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By David Paulsen

[Episcopal News Service – May 25, 2022] Episcopal leaders are joining a national outpouring of grief after the latest school shooting in the United States killed 19 children and two educators in Texas, as Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and West Texas Bishop David Reed called on Episcopalians to pray.

The 18-year-old gunman opened fire midafternoon May 24 at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, a city of 15,000 people about 80 miles west of San Antonio. The attacker, identified as Salvador Ramos, a student at a nearby high school, carried out the massacre inside one classroom and died at the scene, according to authorities.

“Words of outrage are not enough to express our hatred of this evil done to little children who simply went to school this morning. Expressions of sorrow scarcely touch the depth of families’ grief tonight,” West Texas Bishop David Reed wrote in a call to prayer posted on the diocese’s website. “What we have to offer is ourselves. To turn ourselves, our hearts and minds, to those who are suffering in Uvalde – to reach out our hands to lift up and to extend our arms to embrace – this is what we have to offer, following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ. … And we can pray. We must pray.”

He also referenced St. Philip’s Episcopal Church as part of the community of Uvalde that now is reeling from the tragedy.

Curry prayed for God to “surround us with your love as we face another tragedy of gun violence,” in a prayer mourning the victims that was livestreamed on Facebook hours after the massacre.

Read more here.

[The Daily Breeze - May 23, 2022] Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and the Los Angeles Civil + Human Rights and Equity Department hosted a vigil at L.A.’s First AME Church on Monday, May 23, standing alongside Black and AAPI leaders in response to this month’s deadly, hate-inspired attacks in Buffalo and Laguna Woods.

“In Los Angeles there is no room for hate and we denounce the plague of racism and violence that has taken so many lives,” said Garcetti. “We come together in sorrow and anger, but also with purpose — to commit to fighting back with the love and belonging that define our City of Angels.”

The gathered group lit a candle for each of the 11 victims killed during the two shootings: 10 in Buffalo on May 14 and one in Laguna Woods on May 15.

Speaking of the loved ones of those killed in the shootings, Bishop John Taylor of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles declared: “We will weep with them. If we keep a place in our hearts for them, we will work harder to redeem their suffering, by decisive and just actions.”

Read more here. Bishop Taylor's blog post about the vigil is here.

Five of the nine candidates in the June 7 election for Los Angeles County sheriff have responded to a questionnaire provided by the Bishop’s Commission on Gospel Justice and Community Care in its ongoing work of sharing information on issues of policing and its impact on the public’s well-being and safety.

Candidates who provided responses (accessible by clicking on linked names) are:

No replies have been received to date from incumbent Sheriff Alex Villanueva and additional candidates Karla Carranza, sergeant, L.A. County Sheriff’s Dept.; April Saucedo Hood, state parole agent; and Matt Rodriguez, retired captain, L.A. County Sheriff’s Dept. 

Read more here.

By Virginia Classick

The recent mass shootings have left many of us reeling and wondering what action we might take. 

While mass shootings are widely publicized, it is important to remember that each day 111 people in this country lose their lives to gun violence. Gun violence takes many forms: mass shootings, gun suicides, unintentional shootings, often by small children, and guns used in situations of domestic abuse. Each form of gun violence has distinct approaches to prevention. 

The diocese has available a Gun Violence Prevention Toolkit, which includes litanies and other worship resources, and a range of ways in which individuals and congregations can take steps to help prevent all forms of gun violence. This is a time to download the toolkit, find at least one step that your congregation can take, and to turn anguish into action.

[The Episcopal News – May 25, 2022] Episcopal Enterprises, an initiative to help congregations leverage their strengths to raise funds and awareness for ministry, recently joined with Nefesh and Food Forward to form The Interfaith Food Coalition. The coalition developed a product line made from rescued fresh produce, both keeping the food out of the landfill and funding its food justice work. They created dehydrated soup mixes, dried fruit and vegetable snacks, and canned fruit jams and butters.

The coalition now is participating in UCLA's Social Enterprise Academy. Of nine nonprofit teams in the first round of judging, The Interfaith Food Coalition placed in the top three. It will present its "elevator pitch" and business plan in the finals on Thursday, May 26 to compete for $35,000 in start-up funds.

Episcopal Enterprises invites the diocesan community to register here, watch the contest on Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m., and cast a vote for the "audience favorite" award of $5,000.

Read more here.

FOR THE RECORD: Two people were misidentified in an article titled "Episcopalians join rally advocating for rights and support for the poor" in the May 22 issue of the Update. At left in the photo shown here is Sara Lee Macdonald, a member of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Santa Maria, and of the California State Poor People’s Campaign Coordinating Committee. At center is the Rev. Liz Theoharis, Poor People's Campaign co-chair, who is a Presbyterian minister (not an Episcopal priest). A corrected version of the article is here. The News regrets the errors.

By Bob Williams

[The Episcopal News – May 25, 2022] The Very Rev. Canons Daniel Ade and Mark Kowalewski, co-deans and rectors at St. John’s Cathedral in Los Angeles, have announced plans to retire at year-end after 17 years of ministry in the parish.

In a May 20 video message, Ade and Kowalewski outlined their plans to take retirement at the end of 2022 and continue to engage in priestly ministry in the Diocese of Long Island. They and Ade's spouse, Walter Killmer, will move to Long Island in the fall.

“With Dan and Mark’s leadership, St. John’s Cathedral has become a jewel at the heart of our diocese, offering beautiful liturgy and music, hosting diocesan services, and collaborating in interfaith and other innovative programming, all the while pastoring to their lively, diverse congregation,” said Bishop John Harvey Taylor. “They and their fellow leaders have now brought the cathedral to the brink of an historic renovation and expansion. We’ll miss them, and it will be a privilege and blessing to build on their legacy.”

Read more 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.

Walter Johnson, a lay advocate in Episcopal and interfaith peace and justice ministries, died May 12 in Los Angeles after recent years of declining health. He was 83 and had resided in Santa Monica with his wife, the Rev. Canon Joanne Leslie, archdeacon emerita of the Diocese of Los Angeles.

With Leslie, survivors include Johnson’s sons, Corydon Johnson of Piedmont, Calif., and Barton Johnson of Agua Dulce, Calif., and daughter, Dr. Laurie Logan of La Crosse, Wis., along with their families, and many friends. A funeral will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 9 at Holy Faith Church, 260 N. Locust Street, Inglewood 90301, where Johnson was an active parishioner.

Johnson focused on advocacy priorities including gun control and socially responsible investing. As part of his ministry, he used his skills as a successful investor and food industry executive to assist individuals and groups with investment strategies.

An obituary is here.

The Rev. John Keester, former rector of St. Ambrose's Church, Claremont (1966-1980), and a longtime teacher at Bloy House (Episcopal Theological School in Claremont, now Los Angeles), died May 23. He was 92.

Survivors include his wife, Betty Dennison, to whom he was married in 2014; four sons from his first marriage – Philip, John, Christopher and Timothy; and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his first wife, Lauranne Yust Keester.

Service arrangements are pending.

Keester taught homiletics at Bloy House from 1969 to 1980; from 1972 to 1974 he also was acting warden. His passion for education was reflected in his service as a chaplain at the University of California's Santa Barbara campus, where he also was vicar of St. Michael's University Chapel in Isla Vista, serving from 1961 to 1965 He also was an associate chaplain at UCLA and executive secretary for Ministry in Higher Education for the Diocese of Los Angeles from 1965 to 1966.

Read more here.

Rosemary Radford Reuther, a founding mother of Christian feminist theology, visiting professor at Claremont School of Theology and professor emerita at several universities and seminaries, died May 21 in Pomona near Pilgrim Place, Claremont, where she lived in retirement. She was 85.

Reuther, a lifelong Roman Catholic, led a program at the Diocese of Los Angeles Clergy Conference in 2013.

She died in Pomona after a long illness, according to theologian Mary Hunt, who announced the death in a statement on behalf of Ruether's family.

"Dr. Ruether was a scholar activist par excellence," according to a statement from theologian Mary Hunt on behalf of the Ruether family. "She was respected and beloved by students, colleagues, and collaborators around the world for her work on eco-feminist and liberation theologies, anti-racism, Middle East complexities, women-church, and many other topics."

Service arrangements are pending. An obituary from NPR is here. An appreciation by Hunt, published in the National Catholic Reporter, is here.

Photo: Annie Wells

The 2022 Pacific Inklings Festival, titled “C.S. Lewis and the Prophetic Imagination,” will be held on Saturday, June 4, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., at Orange County Assembly of God Church, Santa Ana. The event is sponsored by the Southern California C.S. Lewis Society.

Speakers will include noted Lewis scholars Michael Christensen, professor of Theology and Spiritual Formation at Northwind Theological Seminary, Florida, author of C.S. Lewis on Scripture and other books; and Diana Glyer, professor of English in the Honors College at Azusa Pacific University, accomplished potter, and author of Bandersnatch: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the Creative Collaboration of the Inklings and other books.

The event will begin with the launch of Sunbeams and Bottles: The Theology, Thought, and Reading of C.S. Lewis, a new book by Jim Prothero, C.S. Lewis Society director, professor of English at Vanguard University of Southern California and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, a noted watercolor artist, and a lay leader at St. Clement's Episcopal Church, San Clemente.

There will be a "massive" book table on site, according to the event announcement.

Orange County Assembly of God Church is located at 1440 E. Santa Clara, Santa Ana. Admission is $5 (cash in exact amount or check requested); students with ID are free.

The Gathering – a Space for Asian Pacific Spirituality and All Saints Church Pasadena, invites all to a worship service celebrating the Feast of Pentecost on Sunday, June 5 at 3 p.m. at All Saints Church, 132 N. Euclid Avenue, Pasadena 91101. The event will feature 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 the Pentecost liturgy and reception celebrating the diversity and beauty of the diocese's Asian and Pacific Island communities.

All are invited to attend and free parking is available in the church's north lot and on the street. For information, email [email protected]

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.

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 a new course in 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."

A five-week online and hybrid training program will begin on June 21, 2 - 4 p.m., continuing on Tuesday afternoons until 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. 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.

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).

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. 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.

[House of Deputies News – May 23, 2022] From fears that important issues will be ignored to fears that rebooked air tickets will cost too much, concerns about the pared-down General Convention are widespread among deputies, even as they appreciate the safer environment.

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, president of the House of Deputies, on May 17 endorsed a reduced schedule and list of attendees to better protect participants against the COVID-19 virus. While the recommendations need to be endorsed by the Joint Standing Committee on Planning and Arrangements and the church’s Executive Council, it seems clear convention will be shorter, smaller and concentrated on the basics of church governance, such as passing a budget.

“I am very concerned that important issues will not be discussed,” said first-time deputy Olive Swinski, from the Diocese of Rhode Island. “Enacting good policy requires time, compromise, and flexibility — all things that I believe will be restricted with a shortened convention. COVID has taught us that the world does not stop, and The Episcopal Church is restricting its ability to respond to a changing world.” She added that the planned COVID safety requirements “help me feel safe and confident.”

Read more here.

By David Paulsen

[Episcopal News Service – May 20, 2022] There are at least two announced candidates for president of the House of Deputies, and more may come forward in the next two weeks, with opt-in candidate forums scheduled for June 4 and June 13 on Zoom.

“Thank you for the discernment that has led you to consider standing for election for president or vice president of the House of Deputies,” the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, the house’s current president, said in a May 12 message that was addressed to potential candidates. “Please know that each of you is in my prayers as you continue to discern God’s call to you in this pivotal time for our church.”

Jennings is finishing up her third and final term as House of Deputies president and, according to term limits established by The Episcopal Church’s Canons, will step down at the end of the 80th General Convention, July 8-11 in Baltimore, Maryland. She has served as one of the church’s two presiding officers for 10 years – one year longer than expected because the pandemic prompted a one-year postponement of the 80th General Convention.

Read more here.

By David Paulsen

[Episcopal News Service – Linthicum Heights, Maryland – May 19, 2022] Questions about the financial details of a proposed new churchwide anti-racism coalition commanded much of the discussion this week at a two-day meeting of General Convention’s Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance.

Meeting in person May 18 and 19 near Baltimore – the site of the 80th General Convention in July – the members of the budgetary committee generally focused their discussion of the coalition on a few main points of concern: the $2 million in funding every three years that has been suggested for the coalition; the budgetary mechanisms that would be needed to yield that funding; the church’s methods for ensuring financial accountability, and the risk that the coalition’s work will overlap with existing church offices and programs.

Despite raising such concerns and seeking greater details on the plans for the new coalition, members of the General Convention budgetary committee appeared to agree with the coalition proposers’ central point – that a long-term approach is needed to confront the church’s historic complicity with racist systems and the ways that legacy is still embedded in the governance and culture of today’s Episcopal Church.

Read more here.

Design group recommends shortening General Convention to 4 days, July 8-11, and limiting attendance (May 17, 2022)

World Mission committees hear call to acknowledge and grieve colonialism (May 18, 2022)

Episcopal leaders step up advocacy of Indigenous issues, including at United Nations forum (May 17, 2022)

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.

[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.

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.

Trinity Episcopal Church

419 South 4th Street, Redlands

A recital featuring The Nottingham Players. Free will offering. Cupcake reception in the garden following the program.

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

Laguna Woods Village Clubhouse 5

24262 Punta Alta, Laguna Woods 92637

Tickets/Information: Allan Williams, 845.399.0279 or [email protected]

Presented by the African American Heritage Club of Laguna Woods. 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: $30. 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.

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.

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. Mark's Episcopal Church

Parish Hall

330 E. 16th Street, Upland 91784

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

Sponsor code: stmarks

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.

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.

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— Janet Kawamoto, editor