mark's Church, Upland, and dean of Deanery 6, as well as the Rev. Thea Joy Browne of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Bakersfield, in the Diocese of San Joaquin.

The Episcopal Church, through a 2018 resolution by its Executive Council, has expressed its support for the Poor People’s Campaign.

"This movement started with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s efforts to unite Black and White poor people and low-wage workers," said Yamamoto. "I am proud that the Episcopal Church has partnered with the Poor People's Campaign in advocating for truth-telling and social change on important issues like poverty, racism, creation care, and the war economy. It meant a lot to be able to meet so many people who have been working so hard - other Episcopalians, clergy from different denominations, local and regional coordinators, and especially the national co-chairs, [Barber and Theoharis].

"The church needs to be a unifying force to help the last, lost, and least, and to stop those who are doing great harm against the poor and low-wealth in the name of Jesus."

A video of the program is here.

Neighborhood Youth Association, a diocesan institution since 1906, raised a record $142,000 at its 39th Annual Scholarship Benefit, held May 14 in Sprague Center at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, Pacific Palisades.

Chaired for the fourth year by NYA board vice-chair and St. Matthew’s parishioner Sarah Newman, the event drew 130 attendees who shared in giving some $98,000 in direct aid to students and $44,000 to for student services and agency operations. Four Tita Mann Scholarships, named for Newman’s late mother, were among 22 total awards presented to NYA high school grads and alumni, all first-generation college students who are helping their families break cycles of economic disadvantage.

Among new awards was the first-ever James A. Newman Scholarship, presented to Mount St. Mary’s nursing major Jessica Mejia thanks to a generous endowment raised by parishioners of St. Bede’s, Mar Vista, from which Newman retired in 2021 after 31 years as rector.

The Rev. Bruce Freeman, rector of St. Matthew’s, brought greetings and an invocation to open the celebration, also well attended by clergy and parishioners of St. Augustine by-the-Sea, Santa Monica, longstanding NYA supporters. Additional scholarships were sponsored by the diocesan Episcopal Churchwomen and the Westside’s Las Doradas charitable organization. NYA’s new Barbara and Fred Borsch Writing Workshop was launched with some $9,000 in support.

More about NYA is online here.

St. John's Cathedral, Los Angeles, will host a service of ordination for five new transitional deacons at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 11. Bishop John Harvey Taylor will ordain Timothy Paul Hartley, Ryan Michael Macias, C. Susanne Wright-Nava, Stacey Forte Dupré and Brian Joseph Tucker. The prayers and presence of the diocesan community are invited. For the safety of all, the cathedral deans and staff request that those attending and participating be prepared to show proof of full vaccination against Covid-19.

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

Ticket sales will be handled by congregational representatives. Watch here for more information, and save the date.

[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.

The Gathering - a space for Asian Pacific American spirituality - invites the diocesan community to an Easter journey celebrating Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) voices. "AAPI Alive!" is a 50-day devotional guide beginning on Easter Sunday and ending on the Feast of Pentecost, celebrating the Resurrection and this season of new life through the beauty and strength of AAPI voices. The Gathering, a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, hopes that these offerings of prose and poetry, photographs, spoken word, visual art, vocals, and musical performance will connect readers to a celebration of the risen Christ and one another.

AAPI Alive! is available here. For ideas on how to use AAPI Alive! in church groups, send an email to [email protected].

By Your Side Vigil Companions, which trains volunteers to be a compassionate presence in the lives of those nearing the end of life, will begin new courses in May and June.

Graduates of the program, which is offered by Episcopal Communities and Services, serve in many ways, according to program coordinator Susan Brown. "The mission of By Your Side since 2011 has been to be supportive of people in palliative care and to be at their bedside at the end of their lives as needed," she said. "The pandemic brought all of us to an acute awareness of life’s fragility, and of the immense value of being companioned. In adapting to the reality of COVID, we redefined being “present” to include presence at the bedside and presence without proximity, realizing that what is most important is connection."

The first new five-week online and hybrid training program will begin on May 19 and continue on Thursday evenings, 6:30-8:30 p.m., until June 16. The second class, on Tuesday afternoons, 2 - 4 p.m., will begin on Tuesday, June 21 and conclude on July 19.

There is no obligation to volunteer at the completion of the training.

To enroll, contact Susan Brown at [email protected], or phone 818.822.6044 for more information. Enrollment is limited to 30 people in each class. A fee of $70 (which includes all materials) is due by the second class. Scholarships are available. CE (12 hrs.) for nurses is available for an added $30 under California Board of Registered Nursing Provider Number CEP 16239.

The African American Heritage Club of Laguna Woods will hold its second annual Juneteenth Celebration on Saturday, June 25 at the Laguna Woods Village Clubhouse 5, 24262 Punta Alta, Laguna Woods 92637, beginning at 4 p.m.

The celebration is sponsored by the African American Heritage Club. Allan Williams, a bishop's committee member and lay leader at St. George's Church, Laguna Hills, is among the organizers of the celebration, which will begin with a meet-and-greet at 4 p.m., and continue with a show, live entertainment, finger food and dancing until 10 p.m. Formal attire is requested. Tickets are $30. For more information and tickets, contact Williams at 845.399.0279 or [email protected].

Juneteenth commemorates the Emancipation Proclamation, which was issued on Jan. 1, 1863 by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, freeing more than three million slaves living in Confederate states. Many enslaved people in Texas didn't get the news until Confederate armies surrendered near the end of May 1865 and Union soldiers, led by General Gordon Granger, arrived in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865.

The day on which the slaves learned of their freedom has become an annual celebration throughout the United States. Through the perseverance of Opal Lee, "grandmother" of the movement, President Joe Biden signed a bill in 2021 making Juneteenth a federal holiday. The Diocese of Los Angeles, at its 2021 convention, established the holiday as a diocesan observance.

Features blog posts, commentary from Bishop John Harvey Taylor: @edlabishop. The blog may also be read here. 

A new series on Twitter (@ladiocese) and Instagram (#episcopaldioceseoflosangeles) – invites audience responses to questions related to Episcopal Church parish life.

Providing insights into issues of policing in local and national contexts, the Bishop’s Commission on Gospel Justice and Community Care invites all in the diocese to follow its Facebook page and engage in daily posts on topics including countering racism and providing mental health-care options for intervention rather than arrest.

Additional diocesan social media feeds to follow and share include the diocesan Facebook page and YouTube channel and The Episcopal News's Facebook page and Twitter (@EpiscoNews_LA).

At the convention, the Diocese of Los Angeles will be represented by its bishop and by four clergy and four lay deputies. In coming weeks The Episcopal News will include stories about the bishop's and deputies' specific interests, committee assignments and more. Learn more about General Convention here.

By Egan Millard

[Episcopal News Service – May 17, 2022] The 80th General Convention will now be held July 8-11 in Baltimore, Maryland, shortened from eight to four days under a recommendation from the design group charged with planning a “shorter, smaller, safer” gathering, according to a letter to the church sent May 17 by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, president of the House of Deputies.

In addition to the shortened duration, the Presiding Officers’ General Convention Design Group recommended that attendance be restricted to bishops, deputies, essential staff and volunteers and a limited media presence, with visitors generally not allowed. Dioceses would be asked to send only two alternate deputies (one lay and one clergy) and inactive bishops would be asked to stay home. There would be no exhibit hall and all church-affiliated organizations would be asked not to hold events and receptions in Baltimore during July 8-11.

Read more here.

Legislative committees of General Convention have resumed online meetings. Anyone can register to attend meetings as an observer or to testify. Registration must be submitted at least two days prior to a hearing.

Visit the main General Convention page to find a calendar of upcoming legislative committee meetings and list of committee members. Click “More info” next to a hearing for information on how to register to attend or speak. You will receive login details the day before the hearing. Learn more about the legislative committees here.

The 80th General Convention will be July 8 - 11 in Baltimore, Maryland.

[Episcopal News Service – May 18, 2022] General Convention’s legislative committees on World Mission heard testimony May 16 on Resolution A017, which calls The Episcopal Church to “acknowledge and grieve” its past practices of colonialism in mission efforts around the world.

[Episcopal News Service – May 17, 2022] Episcopal leaders have been increasingly focused this spring on highlighting Indigenous issues, particularly The Episcopal Church’s past involvement in the federal Indigenous boarding schools system, as the church prepares to consider acting on those issues in July at the 80th General Convention.

80th General Convention to proceed in person, but shorter and smaller, presiding officers say (May 11, 2022)

Presiding Bishop’s statement to Executive Council regarding 80th General Convention (May 11, 2022)

Churches consider alternate Good Friday liturgies, Bible translations over concerns of anti-Jewish interpretations (April 12, 2022)

General Convention to consider endorsing 5-part plan to eliminate threat of nuclear war (April 7, 2022)

Toward GC80: Episcopal Church General Convention daily preachers, presiders announced (April 6, 2022)

Middle East resolutions focus on boycotts, apartheid, antisemitism, ‘Christian Zionism’ (April 4, 2022)

Input sought on $101 million 2023-24 church budget; General Convention also to consider process changes (March 15, 2022)

General Convention committee discusses clergy pension assistance as online hearings get underway (February 18, 2022)

Deputies of Color organize for change in Episcopal Church, society ahead of General Convention (September 24, 2021)

More General Convention-related stories from ENS are here.

By Michael Curry

My heart is heavy with the news that a white supremacist gunman took the lives of 10 children of God in Buffalo on Saturday. I grew up walking distance from the scene of this hateful crime, and my friends and I used to ride our bikes around the neighborhood. Buffalo’s Black community raised and formed me. I grieve with the city and people I love.

The loss of any human life is tragic, but there was deep racial hatred driving this shooting, and we have got to turn from the deadly path our nation has walked for much too long. Bigotry-based violence—any bigotry at all—against our siblings who are people of color, Jewish, Sikh, Asian, trans, or any other group, is fundamentally wrong. As baptized followers of Jesus of Nazareth, we are called to uphold and protect the dignity of every human child of God, and to actively uproot the white supremacy and racism deep in the heart of our shared life.

Please join me in prayer for the shattered families in Buffalo. Please also join me in expressing profound gratitude for the intervention by Buffalo police that likely saved many other lives. Even amid tragedy, even when manifestations of evil threaten to overwhelm, let us hold fast to the good. It is the only way that leads to life.

Esta declaración está disponible en español aquí.

This statement is available in Spanish here.

By David Paulsen

[Episcopal News Service – May 16, 2022] Episcopal leaders are condemning a deadly, racist rampage at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket and joining in prayers for the victims and their families as hate-crime charges loom for the 18-year-old suspect in the shooting.

Payton S. Gendron, who lives 200 miles from Buffalo near the central New York city of Binghamton, is accused of opening fire at a Tops store in a largely Black neighborhood of Buffalo, killing 10 and injuring three people, all but two of them Black. Law enforcement officials have called it “straight up, a racially motivated hate crime,” and a 180-page manifesto attributed to Gendron alludes to the false, racist conspiracy theory that a coordinated “replacement” of white Americans by people of color is underway.

“While we wait to learn more about this unthinkable situation, I ask you to join me in praying for those who have died, for those who are injured and suffering, and for the families and loved ones whose lives will never be the same,” Bishop Sean Rowe said in a written statement after the massacre. ”Please pray, too, for the man who committed this horrific act, and for everyone whose mind and soul is twisted toward the evil of gun violence by racism.”

Read more here.

By Egan Millard

[Episcopal News Service – May 16, 2022] The bishops of the dioceses of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont announced on May 14 that they will serve as assisting bishops in each other’s dioceses as part of an effort to increase collaboration in the region.

Maine Bishop Thomas J. Brown, New Hampshire Bishop A. Robert Hirschfeld and Vermont Bishop Shannon MacVean-Brown will continue to serve as diocesan bishops – and therefore ecclesiastical authorities – in their respective dioceses. However, starting in September, each will be able to “preach and teach and provide sacramental rites … but not to exercise governance authority” in the other dioceses.

“Assisting bishops serve at the invitation of the ecclesiastical authority — in this case, bishops inviting other bishops,” the three bishops wrote in an email to their dioceses. “Through preaching, teaching and presiding, we look forward to exercising our ministry in ways that will allow us to get to know each other’s dioceses, learn more about The Episcopal Church across our region, and discern how we might learn to collaborate with one another for the sake of God’s mission.”

Read more here.

By Melodie Woerman

[Episcopal News Service - May 13, 2022] The annual conference of the Global Episcopal Mission Network began online on May 12 by highlighting women’s commitment to spreading the Christian faith both in the United States and abroad.

Mission work has been the primary way women have engaged in ministry over the years, beginning with the earliest days of the church when widows, virgins and deaconesses all played a role in the church’s ministry, said Dana Robert, a professor at Boston University School of Theology and director of the Center for Global Christianity and Mission.

“If you read medieval history and up through the history of Christianity, one thing is the constant struggle of women to serve,” she said.

Over 150 people from 19 countries registered to attend GEMN’s May 12-14, “Women in Mission” themed, livestream conference. GEMN is an association of individuals, parishes, dioceses and organizations with a passion for mission; it works to equip and encourage the church’s work in global mission.

Read more here.

[Episcopal Relief & Development – May 10, 2022] Episcopal Relief & Development is partnering with the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe to help local congregations throughout Europe provide assistance to Ukrainian refugees.

The Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, the European presence of The Episcopal Church, has a long history of ministry to refugees dating back to before World War I. Since the late 1980s, the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center – based at Saint Paul’s Within the Walls in Rome – has provided direct service to refugees from countless countries, helping them rebuild shattered lives.

Episcopal Relief & Development is working with the Convocation to strengthen and expand the capacity of all Episcopal congregations across Europe to respond to the refugee emergency caused by the violence in Ukraine. The convocation is creating a fund to support local congregations’ refugee response and will pair those grants with training from Nafuma Refugee Center staff. This assistance will vary depending on the needs of the specific refugee groups but will likely include food, shelter, emergency supplies and trauma counseling. Additionally, the center plans to increase its staffing levels, allowing it to provide aid to more people.

Read more here.

More reporting from Episcopal News Service is here.

Rebecca's Garden

Christ Episcopal Church

1127 N. San Antonio Avenue, Ontario

Enjoy refreshment and an evening of light country and garden-themed tunes with GiGi Garner and Ron George.

All Saints’ Church

504 N. Camden Drive, Beverly Hills 90210

Information: 310.275.01, ext.112 or www.allsaintsbh.org

Featuring the Tesserae Baroque Ensemble. The phrase “The Myth of Venice” is used by historians to describe a kind of “Venetian Exceptionalism”; in this formulation, art, architecture, and (of course) music was used to glorify the Republic. In a concert featuring cornetts, sackbuts, strings, and singers, Tesserae brings to life the grandiose polychoral music from the late Renaissance and the early Baroque – the Golden Age of Venetian music – as well as other non-Venetian works inspired by this rich musical tradition. This program includes Venetian music by Andrea and Giovanni Gabrieli and Monteverdi, as well as works in the polychoral style by Diego Ortiz and Hieronymous Praetorius. Tickets: $30, $ 25 seniors and SCEMS, $10 students. Admission free with Music Guild donor season pass.

All Saints’ Church

504 N. Camden Drive, Beverly Hills 90210

Information: 310.275.01, ext.112 or www.allsaintsbh.org

Sung by All Saints’ Choir Schola: Missa Ascendens Christus in altum and Ascendens Christus in altum (motet) by Thomas Luis de Victoria

St. Matthew's Episcopal Church

1031 Bienveneda Avenue, Pacific Palisades

Information and tickets here or 310.573.7422

St. Matthew’s Music Guild presents The Chamber Orchestra at St. Matthew’s under the direction of Dwayne S. Milburn. Igor Stravinsky composed his Concerto in E-flat “Dumbarton Oaks” in 1938 on a commission from Robert and Mildred Bliss and named it for their estate in Washington, D.C. Anthony Constantino was born in 1995 and raised in Tucson. He has been widely praised for music in a variety of styles including chamber music, vocal, and eletro-acoustic. “Awakenings” was commissioned by St. Matthew’s Music Guild in 2019 to celebrate the return to something approaching normalcy following Covid. Little did anyone know at the time the work’s premiere would be delayed until June 2022. Mozart’s Mass in C major (“Credo”), composed in 1776 for Salzburg Cathedral, is scored for four soloists, chorus, and chamber orchestra. The Chamber Orchestra at St. Matthew’s will be joined by the choir and soloists of St. Matthew’s Parish. “Liner Notes with Tom Neenan” – a pre-concert discussion of the coming program, will begin at 7:10 p.m. in the church and is free and open to the public. Masks are encouraged but not required for all audience members, who must show proof of having been fully vaccinated. Proof of vaccine booster is not required at this time.

Center for Spiritual Development

Meeting via Zoom and in person. Register here

Part two of an introduction to desert spirituality through the lives and teachings of the desert fathers and mothers, sponsored by the Orange County-based Center for Spiritual Development. "Little known outside of academic circles, the desert ammas/mothers share spiritual medicine for our anxious, frenzied world: silence, solitude, and stillness. We will meet Amma Syncletica of Alexandria and Amma Mary the Harlot (of Egypt). Their earthy wisdom awakens in us renewed awareness that God’s love has always surrounded us." Led by the Rev. Brad Karelius, who has been a priest in the Diocese of Los Angeles for 50 years. For 45 years he was associate professor of philosophy at Saddleback Community College. He is author of The Spirit in the Desert (2009), Encounters with the World’s Religions (2015) and Desert Spirit Places: The Sacred Southwest (2019). When registering, mark your preference for Zoom or in-person. Cost: $20 per person.

All Saints Episcopal Church

132 N. Euclid Avenue, Pasadena 91101

Information: [email protected]

The Gathering - a Space for Asian Pacific Spirituality and All Saints Church Pasadena, invites all to a worship service celebrating the Feast of Pentecost and featuring Asian American/Pacific Islander music, art, and voices. During this Easter season, The Gathering has been reflecting on Easter through AAPI Alive!, an online devotional guide highlighting AAPI voices. This journey will culminate with a liturgy and reception celebrating the diversity and beauty of our AAPI communities. All are invited to attend and free parking is available in the North Lot and on the street. AAPI Alive! is available online at www.aapialive.org. A flyer is here.

All Saints Episcopal Church

504 N. Camden Drive, Beverly Hills 90210

Information: 310.275.0123 or here.

Also featuring Genevieve Feiwen Lee, piano. American soprano Melissa Givens moves and excites audiences and critics alike with a rich, powerful tone, crystalline clarity, and intelligent musical interpretations. Especially noted for her expressiveness and elegance on the stage, she’s been hailed as a singer whose music making is “consistently rewarding” and “a pleasure to hear.” Selections include: "Dream Variations" (2010) by Jeremiah Joseph; Threnody Song Cycle (1972) by Zenobia Powell Perry; and Songs of the Seasons by Margaret Bond. Suggested donation: $20, students/seniors $10. Admission free with Music Guild season pass. Sponsored by All Saints’ Music Guild

Additional events are listed on the diocesan calendar here. For more about Holy Week and Easter services in the Diocese of Los Angeles, click 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.

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

Additional date at this location is Sunday, July 24.

St Luke's Episcopal Church

Church Hall

525 E.7th Street, Long Beach 90813

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

(Search by zip code)

St. Ambrose Episcopal Church

Parish Hall

830 West Bonita Avenue, Claremont 91711

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

Sponsor Code: STAMBROSE

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]

Additional date at this location is Sunday, Oct. 23.

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: Controller, All Saints Episcopal Church. The controller is responsible for all facets of financial management and operations, including accounting, financial reporting, budgeting, cash flow management, insurance, and human resources. The controller is a key member of the senior management staff and reports to the priest-in-charge. The controller also works collaboratively with the vestry, treasurer, volunteer groups, committees, and program staff. A full job description is here.

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.

JULIAN: Camp staff and counselors, Camp Stevens. Working a summer job at Camp Stevens isn't your average position. Our summer team is a collection of adventure creating, critical-thinking, empathy giving, game playing, dishwashing, luggage moving, camper inspiring life-changers. Summer Staff and Counselors complete the summer with experience and training in public speaking, child supervision, time management, scheduling and planning, group and team building, leadership styles, communication, restorative justice, trauma-informed care, diversity, equity and inclusion, anti-racism, feedback, food sanitation and handling, facility maintenance, trail work, outdoor skills, astronomy, health and safety management, and collaboration. Positions are open for Summer 2022. Counselors must be at least 16; staff must be at least 18. Compensation varies. Apply for Counselor Training here. Apply for staff positions here.

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: Executive Director, IRIS (Interfaith Refugee & Immigration Service). The Diocese of Los Angeles is seeking a person who has deep experience in program strategy, development, and expansion that s/he will leverage to strengthen our existing programs and launch new, sustainable programs to better serve the needs of our clients. You will be successful in this role if you can create a multi-year program strategy, evaluate new service opportunities, build and implement programming, inspire and lead the IRIS program team, and take steps to grow the IRIS site with high quality, cost-efficient, and sustainable programming. The Executive Director will manage programs and monitor progress and compliance with the Bureau of Population, Migration, and Refugees, the Office of Refugee Resettlement, California Department of Social Services, Episcopal Migration Ministries and other funders to ensure standards and provision of timely and quality services to refugees and migrants are met. This position is a department head within the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles and ensures strong communication and coordination with central office leaders including the Commissioner for Human Resources, Chief Financial Officer, Chief of Staff and the Bishop Diocesan. A full job description with application information is here. Application deadline: May 20, 2022.

LOS ANGELES: Executive Director, Commission on Schools. The Diocese of Los Angeles and the Commission on Schools are seeking a lay or ordained person with school, preschool, and/or parish leadership experience to be a part of the diocesan staff beginning Summer 2022. Being an Episcopalian is not required but is preferable, and a non-Episcopalian must be willing to fully understand, articulate, and support the ministries of Episcopal schools and preschools. The position is 1000 hours per year, benefits eligible, with the work schedule to be determined by the needs of the position with respect to the school year and diocesan considerations. Please send a cover letter, resume, and a reference list to Canon Anilin Collado via email at [email protected] or by postal mail at 840 Echo Park Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90026 no later than April 30. A job description is here.

LOS ANGELES: Seminary Dean and President, Bloy House. The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles is recruiting an individual to serve as dean and president of Bloy House, the Episcopal Theological School of Los Angeles. Over its 50-year history, Bloy House has trained generations of lay leaders, priests, and deacons, moving flexibly with the needs of the diocese and the changing realities of academic seminaries. Our vision is that Bloy House will now put greater emphasis on lay formation and will provide an integrating hub for the many excellent existing, but disparate, formation programs in the diocese, as well as visioning new initiatives and expanded constituencies. A full job description is 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.

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: Facilities/Office Manager, All Saints Church. The Facilities/Office Manager’s primary responsibilities include oversight of all infrastructure operations of the church: facilities management; Building and Grounds (“B&G”) staff; the security company; and all office equipment. In addition, this person will collaborate closely with Human Resources and with the administrative assistant team. The primary objective of the person in this position is to ensure that these operations run smoothly so that the church staff and parishioners have the information, support and resources necessary to carry out the mission of the church in its pastoral, outreach and community building ministries. The Facilities/Office Manager must be flexible, responsive, and nimble in dealing with unexpected issues. See the entire job description here.

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

PASADENA: Giving Data Specialist, All Saints Church. The purpose of this position is to provide excellent stewardship of All Saints’ donors and to ensure accurate and timely processing of all income. This position reports to the Director of Giving & Stewardship. See the entire job description 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].

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