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Bishop John Harvey Taylor invites the diocesan community to worship together this Sunday, September 20 at 10 a.m. in a service of Holy Eucharist with a prayer for spiritual communion. The service will be livestreamed here (Bishop Taylor’s Facebook page), here (Diocese of Los Angeles Facebook page) and here (Diocese of Los Angeles YouTube channel). A PDF of the liturgy for the service can be downloaded here.

The bishop will be celebrant and preacher. His spouse, Canon Kathy O’Connor, will be lector and server. They will offer the service in English and Spanish from the Great Hall in St. Paul’s Commons, supported by St. Athanasius Church. Taylor said he hopes that parochial clergy will use the opportunity to take some time off over the weekend.

“With the program year getting underway in all our churches, this will be a chance for us to be all together in place, at least digitally,” Taylor said, paraphrasing Acts 2. “According to some, the year 2020 has been lost to COVID-19, but the year ahead definitely won’t be lost to Christ. Even in exile, even in the wilderness, our forebears’ example invites us to glorify God and serve God’s people without ceasing. Especially in these times, our communities, nation, and world need our proclamation of the saving, forgiving, healing love and justice of the God of all creation.”

[The Episcopal News - September 16, 2020] All Southland Episcopal congregations and neighboring houses of worship are encouraged to invite local law enforcement officers to join in conversations – via Zoom forums, virtual coffee hours, or in small, socially distanced groups outdoors – to mark national “Faith & Blue Weekend,” Oct. 9 - 12.

A protégé of the late Coretta Scott King, Pastor Markel Hutchins of Atlanta, is leading the Faith & Blue Weekend’s mission of engaging groups of racially and culturally diverse participants in balanced, respectful dialogue convened by neighborhood houses of worship to strengthen local relationships. Full details and registration information are online here.

“The Faith & Blue initiative is sparking nationwide participation from various Episcopal dioceses among other mainline judicatories working together with mosques, synagogues, and temples, and with the endorsement of all leading police and sheriff’s federations across the country,” notes Canon Bob Williams, diocesan canon for common life, who joined organizing webinars after the initiative came to the attention of Bishop John Harvey Taylor. 

Read more here.

'What did Jesus do?' Presiding Bishop Curry, in House of Bishops sermon, promotes voting, Christian love over divisions

[Episcopal News Service - September 16, 2020] Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, in an opening sermon for the Sept. 16 online meeting of the House of Bishops, urged Episcopalians to vote in the upcoming elections and to “encourage others to vote as their conscience leads them.” And he affirmed that The Episcopal Church’s positions on political issues, though nonpartisan, should not be confused with “moral neutrality.”

“The vote is so sacred and important for all people, regardless of your religious tradition or your politics or your nationality,” Curry said in pre-recorded remarks, delivered during a Zoom meeting. “The vote, as an act of moral humanity, is so important that people have given their lives for it.”

The sermon also was released later in the day as a “word to the church.” In it, he cited Scripture to discuss what Jesus did during his time that can guide his 21st century followers to bear witness in today’s world. Those teachings are especially relevant, Curry said, during the ongoing pandemic and this “time of great divisions.”

“Divisions that are deep, dangerous and potentially injurious to democracy,” Curry added. “What is the role of the church in the context of an election being held in a time such as this? What is our role as individual followers of Jesus Christ committed to his way of love in such a time as this?”

Read more about the House of Bishops meeting here. The text and video of Bishop Curry's sermon are here.

The following stories are the first in a series about the councils, boards and committees for which Diocesan Convention will elect members during the 2020 virtual convention on Nov. 13 - 14. Those interested in running for any of these offices will find nomination information and forms at the convention website here.

By Pat McCaughan

[The Episcopal News – September 16, 2020] Ken Higginbotham Jr., and other Southland Episcopalians say their service on Diocesan Council is both “challenging and rewarding,” and urge others to “put your name on the ballot and become part of this remarkable team of leaders.”

These leaders have “an impact, not only within our diocese, but with the overall mission of the Church,” says Higginbotham, son of the Rev. Canon Kenneth Higginbotham Sr., who died in 2010. His father served as a priest in the Diocese of Los Angeles and was a former rector of Christ the Good Shepherd Church in L.A.

The younger Higginbotham was elected as a member-at-large for his second 3-year term at the 2018 Diocesan Convention. A member of St. Stephen’s Church in Santa Clarita, he chose to run again after his first term because, he said, “I wanted to be part of a very strong, spiritual and committed group of church leaders that supports the bishop’s agenda in the continuance of doing God’s work.”

Although the responsibility of overseeing finances, budgets, property issues, congregational development, and administrative policies and programming between meetings of convention may not seem all that fascinating, Higginbotham finds it a labor of love with huge benefits.

Read more here.

By Pat McCaughan

[The Episcopal News – September 16, 2020] Ivan Gutierrez and the Rev. Kay Sylvester both say they ran for election to the diocesan Standing Committee simply “because somebody asked me to.”

For Gutierrez, a member of La Iglesia de Magdaleno in Glendale, that someone was Canon Clare Zabala Bangao, diocesan coordinator for mission congregations. “She broke it down for me, the background, what it was, and my interest was wanting to represent my sector of the community within the diocese.”

The opportunity seemed ideal for Gutierrez, 37, who is working on a Ph.D. in organizational leadership. He views the monthly meetings — currently held online in the time of Covid-19 — as “learning sessions from the bishops; information to us, and us to them.”

Now about halfway through his 4-year term, Guiterrez says the group “has become a brotherhood and sisterhood and is getting stronger. It is nice to see the different sectors of demographics, languages, cultures, coming together as one body for the mission of Christ. Everybody there is from different parts of the diocese.”

Read more here.

Bishop John Harvey Taylor will ordain Christie Ann Mossman and Dominique Nicolette Piper to the Sacred Order of Deacons on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 10 a.m. The service will take place at St. Paul’s Commons, and will be livestreamed here. The prayers and spiritual presence of the diocesan community are invited. Physical presence at the service is limited to specific people who will be notified personally.

The Rev. A. LeRoy “Roy” Young, rector-emeritus of St. Luke’s Church in Long Beach, died Aug. 20 after contracting West Nile Virus, said his daughter, Jill Young, who noted that her father had previously “lived a full and vigorous 90 years in perfect health.”

Young first came to St. Luke’s in 1967 as an assisting priest and was elected rector in 1974, serving through his retirement in 1990. Previously, starting in 1961, he was parish assistant at St. Matthias, Whitter, and from 1955 to 1960 assisted at Congregational churches in Los Angeles and Poway, Calif.

At St. Luke’s, Young helped establish parish outreach to address hunger and housing, as well as longstanding support of the arts, including the hands-on London Brass Rubbing Centre.

Read his obituary here.

Video and presentations are available from four recent Diocese of Los Angeles stewardship webinars, including one presented on Sept. 12. Click the links below or visit the Stewardship web page here.

September 12 stewardship webinar (video here)

Presented by Davey Gerhard, executive director of TENS (The Episcopal Network for Stewardship)

August 1 stewardship webinar (video here)

Presented by Davey Gerhard, executive director of TENS (The Episcopal Network for Stewardship)

   •   Powerpoint (English)

   •   Powerpoint (Spanish)

July 11 stewardship webinar (video here)

June 6 stewardship conference (video here)

Bishop Diane Jardine Bruce invites the diocesan community to an online panel conversation and discussion on “Your Liberation Is Our Liberation: Why Black Lives Matter to Asian Pacific American Christians” on Saturday, Sept. 19, 4 - 6 p.m. This event will focus on understanding race dynamics between Black and Asian Pacific American (APA) communities, and explore ways to promote racial justice in communities.

The conversation will feature Rachel Bundang, feminist ethicist and faculty member at Sacred Heart Cathedral in San Francisco and Santa Clara University; Canon Suzanne Edwards-Acton, educator and founder of MyWorkToDo.com and chair of the Program Group on Black Ministries in the Diocese of Los Angeles; Ezer Kang, associate professor of psychology at Howard University; and Diane Ujiiye, board president of Healing Urban Barrios and activist minister. Erika Bertling, intercultural educator, will moderate the conversation.

The online event is hosted by The Gathering - a Space for Asian Pacific American Spirituality, a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles to Asian Pacific Americans, which holds events to engage topics relevant to Asian American communities and offers a space for Asian Pacific Americans to gather to share in their spiritual journeys.

The event, to take place via Zoom, is free. Everyone interested in this topic is welcome to attend virtually. Registration is required; click here. Email questions to [email protected]. Additional information and biographies of panelists are here. An event flyer is here.

Girls’ Friendly Society Meeting - USA will hold a virtual World Day of Prayer 2020 on Saturday, Sept. 26, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. (PDT), followed by a virtual coffee hour until 1 p.m. GFS-USA will host both the service and the coffee hour via Zoom. The service has been prepared by GFS in South Sudan. Aiyana Harris, 15, a GFS member from St. Mark's Church, Upland, will represent the Diocese of Los Angeles as a reader.

To join in the GFS World Day of Prayer Service, use this link. An event flyer is here.

Author and theologian Kelly Brown Douglas will speak at "Reimagine Justice," a virtual fundraiser for Prism Restorative Justice, on Sunday, Oct. 4, 5 - 6:30 p.m. Douglas (pictured at left), author of Stand Your Ground: Black Bodies and the Justice of God, dean of Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary, canon theologian at Washington National Cathedral and theologian-in-residence at Trinity Wall Street, will engage in a conversation moderated by the Rev. Mike Kinman, rector of All Saints Church, Pasadena. Suggested ticket price is $60, but any donation is welcome. For tickets, click here. All proceeds will benefit Prism, which provides chaplaincy services for the incarcerated in Los Angeles County jails.

"Trauma & (Un)Truths" is a series of webinars examining systems of oppression in church and society, presented by New Community, the Diocese of Los Angeles' multicultural ministry, and Bishop Suffragan Diane M. Jardine Bruce. The first of four webinars, held on Aug. 22, introduced three topics that will be covered more extensively in the following sessions (see dates and topics below). A video of that introductory session is available here; copies of the presentations are posted here. All are invited to join the remaining webinars. There is no charge, but advance registration is required: click on the registration links below. More information about the sessions is here.

Register here.

Register here.

Saturday, October 17, 1 – 3 p.m. (note time)

Register here.

Spanish-language interpretation will be provided for all webinars, which will be conducted via Zoom. For additional information, contact Bishop Bruce at [email protected].

The Daughters of the King of the Diocese of Los Angeles will hold its Fall Assembly 2020, titled "Into the Future ... By the Grace of God!" Online on Saturday, Oct. 24, 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. The program, which will explore the question "Lord, what will you have us do?" from the DOK prayer, will include Morning Prayer, special guest speakers, election of new diocesan officers, and adoption of revised bylaws. To register, click here. For additional information, contact Kimberly Corner, [email protected].

The Daughters of the King is an order of lay and ordained women in the Episcopal Church and other denominations who live according to a rule of life and a rule of service. To learn more about the churchwide order, click here. For more about the Diocese of Los Angeles DOK, click here.

The churchwide Order of the Daughters of the King is currently engaged in "The Nehemiah Prayer Vigil: 52 Days of Prayer to Bring Peace and Healing to Our Nation," which began Sept. 1 and will continue through Oct. 22. The vigil was developed by Sharon Lundgren, a DOK member based in Georgia. After reading the Book of Nehemiah, she was inspired to create a practice in which DOK members, who have taken vows to regularly engage in intercessory prayer, might appeal to God "for help in healing the woundedness within our country," according to an announcement from the order. All are invited to participate; to find out how, click here.

The Center for Spirituality, based at Christ Episcopal Church, Ontario, will participate in "Dreaming an Ecological Civilization: An Exploration of Spirituality in Action," a conversation with theologians John B. Cobb Jr. and the Rev. Matthew Fox, on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 10 a.m.

"Join us for an exploration of different paths toward a common goal. We face climate change, massive species extinction, melting of the polar ice caps, increasingly severe weather, violence, economic inequality, political repression, and the debilitating effects of consumer culture. We are learning about the interconnectedness of everything on our planet and how our actions affect the entire earth. At the same tine we are learning about our embededness in, and responsibilities to, the local communities where we live. We find ourselves. hoping for, and wanting to work toward, a world of nurturing communities that are good for people, animals, and the earth. A world of beloved communities. How might religious and spiritual leaders help us realize this hope? What visions are needed? What forms of religious experience are needed? How did we get so off track in the first place? We will hear two different voices on this topic and how we can take different paths to arrive at the same destination: Love for our planet."

To participate via YouTube, click here. For more about the Ontario Center for Spirituality and its coming events, click here.

The Guibord Center - Religion Inside Out and IslamiCity will present "Inspiring Stories for Uncertain Times: Healing Our Hearts," an online time of storytelling and guided conversation on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 4 - 6 p.m. Participants will "hear moving stories from people of various faith traditions about how their spiritual practices have helped them build a healthy and more loving relationship with themselves and others. You’ll have a chance to share your own experience in a small group setting. We’ll talk about the wisdom we find in our spiritual traditions and reflect on how to apply that wisdom in our own lives."

Speakers for this event are:

More about the event and the speakers is here. To register, click here.

The Guibord Center, founded by the late Rev. Gwynne Guibord, an Episcopal priest, is an interfaith organization that works to foster understanding among Los Angeles' diverse religious communities.

By Your Side Vigil Companions, a program of Episcopal Communities & Services that trains volunteers to be a compassionate presence for those nearing the end of life, has announced its Fall 2020 training schedule.

"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. "Our mission, 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?” Over the past 6 months, we have thought and “visioned” and experimented."

This fall's training will take place in two 10-hour sessions over five weeks via ZOOM. The first session will be on Thursday afternoons, Sept. 24 - Oct. 22, 3 - 5 p.m. The second will be on Monday evenings, Nov. 2 - 30, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. The November training will have a special focus on the needs of staff at PIH Good Samaritan Hospital, but will be open to everyone.

A fee of $70 ( which includes all materials) is due by the second class. Scholarships are available. CE (12 hours) for nurses is available for an additional $30 under California Board of Registered Nursing Provider Number CEP 16239. For additional information and to register, contact Susan Brown of Episcopal Communities and Services at [email protected], or phone 818.822.6044. Enrollment is limited to 30 people. Deadlines to enroll are Sept. 22 for the first course and Oct. 30 for the second.

Bishop John Harvey Taylor recently announced that The Bishop’s Gala (previously known as the Bishop's Dinner) will be held on Saturday, Nov. 7 and will feature the Most Rev. Michael Curry, presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church. "Bishop Curry will be the guest of the Diocese of Los Angeles, pointing his listeners along the Way of Love just four days after the historic 2020 elections," said the invitation, referencing Curry's initiative for prayer and service.

The socially distanced program, featuring a reception and the presiding bishop’s address, will take place in the White House East Room replica of the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda. If the event can only be held digitally due to the pandemic, the address will be open for ticketed participants only. Proceeds will benefit Bloy House: The Episcopal Theological School at Los Angeles. Reservation information will be announced soon.

The Southwestern Association of Episcopal Schools (SAES) and National Association of Episcopal Schools (NAES) will present a webinar titled "Whose School Is It Anyway?" on Thursday, Oct. 8, at 12 p.m. PDT. Leading a church with a school comes with a completely different set of blessings and challenges. This joint NAES/SAES webinar will offer church leaders some best practices for creating a healthy church/school relationship as well as how to support and nurture the head of school. To participate, register 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, and congregations in the Diocese of Los Angeles have stepped up to help replenish them. Currently scheduled blood drives are listed below.

Grace Episcopal Church

555 E. Mountain View Avenue, Glendora 91741

Sponsor code: GECG

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.

[September 10, 2020] The Episcopal Church, in collaboration with a coalition of interfaith partners led by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), will offer a virtual webinar on “Good Trouble for a Healthy Planet” on Thursday, Sept. 24, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. EDT (7 - 10 a.m. PDT). It will address the impact of human activity on the planet and the urgent need for action to obtain sustainable and resilient communities globally and develop strategies for moving forward to address climate change.

Convening on the anniversary of the 2019 interfaith-based consultation to address the climate emergency, "Climate Emergency: Faith-based Organizations Raising Ambition - Leaving No One Behind” - this second interfaith consultation will feature opening and closing plenaries, as well as concurrent workshops that will run from 10:30am-11:30am EDT. Presentations will be supported by web-based materials and social media tools to be used throughout the day by participating organizations.

Registration deadline is Sept. 22. Read more here.

[The Episcopal Church - September 10, 2020] Registration is now open for the New Community 2020 Virtual Conference, hosted by The Episcopal Church Department of Ethnic Ministries, October 30-31. The theme is "Weaving Our Diversity and Forming Life-Giving Relationships for the New Reality."

This gathering of Asian, Black, Latino/Hispanic and Indigenous clergy and lay leaders provides a safe place to explore mission in ethnic ministries, share resources and best practices, hopes and dreams, needs and concerns, gifts and ministries, suffering and joy.

The conference will include plenary sessions and workshops addressing current issues as well as ethnic-specific meetings, inter-ethnic and cross-cultural conversations. During these challenging times within the church, the community, and the world, these conversations will explore issues surrounding unequal justice practices, a "different” justice system for people of color, and lack of fair opportunities, as well as how the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted further racial inequalities in the health care system, resulting in higher unemployment rates and higher risk in daily jobs in communities of color. Additionally, the labeling of the coronavirus as the “China Virus” has legitimized an increase in racism directly affecting immigration policies, DACA, and fear of deportation for many ethnic communities.

Read more here.

[The Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs - September 9, 2020] The Episcopal Church Offices of Church Planting and Redevelopment, and Ethnic Ministries are partnering to offer a Virtual Genesis-Koinonia Gathering Oct. 1 – Nov. 5. The annual conference is designed to inspire, mentor, and support new community leaders as they plan and plant their ministries, and to connect with and thank the diocesan leaders who support and oversee new missional initiatives.

The theme of this year’s Gathering is “What would be possible if…?” In his keynote address, the Rt. Rev. Mark Edington, bishop of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, will reflect on what could be possible if we learn to embrace a new model of ministry – one that nurtures an ethos of participatory worship, leadership and mission. The training sessions offered during this four-week period include these topics: shared leadership models, bi-vocational church planting, working with a mission team, and facilitating transformative conversations, and more.

Read more here (in English and Spanish).

[The Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs - August 24, 2020] Episcopalians are invited to join churches around the world in celebrating the Season of Creation; a time for people of faith to renew their relationship with God and all creation through celebration, prayer, and action. The Season’s roots rise from the Orthodox Christian tradition; the World Council of Churches was instrumental in making the special time a season, extending the celebration from September 1 until St. Francis Day, October 4. The Episcopal Church Office of Creation Care offers Season of Creation and St. Francis Day resources to help plan.

"The Season of Creation invites us to think deeply about our ecological, economic, and political ways of living, and to work towards justice and right relationship with God's Creation,” says the Rev. Melanie Mullen, director of Reconciliation, Justice, and Creation Care, “We are thrilled to participate in this global effort."

Read more here.

LACMA Sundays LIVE! Chamber Music concerts

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

Live-streamed and on demand here

St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal Church

7501 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles 90046

Streaming here (Facebook) and here (YouTube)

Information: 323.876.2102

Canon Ian Elliott Davies officiates. Music includes Recollection by David Conte, Evening Service in F by Syney Watson, O salutaris by Camille Saint-Saëns, Tantum ergo by Gabriel Fauré, O cor Jesu by Lorenzo Perosi, and Rhapsody No. 1, Op. 17, by Herbert Howells. The service will be broadcast live on St. Thomas’ Facebook and YouTube pages.

St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal Church

7501 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles 90046

Information: 323.876.2102 or here

St. Thomas' Church will welcome all to join in the annual blessing of the animals. To ensure the safety of all participants, the event will be held outside of the church in the open air, with social distancing precautions in place. All participants will be required to wear face coverings, and accompanying pets must be properly restrained. In addition to the blessing, Chef Scott May will provide affordable grab-and-go lunches and baked treats, Centennial merchandise will be on display and available for purchase, and further donations to the Parish will be accepted. All are welcome, with or without pets!

Online Sunday and weekday worship services in the Diocese of Los Angeles are listed here. (The URL was recently changed because of updates to the website.) To add a congregation's services, send information to [email protected].

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.)

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.