FEBRUARY 3, 2022 | VOLUME 34, ISSUE 5

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5th Sunday after The Epiphany

Sunday, February 6, 2022

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Isaiah 6:1-8, [9-13]

Psalm 138

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Luke 5:1-11

Preacher: The Reverend Ryan D. Newman

Saturday, February 5

Sisters Venue - Downtown Private Art Tour

9:00 AM - 12:00PM *Time Change*

Sunday, February 6

Grass Roots Neighbors Outreach

1:30 PM & 5 PM Service Slots

Holy Nativity Episcopal Church

Saturday, February 12

Sisters Venue - Pairings of food and wine

7:00 PM - 9:30PM

Veilhaber Residence

Friday, February 25

Beer and Brats

6:00 PM - 9:00PM

Mohler Residence

Bible and Breakfast

Tuesdays | 9:30 AM

Currently on Zoom Only

Evening Prayer

Wednesday | 7:00 PM

Currently on Zoom Only

Education Forum

Wednesday | 7:45 PM

Currently on Zoom Only

In my sermon this past Sunday, I reminded the congregation that through our baptisms, the Good News we are called to follow demands that we step outside our comfort zone. When we look in the mirror, we need to see our neighbor's face, not our own. I concluded my sermon by offering some practical examples of ways we can live into the narrative that is Jesus Christ through the lens of Luke 4 (one of the most crucial passages of Luke's Gospel that lays out Jesus' radical mission). Each example articulated a vision of St. Bede's building deeper connections with our sisters and brothers outside the Christian community.

It is common to evaluate a church's vitality through the lens of worship attendance, financial sustainability, and ministry vibrancy. Yes, these are some components of assessing the vitality of a community of faith, but they are not the only metrics worthy of our attention. One of the most often overlooked metrics is a congregation's engagement with non-Christian communities of faith.

As Christians, we risk building a silo in our neighborhood. We flirt with evolving into a silo on top of a rocky hill surrounded by an alligator-filled moat--not exactly the vision of Matthew 5:14; "You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid."

Silo building, both internally and externally, can deplete, if not obliterate, vital energy, resources, and connections. The shadows that silos cast can (and do) disempower the laity, build a looming wall of resentment, and freezes transformation and progress. 

One of my prayers for St. Bede's during this transition period is that we continue to look broadly at our relationships within the surrounding community, especially with our non-Christian friends and counterparts. Where can we strengthen those connections? Where can we cultivate and build new relationships? In the days, months, and years to come, where is the Spirit of God calling St. Bede's to be in the greater community?

Blessings,

The Reverend Ryan D. Newman

Interim Pastor

Welcome to the inaugural installment of "Everyday Faith: Spiritual Tools and Resources for our Busy Lives." Everyday Faith columns will be written by various members of St. Bede's and invite us to experience ways to incorporate daily prayer, scripture, and practices into our busy daily lives. The first installment is written by Bond Harper, St. Bede's Junior Warden.

Many of you are familiar with the little Forward Day by Day booklets from church, but did you know they also have a mobile app and website with customizable settings? These can be a wonderful tool for incorporating scripture reading and prayer into your daily life. Having the app on your mobile phone home screen gives you something meaningful to read during those random moments of downtime throughout the day. It’s even useful to calm an anxious mind when you find yourself awake in the middle of the night or nervously sitting in a doctor’s waiting room.

ANDROID DEVICE: To load the app on an Android phone or tablet, click here to download from the Google Play Store.

APPLE DEVICE: To load the app on an Apple phone or tablet, click here to download from the Apple App Store.

DESKTOP COMPUTER: On a computer, you can save this link to your favorites: https://prayer.forwardmovement.org/home

Under the Preferences button on the app or website, you can customize font and font size, lectionary cycle, and more. Of course, there’s still something special about sitting down with the Bible and your favorite hot beverage, but since our phones are usually with us wherever we go, tools like these can be a blessing in our busy lives.

DIOCESAN-SPONSORED STORY DAY

One of the next milestones of the Rector Search Process is a workshop facilitated by The Rev. Tom Discavage, Missioner for Formation and Transition Ministry in the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. Rev. Tom is the Diocesan staff member who helps congregations navigate the search process.

The workshop, "Story Day: God is good, Faith is strong, All will be well," pulls together the Search Committee, Vestry, Pastor Ryan, and the congregation to refine the vision for St. Bede's ideal next rector. Everyone will be invited to contribute, either in-person, virtually, or in written format. Your attendance and participation will be crucial to refining St. Bede's Parish Profile--the key marketing tool used to recruit rector candidates. We need your voices and input.

Initially, Rev. Tom was scheduled to be at St. Bede's this Sunday, February 6, to host the workshop after the 10 AM service. Unfortunately, due to the COVID surge, the workshop has been postponed. However, the goal is to host the event as soon as possible, hopefully by March. Please stay tuned for updates.

Do you wonder about the cardiovascular health of yourself and/or loved ones? Do you have any risk factors for heart disease, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, smoking, or family history? 

If you have any of these concerns or “just want to make sure” you are healthy, you have the opportunity to take advantage of a preventative screening at St. Bede’s Luther Hall on Saturday, March 5, 2022. 

St. Bede’s is hosting the Life Line Screening team who will be working in collaboration with the Beverly Hills Health Center. Life Line Screening uses advanced ultrasound technology that looks inside your arteries for signs of plaque buildup. They offer five different screenings for $139. They have partnered with over 100 hospitals across the country and have conducted over 10 million screenings since 1993.

To register for your appointment, please call 1-888-653-6450 or visit https://llsa.social/HSC.

TO VIEW FLYERS, CLICK ON THE IMAGES BELOW.

JEANNETTE'S SERVICE UPDATE

New Service Date:

Saturday, April 2 @ 10 AM

The service celebrating the life of Jeannette Young, initially scheduled for Saturday, February 12th, has been rescheduled for Saturday, April 2nd at 10:00 AM.

Please continue to keep Jeannette's family and friends in your thoughts and prayers.

Heartbreak and hope pave Latin American migrants' path; church leaders explore ways to help during Mexico-Guatemala trip

by Pat McCaughan

For the Rev. Norma Guerra and other members of the border ministries committee of the Diocese of Los Angeles, a Jan. 17 – 22 trip along “the migrant road,” from Guatemala City to Tapachula, Mexico, was both heartbreaking and hopeful.

“It was really bittersweet, very moving for me to be there, like my two worlds were coming together, my ties to my family and the church there, and of course, my love for and concern about immigrants and the church here,” said Guerra, diocesan associate for formation and transition ministry. She is the daughter of the Rt. Rev. Armando Guerra Soria, retired bishop of Guatemala and former primate of Central America.

“I’ve served in churches where we have immigrants, and I’ve heard their stories. So, it was wonderful to go and to see how organizations and the churches are wanting to help,” said Guerra, who came to the U.S. as a student, married, and later became a citizen. Yet, “it was very hard to hear about the treatment the people have received … like they are disposable.”

The migrant road is the nearly 300-mile journey many take, usually on foot, from Guatemala to Tapachula, Mexico, where they are stuck, sometimes for years, under Mexican immigration enforcement that has ramped up from pressure by the United States.

View the Latest Edition of "The Episcopal News"

Oregon parish, diocese sue city for restricting feeding ministry

St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Brookings, Oregon, and the Diocese of Oregon are suing the city of Brookings, arguing that the city’s attempt to limit the church’s ministry of feeding the homeless and hungry violates its right to religious freedom. The parish and diocese filed the lawsuit in federal court on Jan. 28 in response to a recent city law that cuts the weekly number of meals St. Timothy’s can serve in half.

“The restrictions imposed by the city target and interfere with the congregation’s free expression of their Christian faith which calls them to serve others in need,” the diocese wrote in its announcement of the lawsuit, which asks the court to declare the ordinance unconstitutional and block its enforcement.

Utah announces slate of candidates for 12th bishop

The Diocese of Utah Standing Committee on Jan. 29 announced the following slate of candidates for the 12th bishop of Utah: 

• The Rev. Rob Droste, canon for congregational development and mission in the Diocese of New Jersey;
• The Rev. Phyllis Spiegel, a rector at St. Anne Episcopal Church in West Chester, Ohio;
• The Rev. Janet Waggoner, canon to the ordinary, Episcopal Church in North Texas.

Utah Bishop Scott B. Hayashi, who has led the diocese since November 2010, announced his retirement in 2019. An electing convention is scheduled for April 30. Pending the canonically required consents, the ordination and consecration of the bishop-elect is scheduled for Sept. 17, 2022.

Executive Council advances 2023-24 budget with eye to post-pandemic church as uncertainty looms

Looming uncertainty about the future of the post-pandemic Episcopal Church permeated discussions this week as Executive Council gathered online for its latest meeting Jan. 25-27.

After three years of churchwide budget surpluses, council members considered how much of those funds will be needed to fill potential budget shortfalls, while voting to move a proposed $101 million budget for 2023-24 to the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance, reporting to the 80th General Convention.

Southwest Florida announces slate of candidates for bishop coadjutors

The Southwest Florida Standing Committee Jan. 30 announced the following slate of candidates for the sixth bishop of Southwest Florida (listed in alphabetical order by last name):  

• The Rev. Thomas P. Reeder, rector, Christ Episcopal Church, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida; 
• The Very Rev. Douglas F. Scharf, Rector, Good Shepherd Episcopal Church & School, Tequesta, Florida; 
• The Rev. Timothy E. Schenck, rector, Episcopal Parish of St. John the Evangelist, Hingham, Massachusetts; 
• The Rev. C. John Thompson-Quartey, canon for ministry development & congregational vitality, Diocese of Atlanta, Georiga. 

Information about each candidate, including a brief professional biography, is available here.  

The petition period is now open and will close on Feb. 7 at 5 p.m. Eastern. Information about the petition process, as well as forms and information about other required documents, can be found here. Petition candidates will be announced to the convention no later than March 20.

The standing committee has called a Special Meeting of Convention to be held on April 2 at the Cathedral Church of St. Peter in St. Petersburg for the purposes of the election of the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Southwest.

Southwest Florida Bishop Dabney Smith called for the election of a bishop coadjutor on Oct. 17, 2020. Pending the canonically required consents, the ordination and consecration of the bishop-elect is scheduled for Sept. 24, 2022.

Annual Meeting: The Vestry of St. Bede's has rescheduled the meeting to Sunday, February 27, 2022. The meeting will begin at 11:30 AM and be held in a hybrid format (in-person and online). If conditions allow, we will host a luncheon following the meeting.

2022 Flowers and Sanctuary: CandleThe beautiful floral arrangements in the Church and maintaining the Sanctuary light shining are funded through the generous donations of the congregation. Flowers are typically given in thanksgiving for a person(s) or blessing in life, in memory of departed loved ones, or simply to rejoice in the Glory of God! We invite you to enhance the beauty of our magnificent sanctuary by donating to support this ministry in 2022. The suggested donation for flowers is $30 and for keeping the Sanctuary light shining is $10. To donate, please either fill out the online form or utilize the donations envelopes available in the narthex on the credenza. Payments can be made either online or by check. Checks can be delivered on Sundays or mailed to the Church office. Please put “2022 Flower/Light Donation” in the check memo line.

Online Giving: Are you planning to attend worship online and want an easy way to make a pledge payment? Do you want to ditch the checkbook and set up reoccurring payments? Are you looking for a convenient way to make a one-time special gift to St. Bede's? Did you know you can make donations online to St. Bede's, securely and easily? Visit the St. Bede's website and at the top of every page, look for the "Donate" button. When you click on the "Donate" button, you will be transported to St. Bede's Vanco eGiving and Payment Process Site. Vanco is an industry leader in online payments. Vanco complies with PCI Level 1 standards, the highest security standard in the payment processing industry. You are invited to set up one-time or recurring gifts using credit, debit, or bank transfer on Vanco's secure payment processing platform. Giving online through the Vanco site saves time and the hassle of remembering to bring your offering. In addition, you decrease the expense incurred by St. Bede’s from handling and processing checks and cash.

Digital Service Program Initiative: The initiative encourages congregation members to download the Sunday service program onto their mobile devices (iPhone, iPad, Kindle, etc.) to minimize our overall environmental footprint. Our initial goal by Holy Week 2022 is to reduce our weekly printing output by 15%. Each week in The Quill, there is a link to the Service Program page on St. Bede’s Website. Programs are uploaded by Saturday evening and often earlier. A link to the page can also be found under the “Worship and Education” tab on St. Bede’s Website.