The

Almighty God, who hast given us this good land for our heritage: We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favor and glad to do thy will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

— Book of Common Prayer, p. 820; shared by Bishop John Harvey Taylor on Facebook on Jan. 20 for the inauguration of the 46th president of the United States.

We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation rather than share it,

would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy.

And this effort very nearly succeeded.

But while democracy can be periodically delayed,

it can never be permanently defeated.

In this truth, in this faith, we trust.

For while we have our eyes on the future,

history has its eyes on us.

— Amanda Gorman, 22, from her inauguration poem "The Hill We Climb"

By David Paulsen and Egan Millard

[Episcopal News Service] Episcopalians across the church on Jan. 20 joined in prayers for the new administration as Joseph R. Biden Jr. was sworn in at noon as the 46th president of the United States.

In his inaugural address, Biden drew from Scripture and his own faith in calling for a unified national response to the “cascading crises” facing America, from the COVID-19 pandemic to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol to climate change to rampant disinformation. Projecting perseverance and hope, Biden urged Americans to be civil in their disagreements and join forces to defeat the coronavirus, extremism, hatred and lies.

“We must end this un-civil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal. We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts.”

Most of the celebrations and prayer services were held online because of the pandemic. On the eve of the inauguration, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry was among an ecumenical group of 30 faith leaders who offered prayers in an online #PeaceWithJustice prayer vigil organized by Sojourners.

Read more here.

[Washington National Cathedral - January 19, 2021] Today, the Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) and Washington National Cathedral announced the virtual presidential inaugural prayer service on Thursday, Jan. 21, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time. Then-President Joe Biden will join the virtual event hosted by the National Cathedral and the service will be livestreamed at bideninaugural.org/watch and cathedral.org with closed captioning and ASL interpretation provided.

The diverse program will include prayers, readings, blessings and hymns from faith leaders, celebrated artists and other inspiring voices who will come together to mark the beginning of a new national journey that restores the soul of America, brings the country together and creates a path to a brighter future.

“The national prayer service is an important tradition for our nation and for President-elect Biden, who has always been a man guided deeply by his faith. The program announced today will honor the role of faith in our country and provide a moment to reflect on the unprecedented challenges we face as we enter this new American chapter of healing to beat the pandemic, build back our economy better and unify our country,” said PIC CEO and Delaware State University President Tony Allen.

The customary interfaith service, which dates back to the first inauguration of President George Washington, will be entirely virtual this year to engage Americans safely. Bishop William J. Barber II will deliver the homily and the program will feature remarks from leading religious voices representing all walks of life and musical performances from Josh Groban, Patti LaBelle and The Clark Sisters.

Read more here.

By Pat McCaughan

The Rev. Michele Racusin, diocesan chief financial officer, assigned “homework” to new and continuing diocesan council members at the group’s first meeting of 2021, held virtually on Thursday, January 14.

“Go back to your parishes in your deaneries and say, ‘hey, have you turned in your mission share fund (MSF) pledge statement?’ Because, we need that. This is what funds our mission congregations here in the diocese.”

So far in the new year, “we have an alarmingly small number of parish pledges in,” according to Bishop John Harvey Taylor. “We know it’s tough and we know that churches are in discernment and are having annual meetings and waiting to see what their local process determines. Yet, the time is going to be upon us when we’re going to be looking carefully at that $4 million.”

The diocese has received 17 pledges totaling $440,000 thus far, Racusin said.

The $4 million represents a budget “stripped down as much as we could, without annihilating some of the programs,” from the previous year’s $4.6 million budget.

Canonically, parishes are expected to pay 12-15% of their annual operating budgets and while mission churches are required to give 10% of their plate and pledge income in MSF contributions, which fund the ministries of many of the diocese’s 38 mission and four mission center congregations.

Racusin said the giving rate among diocesan parishes ranges between 2 and 15%.

Those mission congregations “by and large are in neighborhoods and communities that are less well-resourced and are less privileged,” Taylor said. “It is the responsibility of a diocesan family to make its first priority the care for those who that don’t have same privilege and capacity others do.”

Without meeting the budget objectives, there simply will not be the resources available to aid such congregations, who engage in diverse, vital and creative ministries. “We’ve got a lot riding on this, my fellow pilgrims,” Taylor said.

Read more here.

By Pat McCaughan

The annual diocesan celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life, held virtually Jan. 14, began with a video of the civil rights leader’s own words, spoken during a 1967 interview with then-NBC newscaster Sander Vanocur:

“I feel there is a need for a revolution of values in America, because some of the values that presently exist are certainly out of line with the values and the idealistic structure that brought our nation into being. Unfortunately, we haven’t been true to these ideals and many of the values of so-called white middle class society are values that need to be reviewed and re-evaluated and in a real sense they need to be changed.”

The theme of the two-hour multi-media tribute echoed King’s fourth and final book, Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? published shortly before his 1968 assassination. Speakers recalled King as revolutionary, as radical, as a Democratic socialist, a tireless campaigner for human rights, and activist for racial, social and economic equality.

Bishop Suffragan Diane M. Jardine-Bruce welcomed an online audience of some 2,000 viewers with an acknowledgement of “the timeliness of today’s service, in a moment in all of our lives when we have witnessed the horrific violence in our capitol and our streets.

“We pray that the words, prayers, meditations and music offered give us all the strength to carry on King’s legacy, working for justice, peace and equality for all, through nonviolent means.”

The Rev. Gayle Fisher-Stewart, who served as guest preacher, also referenced the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, in a riveting, fiery sermon: “If Black people had raced across those grounds, if Black bodies had scaled those walls, if Black bodies had attacked police officers, if Black bodies had dared to claim that building as theirs, there would be body bags too numerous to count.”

Fisher-Stewart is the interim rector of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. and founder of the Center for the Study of Faith in Justice.

Suggesting that the insurrection was caused, at least in part, by fear in the wake of the elections of the Rev. Raphael Warnock as the nation’s first Black senator from Georgia, and Kamala Harris, the first woman and the first person of Black and Asian descent as vice president-elect, she said: “This is what has folks in a dither. The country is coming closer to what the founding documents visualized but those who created them did not really believe.”

A former Washington, D.C. Metro police officer, she referenced the racial disparities evident in policing and underlying issues of white supremacy, boiling just below the surface of society: “Armed white people, amassing on the streets of D.C., on the steps of state capitols, taking selfies with police and governmental officials. Armed white people are merely expressing their Second Amendment rights. Armed white people are not a danger; Black and brown folks who breathe are.”

Read more here.

The diocese's new series of online ministry workshops, titled "Servants of the Spirit: Gifts for Ministry," will continue throughout 2021.

Two workshops will be held each month; one on a ministry topic (usually the first Wednesday of each month, in the evening) and one on a financial topic (second Saturday mornings.) No workshops will be held in July or August.

TIC is understanding, recognizing, and responding to the effects of all types of trauma. A trauma-informed approach aims to help us create an environment that is sensitive to the needs of those effected by trauma. Presenter: Stacey Roth, LCSW. Register here.

If you haven’t started working on your 2021 budget, utilizing one or both of these methods of budgeting might help. If you are done with 2021 budgeting, and you’d like to think fresh for 2022 and get a jump on planning for that, this workshop is for you. Led by the Rt. Rev. Diane M. Jardine Bruce. Register here.

Presenter: Davey Gerhard, Executive Director of the Episcopal Network for Stewardship (TENS). Register here.

Learn valuable tools and best practices and procedures to help you serve as treasurer for your congregation. Register here.

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 Southern California Christian Forum will present an Annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity service on Sunday, Jan. 24 at 3 p.m. via Zoom, hosted by St. Andrew's Russian Greek Catholic Church in El Segundo. The event will include a homily by the Rt. Rev. C. Franklin Brookhart, D. Min., (pictured at left) ninth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Montana. It also will include an ecumenical conversation among pastors of El Segundo churches, including the Rev. Dina Ferguson of St. Michael the Archangel Episcopal Church, the Rev. Lee Carlile of El Segundo United Methodist Church and Rt. Rev. Alexei Smith of St. Andrew Russian Greek Catholic Church.

For more information and to register for the Zoom link, email [email protected].

The Southern California Christian Forum (SCCF), formerly the Southern California Ecumenical Council (SCEC), is a regional body representing churches, denominations, related ministries, and other ecclesiastical communities who cooperate to promote responsible and creative expressions of our Christian unity and witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Gathering: A Space for Asian American Pacific Spirituality invites the diocesan community to "Far East Deep South: Film Screening and Conversation with the Filmmakers Larissa Lam & Baldwin Chiu," on Saturday, Feb. 6. The online screening will begin at 2:30 p.m.; the Q&A with the filmmakers will begin at 4 p.m.

Far East Deep South explores the seldom-told history of early Chinese immigrants living in the American South during the late 1800s to mid-1900s through the eyes of Charles Chiu and his family as they travel from California to Mississippi to find answers about his father, K.C. Lou.

The film provides a window into the lives of the Chinese in the South and the discrimination they faced in the midst of segregation. Included in the story is the bond between the Chinese and Black communities as two groups disenfranchised by racism.The film highlights the struggles and perseverance of the Delta Chinese and explores the added challenge of exclusionary immigration policies, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act. Additional information on the film and filmmakers is available here.

The Gathering, a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles to Asian Pacific Americans, holds events to engage topics relevant to Asian Pacific American communities and offers a space for Asian Pacific Americans to gather to share in their spiritual journeys.

The event is free and all are welcome to attend virtually. Advance registration is required: click here. For additional information, email [email protected].

Stillpoint: The Center for Christian Spirituality will present "Lectio on Life," a one-day retreat that "invites us to reflect on significant personal experiences in the light of Epiphany 2021, while enfolded in Stillpoint’s contemplative writing and listening community," according to the event announcement. The retreat, to be held online on Saturday, Jan. 30, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., will be led by Judith Favor, an active Quaker, retired UCC pastor and teacher at the Claremont School of Theology.

"The Lectio of Life invites us to reflect on significant personal experiences in the light of Epiphany 2021, while enfolded in Stillpoint’s contemplative writing and listening community.

"Adapting the practice of lectio divina as a template, we will revisit formative personal events over the past twenty years, as well as identifying significant spiritual learnings during the pandemic challenges of 2020. We will linger with our longings, and listen for hints of where Sacred Presence might be guiding us into an uncertain 2021. Twice during the retreat day, we have the option to hear and be heard in holy listening triads."

Cost is $60 per person. To register, click here.

Girls Friendly Society Los Angeles is seeking a volunteer to stand for election as secretary of the GFS-LA board. Deadline for nominations is Jan. 20, and the election will be held on Jan. 23.

Duties of the secretary include attendance at three board meetings per year (currently conducted via Zoom); writing and electronically distributing meeting minutes; and assisting with correspondence, record keeping and communications of the board. Skills needed: knowledge of word processing and ability to work with cloud storage are preferred.

"The leaders, advisors and board members of GFS are energetic and imaginative women of faith," according to the announcement. "We seek to provide a place for members to become friends by organizing events and opportunities for members from across the diocese of Los Angeles to have fun, travel and work together. The board encourages new ideas, such as the recent "Fly Away with GFS" online program, and supports all girls by creating programs that are up-to-date and affordable to all members. Members range from age 5 to 21, plus an additional Ambassador group for ages 21-30. Learn more abut GFS at www.gfscalifornia.org."

To apply, email Violet Limo, GFS-LA nominating chair at [email protected] with the following information: name, email address, church name and city; rector or vicar's name; experience; and reasons for interest in the position.

Girls Friendly Society - Los Angeles will hold its annual meeting for 2021 via Zoom on Saturday, Jan. 23 at 9:30 a.m. More information will be posted soon: for now, please save the date. GFS is an international Episcopal/Anglican organization for girls ages 5 and up. For more information, click here.

[Orange County Register - January 18, 2021] As the affordable housing situation becomes more acute in Orange County in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, two cities in North County are addressing the need.

In Buena Park and Placentia, two senior housing projects were recently approved that will collectively add more than 130 units for those with lower incomes.

In Buena Park, the Orchard View Gardens apartments will have 66 units, including a manager’s apartment, at 8300 Valley View St., next to the St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church.

In Placentia, the Santa Angelina Senior Apartments, 64 affordable senior units plus a manager’s unit, will be built on the grounds of the [Episcopal] Church of the Blessed Sacrament, 1314 N. Angelina Drive.

Read more here.

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.

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

St. Alban's will host a blood drive on fourth Tuesdays through August 2021. Upcoming dates are: Feb. 23, March 23, April 27, May 25, June 22.

St. Mark's Episcopal Church

330 E 16th Street, Upland 91784

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

Sponsor code: stmarks

By appointment only. Donors must be healthy and identification is required.

Christ Episcopal Church

1127 N. San Antonio Avenue, Ontario 91762

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

Sponsor code: CCPOntario

By appointment only. Donors must be healthy and be able to show identification. Upcoming dates are Monday, March 15; Thursday, April 8; Monday, May 10; Thursday, June 17.

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.

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

By David Paulsen

[Episcopal News Service] The Episcopal Church is launching a campaign, “From Many, One,” to promote a new spiritual framework for Episcopalians to engage in tough conversations with family, friends and neighbors, bridging the intense divisions that threaten to tear apart communities in the United States and beyond.

Starting Jan. 18, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Episcopalians will be encouraged to invite others to join them in “conversations across difference” guided by four questions: Who do you love? What have you lost? Where does it hurt? And what do you dream?

The campaign, which rejects retribution, punishment and “othering,” is inspired by the Latin phrase on the U.S. seal: E Pluribus Unum. Although it was developed before the mob of Trump supporters took over the Capitol for several hours on Jan. 6, the church campaign is launching at a time when many Americans are reeling from recent events. The goal is to celebrate difference and promote healing by emphasizing listening and curiosity.

“I have never been more profoundly aware of the need for passionate and practical commitment to the way of unselfish, sacrificial love that Jesus taught,” Presiding Bishop Michael Curry said Jan. 11 in a news release announcing the church’s “From Many, One” campaign. “Conversations with others across difference is not just a nice thing to do. It is a spiritual practice of love in action.”

So how will “From Many, One” help Episcopalians respond faithfully to today’s divisions? The campaign offers steps for facilitating one-on-one conversations that allow open expression of differences without judgment. Before setting up those conversations, participants can review the guide developed by the church. Engaging in “the spiritual practice of conversation across difference can help to knit us all into a diverse, more perfect union,” the guide says.

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. "Becoming More Human" will resume Jan. 11.

'Enneagram & the True Self' with Kathy Sperling

The Center for Spirituality-Ontario

Online: Learn more and register here

Learn how to connect authentically to God and Self, let go of old ways that no longer serve you, and find alternative pathways in the process. This is an introductory course; no previous experience with the enneagram is necessary. Participants will be asked to read a booklet in advance. Cost is $60. Kathy Sperling is a spiritual director, writer, musician, and facilitator. She is accredited by Providence Center and Pilot Light Program in Edmonton, and the Haden Institute Dream Training Program and Spiritual Direction Programs of Asheville, North Carolina. She operates out of St George's Center for Wellness & Learning in Edmonton AB, as well as online. She has published Solid Ground, a volume of poetry and images(2019), and is working on a book about her first year of exploring her dreams.

Girls Friendly Society - Los Angeles

Learn more and register here

Girls Friendly Society USA was founded at St. Anne's Episcopal Church in Lowell, Massachusetts, in in 1877 to provide friendship and support to young women who were leaving their homes to work in the city. Explore the lives of the first Girls Friendly Society members and meet the mill girls in a virtual field trip to the Tsongas Industrial History Center. Registration is limited to 30. Designed for girls in grades 4 - 6, but can be enjoyed by all ages.

The Center for Spirituality-Ontario

Online: Learn more and register here

A comprehensive class with presentations (1/3 of course time) and discussion (2/3) on the ways we can learn to recognize and resist the evil effects of individual or societal behaviors; as well as reflective guidance on how to orient your life in prayer for action and openness to God’s grace. Cost is $125. Peter Fritsch is an Episcopal priest and spiritual director. He holds a master's of divinity from Church Divinity School of the Pacific, Berkeley, and a bachelor's of music therapy from the University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA. Fritsch is the author of several books, and he is presently engaged in the study of evil from a spiritual perspective.

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.

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.

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.

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.