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By Pat McCaughan

[The Episcopal News] Some Southland Episcopal congregations are saying, “absolutely, yes, in my backyard” and are working through partnerships to develop affordable senior housing on their underused land.

In Placentia, the Church of the Blessed Sacrament’s Santa Angelina Senior Apartments project will add 64 apartments plus a community center and manager’s unit, along with other campus improvements, according to the Rev. Barrett Van Buren, rector.

Similarly, in Buena Park, St. Joseph’s Church will provide 66 new apartments in its Orchard View Gardens complex, primarily for those aged 62 and older. As in Placentia, the apartments are designated for those earning below 60% of the median area income, says the Rev. Cindy Voien, rector.

The partnerships came about through Episcopal Communities and Services (ECS), an institution of the diocese, which connected the churches with National Community Renaissance, or National CORE, a leading nonprofit affordable housing developer, managing more than 10,000 units nationally.

Read more here.

By Pat McCaughan

[The Episcopal News] Andrew Kilkenny, 34, knelt on ground softened by pine needles outside St. Ambrose Episcopal Church in Claremont, the third stop of a drive-through, pandemic-inspired interactive Stations of the Cross commemorating the last hours of Jesus’ life.

At Station 3, visitors tap on a pre-recorded audio reflection and are invited to leave their cars and take a knee, recalling the first of several times Jesus stumbled along the road to the crucifixion. The reflection invites consideration of the crushing burdens “of racism, sexism, homophobia and all kinds of biases that bring us to our knees.”

For Kilkenny, the experience became a moment to ponder “what we are kneeling for, in terms of racial or social justice. I was never given space to reflect about Colin Kaepernick, kneeling,” he said. “There is something powerful and profound, to take that space and do it yourself and think about how it all relates to Jesus, falling for the first time.”

Kilkenny, an entertainment technology engineer, designed the smartphone-accessible “L.A. Stations” as a safe Stations of the Cross alternative during the pandemic. Racial reckoning, homophobia, sexism and other social inequities figure prominently in reflections along the 7.4-mile drive to nine Claremont and Upland churches, each hosting one or more of the stations.

Google and Apple maps supply route directions, as pilgrims can listen and follow along Jesus’ path to the cross, similar to a museum self-guided audio tour. The stations were opened March 3 and will continue through Holy Saturday, April 3.

Read more here.

By Pat McCaughan

[The Episcopal News] Honesty is a recurring refrain in the lyrics, music and life of Grace Semler Baldridge, who recently landed briefly at the top spot on the Christian music chart but wasn’t entirely sure how a queer Episcopal preacher’s kid and recent member of the St. Aidan’s, Malibu, vestry arrived there.

“I do my songwriting while walking my dog,” whose name is Willie Nelson, she told The Episcopal News recently. She is known professionally as Semler, a name she loves because of its gender neutrality.

“Ever since I was little, I heard jingles in my head," she said. “When I got older, I started teaching myself instruments and I recognized that I could flush out the jingles and turn them into songs.”

Her recently released “Preacher’s Kid” extended play mini-album – which she recorded at home on a USB microphone and released via the Internet – mirrors the challenges and complications of wrestling with faith and sexuality, and striving for authenticity, interwoven with a feisty talent and robust hilarity.

Christian music may traditionally be conservative, but Baldridge’s songs about growing up a gay preacher’s kid, cleaning up after communion, youth group lock-ins, and even mission trips, land it squarely inside “the only honest genre to put it in, Christian. Just because it doesn’t align with the majority, often unexamined experience of the divine, doesn’t make it less of a Christian project,” she says emphatically.

“And if you have a problem with me swearing and being gay,” it’s still an expression of her Christianity.

Read more here. 

April 29, 1926 - March 2, 2021

The Rev. Beryl Choi, a priest who served at St. Luke's Church in Long Beach in the mid-80s, died March 2. She was 94.

Choi, a native of Great Britain, was the first woman ordained a deacon and priest in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, in January 1977 at age 50. She served at the Church of the Ascension in Pittsburg, then at Calvary Church in East Liberty, Penn. before joining the staff at St. Luke's to take charge of education. Later she moved to New York, where she served several congregations in the Buffalo area before retiring in 1993.

She was named Woman of the Year in Religion by the University of Pittsburgh in 1978, and was commissioned as a teacher of theology by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

No immediate information on survivors or services is available. A 2013 article about Choi from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is here.

September 29, 1941 – March 8, 2021

[St. Paul’s Church, Tustin] Mike Penn, longtime member of St. Paul’s in Tustin and noted Orange County ecumenical leader, died March 8 evening from lung cancer. He was 79.

In addition to years of service in the parish in many roles, including multiple terms as senior warden, Penn worked for 20 years or more to develop interfaith organizations and relationships. According to Dr. Mike Holland, retired pastor of Church of the Foothills (UCC), “Over 20 years ago, several of us started the Central Orange County Interfaith Council. Mike Penn was involved very early, and later served as president. Mike also assisted the creation of the Orange County Interfaith Youth Forum and Youth Council, and the Interfaith Network of OC Religious Leaders.  Everyone who knew and worked with Mike loved and appreciated his enthusiasm, spirit, dedication, humor, compassion and yes, smile; and especially his support for interfaith cooperation. Mike once said to me, "It's all about community."

Penn is survived by his wife of 49 years, Carol; his children, Michael (Ashleigh Aitken) and Alexis; sister Bonnie; and grandchildren Simone, Colette, Violet, and Anya. He is remembered by St. Paul’s, along with the Interfaith Youth Council of Orange County; the Orange County Interfaith Network; the Interfaith Council of Central Orange County; and the many, many friends from the faith communities represented. Services are pending.

Register here.

Learn valuable tools and best practices and procedures to help you serve as treasurer for your congregation. Presenter: The Rev. Michele Racusin, CFO of the Diocese of California, former CFO of the Diocese of Los Angeles

SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 9 a.m.

Register here

Hosted by Dr. Nina Harawa, epidemiologist and professor-in-residence at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (learn more about Dr. Harawa here)

Register here

This workshop is an introduction to My Work To Do: an online affinity group designed to help white people build stamina for discussing racism, systemic injustice, racial healing, reconciliation, and justice in their everyday lives. We invite those feeling lost or overwhelmed into the conversation, especially white people who might not have a local anti-racism program or accessible discussion happening in their life. Presenter: Canon Suzanne Edwards-Acton

Register here

Learn valuable tools and best practices and procedures to help you serve as treasurer for your congregation. Presenter: The Rev. Michele Racusin, CFO of the Diocese of California, former CFO of the Diocese of Los Angeles

Register here

Hosted by Jack Rutledge, VP of Client Services for Church Insurance Agency. He’ll cover Cyber Liability and how it affects churches in handling their online presence, data, payments, and communication.

Additional information about the workshop series is here. All workshops are livestreamed and recorded, and will be made available for on-demand viewing here.

The Rt. Rev. Barbara Clementine Harris – first woman ordained and consecrated as a bishop in the Anglican Communion, former bishop suffragan of the Diocese of Massachusetts, and passionate advocate for social justice — died March 13, 2020. To mark the anniversary of her passing, the Diocese of Los Angeles will join with dioceses and congregations around the church offering liturgical remembrances with a celebration of her life and ministry at 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 13. Bishop John Harvey Taylor will introduce the service of Lessons and Spirituals, which will include readings, reflections, and music. The Rev. Andrea Arsene, a Diocese of Los Angeles priest serving at St. John's Church, Lafayette, Indiana, will preside at the Eucharist. The service will be livestreamed and available for later viewing on the Los Angeles diocese's Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Singers from throughout the diocese are invited to be part of a virtual choir for a celebration of the Great Vigil of Easter, to be held online on Saturday, April 3, at 8 p.m., and to which the entire diocesan community is invited. Singers in all parts (SATB) are invited to perform the hymn, "He is Risen."

To participate, click here and fill in and submit the registration form. Sheet music, a video guide track, and an upload link will be sent to all who register. Video submission deadline is Friday, March 12 at 6 p.m.

The service will be centered at Church of Our Saviour, San Gabriel. Staff musicians Christopher Gravis and Zach Neufield of St. John's Cathedral, Los Angeles, are preparing the music and recording the accompaniment for this project. The virtual choir team looks forward to hearing from all interested singers.

Seeds of Hope is seeking volunteers to help out at several upcoming food distribution events in and near Los Angeles. "Without the dedication and support of volunteers, there's no way we could do the work we do," says the Seeds of Hope staff in a Facebook post. "From sorting and boxing produce, unloading trucks to passing out food, volunteers are essential to helping us feed hungry folks!"

Upcoming dates are:

George Washington Carver Park

1400 E. 118th Street, Los Angeles 90059

Ted Watkins Memorial Park

1335 E. 103rd Street, Los Angeles 90002

Mona Park

2291 E. 121st Street, Compton 90222

Salazar Park

3864 Whittier Blvd., Los Angeles 90023

To volunteer, contact Erica Nieves at [email protected].

The Rev. Canon Susan Russell, canon for Engagement Across Difference and leader of the Diocese of Los Angeles' One in the Spirit initiative, has launched a series of Lenten reflections on its blog. The most recent entry, posted on March 1, titled "All Unto Me," includes a musical reflection; an anthem by Los Angeles composer Bruce Babcock inspired by the ministry of Archbishop Desmond Tutu. To read the blog, click here. To receive the reflections by email as they are posted, scroll to the bottom of the page, enter an email address, and click "subscribe."

Episcopal Prison Ministry Community will present a free screening and discussion of Belly of the Beast, a 2018 documentary film directed by Erika Cohn on Saturday, March 20 at 12 p.m. The film will be available for viewing March 18 - 20; the discussion will feature attorney Cynthia Chandler, founder of Justice Now, who led the investigation.

Belly of the Beast is a New York Times Critics Pick documentary that shows how an unlikely duo discover a pattern of illegal sterilizations in a California women’s prison. Filmed over seven years with extraordinary access and intimate accounts from currently and formerly incarcerated people, Belly of the Beast exposes modern-day eugenics and reproductive injustice in California prisons. The NY Times describes the film as "timely and bracing"; the Los Angeles Times calls it a "thrilling legal drama."

To register and receive the links for the screening and discussion, email to [email protected].

Stillpoint: The Center for Christian Spirituality will offer a one-day online retreat titled "Enneagram: Through the Lens of Stances," led by Joey Schewee, on Saturday, March 20, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.

"The Enneagram is an ancient personality typing system that identifies nine personality types expressed individually and in relationship to others. The Enneagram acts as a unique tool for understanding and explaining human behavior, the underlying motivations that drive behavior, and the gifts we all have for the transformation of non-productive encounters with others," says the release from Stillpoint.

"Whether you're new to the Enneagram or not, this retreat will provide the basic tenets of the Enneagram system and how knowing ones-self can allow us to lead more whole

lives, while also going deeper into stance work. Enneagram wisdom shows our unique imbalance in the three centers of intelligence: thinking, feeling and doing. Learning to balance these three centers frees up enormous amounts of physical, emotional, and spiritual energy."

Joey Schewee (pictured above left) has been a student of the Enneagram for more than 20 years. As an Enneagram mentor, she completed an intensive three-year apprenticeship with her mother, Suzanne Stabile, in 2006, and has taught in tandem with the Enneagram master for more than a decade.

The retreat will be held virtually by Zoom. Cost is $60 per person (students $25). Ten scholarships are available. For information and to register in advance, click here.

Nonviolent resistance was a philosophy at the heart of the U.S. civil rights movement in the 1950s and 60s. The Guibord Center will host Vedanta Society leader Swami Sarvapriyananda speaking on "Satyagraha: The Heart of Nonviolence" on Wednesday, March 24, 4 - 5 p.m. via Zoom.

"As people of faith and goodwill seek justice, they often choose a path of nonviolent action without being aware of its underlying spiritual practice and principles," says the event announcement. "Mahatma Gandhi developed the concept of satyagraha and used it in India's struggle for rights and independence." In the 1950s, the Rev. James Lawson, colleague of Dr. Martin Luther King and U.S. Representative John R. Lewis, studied satyagraha in India and brought it to the U.S., where it became a guiding principle of the U.S. civil rights movement.

Swami Sarvapriyananda, spiritual leader of the Vedanta Society of New York, has been a monk in the Ramakrishna order for over 25 years. In his words, "Mahatma Gandhi's principled teaching and practice of nonviolence is a light of hope and inspiration in our troubled and divided world. Nonviolence is a natural expression of our innermost spirituality, and the oneness of, not only all humanity, but all existence."

To participate in the event, register in advance here.

The Guibord Center works to increase understanding among Los Angeles' diverse religious communities. It was founded by the late Rev. Gwynne Guibord, a priest of the Diocese of Los Angeles.

Episcopal Communities and Services has announced new training sessions for By Your Side Vigil Companions, a program that trains volunteers to be a compassionate presence for those nearing the end of life.

"This year has brought all of us to an acute awareness of life’s fragility, and of the immense value of being companioned," says the course announcement. "The mission of By Your Side, which has always been to be supportive of people in palliative care and to be at the bedside at the end of their lives as needed, has had to adapt to the realities of COVID. We‘ve needed to ask: 'How can we practice presence without proximity?' We have also grappled with the need many of us feel to talk about what we are living through, perhaps to grieve. Together we are exploring being together, in the hospitals, in our communities, over technology or the phone, in whatever ways we can."

Each of the three training programs will be conducted in 2-hour sessions over five weeks via ZOOM. Session dates and times are:

There is no obligation to volunteer at the completion of the training. A fee of $70 ( which includes all materials) is due by the second class. Scholarships are available. CE credit (12 hours) for nurses is available for an additional $30.

For more information or to register, contact Susan Brown, By Your Side administrator, at [email protected] or 818.822.6044. Enrollment is limited to 30 people.

The first will be The Great Vigil of Easter on Saturday, April 3 at 8 p.m., coordinated by the Rev. Canon Susan Russell with participation by Taylor, Bishop Suffragan Diane M. Jardine Bruce and Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy and people from all over the diocese.

The second service, on the second Sunday of Easter, April 11, will be a simple celebration of Holy Eucharist conducted by Taylor and Canon Kathy O'Connor.

Both services will be livestreamed and available for viewing on demand on the diocese's Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Lenten study program to focus on Presiding Bishop Curry's Love Is the Way

The diocesan One in the Spirit team has created a five-week program Lenten study of Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s newest book, Love Is the Way.

In Love Is the Way Bishop Curry offers an inspirational road map for living the way of love through the prism of his faith, ancestry, and personal journey. In the words of reviewer Jon Meacham, “Michael Curry draws on his own remarkable life to show us the way we might make our own lives, and the lives of nations, warmer, better and nobler.”

Designed for online book groups, the curriculum includes bilingual English/Spanish study guides with video presentations from the Rev. Canon Melissa McCarthy, the Rev. Antonio Gallardo, the Very Rev. Canon Gary Hall, Missioner for Youth Ministries Gabriel Vasquez-Reyes and Bishop John H. Taylor. The resources now are available on the One in the Spirit webpage.

For more information contact the Rev. Canon Susan Russell at [email protected].

Blood supplies are critically low in California, and congregations in the Diocese of Los Angeles have stepped up to help replenish them by hosting blood drives. Currently scheduled events are listed below.

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.

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

Holy Trinity Episcopal Church

100 N. Third Avenue, Covina 91723

Information: 626.967.3939

Red Cross reservations here or call 1.800.RED.CROSS (1.800.733.2767)

Sponsor code: HTEC

Holy Trinity will offer a blood drive each month. Upcoming dates are: Thursday, March 18; Thursday, April 15; Thursday, May 6. Reservations through the Red Cross are required.

All Saints Church

132 N. Euclid Avenue, Pasadena 91101.

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

Sponsor code: ASEC

Information: [email protected]

Donations will be by appointment only, scheduled through RedCrossBlood.org. Upcoming dates at this location are April 20, June 22 and Aug. 17.

St. Alban’s Episcopal Church

12692 Fifth Street, Yucaipa 92399

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

Sponsor code: ST ALBANS. Upcoming dates at this location are Thursday, April 29; and Mondays, May 24, June 28, July 26, Aug. 23, Sept. 27, Oct. 18, Nov. 22 and Dec. 27.

Will your church host blood drives in 2021? Send the information to The Episcopal News ([email protected]) for inclusion in the calendar.

By Jack Jenkins

[Religion News Service] Jon Meacham, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and adviser to President Joe Biden, has been named canon historian for the Washington National Cathedral.

Meacham will join the cathedral in the new role this month, leading a discussion regarding the legacy of late Georgia congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis.

It’s one of several annual public conversations Meacham plans to lead, each focused on issues of faith, spirituality and civic life.

“Remembrance lies at the heart of our tradition, and I believe, deeply, that a contemplation of the past can shed light on the present and the future,” Meacham, an Episcopalian, told Religion News Service in an email.

Meacham, who will continue to serve in various roles at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, is the first leader appointed to the cathedral’s planned College of Faith & Culture. Cathedral officials said the initiative is designed to be a hub for programming around public engagement, culture and leadership.

Read more here.

St. James in-the-City Church, Los Angeles

Live-streamed and on demand here

Center for Spirituality in Ontario

Information here

Enrollment: Ashanti Smalls, [email protected]

A series of interactive online meetings using Matthew Fox’s book Original Blessing as the springboard for exploration and reflection. The series, which began Oct. 12, is for persons of any age or walk of life, who share an interest in processing their inner journeys. Participants may join at any point, though regular participation is presumed. Sessions are led by the Rev. Gianluigi Gugliermetto, director of the Center for Spirituality. Suggested donation is $7 per session.

September 2022

Join Bishop Guy Erwin of the ELCA and Canon Jim Newman of the Episcopal Church for a 13-day journey across central Europe to Oberammergau, Germany. The day-long Oberammergau Passion Play is produced every decade and is a four-century “thank you” to God for saving the people of this picturesque Bavarian Alpine village. Experience this spiritual event and look at the culture and religion of Poland (Warsaw, Krakow, Auschwitz and Czestochowa), Hungary (Budapest), Czech Republic (Bratislava), Austria (Vienna & the Salzkammergut) and Germany (Oberammergau & Munich). Cost is $4,899 from Los Angeles including $450 taxes/airline surcharges.) Information: Jim Newman, 3590 Grand View Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90066; 310.391.5522 or 888.802.6722; [email protected]. A full itinerary is here.

ALTADENA: Church Office Administrator, St. Mark's Episcopal Church. Part-time (20-25 hours/week, Monday - Friday). Responsible for church communications, maintenance of office a records, assisting with financial operations, administrative support for the rector and other staff. A full job description is here. Salary is commensurate with experience. Contact: The Rev. Carrie Patterson Grindon, rector, at [email protected]

CLAREMONT: Spirituality center executive director. The Center for Spirituality & Practice (CS&P), a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing resources for those seeking wisdom and spiritual practices for their daily lives, seeks a committed spiritual practitioner and high-capacity nonprofit leader to be its first executive director. A respected name in the spiritual enrichment landscape, the Center runs the multifaith/interspiritual website SpiritualityandPractice.com which offers a vast array of resources for the spiritually hungry. The new executive director will collaborate with founders Mary Ann and Frederic Brussat to advance their legacy and develop the organization into its next phase. A detailed position profile can be found here.

HOLLYWOOD-LOS ANGELES: Seeds of Hope Food Distribution Associate. Bilingual (English-Spanish). This position will be an essential part of the Seeds of Hope team getting healthy, nutritious food to more families in need in Los Angeles and surrounding counties. Job duties include picking up, sorting, organizing and delivering produce; providing great customer service; documenting quantities and submitting data for reports. Work hours are full time, but variable. Valid Class C driver's license, experience with driving 16-ft or larger truck required. Full job description is here.

SANTA ANA: Office Manager, Church of the Messiah. Part-time. The Office Manager will serve as the focal point for parish business operations, and is responsible for a broad range of administrative, specific operational and oversight functions. Bilingual proficiency (English/Spanish) required. More information is here.

Additional job listings are here. Listings are free: send information to [email protected]. Applications for jobs must be sent to the contact included in the listing.