St. Wilfrid of York Episcopal Church and School

We are a Christian community seeking to know and unconditionally share God's unfailing love.

Weekly Newsletter

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Sunday, March 29

• Palm Sunday services at 8:30am and 10:30am beginning on the patio

Monday, March 30

• Holy Monday Tenebrae service at 7pm in the sanctuary (see below)

Tuesday, March 31

• Holy Tuesday Women of the Cross service at 7pm in the sanctuary (see below)

Wednesday, April 1

• Weekly Holy Eucharist at 7:15am in the chapel
• Lenten Book Study at 6pm in Sacquety Hall
• Holy Wednesday Evening Prayer Service at 7pm in the chapel

Thursday, April 2

• Maundy Thursday Dinner and Service at 6pm in Sacquety Hall (see below)

Friday, April 3

• Good Friday Choral Eucharist & Veneration of the Cross at 12pm (noon) in the sanctuary
• Good Friday Veneration of the Cross & Stations of the cross at 7pm in the sanctuary (see below)

Saturday, April 4

• Great Easter Vigil and Holy Baptism service at 7pm beginning on the patio (see below)

Sunday, April 5

• Easter Sunday Piano Praise Service at 8:30am
• Children's Easter Egg Hunt between services (approx. 9:45am) beginning in Sacquety Hall
• Easter Sunday Choral Eucharist at 10:30am

Monday, April 6

• Church office closed

Tuesday, April 7

• Grief Group Meeting at 9:30am in the church office
• Rector's Bible Study at 11:00am in Sacquety Hall
• Men's Group Meeting at 7:30pm

Wednesday, April 8

• Weekly Holy Eucharist at 7:15am in the chapel

Sunday, April 12

• Small Change Sunday to support Laundry Love
• Godly Play for Everyone at 9:30am in Sacquety Hall
• The Psychology of Evil - Mimetic Theory & The Lucifer Effect in at 1pm in Sacquety Hall (see below)

Monday, April 13

• St. Wilfrid's Shares at 6pm in Sacquety Hall

Tuesday, April 14

• Rector's Bible Study at 11am in Sacquety Hall

Wednesday, April 15

• Weekly Holy Eucharist at 7:15am in the chapel
• Laundry Love at 5:30pm at Huntington Coin Laundry

Sunday, April 19

• Godly Play at 10:30am in Room 9

Tuesday, April 21

• Grief Group Meeting at 9:30am in the church office
• Rector's Bible Study at 11am in Sacquety Hall
• Preschool Board Meeting at 5pm in the preschool office
• Finance Meeting at 6pm in Fr. Nathan's office
• Men's Group Meeting at 7:30pm in the office

Wednesday, April 22

• Weekly Holy Eucharist at 7:15am in the chapel

Saturday, April 25

• Celebration of Wisdom Luncheon at 11:30am in Sacquety Hall

Palm Sunday is almost here! Some years, my spirit fills with anticipation as we enter into Holy Week, and this is one of those years. Yes, we have numerous services (info. can be found below in this email) and each service is a unique opportunity to connect with God, the One who knows us and loves us. With so many things going on in the world that are heartbreaking, difficult, and frustrating, we have the opportunity to be spiritually refreshed and renewed so that we can go out into the world, out into our communities, and share God's message of hope and healing. Jesus came into the world to redeem us from sin. When our actions and attitudes aren't aligned with God, Jesus moves us closer toward the love and kindness of God.

Jesus also came into the world to change the direction of human history. We are a part of that history. We are a part of God's good and mighty work. Remembering our baptismal covenant, that all people are worthy of dignity, we offer love to those who don’t feel valued. Through our character and way of living, we show others that there is more to life than self-centeredness, self-promotion, and image. We, as people of faith, strive to be the real deal.  

Jesus was the real deal. He came to earth and lived among humanity. He came from a place of love, not anger or short-term thinking. Jesus saw the broad picture and came to help and save us from the worst version of ourselves. So, come and join us throughout Holy Week as we celebrate who Jesus is and what Jesus has done. I encourage you to pray for those who will be touched by our services because God will be at work through you and through them. We offer these services in faith, trusting that God will use them to introduce or reintroduce Godself to others. Won't you come?

A Change in the Vestry

We are blessed to have a Vestry filled with hardworking, dedicated, competent, and faithful people who seek to continually steward what God has given us. They involve more people in ministry, and share the love of Christ in our interpersonal relationships, our neighborhood, our city, and beyond. Robin Baldwin has been a faithful member of the Vestry, who has served on the Protocol Committee and the Finance Committee. Robin was a blessing to our leadership team, due to her insights into business policies and practices. She has the ability to respond thoughtfully to matters put before the Vestry, and her warmth and kindness embodied what it means to be a leader in our parish. We have been blessed to have Robin on our Vestry. 

Unfortunately, Robin needs to step back from her Vestry commitment, and the Vestry has elected Connie Hornyak to complete the remaining portion of Robin's term. Connie brings with her numerous skills and talents, including her work as a children's therapist, and her previous experience as both a Clerk of the Vestry and as Junior Warden. I am delighted that Connie has agreed to serve, and I am looking forward to all of the good work we will do together.

Many Blessings,

Fr. Nathan Biornstad+

A variety of things are happening at St. Wilfrid’s. Here is a recap of our Vestry Meeting in the order that things were discussed. Our Vestry minutes are posted in the Narthex on the triangular shaped kiosk.

After approving the minutes from our previous meeting, we discussed the success of the Fuller Bicycle Ministry which spent 2 nights in our parish hall on their way to raising funds to build affordable houses by cycling from Huntington Beach to Tucson, Arizona. Kudos to both Jim Schweitzer and Steven Nadolny for making dinner and breakfast for 27 cyclists. The cyclists came from all over the country and were from a myriad of different denominations. Their founder, Millard Fuller was one of the original founders of Habitat for Humanity.

The Vestry discussed and approved the purchase and installation of an air conditioning system for the youth room. Thank you Building and Grounds Committee for all of your hard work!

Kudos to Fred Whipple for researching and making a presentation before the Huntington Beach Planning Commission for signage on the exterior north wall of our church building. Fred was told that under city regulations we should most certainly be approved. He was also told that we could not put up a sign at the corner of Ellis and Chapel where there would be even greater visibility. The Vestry agreed to move forward with the project, researching the signage costs and designs. For the north exterior side of our building. Again, great job, Fred!

The Vestry positively responded to a suggestion from a parishioner that we create a banner using bright Pride colors that says “All Are Welcome” This will give greater visibility to the church and convey part of our mission, welcoming everyone. 

We are still on the hunt for someone to take the reigns of our hospitality ministry. The Vestry along Linda Mendelssohn have divided up the weeks, rotating, making coffee and making sure delectables are available after both services. Any volunteers? If you are interested please contact Robert Morgan at (775) 772-7475. 

Kudos to both Debbi Campana and Carol Cherpes for their presentation in lieu of a sermon through demonstrating Godly Play for Everyone, the Sunday School Ministry of St. Wilfrid’s Church. 

Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday and will continue through Easter Sunday. There are 8 services and it is our hope that all church members will attend as many services as possible and invite their friends. The Maundy Thursday Service will include both dinner and foot washing as well as the stripping of the Altar. Our own Erol Woo, husband of Father Nathan, will be preparing Mediterranean dishes. If you haven’t sampled his wares before, you won’t want to miss this opportunity! Please sign up for the dinner if you are planning to attend.

The Vestry also approved that the “chairs and tables committee” move forward pursuing finding and procuring chairs and tables to replace the white plastic ones we have along with the wooden tables. Thank you, committee, for all of your research and hard work.

With the resignation of Robin Baldwin, the Vestry thanks her for all of her work over the past 1.5 years. Thank you, Robin! The board unanimously appointed Connie Hornyak to the Vestry as Robin’s replacement and she has graciously accepted. This is not her first rodeo as Connie has previously served as both Clerk and Junior Warden. This will be her third time serving. We welcome you, Connie. Your ideas, experience, and spirit are welcomed and appreciated!

Finally, let us all be mindful and prayerful as we approach Holy Week, asking for God’s grace and a deeper understanding of God’s love for everyone. Let us all encourage a pause in daily distractions, reflecting on Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross as we look to the Hope found in his resurrection.

A Message of Thanks from The Fuller Center Bicycle Adventure

On behalf of the entire Winter Western Bicycle Adventure, thank you so much for hosting our Fuller Center Bike Adventure participants during our trek from Huntington Beach CA to Tucson AZ!

It was a banner year for us. Our 19 cyclists and support crew raised over $34,000 to support The Fuller Center for Housing. Because of that generosity, we anticipate building 40 new homes in the U.S. this year and celebrating our 10,000th home worldwide—right here in Georgia!

Beyond the miles and the milestones, these trips are about the memories made, the friendships formed, and the spiritual growth shared along the way. We truly couldn't do it without hosts like you.

Thank you again, and God Bless!

Neil Mullikin

Bicycle Adventure Coordinator

www.FullerCenterBikeAdventure.org

Our Daily Schedule

Palm Sunday

March 29th | 8:30am & 10:30am

Both services begin on the patio

Holy Monday

March 30th | 7:00pm

Tenebrae Service

Holy Tuesday

March 31st | 7:00pm

Women of the Cross Service

Holy Wednesday

April 1st | 7:15am & 7:00pm

Weekly Holy Eucharist (7:15am)

Evening Prayer Service (7:00pm)

Maundy Thursday

April 2nd | 6:00pm

Dinner, Foot Washing, & Stripping of the Altar

Good Friday

April 3rd | 12:00pm (noon) & 7:00pm

Choral Eucharist & Veneration of the Cross (noon)

Veneration of the Cross & Stations of the Cross (7pm)

Great Easter Vigil

April 4th | 7:00pm

Choral Eucharist and Holy Baptism

Easter Sunday

April 5th | 8:30am & 10:30am

Celebrate Christ’s resurrection and join us for a children’s Easter Egg Hunt between services (approx. 9:40am) Our distinct services each offer something special, with music by Jamond McCoy at 8:30am and music by The St. Wilfrid Choir & Orchestra at 10:30am.

About Our Services

Each service during Holy Week offers a unique way to engage the deeper mysteries of Christ’s death and resurrection. Learn more about these services and traditions below.

Tenebrae

Holy Monday, March 30th at 7pm

A quiet, contemplative service of scripture and prayer in which candles are gradually extinguished, ending in darkness and silent reflection on Christ’s suffering and death.

Women of the Cross

Holy Tuesday, March 31st at 7pm

Hear the passion story through the voices of the women who walked with Jesus in his final days, shared through scripture and moving dramatic monologues.

Maundy Thursday

April 2nd at 6pm

See below

Veneration of the Cross

Good Friday, April 3rd at pm (noon) and 7pm

A moment during the service in which worshippers are invited to come forward to touch, kneel before, or pause in silence at the cross, honoring Christ’s suffering and death.

Stations of the Cross

Good Friday, April 3rd at 7pm

A guided prayer experience in which worshippers move from station to station, reflecting on readings and prayers that follow Jesus’ final journey to the cross.

Great Easter Vigil

April 4th at 7pm

We light the first fire of Easter and hear scriptural stories and song, moving from darkness to light. We also joyfully welcome the newly baptized.

Maundy Thursday

April 2nd at 6pm

A service centered on Jesus’ final night with his disciples, marked by sharing a meal in Sacquety Hall followed by sacred foot washing, after which we will move to the sanctuary for the stripping the altar. Please sign up at the SCRIP table to attend, or call the church office.

Meal

A simple Mediterranean meal shared together, cooked by Chef Erol and crew. Donations to help cover the cost of the food are welcome.

Foot Washing

All are invited to receive foot washing, with the option to wash another’s feet or simply receive.

Stripping the Altar

The altar is stripped bare in silence, recalling Jesus’ sacrifice. Holy oil and water are also used to cleanse the altar.

Holy Week invites us to walk together through the story of Christ’s passion and resurrection. Here are a few ways you can participate and help shape our shared observance of these sacred days.

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday remembers Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, when crowds welcomed him by waving palm branches along the road. To help us recreate this moment, you are invited to donate palm fronds to decorate the sanctuary, and for our Palm Sunday procession. Please deliver them to the church on Friday, March 27th.

Great Easter Vigil Prayers

You are invited to write your prayers on the colorful paper squares available on the tables in the narthex. These prayers will be gathered and burned in the Easter fire during the Great Easter Vigil on Saturday, April 3rd. They will not be read, but offered silently to God in this solemn moment of the service.

Garden of Gethsemane Prayer Vigil

From 9pm on April 2 to 12pm on April 3

Following the Maundy Thursday service, we begin an overnight prayer vigil remembering Jesus’ time of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, when he asked his disciples, “Stay awake and pray with me” (Matthew 26:38–41).

Keep Watch in Prayer

All are invited to keep watch in prayer during the night, remembering the hour when Jesus asked his disciples to stay awake with him in the garden. Sign up for a prayer hour on the sheet in the narthex.

Create the Garden

Help transform the chapel into the Garden of Gethsemane by lending a potted plant. Plants may be brought beginning Palm Sunday, March 29th. Labels will be available so they can be returned to their owners.

The Psychology of Evil

Mimetic Theory & The Lucifer Effect: Scapegoating and the Call to Repair

Sunday, April 12 from 1pm to 3pm in Sacquety Hall

Speaker Edwin J. Vazquez, M. A. & Jason R. Lomheim

A collaborative talk linking Girard’s mimetic desire and scapegoating to atonement theology and social psychology’s insights on roles, power, and situational pressure—ending with practical tools for accountability, compassion, and repair in faith communities.

Episcopal Pride Alliance Lecture Series - L02

Packaging meals to help fight hunger around the World. More information coming soon.

WHAT: Rise Against Hunger meal packaging event for ALL ages!

WHEN: Saturday April 25, 9:00-11:00. (8:00-9:00 set up if you’re available; clean up immediately following)

WHERE: Sts. Simon and Jude Catholic Church, Colman Hall, 20444 Magnolia St. HB 92646

Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally installed in cathedral service attended by Anglican Communion leaders

By David Paulsen

[Episcopal News Service] Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally was installed March 25 at a service at Canterbury Cathedral that was attended by leaders from across the Anglican Communion, including Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe and several other representatives from The Episcopal Church.

The ceremonial installation marks the start of Mullally’s public ministry. As the 106th archbishop of Canterbury and the first woman to hold that office, she acknowledged that history and her unlikely path to this moment in her sermon.

“I make this journey both on a personal level … but more significantly I make this journey with others and in the footsteps of the past,” she said, mentioning Thomas Becket, who served as archbishop of Canterbury 850 years ago.

“Today, I think of the many thousand unknown Christians who have trodden these same paths since, and not just on this ancient land, but all across the world. People walk the pilgrim paths of faith each and every day.”

Sermon text: Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally

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Democratic norms 'being dismantled piece by piece,' Sacred Resistance leader tells OC forum

By Pat McCaughan

[The Episcopal News] – Living “through a moment of deliberate, organized cruelty aimed at some of the most vulnerable people in our society,” means there is an urgent need and there are dozens of ways for faith communities to join the Sacred Resistance movement, the Rev. Canon Jaime Edwards-Acton told a March 21 gathering at St. George’s Episcopal Church in Laguna Hills.

In Orange County, just like Los Angeles, just like in Minnesota and Chicago and in many other communities, “Parents are being taken from their children at school, … folks who have been our neighbors and fellow church members for decades, who have worked here, raised their children here, who sit beside us in the pews, these folks are living in fear. It is real and it is urgent,” said Edwards-Acton, co-chair of the diocesan Sacred Resistance Task Force.

“It isn’t only immigrants who are under threat,” he added. “We are watching coordinated attacks on other marginalized and vulnerable groups, as well as Transgender folk. Our reproductive rights are being threatened. Our voting rights are being eroded. The democratic norms that hold up this society, they’re being dismantled, piece by piece. We’re all feeling it, and the first act of faithful resistance is simply telling the truth about what is happening.”

Edwards-Acton joined a panel of community activists, including Deidre Gaffney, of Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE) and an immigration court observer; “Bianca”, an Orange County Rapid Response Network organizer and Tim Hartshorn, executive director of the Laguna Cross-Cultural Council. 

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