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The

Episcopal News Update

A weekly newsletter serving the Diocese of Los Angeles

August 2, 2020

diocesela.org/episcopal-news

Publication note:

The Resource Roundup and Episcopal News Update will not be published during the weeks of August 3 - 7 and August 17 - 21. Please submit items for publication to [email protected].

New Emergency Appeal grants awarded; Aug. 7 is deadline for next application cycle

An online application deadline of August 7 has been set for the next cycle of grants to be awarded from the diocesan “One Body & One Spirit Emergency Appeal” in keeping with guidelines set by the Corporation of the Diocese. Application forms are included with “The Emergency Appeal Grant Request Guide” posted on the diocesan website here.

Procedures call for the new applications to be reviewed by the diocesan Special Committee on Incorporation of Parishes and Admission of Missions prior to consideration by the Corporation during its Aug. 18 meeting.

Meanwhile, at its July 21 meeting, the Corporation approved three new grants: to All Saints, Highland Park, to adapt facilities for increased social-distancing and community service; St. Alban’s, Yucaipa, to meet health insurance premiums; and St. Athanasius, Echo Park, to continue parish outreach.

The Corporation made its initial round of grants June 16 to five recipients: the congregations of St. Mark’s, Downey; Holy Faith, Inglewood; and St. Thomas of Canterbury, Long Beach; and the ministries of IRIS Interfaith Refugee and Immigration Services, and the Jubilee Consortium to assist in food distribution and other outreach to people in need.

Diocese-wide service with Bishop Taylor coming Sept. 20

Bishop John Harvey Taylor and Canon Kathy O’Connor will offer a diocese-wide virtual worship service on Sunday, Sept. 20, with the express purpose of giving parochial clergy a break from planning virtual services for their congregations, and to give the bishop an opportunity to speak to the entire diocese. The service, in English and Spanish, will be live-streamed from St. Paul’s Commons with the support of Provost Frank Alton and the altar guild of St. Athanasius’ Church.

Bishop Taylor notes that the issues that caused the diocesan website to crash during the last all-diocese service have been addressed. Log-in and service bulletin information will be announced in a future issue of the Update; for now, please save the date.

Genesis Podcast interviews leaders of 'The Gathering' Asian ministries group

The Genesis Podcast has released an episode featuring the Rev. Peter Huang and Sharon Crandall, leaders of The Gathering: A Space for Asian-American Spirituality, a program of the Diocese of Los Angeles. The Rev. Katie Nakamura Rengers interviews Huang, diocesan missioner for Asian-Pacific-Island Ministries, and Crandall, a lay jail chaplain, about identity, belonging, and what it means to see the image of God in one's self. Nakamura Rengers is Presiding Bishop Michael Curry's staff officer for Church Planting. She also is on the staff of The Abbey, an Episcopal Church ministry in Birmingham, Alabama. The podcast is available here.

Stewardship campaigns in a time of pandemic will be topic of Aug. 1 workshop

Join the Program Group on Stewardship on Saturday, Aug. 1 at 10 a.m. to welcome back Davey Gerhard (pictured), executive director of TENS, who will offer an online workshop titled "Conducting a Stewardship Campaign in a Time of Pandemic."

Topics to be covered include:

Bring a team and learn ways to build a campaign digitally as well as in person using TENS 2020 materials. Interpretation will be available in Spanish.

Registration is required: click here. Registrants will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. For additional information, contact Bishop Diane M. Jardine Bruce at [email protected].

In socially distanced-person and online, diocesan ministries continue to serve families, children

By Pat McCaughan

[The Episcopal News - July 29, 2020] Glenda Middleton has been instructing eager youngsters online in the fine art of growing gummy bears and making ice cream, observing chemical reactions while creating faux volcanoes and slime, and considering the serious issue of climate change.

“In addition to a mini-science camp, I am leading a book club, and we’re reading Greta Thunberg’s book, No One is Too Small to Make a Difference,” said Middleton, an intern serving a Jubilee Year as an instructor for the Neighborhood Youth Association, a non-sectarian institution of the Diocese of Los Angeles since 1906.

“The students are engaged. They show up. They want to learn. They want to participate in activities while they are still stuck at home,” she said. “In our group discussions, we are talking a lot about climate change and what’s amazing to me is how much the students are taking in and understanding about it. They are connected to that and want to learn more about it. They want to engage,” Middleton said.

Summer fun at Southland camps and activity programs has morphed in the age of the COVID-19 virus into a variety of creative online and in-person activities aimed at preserving a traditional focus of enriching and supporting young lives.

Read more here.

St. Clement’s, San Clemente, youth and local LDS ward raise $15,000 to aid Navajoland

By Pat McCaughan

[The Episcopal News - July 29, 2020] When the COVID-19 pandemic derailed a planned pilgrimage to Navajoland for a St. Clement by-the-Sea youth group, the San Clemente congregation shifted gears, and sparked a fundraising campaign, resulting in $15,000 in aid for the hard-hit Navajo Nation.

Navajoland includes portions of the Navajo Reservation, and the Episcopal Dioceses of Utah, New Mexico and Arizona. Roughly the size of West Virginia, at 27,000 square miles of high plains and desert, it is the largest reservation of its kind. Historic inequities, including a 40% unemployment rate, have made its 173,000 residents especially vulnerable to the coronavirus. Nearly 40% of residents live below the poverty line, earning less than $12,760 a year.

Read more here.

Bishop Bruce to preach virtually for churches in the Philippines

Bishop Suffragan Diane M. Jardine Bruce is preaching virtually across the congregations of the Episcopal Church of the Philippines over the Aug. 1 - 2 weekend. Her pre-recorded sermon will be available on Facebook here. Bishop Bruce has visited dioceses of the Filipino church several times in recent years as she has worked to strengthen ties between the Diocese of Los Angeles and Anglican and Episcopal Churches in Asia. She is pictured here arriving at St. Benedict's Church in Besao, Diocese of the Northern Philippines, in May 2018.

The Gathering will join other Asian Pacific Islander Christian groups to support Black community in 'Vigil of Love and Solidarity'

Los Angeles-area Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Christians and congregations from Southern California will gather with the Black community in "A Vigil of Love and Solidarity" at Leimert Park Village Plaza, 10 - 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 1. The Gathering: A Space for Asian Spirituality, a ministry of the Diocese of Los Angeles, will take part in the event, along with a wide variety of other Christian groups.

"We gather in unity from diverse backgrounds, theological convictions, and denominational affiliations to demand equal justice for Black lives," according to the event website. "We confess the ways that AAPI peoples have been complicit in anti-blackness, while also rejecting the false narratives of silence and inaction that erase the history of our social action. Joining our Christian and activist ancestors, we commit ourselves in redemptive hope to the collective pursuit of racial justice and the dismantling of unjust systems for the glory and honor of our Creator."

For the in-person event, metered parking will be available on Degnan Avenue; lots are at 43rd and Creed and 43rd and Norton. Attendees should wear a mask and comfortable shoes, bring water, and prepare to observe safe distancing. A video announcing the event is here; more information and online attendance information is here, or email to [email protected].

Pictured: The Vision Theater is a Leimert Park landmark.

Province VIII ECW invites all to 'aloha'-themed virtual annual meeting

Province VIII ECW invites all Episcopal Church Women to "In the Spirit of Aloha: Walking in the Way of Love,” a virtual annual meeting via Zoom, Friday - Saturday, Aug. 7 - 8. Friday evening will be a 5 p.m. (PDT) Pau Hana (happy hour) to mix and mingle in the spirit of aloha. The program on Saturday, Aug. 8, beginning at 9 a.m. PDT, will include the history of the Episcopal Church in Hawaii; a business meeting with presentations from affiliated organizations including UTO, DOK, CPC and GFS; election of officers for the 2021-2024 triennium; learning to dance island-style with "Hularobics"; a forgiveness workshop led by the Rev. Mary Janda (Diocese of Utah), former churchwide ECW chaplain; and a workshop on building up ECW in a diocese. The day will end with an Aloha worship service. There is no charge, except a voluntary $10 donation to cover postage costs. Complete information available here. Register by August 1 to receive an Aloha Packet by postal mail. For information, email to Christine Budzowski, Diocese of Los Angeles ECW president, at [email protected]. All women who attend an Episcopal congregation are automatically members of ECW.

Kaleidoscope 2020 Online Summer Institute to begin Aug. 3

Each summer, the Kaleidoscope Institute hosts a two-week training event to provide church leaders time to come together in sabbath to learn gracious leadership skills to help facilitate inclusive small group meetings and dialogue sessions.

This year the theme of the Summer Institute is "Fear Not: Living grace, truth and diversity in a divided and frightened world." Based on the Rev. Canon Eric Law’s latest book, Fear Not: Living Grace and Truth in a Frightened World (available here) the institute will take place online via Zoom August 3 - 13, 9 - 11:30 a.m. Kaleidoscope is offering Graceconomics pricing to allow participants to pay what they can for this event and in support of its ministry. Additional information and registration are available here.

'My Work to Do' offers online space for white people working to overcome racism

My Work to Do, an online affinity group designed to help white men and women build stamina for discussing racism, systemic injustice, racial healing, reconciliation, and justice in their everyday lives, is planning new sessions and invites members of the Diocese of Los Angeles to participate. "We invite those feeling lost or overwhelmed into the conversation," says the invitation, "especially white people who might not have a local anti-racism program or accessible discussion happening in their lives." The initial program is a five-week session, with one 1.5-hour online meeting per week at which participants will discuss such topics as housing discrimination, implicit bias, whiteness as a function, and systems of white supremacy — and where to go from here. To learn more and to register for upcoming sessions, visit the website here. For more resources see “Countering Racism, Building Community” here.

Food pantry based at Prince of Peace Church, Woodland Hills, named a Calif. 'nonprofit of the year'

West Valley Food Pantry, a community ministry originally established by Prince of Peace Episcopal Church, Woodland Hills, has been named a “2020 Nonprofit of the Year” by the California Association of Nonprofits. The food pantry operates at Prince of Peace Church and at a second location, coordinated by an interfaith coalition of community agencies. According to Debbie Decker, executive director, the two sites have served some 45,000 clients and provided more than one million meals since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis some four months ago. The food pantry was nominated for the honor by local State Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, representing the 45th district (west San Fernando Valley). In previous years honorees were brought together for an in-person celebration luncheon in Sacramento, but the tradition was suspended this year due to the pandemic. More about CalNonprofits is here.

Blood drives planned in July and August at three churches

Each of the churches listed below requests that donors make appointments by visiting RedCrossBlood.org. Type the sponsor code (specified below) in the donor box. Donors may save up to 15 minutes by completing pre-donation reading and answering health history questions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass, rather than filling out forms on the day of donation.

Additional helpful resources:

American Red Cross Donor App information

How to prepare for a great donor experience

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Blood Donation/Drive Fact Sheet

THURSDAY, JULY 30, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Holy Trinity Episcopal Church

100 N. Third Avenue, Covina 91723

Information: 626-967-3939

Sponsor code: HTEC

FRIDAY, JULY 31, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Grace Episcopal Church

555 East Mountain View Avenue, Glendora 91741

Information: Catie Anders at [email protected] or 909.994.7794

Sponsor code: GECG

TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

All Saints Church

132 N. Euclid Avenue, Pasadena

Information: [email protected]

Sponsor code: ASEC

TENS offers new tools, materials for 2020 stewardship season

Summer is when many congregations plan their fall stewardship campaigns. The coronavirus pandemic already has caused deep changes in how parishioners worship. "The next skill to face us is to learn to learn how to conduct stewardship campaigns virtually," says J. Davey Gerhard III, executive director of TENS, The Episcopal Network for Stewardship. "The usual ways that we look to create community and get out the message will be different this year. If yours is a congregation that relies on small groups or house church meetings to get members talking about their gifts, TENS has developed ways to use technology to gather meaningfully. For congregations that use announcement time for member testimonials, during virtual church, we’ll have to do these differently this year." TENS has developed materials and tools for congregations to help them do stewardship in the midst of the new reality.

The Diocese of Los Angeles is a member of TENS, so its congregations may access these materials for free. Click  here , and enter the log-in information: Username is 1PETER; password is FOUR:10

This year’s materials combined with a series of three ZOOM workshops are helping church leaders navigate these new times, using technical and pastoral best practices. The first workshop, "Virtual Stewardship 101," was offered on July 25. Remaining workshops are:

August 15 10 a.m. PDT 

Creating Virtual Community for Stewardship. Learn more about how to create meaningful small groups and pastoral teams virtually. Click  here  for reservations.

August 29, 10 a.m. PDT 

How to use the TENS 2020 Materials for your Stewardship Campaign. Walk through this year's resources to maximize their usefulness. Click  here  for reservations.

General Convention could be postponed to 2022, but decision is on hold, say presiding officers

[The Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs - July 29, 2020] Decisions about whether the Episcopal Church's 80th General Convention will convene in the summer of 20221 as scheduled have been put on hold pending more information about the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a letter issued to bishops and deputies by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and House of Deputies President Gay Jennings.

"Because the situation continues to be so uncertain, we are not yet ready to make a decision about how and when we will hold the 80th General Convention," Curry and Jennings wrote. "But thanks to the work of the task group we convened in May, we are closer to knowing how we will proceed if it is not possible to gather in Baltimore next summer.

"In the event that we cannot convene safely in person from June 30 to July 9, 2021, we will postpone the 80th General Convention to 2022, working with our partners in Baltimore as we determine appropriate dates. During the summer of 2021, we will hold an online convocation of worship and prayer to help us hear what the Spirit is saying to the church as we prepare to gather at General Convention."

The presiding officers noted that the decision is weighty, as the lives and safety of thousands of convention attendees, as well as millions of dollars of convention contracts, are at stake, and there is little clarity about how much conditions may improve in coming months.

The full letter is here.

Black Episcopalians in Province VIII issue statement on church's responsibility to combat racism

The Episcopal Church has a role and responsibility to overcome racism in American culture as well as in its own structures, says a statement issued July 20 by the Black African Ministries group of the church's Province VIII and the Western Region of the Union of Black Episcopalians.

"The video of George Floyd’s excruciating eight-minute 46-second death under the knees of a Minneapolis police officer and with the aid of fellow officers was the final catalyst in an ongoing controversy in the United States," the Black leaders wrote. "What is causing unarmed Black Americans to die at such a disproportionately higher rate than White Americans during police interactions? Why is law enforcement being called to intervene in

some of these minor situations at all?"

Naming some of the recent victims of police violence Ahmaud Arbery, Freddie Gray, Philando Castile, Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor, Tamir Rice and others, the leaders called on The Episcopal Church to live up to its statement that all are welcome, asking that the church increase its advocacy for systemic social change, including an end to overt and covert racial bias in business, government, institutions and law.

Read more here.

Third season of The Way of Love with Bishop Michael Curry podcast continues with guest Ruby Sales

[The Episcopal Church Office of Public Relations - July 29, 2020] Season 3 of The Episcopal Church’s podcast The Way of Love with Bishop Michael Curry, is now available. These weekly conversations, featuring Bishop Curry, podcast host Sandy Milien, and a variety of guests, center on ways to live a life committed to living the way of God’s unconditional, unselfish, sacrificial and redemptive love.

Season 3 changes include longer conversations between Bishop Curry and his guests: faith leaders, authors, and thinkers who are committed to following the Way of Jesus in the world today. Framed by the Way of Love – those seven practices of turning, learning, praying, worshipping, blessing, going, and resting – listeners will hear stories and lessons about how they can grow closer to God in daily life.

In this episode, Bishop Curry talks with legendary leader Ruby Sales about her long and enduring work for civil rights and freedom in the United States. The two discuss how she was introduced to these movements, her search for a calling, and the potential of The Episcopal Church to lead in honest racial justice and reconciliation.

Read more here.

Finding ‘Sacred Ground’: Thousands connect with Episcopal Church’s film-based series on racism’s historic roots

[Episcopal News Service] When protests against racial injustice erupted nationwide in late spring, the dioceses of Northwest Pennsylvania and Western New York invited Episcopalians to participate in Sacred Ground, The Episcopal Church’s 10-part, film-based discussion series. The curriculum confronts the historical roots of systemic racism and examines how that history still shapes American institutions and social interactions today.

The response was overwhelming: About 200 people signed up for the dioceses’ discussion circles.

Read more here.

Actor Olivia de Havilland, member of Episcopal cathedral in Paris, dies at 104

[Episcopal News Service] Dame Olivia de Havilland passed away July 26 in Paris, France, announced the Very Rev. Lucinda Laird, dean of the American Cathedral in Paris.

“Olivia was 104, and had been a member of the Cathedral since she moved to France in the 1950s. She died peacefully, with love and prayers surrounding her. Please keep her daughter, Gisèle, and her many friends in your prayers,” wrote Laird in a newsletter to members and friends of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe.

Read more here.

Priest’s viral ‘Hamilton’ video reminds parishioners, ‘You’ll Be Back’

[Episcopal News Service] The Rev. Lonnie Lacy, rector of St. Anne’s Episcopal Church in Tifton, Georgia, had been looking forward to seeing “Hamilton” in Atlanta with his daughter for months. But then the COVID-19 pandemic hit and the performance they had tickets for was postponed until next year. So when a recording of the Broadway musical started streaming on Disney+ earlier this month, they watched it together. When King George III started singing “You’ll Be Back” in his flowing robes, Lacy got an idea.

Read more here.

More stories from Episcopal News Service are here.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 1, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Online Scavenger Hunt and Krazy Kitten Game

Girls Friendly Society (GFS)

Via Zoom: for information and links, email to [email protected]

GFS president Margaret Nolde will lead GFS girls in coloring and chatting. Have ready half-letter sheets of blank paper; crayons, pens or colored pencils; and your imagination to draw and color pictures based on the theme "Family." Pictures will also be available for download. Artwork will be used to create GFS greeting cards. Girls (ages 5 and up) need not be members of GFS to participate.

SATURDAYS through AUGUST 8, 4 p.m.

Book Study: White Fragility by Robin Diangelo

St. Athanasius Church, Los Angeles

Via Zoom here (Meeting #995-9658-9471)

All are welcome to this timely study about racism and its relationship to the domination of white institutions in Western culture. People of faith cannot fail to act to tear down walls that separate and oppress people. If the group gets too large, we have the option of breaking into smaller groups for discussion. Join us and invite your friends.

WEDNESDAYS beginning AUGUST 5, 6:30 - 8 p.m.

Sacred Journey Series: White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo

Church of Our Saviour, San Gabriel

Information/Link: email to the Rev. Dennis Gibbs, [email protected]

Book discussion via Zoom led by the Rev. Jeff Thornberg, the Rev. Dennis Gibbs, the Rev. Greta Ronningen and Sharon Crandall. "White Fragility is a vital, necessary and beautiful book, a bracing call to white folk everywhere to see their whiteness for what it is and to seize the opportunity to make things better now. -- Michael Eric Dyson, author of Tears We Cannot Stop.

SUNDAYS, AUGUST 2, 9, 16, 9:30 - 10:30 a.m.

Summer in Romans with St. Paul: Vacation Bible School for Adults

St. John’s Cathedral, Los Angeles

Information here

Sessions are held online via Facebook.

Aug. 2: Presenter Lisa Bowens, author of An Apostle in Battle, on “Romans, African Americans and Protest”

Aug. 9, Michael Gorman, author of Apostle of the Crucified Lord, on “Last Chapters of Romans and New Perspectives”

Aug. 16, Katherine Grieb, author of The Story of Romans, with a wrap-up presentation reflecting on why Romans is one of the most important letters ever written for the church in the 21st century.

The series opened July 12 with an introductory session led by cathedral co-Dean Mark Kowalewski, followed with classes led by authors Brian Walsh on “Romans, Empire, and Home” and Sylvia Keesmaat on “Economics and Creation.” All sessions are archived on the cathedral’s Facebook page for on-demand viewing.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 2, 5 p.m.

Jazz Vespers: John & Gerald Clayton

All Saints Church, Pasadena

Information: www.johnclaytonjazz.com, www.geraldclayton.com or [email protected]

Jazz and prayer with Grammy-winning composer-arranger-conductor-producer-educator-bassist John Clayton and his son, Grammy-nominated composer-pianist Gerald Clayton. All are welcome.

MONDAYS, AUGUST 10, 24, 5 p.m.

The Gathering Summer Book Club

Online: Register here in advance

An opportunity to read, reflect, and discuss some of the most significant Asian (American) literature, offered by The Gathering: A Space for Asian Pacific American Spirituality

Financial assistance is available for the purchase of books. Register in advance here. An event page is available on Facebook here. For additional information, contact the Rev. Yein Kim at [email protected].

Online Sunday and weekday worship services in the Diocese of Los Angeles are listed here . To add a congregation's services, send information to [email protected] .

TRAVEL & PILGRIMAGE

Central Europe: Oberammergau Passion Play

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. (Please note the date change. The Passion Play has been postponed for two years due to the coronavirus pandemic.)

EMPLOYMENT

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