|
13th Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 18)
Sunday, September 4, 2022
SCRIPTURE READINGS
During Ordinary time, "Track 1" is utilized.
Jeremiah 18:1-11
Psalm 139:1-5, 12-17
Philemon 1-21
Luke 14:25-33
Preacher: The Reverend Ryan D. Newman
|
|
|
Sunday, September 4
Monthly St. Joe's Ingathering
8:00 AM & 10:00 AM
Sanctuary
Tuesday, September 6
Fall Education Series
7:00 PM
Luther Hall & Zoom
Sunday, September 11
Grass Roots Neighbors
1:30 PM & 5:00 PM
Holy Nativity Episcopal Church
Saturday, September 17
Neighbors 4 Neighbors
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Campus Wide
|
|
Bible and Breakfast
Tuesdays | 9:30 AM
Luther Hall & Zoom
Midweek Eucharist
Tuesdays | 6:00 PM
Sanctuary
Evening Prayer
Wednesday | 7:00 PM
Luther Hall & Zoom
*There is no Wednesday Evening Prayer in September and October*
Fall Education Series
Tuesdays| 7:00 PM
Luther Hall & Zoom
*There is no Wednesday Adult Forum in September and October*
| |
|
Sunday Services Moved to Courtyard
It has been a usually hot week, and the high temperatures are expected to last through the weekend. With the prolonged high temperatures and the lack of air conditioning in the sanctuary, we anticipate the sanctuary will be very warm and stuffy even early in the morning.
Therefore, the plan is to host our 8 AM and 10 AM services in the courtyard just outside the sanctuary. The outdoor setting will offer better airflow and an overall cooler environment.
We do recommend that you dress comfortably--no need to dress up! Even though there will be shaded areas, we recommend sunscreen, hats, and sunglasses.
|
|
|
Dear St. Bede's,
Members of the search committee (Akani Fletcher, Tom Elliott, Bond Harper, Travis Holloway, Liz Mohler and Alice Short) have been preparing for the time – in the near future—when they have the list of candidates who are interested in becoming the fourth rector of St. Bede’s.
We have applicants—we just don’t know yet how many! Canon Tom Quijada-Discavage, who acts as the Missioner for Formation and Transition Ministry at the Diocese, is in the process of finalizing a list to present to the Bishop and expects to have the “red flag” checks completed in a few days.
When the committee has the list, we will be able to read the applications, which, we hope, will yield valuable information about our candidates. The committee is also planning to ask candidates to answer – in writing—a few questions before a formal interview. We are eager to hear what they have to say about many things—spiritual development, building our congregation, pastoral care, liturgy and preaching, mission work, and stewardship among them.
Traditionally, the search committee presents their list of finalists to members of the vestry, who may decide to meet them for a conversation before confirming a final choice.
We don’t have a “done by” date, but we are getting closer, and we encourage anyone and everyone to seek us out with questions and perspectives.
Thank you,
Akani, Tom, Bond, Travis, Liz, and Alice
| |
|
ST. BEDE'S TRANSITION PRAYER
Almighty God, you know the needs of your Church in every place: Look graciously upon us, the people of St. Bede’s, and grant us the guidance of your Holy Spirit as we seek a new rector for this parish. Give us discernment, wisdom, and confidence in your timing. Guide the members of our Search Committee, as they labor to be faithful in seeking your will. We pray for the life of our parish, that we may continue to be strengthened in our mission to be Jesus Christ’s heart, hands and feet to our neighbors no matter where they are on their journey of faith. Bless us with mutual trust and respect, courage, and foresight as you shepherd our community through its journey. Grace us with continuous direction and inspire us toward genuine self—reflection. All this we ask as we walk in your ways to the glory of your name. Amen.
|
|
|
St. Joseph Center sends their continuing gratitude for our monthly donations (1st Sunday of every month). The next ingathering is scheduled for THIS Sunday, September 4.
Here is an updated list of most-needed items:
- Men’s and women’s adult diapers (M, L, XL)
- Baby wipes
- Shampoo and conditioner
- Dog and cat food
- Peanut butter
- Nuts
- Bread
- Vegan/vegetarian items
| |
|
How To Lead When You Don’t Know Where You’re Going
Tuesdays | 7:00 PM | Luther Hall & Zoom
September 6 - October 18
| |
|
When a church shifts from an ending to a new beginning, it can be a daunting challenge but also a huge opportunity. What happens when the old way of doing things no longer works but a way forward is not yet clear?
Church growth, building family-centered ministries, raising up new leaders, financial sustainability, welcoming a new rector... These issues, and many more, are front-and-center in the life of all Episcopal congregations, especially those in a transition process.
The St. Bede's Fall Education Series will be a 7-part series based on the book by Susan Beaumont, "How To Lead When You Don’t Know Where You’re Going" Leading in a Liminal Season." Whether you are currently a "leader" at St. Bede's or not, this education series is designed for everyone who wants to see St. Bede's thrive in the years to come.
The series will be at 7:00 PM on Tuesdays (September 6, 13, 20, 27, October 4, 11, & 18). It will be in the hybrid format (Luther Hall and Zoom). Eucharist will proceed each session at 6:00 PM in the Sanctuary. We invite you to join us. To assist with planning purposes, we kindly ask that you register for the series.
About the Author:
Susan Beaumont is a consultant, coach, author and spiritual director. Susan has worked with hundreds of congregations and denominational bodies across the United States and in Canada. She is known for her ground-breaking work in the leadership dynamics of congregations.
Before establishing her own practice, Susan worked for nine years as a Senior Consultant with the Alban Institute. Susan has also served on the faculty of two business schools, teaching graduate level courses in leadership, management and organizational behavior. She has corporate experience in human resource management and organizational development. She currently teaches at Wesley Theological Seminary.
| |
|
VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED
September 11 | 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.
| |
|
Desert Spirituality for Men
by Brad Karelius
Resource Publications,
an imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers
paperback / $21
"Inspired by Richard Rohr, Ronald Rolheiser, Belden Lane, and Thomas Merton, Desert Spirituality for Men reveals the transformative and healing power of the desert—for men who actively seek God. Blending a memoir of his son’s fight for life, reflections on his own desert retreats and response to the Lord’s persistent desire for relationship, Brad Karelius offers guidance to men in their holy longing for God."
The Rev. Canon Brad Karelius is an associate professor of philosophy at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, California, and an Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Los Angeles. He is the author of The Spirit in the Desert: Pilgrimages to Sacred Sites in the Owens Valley (2009), Encounters with the World’s Religions: The Numinous on Highway 395 (2015), and Desert Spirit Places: The Sacred Southwest (2018).
More about Desert Spirituality for Men, including an interview with Karelius, is here. The book is available at Vroman's, Pasadena, and other outlets.
|
|
FROM THE EPISCOPAL NEWS
A newsletter serving the Diocese of LA
| |
|
Harmony Room at St. Be’s brings music, fellowship to Eagle Rock community
[The Episcopal News – August 31, 2022] Two Saturday evenings a month, the lights dim, musicians take the stage and the sanctuary at St. Be’s Church becomes “The Harmony Room,” a popular Eagle Rock jazz, pop, rock and folk tunes entertainment venue.
On Aug. 27, the Rev. Canon Jaime Edwards-Acton, St. Be’s priest-in-charge, alternated as ticket-taker, cashier, sound and light engineer, and master of ceremonies, introducing the Judy Wexler Quintet to a full audience.
For Wexler, a well-known Los Angeles-based vocalist and recording artist, performing new arrangements of iconic 60s pop, rock, folk, and jazz tunes in the reinvented space feels like “kismet.”
During a 90-minute set featuring golden oldies such as Bob Dylan’s "The Times, They are A’Changin" and “Up on the Roof,” popularized by the Drifters, she recalled sharing publicity advice with Edwards-Acton in 2019 as he reimagined a shuttered St. Barnabas Church.
St. Barnabas, founded as a mission in 1923, closed to official worship in 2018. But Bishop John Harvey Taylor, along with Edwards-Acton, who is also the rector of St. Stephen’s Church in Hollywood and executive director of the Jubilee Consortium, had a vision for using the space.
| |
 | |
St. John the Divine unveils ecumenical program for young adults to live, pray and work together at the cathedral
The Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City is preparing a yearlong program for young Christian adults of different denominations to live pray, study and work together – a program the cathedral says is the first of its kind undertaken by an Episcopal church.
One year from now, the Community at the Crossing will bring together 12 American lay Christians between 20 and 30 years old, from Anglican, Protestant, Roman Catholic and Orthodox traditions, to form an ecumenical community intended to enrich the spiritual life of each member individually and the cathedral community as a whole.
“Ideally, when they leave here, they would be able to have a solid sort of understanding of how Christians do theology, a grasp of the social sciences in some general sort of way, and an intense experience of community life, and in particular, living together in unity despite differences,” said the Very Rev. Patrick Malloy, who became acting dean of the cathedral in June.
The goal is for residents to be transformed by the yearlong experience and then “carry all of that back into the workplace as sort of an ethical voice and a voice for unity in the midst of a divided culture, and increasingly post-Christian culture,” Malloy told Episcopal News Service.
|  | |
 | |
Northern California diocese encourages churches to cultivate land to benefit others
The Episcopal Diocese of Northern California is urging its churches to undertake community partnerships, with a special emphasis on how church land is used for the benefit of others – and it’s something the bishop has asked about during each visitation.
“I just kept finding community garden after garden,” Bishop Megan Traquair, who has led the Sacramento-based diocese since June 2019, told Episcopal News Service. With the proliferation of gardens, she felt it was important to find ways to encourage and connect them, particularly in a mostly rural region, where agriculture, rice paddies, cattle ranching, fishing and aquaculture, vineyards and fruit and nut orchards provide many members’ livelihoods.
The diocese is large – stretching from the north end of San Francisco Bay to the Oregon border, and from Nevada to the Pacific Ocean – and has a unique geography, “where wine and redwoods and rice and almonds all grow within the same land, essentially,” Traquair said.
While congregations are mostly small – only seven of the diocese’s 68 churches have an average Sunday attendance greater than 70 – many have large properties.
“When a lot of our churches were built, land was really cheap, so they bought a lot of land,” the Rev. Julie Wakelee, canon to the ordinary, told ENS.
| | | | | | |
