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By Pat McCaughan

[The Episcopal News – November 11, 2020] The virtual Bishop’s Gala in the Diocese of Los Angeles on Nov. 7 featured as keynote speaker The Episcopal Church’s Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and a spirited conversation about truth, reconciliation and love, in a benefit fundraiser for diocesan ministries and Bloy House, the Episcopal Theological School in Los Angeles.

The conversation — at times painfully honest, deeply intimate, and profoundly challenging — included Curry’s reflections about his signature Way of Love; advice to U.S. President-elect Joe Biden for healing the nation; the hard work of reconciliation; and the role of deacons in carrying out such work.

After the event, Bishop John Harvey Taylor extended thanks to the presiding bishop and all who attended and contributed. “During the months of transition and transformation ahead,” Taylor said, “we’ll come back again and again to drink from the well of Bishop Curry’s inspiring words and wisdom.” Taylor said that the gala netted more than $100,000.

Read more here.

By Susan Russell

With the election behind us and the new year ahead of us, the question on so many minds and in so many hearts is “what next?” Where do we even start to make a way where there seems to be no way through the polarization and pandemic that challenge our nation and our world?

Here in the Diocese of Los Angeles we start by claiming the historic promise that there is a way when there seems to be no way – and that love is that way. And one of the ways we start to claim that promise is by launching a five-week diocese-wide exploration of Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s Love is the Way.

In this, his newest book, Bishop Curry offers an inspirational road map for living the way of love. Through the prism of his faith, ancestry, and personal journey, Love is the Way shows how America came this far and, more importantly, how it can go a whole lot farther. 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 live of nations, warmer, better and nobler.”

Beginning on Wednesday, November 18 at 7 p.m., the online "Love is the Way" program will offer participants the opportunity to engage across geographical and congregational differences that challenge us and reflect on the love that binds us together; God’s love and the reflection of that love in human lives. Sessions will continue on Wednesdays, Nov. 25 and Dec. 2, 9 and 16.

Hosted by One in the Spirit – our diocesan engagement across difference ministry – each session will include a reflection on a segment of the book followed by conversation in community using a listening and learning circle model in both English and Spanish.

To take part in the book study series, click here to register in advance. After registering, participants will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meetings. For more information, email to [email protected].

Members of the diocesan staff, including those currently working from home due to pandemic restrictions, will be off duty on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 26 - 27, for the Thanksgiving holiday; on Thursday and Friday, Dec. 24 and 25 for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day; and on Thursday and Friday, Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

The Resource Roundup and Update will be on hiatus during the week of Thanksgiving, as well as the weeks of Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Publication will resume Jan. 5 and 6. Those planning January events are encouraged to send information to [email protected] as soon as possible for advance notices before the holidays.

A video of the virtual memorial service for Canon James A. Sanders conducted by Bloy House (The Episcopal Theological School at Los Angeles) on Oct. 31 is now available on YouTube here. Sanders, an eminent Old Testament and Hebrew Bible scholar, an editor of the Dead Sea Scrolls and a beloved professor at Episcopal Theological School at Claremont and Bloy House, died Oct. 1 at his home in Claremont. He was 92.

By Pat McCaughan

[The Episcopal News – November 11, 2020] Canon Anilin Pulido Collado pauses before her next appointment to send a quick email because, she says, “Somebody’s trying to collect unemployment benefits and I wanted to get back to them right away.”

It is open enrollment for Episcopal Church Medical Trust benefits – time for most Southland Episcopal church clergy and diocesan lay employees to sign up for or upgrade existing plans, or at least to revisit their medical and dental health care options. When the season rolls around near the end of each year, it keeps Collado, missioner for human resources for the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, as the song goes, working day and night.

Some days begin very early, with consultations on East Coast time with the New York City-based Church Pension Group, which administers the church-wide medical trust. “My day can start at 5 a.m.,” Collado said. “That’s when the CPG opens and, if you don’t want to be waiting too long, it’s always better to make the phone call first thing in the morning.”

Other days last well into the evening hours, to accommodate church vestries and committees as well as individual schedules.

But navigating the employees of 130-some congregations and 40 diocesan schools and institutions through the complexities of the open enrollment season is a tiny aspect of Collado’s role. Year-round, she serves as an overall resource person for those same entities, a role she approaches with compassion and extreme care. She also serves as manager of the St. Paul’s Commons Retreat Center in Echo Park.

“My role is to be a resource person from pre-hiring through termination and everything in between,” says Collado, or “Ani,” as she is affectionately known. “This is my ministry. The ministry is in the encounter in daily lives, in the contact."

Read more here.

Diocesan Convention will be held virtually on Saturday, Nov. 14, 9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m., and conclude with Eucharist on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 10 a.m., with a sermon by the Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers, canon to Presiding Bishop Michael Curry for Evangelism, Reconciliation and Stewardship of Creation.

The convention will be based at St. Paul's Commons and led by Bishop Diocesan John Harvey Taylor. All in the diocese are invited to view the business proceedings on Saturday and the Eucharist on Sunday on YouTube or Facebook. The convention schedule is here.

Certified delegates and diocesan clergy members with seat, voice and vote should have received an email on Nov. 10 or 11 from the office of the Secretary of Convention with log-in information that will allow them to vote and take part in discussions. If the email did not arrive, participants should first check their spam or junk mail boxes; for more assistance, contact Samantha Wylie, convention coordinator, at [email protected]. More information for delegates is in the story below and on the convention website.

The virtual Exhibit Hall is open to all from now until the end of 2020, and may be accessed here.

[The Episcopal News - November 9, 2020] Delegates and clergy who find the thought of a virtual Diocesan Convention a bit daunting – and even those who are more at home with Zoom technology – will find extensive help on the convention website’s new “Tech at Convention” page, including opportunities for personal tech assistance.

The page has links to several videos and a written guide about participating and voting in the online convention, which will be held on Saturday, Nov. 14 (business session) and Sunday, Nov. 15 (online Convention Eucharist).

Ara Arsenian, internet consultant for the diocese, is offering 15-minute one-on-one sessions for delegates and clergy who are unsure of how to handle the technical aspects of convention. To schedule an appointment Nov. 10 – 14, visit the Tech at Convention page and select a time. There is no charge. Available appointment times begin at 8 a.m. each day and continue through the day.

Read more here.

Delegates to the upcoming Nov. 14 – 15 diocesan convention will be asked to ratify a $6 million budget for 2021, representing severe cuts to diocesan ministries and a 13% overall reduction from the previous year. Read more here.

The Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers, canon to Presiding Bishop Michael Curry for Evangelism, Reconciliation and Stewardship of Creation, will preach at the Sunday, Nov. 15 virtual Eucharist that will conclude this year’s online Diocesan Convention, “Servants of the Spirit.” Read more here.

With the Diocese of Los Angeles’s Nov. 14 - 15 virtual 125th annual meeting just a few weeks away, St. Paul’s Commons in Echo Park is beginning to look and feel a lot like convention. Read more here.

Since convention delegates and visitors can't walk into a convention center hall this year to visit exhibits from ministries, services, institutions, spirituality and education providers and the wider church, convention coordinator Samantha Wylie is bringing the exhibits to them online. Read more about exhibit hall and the newest additions here.

The Episcopal News recently published a series of articles about the councils, boards and committees for which Diocesan Convention will elect members. Those interested in running for any of these offices will find nomination information and forms at the convention website here.

Articles in the series are on the Episcopal News website or at the links below:

The Episcopal Community Federal Credit Union will hold its 2020 annual meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 17, according to board chair Dan Valdez. Credit Union members are invited to attend the virtual meeting. To register, email to [email protected]; log-in information will be provided. (An incorrect email was listed in last week's Update. The News regrets the error.)

Assisting Southland congregations and individuals hardest hit by the COVID-19 crisis, four new grants from the One Body & One Spirit Emergency Appeal Fund have been awarded by the Corporation of the Diocese, which has announced Nov. 13 as the application deadline for the next round of grants. Application procedures are online here.

As reviewed by the diocesan Special Committee on Incorporation of Parishes and Admission of Missions prior to consideration by the Corporation at its September and October meetings, new grants range from $5,000 to $7,500 and have been awarded to:

The Corporation of the Diocese has made a total of 18 grants to date from contributions that last week reached a total of $200,000. Contributions to the fund may be made here, and video reports of “Grants in Action” are here.

"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 Canon Suzanne Edwards-Acton, project founder, "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.

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

Christ Episcopal Church

1127 N. San Antonio Avenue, Ontario 91762

Register here or call 1-800-RED-CROSS

Sponsor code: CCPOntario

By appointment only. Donors must be healthy and be able to show identification. Christ Church will host an additional blood drive on Monday, Jan. 4.

St. Alban’s Episcopal Church

12692 Fifth Street, Yucaipa 92399

Sign up here

Sponsor code: ST ALBANS

St. Alban's will host a blood drive on the following Tuesdays: December 29, January 26, February 23; continuing on fourth Tuesdays through August 2021.

This holiday season, Episcopal Relief & Development invites supporters and congregations to sow seeds of resilience in communities around the world by giving a gift from Gifts for Life, the organization’s alternative gift catalog.

Gifts for Life enables individuals and groups to transform lives in communities worldwide through the purchase of a wide range of gift offerings to support those communities. The 2020 catalog features new offerings such as the ONE THOUSAND DAYS OF LOVE package, which supports the organization’s campaign to expand its work with communities and families to help children up to age six so they can thrive and achieve their full potential. The package includes:

Also new this year is a special COVID-19 relief kit. This gift will equip partners with the resources and knowledge to assist their communities in effectively preventing and reducing coronavirus transmission and to respond to cases as they arise.

Read more here.

St. Luke's Church

525 E. 7th Street, Long Beach

Information here

Reservations: [email protected]

The center, now in its 34th season, brings medieval history alive as it offers the art of brass rubbing to youth as an enhancement to on-line learning and to adults as a delightfully unusual outing. The event will this year be held outside; all Covid 19 safety measures of social distancing and masks will be observed. Each presentation is 90 minutes of learning about medieval times, knights' armor, and ladies' fashion, and making art to take home. The price is $8 per person, which includes all materials. Reservations are required for all groups Tuesdays - Fridays; presentation times are 9 a.m., 11 a.m., and 1 p.m.. Saturday hours are 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. with no reservation for individuals. The center is closed on Sunday and Monday.

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.

Center for Spirituality in Ontario

A four-session virtual discussion of the revolutionary meaning of the Gospel birth narratives, led by Jim Dunkly, Ph.D., and the Rev. Gianluigi Gugliermetto, Ph.D. Suggested donation is $100. To enroll, contact Ashanti Smalls at [email protected]. For more information, visit the center's website here.

Streaming here (Facebook) and here (YouTube).

Clergy and registered delegates will receive instructions directly from the Secretary of Convention. All others are welcome to view the proceedings at the links above. For more about the convention, visit its website.

Streaming here (Facebook) and here (YouTube)

Convention will conclude with this diocese-wide service. Bishop John Harvey Taylor will preside: the preacher will be the Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers, canon to the Presiding Bishop for Evangelism, Reconciliation and Stewardship of Creation (read more here). All in the diocese are invited and encouraged to view the service.

All Saints Church

132 N. Euclid Avenue, Pasadena (outdoor gathering)

Information: Debbie Daniels, 626.583.2750 or [email protected]

On and around this day across the world, people gather in solidarity to mourn those who have been victims of anti-trans violence, and to ensure that their lives, and deaths, are not forgotten. It allows us to call attention to the continued violence and discrimination persons of trans experience face every day. Social distancing, masking and all diocesan Covid-19 protocols will be in place. Music will be offered by Cassidy Anderson.

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 was postponed for two years due to the coronavirus pandemic.)

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.