|
Day of Pentecost
Sunday, June 5, 2022
SCRIPTURE READINGS
Acts 2:1-21
Psalm 104:25-35, 37
Romans 8:14-17
John 14:8-17, 25-27
Preacher: The Reverend Ryan D. Newman
| |
|
Monday, June 6
Sisters of Bede
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Luther Hall & Zoom
Sunday, June 12
Grass Roots Neighbors
1:30 PM & 5:00 PM
Holy Nativity Episcopal Church
Saturday, June 18
Juneteenth Dinner
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Luther Hall
| |
Bible and Breakfast
Tuesdays | 9:30 AM
Luther Hall & Zoom
Midweek Eucharist
Tuesdays | 6:00 PM
Sanctuary & Watch Online
Evening Prayer
Wednesday | 7:00 PM
Luther Hall & Zoom
Education Forum
Wednesday | 7:30 PM
Luther Hall & Zoom
| |
|
INVITATION TO USHER IN PENTECOST
In the past, a few of us have led the congregation in song and waved red cloth to symbolize the Pentecost tongues of fire. We invite you to join us in front of the congregation to encourage the spirit of Pentecost. We will do this by waving our banners as we sing: "Every Time I Feel the Spirit." We invite you to join us in front of the congregation to encourage the jubilant spirit of Pentecost. Bring something red: a scarf or a larger piece of cloth, and join in.
- Lana Grace Spraker
| |
|
As I said in a recent Facebook post, May was a rough month in our household. We are glad to see May go! Honestly, I believe so many throughout the world are so happy to see May go--it was a challenging and painful month.
I want to thank the St. Bede's Family for their prayers, support, and understanding. It was never my intention to miss three weeks of Sunday worship. My deepest apologies. COVID hit me hard and for much longer than I ever anticipated. Thank you to everyone who helped out and filled in during my absence.
Also, I would like to thank Susan Holder and the entire St. Bede's Vestry for insisting that I keep my scheduled vacation week during the Memorial Day holiday. As a result, our family got to escape to the beach community of Ventura. We went to the beach and countless playgrounds. We enjoyed ice cream and BBQ dinners every day. We hung out and enjoyed our time together. The long weekend was fantastic and much needed after the month of May.
With June's arrival, the summer months are upon us. Often in the life of the Church, summer is a quieter and slower period, especially as parishioners travel and enjoy the warm summer months. At St. Bede's, it might be slightly quieter during the summer this year. However, there are still a ton of things happening. Our rector search will be in high gear. Our principal outreach projects, Neighbor4Neighbor and Grass Roots Neighbors, will continue throughout the summer. Our Wednesday night Adult Forum, The History and Archaeology of the Bible, journeys onward. Tuesday evenings in June, a group will gather to explore how we can invite, welcome, and connect others to St. Bede's. And as always, we will continue to gather for worship on Sundays.
I look forward to seeing you this Sunday. I have missed you!
Blessings,
ryan+
The Reverend Ryan D. Newman
Interim Pastor
| |
|
We want to grow the congregation of St. Bede’s, but we do not know where to begin.
We want to see more young people and families again in our congregation.
We want to be the church from those in the surrounding neighborhood.
How often have you heard these statements spoken at St. Bede’s in the last couple of years? For St. Bede’s to THRIVE rather than just survive, we must be intentional about our ministries of evangelism, hospitality, and belonging. We have to INVITE, WELCOME, and CONNECT others to St. Bede’s.
Invite Welcome Connect is a ministry of transformation that equips and empowers individuals and congregations to cultivate intentional practices of evangelism, hospitality, and belonging. Rooted in the Gospel directive to “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19), this ministry provides a practical theological framework and comprehensive process for engaging communities of faith to move from a maintenance culture to a gospel driven mission culture.
Designed to accommodate congregations of all sizes, Invite Welcome Connect crosses all social and economic boundaries and explores the ways creativity and relational ministry go hand in hand in effecting cultural change. Invite Welcome Connect relies on the collaborative creativity of clergy and laity who choose to actively and intentionally embody the principles of hospitality, making this method adaptable to any parish, age group, or location.
During Tuesday evenings in June (7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th), Rev. Ryan will facilitate an Invite Welcome Connect Exploratory Study Club. The four-week gathering will introduce the St. Bede’s community to the Invite Welcome Connect Ministry. After the four-week study club, participants will have an option to become founding members of the Invite Welcome Connect Steering Committee at St. Bede’s. If you participate in the IWC Exploratory Study Club, you are only committing to join us for four weeks to learn and explore the Invite Welcome Connect Ministry.
The IWC Exploratory Study Club will meet Tuesdays in June from 6:45 PM until 8:15 PM in Luther Hall. Ideally, this study is best in-person. Thus, our goal is to host the IWC Exploratory Study Club entirely in person, but we might need to amend the format to a hybrid format based on the group and COVID protocols. Participants will be asked to do some reading and review other resources between sessions. Attendance at all four sessions is essential.
We invite you to view the brief video below to learn more about INVITE WELCOME CONNECT. If you are interested in participating in the IWC Exploratory Study Club, please register here. The registration deadline is June 5th.
| |
|
INVITE WELCOME CONNECT TESTIMONIAL
A Texas native and lifelong Episcopalian who was very active in her church and diocesan ministries made the difficult decision to move across the country for a job promotion. So what did this smart, professional, early-50s woman do right after she moved into her new home? She began visiting all the Episcopal churches in her area. As she lamented to her friend, Mary Foster Parmer, author of Invite Welcome Connect: Stories and Tools to Transform Your Church, “In every single church I’ve attended, it’s as it they don’t even see me. No one sees me!” She had signed guest registers and written her name on welcome cards for newcomers. The only follow-up she received was a form letter with a pledge card. But she kept trying. She finally found a church home a good distance from where she lived, and later wrote of her experience:
“While chatting with a greeter, I was invited by him to the upcoming newcomer dinner simply because ‘It’s important to meet people in a new city so you won’t be lost.’ Relationship versus membership. During that dinner the vicar used the same metaphor in describing what every individual should expect in his or her parish life— a relationship.
One week later, a six-year-old helped me write my name tag. Advent found me still visiting. During the peace, as they did with each other, I was also greeted by name. At Christmas, deeply grateful for God’s comfort and care during my journey, I dropped a check in the plate. When the church sent a letter blessing my giving for its use in helping the Body of Christ, they tugged at my heart because they told me what was important to theirs…
With that blessing I transferred my membership and started a new relationship. How many forms? Just the sign-in at the newcomer dinner. After all, they already knew me.”
| | |
|
Some text for the article courtesy of https://www.invitewelcomeconnect.com/
Testimonial Source: https://www.saint-tims.org/invite-welcome-connect.html
| |
|
Mar Vista Voice, a local organization dedicated to keeping our community informed and involved, has reached out to St. Bede’s about a new City of Los Angeles emergency supplemental meal program for adults 60 years and older. (The program is sponsored by the city’s Department of Aging).
Anyone who is 60 + and a resident of L.A. is eligible. To sign up, participants will need to share only their name, address, date of birth, phone number, and meal selection (participants can specify certain preferences such as low-sodium vegetarian and vegan). They can receive up to 14 meals a week, and a robocall will be made to each client the day before delivery.
Anyone who is interested can send their information to me, and I will, in turn, send it to Bitta Sharma (whom some of you may have met in connection with Neighbors for Neighbors). Bitta will put the information in a spreadsheet and turn it into the city every Tuesday. (Or you can follow the directions included on the poster).
Please don’t hesitate to reach out by email if you have questions, and I will try to get the answers.
Alice Short
| |
|
VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED
June 12 | 1:30 PM & 5:00 PM
| |
|
Grass Roots Neighbors is a volunteer community organization. They meet the immediate needs of our neighbors experiencing food and housing insecurity. GRN mobilizes to fill the gaps in existing services by providing assistance with love and respect. The organization's vision is to be a community effectively involved in ending poverty.
Among their outreach programs, GNR cooks and delivers a hot meal every Sunday to various encampments on the Westside. Once a month, St. Bede's with Holy Nativity assists GNR with preparing and providing meals. There are now four different volunteer time slots:
- 2 - 4 PM (mostly chopping of fruits and veggies)
- 4 - 6 PM (mainly packaging food)
- 6 - 8:30 PM (loading and distributing the food)
- 7:30 - 10:30 PM (distributing food in Venice by bike)
GNR utilizes the kitchen facilities at Holy Nativity Episcopal Church.
GNR, Holy Nativity, and St. Bede's have created a Google Sign-Up Form to assist with monthly volunteer coordination. Please click the button below to access the volunteer sign-up form.
| |
FROM THE EPISCOPAL NEWS
A newsletter serving the Diocese of LA
| |
|
80th General Convention is scaled down, but deputies look forward to meeting in Baltimore July 8 - 11
By Pat McCaughan
[The Episcopal News – June 1, 2022] Even a scaled-back, significantly changed 80th General Convention of The Episcopal Church in Baltimore, Maryland, July 8 – 11 doesn’t dim the enthusiasm of several members of the Los Angeles deputation who are eagerly looking forward to representing the diocese at the church’s largest gathering.
Transitions and pandemic-related concerns mean three – the Rev. Antonio Gallardo; the Rev. Hsin-Fen “Fennie” Chang; and Ivan Gutierrez – will move from alternate to the role of deputy. All say they are anticipating connecting with Episcopalians from across the church and considering legislation focused on issues of diversity, inclusion, antiracism, and social justice.
A pandemic-related postponement had shifted the convention, originally planned for July 2021, to this year. Recently the presiding officers shortened convention from the original eight days to four amid continued Covid concerns. Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, president of the House of Deputies, on May 26 also announced additional public health precautions, including restricted attendance, frequent rapid testing and wearing high-quality face masks at all times.
| |
|
Episcopal Church part of successful shareholder vote pressing Ruger to study its guns’ lethality
The Episcopal Church on June 1 was part of a successful push by shareholders of gun manufacturer Sturm Ruger & Co. to pressure the company to study the lethality of its products and include the findings in a human rights impact report.
The measure was contained in a resolution approved by a majority of shareholders at Sturm Ruger’s annual meeting, held online. The Episcopal Church has invested in Sturm Ruger since late 2018 as part of its broader participation in shareholder advocacy campaigns on issues ranging from human trafficking to climate change.
“We co-filed this resolution because gun violence is a public health crisis in our country,” Western Massachusetts Bishop Douglas Fisher told Episcopal News Service by email after the vote. Fisher chairs Executive Council’s Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility. “We need to approach this crisis from many angles and one of them is inviting manufacturers to be part of the solution,” he said, citing the proposed human rights impact report as one example.
The church’s investment in gun manufacturers sparked some controversy after it was endorsed by a resolution passed in 2018 by the 79th General Convention. While some critics of the plan questioned whether the church should put its money behind companies whose products can be used to kill, proponents said it would give the church a seat at the table in gun safety discussions with the companies.
| |
 | |
5 candidates for president, vice president to participate in upcoming House of Deputies forums
At least four deputies have expressed interest in running for president of the House of Deputies, along with one candidate for the house’s vice president, according to a June 1 announcement of the lineup of participants in upcoming candidate forums.
The candidates for president who signed up to participate in the June 4 and 13 forums are the Rev. Devon Anderson, Diocese of Minnesota; Julia Ayala Harris, Diocese of Oklahoma; Ryan Kusumoto, Diocese of Hawai’i, and the Very Rev. Ward Simpson, Diocese of South Dakota. The only candidate to come forward publicly for vice president is the Rev. Rachel Taber-Hamilton, Diocese of Olympia.
The General Convention Office facilitates all churchwide elections. Any deputy interested in being considered for president or vice president was required to submit an application to the General Convention Office by March 8 and agree to a background check. The General Convention Office declined to provide Episcopal News Service with the number of deputies who submitted applications by the deadline.
|  | |
 | |
At Episcopal services, worshippers mourn school massacre victims amid calls to stop gun violence
Episcopal congregations and church leaders are honoring the victims of last week’s deadly school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, and calling for action against gun violence in prayer vigils and worship services across the United States, including a vigil held in the Connecticut community where the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre occurred nearly 10 years ago.
“We will never get over what has happened. Children have been killed. Our hearts have been broken. The image of our hometown has been shattered,” the Rev. Michael Marsh, rector of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Uvalde, told those in the pews at the church’s May 29 Eucharist, which was livestreamed on Facebook. But, he continued, “my hope and my belief and even my experience are that we will get through this.”
The congregation has joined local efforts to collect donations to support survivors, families of victims and others in the community.
“This community responds together in times like this,” Beverly Heyen, a 15-year-old member of St. Philip’s, told Time. “Our hearts go out to everyone, and everyone is connected in some way. … And this church is a part of that.”
| | | | | | |
