September 15, 2024

News

Episcopalians cope with fire threat, offer comfort and assistance to those fleeing flames

By Pat McCaughan

[The Episcopal News – September 11, 2024] – St. John’s church and school community swiftly mobilized as the Airport Fire escalated Sept. 10 in Rancho Santa Margarita in Orange County, offering aid and housing evacuees.

For Sheryll Grogan, acting head of school, the safety of school administration, faculty and staff was uppermost in her decision to close the campus for Tuesday.

“It is scary, but as a community we’ve come together. I took in a teacher and her two dogs, who was forced to evacuate,” Grogan, a 33-year church member who also is housing an evacuee, told The Episcopal News in a telephone interview. “Actually, our church community has posted a spreadsheet of people who have places they can offer and then people who need places can respond accordingly.”

The campus remained closed Sept. 11, but did not appear to be in immediate danger as the blaze exploded from Orange to Riverside counties overnight, burning homes in Lake Elsinore and destroying more than 20,000 acres with zero percent containment by late Tuesday.

The Orange County Fire Authority named it the Airport Fire after a spark ignited from heavy equipment around 1 p.m. Monday near a remote-controlled airplane airport on Trabuco Creek Road. It is one of three fires burning in and around the Diocese of Los Angeles, exacerbated by a scorching heat wave and desert winds. At least 13 people, including residents and first responders, have been injured, the L.A. Times reported.

The Line Fire in San Bernardino County began Sept. 6 in the city of Highland and had burned at least 34,000 acres and destroyed at least one home with about 14% containment by Tuesday. News outlets reported that a 34-year-old Norco man has been arrested on suspicion of starting the fire, which began in the area of Base Line Road and Alpin Street and burned through the San Bernardino Mountains, edging closer to Big Bear.

History of women's ordination is focus of Oct. 27 service at St. Wilfrid's, Huntington Beach

St. Wilfrid of York Church in Huntington Beach invites the diocesan community to a special service to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the ordination of women in The Episcopal Church on Sunday, October 27 at 5 p.m.

The service, which will celebrate God's work through women over the past 50 years, will be designed by and led by women, including the Rev. Karen Maurer as celebrant and the Rev. Kay Sylvester will preach. The women of St. Wilfrid's choir will sing music by women composers. Female clergy of the diocese are invited to vest (red stoles) and process.

"The fight to obtain ordination was not an easy path, though it was a righteous journey," wrote Nancy Davies, senior warden, in a letter of invitation to the event. "Led by eleven incredible women who continued to make waves throughout their lives pursuing justice in all its forms, the Episcopal Church’s acceptance of women’s ordination had lasting effects throughout the world and even on other religions."

St. Wilfrid's Church is located at 18631 Chapel Lane, Huntington Beach 92646. For information, call 714.962.7512.

The Bishop's Blog ( Additional entries are here)

Visiting Santa Barbara congregations

September 10, 2024

Not long ago the Rev. Elizabeth Molitors, for nearly six years the innovative, upbeat, “West Wing”-loving rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Santa Barbara, offered meeting space to a group of LGBTQ+ undergraduates attending a nearby college with an evangelical bent. They accepted and have become part of the life of this lively, growing parish.

Prayers for those in the path of wildfires

September 9, 2024

We’ve been praying this weekend and today for all Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles folks threatened by fire, especially St. Richard’s in Lake Arrowhead and St. Columba’s in Big Bear. Some St. Richard’s members were evacuated, including priest in charge the Rev. Canon Gary Bradley and the Rev. Peg Bradley, who spent the last two nights away from their mountain home.

People

Bishop John Harvey Taylor, his wife, Canon Kathy O'Connor, and the Rev. Christopher Montella, rector of St. Stephen's Church, Santa Clarita, meet up in the parking lot at Dodger Stadium before the annual Episcopal-Lutheran night.

Dodgers lose, Episcopalians and Lutherans win at April 6 game

Dodger Stadium welcomed Episcopalians and Lutherans, among them Bishop John Harvey Taylor of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles and Bishop Brenda Bos of the Southwest California Synod, on Friday, Sept. 6, for Episcopal-Lutheran Night at Dodger Stadium. Some 1,321 fans from across the diocese and synod showed up to support the Dodgers as they played the Cleveland Guardians. Church of Our Saviour, San Gabriel, brought a full-sized busload of parishioners to see the two highly ranked teams compete.

The event was organized by the Rev. “Canon Baseball” Greg Larkin, who has been organizing the annual Episcopal Night at Dodger Stadium for nearly 30 years. Though the Dodgers made only one run to the Guardians’ three, there was no lack of fun, laughter, and conversation, and it was a good night for the crowd, if not the team.

Bishop John Harvey Taylor posted many photos from Sept. 6 on his blog here.

— Photos by John Taylor. Reporting by Mostyn Trudinger-Smith

Bishop Brenda Bos of the Southwest California Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and friends attend the Sept. 6 game.

Sheryl Kujawa-Holbrook appointed historiographer of The Episcopal Church

[Historical Society of the Episcopal Church – September 9, 2024] The Rev. Dr. Sheryl Kujawa-Holbrook [of the Diocese of Los Angeles] was nominated and confirmed as 14th historiographer of The Episcopal Church by the 81st General Convention, meeting in June 2024. Editor of the Historical Society of the Episcopal Church’s peer-reviewed journal, Anglican and Episcopal History, she has been an Episcopal priest since 1985, currently in the Diocese of Los Angeles and formerly in Massachusetts. She is Professor of Practical Theology and Christian History at Claremont School of Theology and Professor of Anglican Studies, emerita, at Bloy House, the Episcopal School of Theology at Los Angeles. She is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

The office of Historiographer was established in 1838 when it was recognized records of the church’s founding were being lost. The directive then was to prepare “from the most original sources now extant” a faithful Ecclesiastical History to the formation of the Episcopal Church. The duties go beyond writing history and include studying historical documents, methods and writings of other historians. At the root of the position, a historiographer is charged with keeping history alive.

Requiescat in pace

Nancy Houston Guthrie

1934 - February 7, 2024

A Sept. 14 11 a.m. memorial service at Trinity Church, Orange, has been set for the late Nancy Houston Guthrie, a lay leader St. Stephen’s in Beaumont and and longtime parish administrator in Orange County congregations, who died Feb. 7 at age 89.

Survivors include her daughter, Heidi Fernandez, stepsons Tom and Mike Guthrie, and five grandchildren.

For several years, Guthrie served as parish administrator at Trinity Church, located at 2400 N. Canal St. in Orange. She also served in similar capacities at St. Andrew’s in Fullerton, St. Paul’s in Tustin, and St. Mary’s in Laguna Beach. She was a parishioner at these congregations, and at St. George’s in Laguna Hills.

This week

‘Losing Truth’ online forums Sept. 15, 22, will address societal impact of disinformation

[The Episcopal News – August 14, 2024] Two Sunday-afternoon online forums titled “Losing Truth: The Critical Cost to Our Lives and Future” will be presented Sept. 15 and 22, 2 - 4 p.m. via Zoom by the diocesan Program Group on Ecumenical and Interfaith Life. All are welcome, and attendees are asked to register here.

“Recently we’ve seen truth manipulated with misinformation, disinformation, malinformation, and just plain old lies,” notes program group chair Dot Leach, a lay leader at Orange County’s St. John Chrysostom Episcopal Church in Rancho Santa Margarita, who also invokes a quote from the late N.Y. Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan: “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.”

With opening remarks from Bishop Diocesan John Harvey Taylor, the first panel will feature insights presented by journalists and a cyber liaison officer, while the second webinar’s panelists will be a psychologist, a theologian, and a retired federal district court judge. Leach, a former broadcast journalist and former member of the Orange County Human Relations Commission, will moderate both panel presentations.

Santa Clarita church to host dialogue on Christian response to war between Israel and Hamas

In response to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, and the complex political, religious, and historical tensions that the violence has brought to public attention, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Santa Clarita will host an open dialogue to wrestle with the question of how to respond to the tragic situation. Bishop John Harvey Taylor and Pulitzer Prize-winning author and scholar Jack Miles will lead the discussion, which will be in person at St. Stephen’s on Monday, Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. To attend, register here. (Note: An incorrect time was listed in last week's Update. The News regrets the error.)

Since the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that killed over 1,100 Israeli citizens, the ensuing violence has killed more 40,000 people in Gaza — largely civilian women and children — and injured over 90,000 throughout Palestine. In the face of such a terrible loss of life, it can be unclear what the Christian response should be, said the Very Rev. Christopher Montella, rector of St. Stephen’s and organizer of the event.

“Of course, we will not find all the answers in one evening and our objective is not to figure out how to bring peace to the Middle East,” said Montella. “Perhaps, though, we can find some common language and leave the experience with some sense of how the Holy Spirit is asking us, as followers of Jesus, to respond to this moment. Not simply through politics but with our hearts so that we might be a balm for those in pain and begin to be bridge builders creating pathways back to relationship where that seems impossible today.”

Before he entered the ordained ministry, John Harvey Taylor was a reporter, a post-presidential chief of staff to Richard Nixon, and director of the Nixon Presidential Library. As bishop of the Diocese of Los Angeles, he promotes empathy and curiosity as tools of evangelism to build new relationships across barriers of difference.

Jack Miles is a professor emeritus of English and Religious Studies at the University of California, Irvine, and senior fellow for Religion & International Affairs with the Pacific Council on International Policy. He holds honorary doctorates from both the American Jewish University and Hebrew University/Jewish Institute of Religion, and has published books about God in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim texts.

Camp Stevens to host stop on Valarie Kaur’s ‘Revolutionary Love Bus Tour’

Valarie Kaur is returning to Camp Stevens on Saturday, Sept. 14 on the fourth of 30 stops of her Revolutionary Love Bus Tour, and everyone is invited, says Kathy Wilder, the camp’s executive director. In addition to sharing her two new books, World of Wonder and Sage Warrior, Kaur will bring artists, musicians, and collaborators for an all-ages immersive experience. Camp Stevens will provide a community supper and chai tea for all attendees.

Kaur is a renowned civil rights leader, lawyer, award-winning filmmaker, educator, innovator, best-selling author of See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love. Founder of the Revolutionary Love Project to reclaim love as a force for justice, she delivered a keynote address at Camp Stevens’ 70th anniversary celebration in 2022. Kaur was recognized in September of that year by President Joe Biden as one of 16 Uniters Healing America. More about Kaur is here.

The event will begin at 4:30 and conclude at 8:30 p.m. at Camp Stevens, located at 1108 Banner Road, Julian, CA 92036. Those who would like to stay overnight may contact the camp staff at info@campstevens.org.

The event is free for participants, but Camp Stevens is seeking supper sponsors (see flyer here). Contact Wilder at kathy@campstevens.org. To register for the event, click here. An event flyer is here.

Diocesan Convention

Call to the 2024 meeting of Diocesan Convention

By Steven Nishibayashi and Samantha Wylie

[Convention Office, Diocese of Los Angeles] Join us for the 129th Annual Meeting of Convention of the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Los Angeles, themed Inside Out Church: Episcopal Identity in our Neighborhoods, on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 8 and 9.

Plans are underway for a day-and-a-half in-person Convention at the Riverside Convention Center at 3637 5th Street, Riverside 92501.

In announcing this year’s theme, Bishop Diocesan John Harvey Taylor said, “What we do on Sundays is the launch pad for how we live as Episcopalians in a spiritually hungry world. The church becomes the diaconate writ large when it goes outside its walls.” Inside Out Church is an examination of the diocese’s work in chaplaincy, service, and advocacy.

Further, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the ordination of women in the Episcopal Church, it is with great joy we will welcome the Rev. Carter Heyward, one of the historic Philadelphia Eleven, as special guest and keynote speaker at this year’s Diocesan Convention.

Events & Announcements

St. Paul’s Commons sets Oct. 20 Evensong to mark 30th anniversary of campus opening

[The Episcopal News – August 28, 2024] All are invited to an Oct. 20 Evensong set to mark the 30th year of St. Paul’s Commons, Echo Park, as headquarters of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles.

“The spirit of service and hospitality prized by our diocesan community continues to guide the ministries shared in Echo Park these three decades,” said Bishop John Harvey Taylor, who will preach at the 5 p.m. Sunday liturgy featuring a volunteer choir assembled from across the L.A. diocese’s five and one-quarter counties.

“This mission is cause to celebrate anew as we shape deepened ways of feeding hearts hungry for spiritual growth, community life, and social services provided to neighbors in need.”

St. John's Cathedral invites church singers to Choral Festival Oct. 5 - 6

St. John’s Cathedral invites singers from congregations around the diocese to Choral Festival 2024: “Let all the world in every corner sing!” on Oct. 5 and 6.

Participating singers will join the St. John’s Cathedral Festival Chorus, directed by Christopher Gravis, and the Laós Chamber Orchestra in historic St. John’s Cathedral to perform Five Mystical Songs by Ralph Vaughan Williams and Two Psalms by Gustav Holst.

The event will include a welcome reception, sheet music, lunch, the public performance in the cathedral, and a reception following the concert.

All is included in the $120 cost per participant. To take part in this event, click here for

more information and to sign up. Space is limited.

SAVE THE DATE

Golfers (and non-golfers) invited to take part in Oct. 14 Shepherd's Cup Golf Classic

Calling all golfers! The second annual Shepherd’s Cup Golf Classic and Dinner will be held on Monday, Oct. 14 at the Industry Hills Golf Club and Pacific Palms Resort in the City of Industry.

The day will include the tournament, putting and other contests, a banquet dinner with guest speaker Bishop John Harvey Taylor, live and silent auctions, and an opportunity drawing. A video invitation from Bishop Taylor is here. (Oct. 14 is Indigenous Peoples Day, also known as Columbus Day, a federal holiday.)

This year’s event will benefit campus ministries in the Diocese of Los Angeles, including the Canterbury Clubs at UCLA, USC and UC-Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Riverside.

Non-golfers are welcome to the social hour and banquet.

More information about the tournament and registration links is here. Sponsorship opportunities are also available. All congregations of the diocese are encouraged to make up a foursome and compete for the Shepherd’s Cup.

Faculty and staff invited to Episcopal schools celebration Oct. 10

Bishop John Taylor and the Commission on Schools invite Episcopal school leaders in the Diocese of Los Angeles to gather at St. Paul's Commons on Thursday, Oct. 10, to celebrate Episcopal Schools Week.

The event will begin with Eucharist at 11:30 a.m., followed by a luncheon. It is open to all who serve in Episcopal schools in the diocese.

St. Paul's Commons is located at 840 Echo Park Ave., Los Angeles 90026. Parking is available underground and on the street, but carpooling is strongly encouraged

Registration is required; click here.

Camp Stevens seeks donations for annual ‘Acorns to Oaks’ fundraising auction

Camp Stevens' annual Acorns to Oaks online auction will be held October 1 - 31, and is seeking donations of auction items. Do you have a vacation home, gift card, gift basket, expertise, talent, handcrafted item, or items to share? Proceeds from the auction go to the most important and urgent needs at Camp Stevens, from facilities repairs to program supplies.

If you don't have an auction item to share but want to support this effort, the camp offers sponsorship opportunities for individuals, organizations, and businesses. Our auction site gets more than 2,000 unique visits each week during the month of October.

Thank you for considering a contribution to this important fundraiser.

'By Your Side' training sessions set for autumn

Since 2011, the mission of By Your Side – a program of Episcopal Communities & Services – has been to support people in times of change and difficulty, particularly in health crisis, and to be at their bedside at the end of their lives as needed. More than 500 volunteers have been trained to be a compassionate presence.

By Your Side's next 10-hour training session will be held on Tuesday evenings, Oct. 1 - 29, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m., and Mondays, Nov. 18 - Dec. 16; locations to be determined. Both classes will be hybrid, with an option to attend via Zoom.

For further information and to register, contact Susan Brown at sbrown@ecsforseniors.org or 626.403.5424. A fee of $70 (which includes all materials) is due by the second class. ECS team members are complimentary; scholarships are available for public enrollees. CE (12 hours) for nurses is available for an added $30 under California Board of Registered Nursing Provider CEP 16239. Anyone may take the training; there is no obligation to volunteer.

SAVE THE DATE

Bishop’s Commission on Climate Change sets Nov. 20 webinar with scientist Katharine Hayhoe

[The Episcopal News – August 14, 2024] Internationally renowned climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe will keynote a diocese-wide webinar set for 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 20 by the Bishop’s Commission on Climate Change. Attendees are asked to register here.

Hayhoe is chief scientist for The Nature Conservancy and a Paul Whitfield Horn Distinguished Professor and the Political Science Endowed Chair in Public Policy and Public Law in the Department of Political Science at Texas Tech University, where she is also an associate in the Public Health program of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. In addition, she is a principal investigator for the Department of Interior’s South-Central Climate Adaptation Science Center and the National Science Foundation’s Global Infrastructure Climate Network.

From the wider church

In nine years, presiding bishop’s travels have touched more than 100 dioceses and counting

By David Paulsen

[Episcopal News Service – Setpember 6, 2024] One of the core duties of The Episcopal Church’s presiding bishop is to visit every diocese at least once during the denominational leader’s nine-year term, and for Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, who will conclude his tenure in office at the end of October, that has meant a lot of travel – more than 100 dioceses and counting.

The Diocese of Alaska? Curry preached there in September 2017 during a House of Bishops meeting in Fairbanks. The Diocese of Puerto Rico? Curry traveled there in January 2018, months after the territory was hit by Hurricane Maria. Taiwan? South Dakota? Florida? Yes, yes and yes.

“One of the great joys and real privileges of serving as presiding bishop of our church has been to have a panoramic view of who we actually are as followers of Jesus in the Episcopal way,” Curry said in a written statement to Episcopal News Service. “I can tell you this: from all of my travels in nine years, quite literally around the globe, God is not finished with The Episcopal Church yet.”

Chicago diocese confronts legacy of slavery with Repentance, Repair and Reconciliation Project

By David Paulsen

[Episcopal News Service - September 11, 2024] The Diocese of Chicago has begun holding listening sessions intended to advance its yearslong examination of the legacy of slavery in the diocese. Its Antiracism Commission is leading the sessions as part of a project that will produce an updated report on that legacy and recommend actions to help repair the harm caused by past racism.

The first online listening session was held Sept. 7 and will be followed by a second online session on Oct. 5. In addition, in-person listening sessions are being held at historically Black churches in the diocese to receive input on steps the it and its members can take toward repentance and repair. The most recent in-person session was held Sept. 8 at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Chicago, Illinois.

Atlanta diocese to host faith-based suicide prevention training program

By Shireen Korkzan

[Episcopal News Service – September 10, 2024] The Diocese of Atlanta in Georgia is recognizing September as National Suicide Prevention Month by hosting a three-session, online faith-based suicide prevention training program on Sept. 12, 19 and 26.

“When we as a diocese started looking around, we didn’t see very much by way of teachings and support for families who’ve had to endure losing a loved one who died by suicide, or how to look around and identify people who may be at risk,” Atlanta Bishop Robert Wright told Episcopal News Service. “This brand of grief is unique, and that’s why the diocese developed this resource.”

For more churchwide stories, visit Episcopal News Service.

Calendar

MONDAYS, 6 - 6:45 p.m.

Take Heart Now: Spiritual Tools for Centering and Compassion

The Guibord Center: Online

Registration

Are you looking for ways to feel more grounded in your spirituality? Could you use tools and guidance to help navigate life’s challenges? This online series will bring you inspirational and experiential presentations from notable leaders in our community. Each Monday through the end of the year, a new speaker will share concepts, stories, and centering tools that will help ground you in spirituality and compassion. Take Heart Now launches Monday, Sept. 9 with Valarie Kaur in conversation with Dr. Lo Sprague. Kaur is a renowned civil rights leader, lawyer, award-winning filmmaker, educator, innovator, and best-selling author of See No Stranger. She is the founder of the Revolutionary Love Project, where she leads a movement to reclaim love as a force for justice. Kaur just released Sage Warrior, a beautiful and immersive epic of her Sikh ancestors and the role that women played as warriors of love, and her first children’s book, World of Wonder.

TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS, beginning OCTOBER 1, 9:15 – 10:15 a.m.

Community Yoga Class

St. James Episcopal Church

1325 Monterey Road, South Pasadena

Please bring your own yoga mat and water bottle. Community yoga is an inclusive and accessible gathering for people of all ages and skill levels. Beginners are welcome. $15 per class, $120 for a 10-class pass. A collaboration between Caitlyn Ference-Saunders, RYT500 and St. James' Episcopal Church.We respect the history of yoga as a holistic South Asian practice. Our classes are offered with cultural respect and religious neutrality in mind. All are welcome.

THURSDAYS, 7 p.m.

Episcopal Students of UCLA

St. Alban's Episcopal Church

580 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles

Information: episcopalstudentsucla@gmail.com

We are a group of Christians, looking to further our relationship with God and strengthen our bonds in Christian community. Meeting in the library at St. Alban's Episcopal Church (right near campus), we are a welcoming community whose goal is to live out the truth of the gospel through spiritual growth, community experience, and service.

THURSDAYS, 7:30 p.m. (ending Sept. 12)

Art in Contemplation Exploring Parables

Through the Paintings of Rembrandt

St. Thomas the Apostle Church

7501 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles

This four-week series of guided discussions led by Jennifer Parker will consider four of Jesus’ parables through a series of paintings by Rembrandt Van Rijn, each week focusing on a different parable. This is a free course and all are welcome. For those unable to attend in person, a Zoom link can be provided. For information or the Zoom link, email the parish office at jwarren@saintthomashollywood.org.

FRIDAYS, 6 - 7 p.m.

Vigil for Peace

St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church

3233 Pacific View Drive, Corona Del Mar, 92625

Join us every Friday in the St. Michael’s sanctuary and on Zoom as we pray for peace in our community and around the world. Log-in information here (see "Weekly Worship"), or join on Facebook Live.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 5:15 - 9:30 p.m.

Valarie Kaur’s Revolutionary Love Bus Tour

and Interfaith Blessing of the Bus

Japanese American National Museum

100 N. Central Avenue, Los Angeles 90012

Sponsored by The Guibord Center. The Revolutionary Love Bus Tour is a healing odyssey across the United States calling people to rise up in courage, humanity, and love. At the heart of every event, Valarie and fellow artists tell stories of how their ancestors survived seemingly apocalyptic times. Together, we explore how each of us can walk the path of love, healing, and justice. As their journey begins, The Guibord Center is offering an “Interfaith Blessing of the Bus” with leaders of L.A.’s faith communities. Both events are free and open to the public. The bus blessing will begin at 5:15 p.m., followed by the program at 6:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 4 - 6 p.m.

Saturday Night Stay Home Cinema

Via Zoom: Register here

Information: mrichards@ihworks.org

The Immaculate Heart Community will present (via Zoom) four short films highlighting stories of struggle and resilience previously screened at the L.A. International Short Film Festival: Primero, Sueno; Boat People; Medicine; and Welcome to Klyde's Kitchen.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 7 p.m.

Documentary Screening: The Philadelphia 11

Trinity Episcopal Church

1500 State Street, Santa Barbara 93101-2514

In an act of civil disobedience, a group of eleven women deacons and their supporters organized their ordination as Episcopal priests in 1974. In The Philadelphia 11, we meet and come to understand the women who succeeded in building a movement that transformed an age-old institution, and challenges the very essence of patriarchy within Christendom. Local access to the film is made possible through the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. A $5 freewill donation is requested. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2 - 4 p.m.

Losing Truth: The Critical Cost to Our Lives and Future (Forum 1)

Online: register here

Presented by the Program Group on Ecumenical and Interfaith Life. How do we determine truth from lies? How do we recognize omissions of truth? How do we face facts and not look away even if those facts tell a story we are not comfortable with or want to acknowledge? Join us for this two-part series for an examination of the misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation that has infiltrated our daily lives, through the lenses of faith, law, psychology, and more. With opening remarks from Bishop Diocesan John Harvey Taylor, the first panel will feature insights presented by journalists and a cyber liaison officer. At the second session, on the following Sunday, Sept. 22, panelists will be a clinical psychologist, a theologian, and a retired federal district court judge. Leach will moderate both presentations. More about the programs and panelists is here.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 10 - 11:30 a.m. PT (1 – 2:30 p.m. ET)

Sacred Ground Program Year Launch with Presiding Bishop Michael Curry

Online: register here

All Episcopalians are invited to join a fall program year launch event for Sacred Ground, the church’s 11-part, film- and readings-based dialogue series on race, grounded in faith. Sacred Ground circles have grown exponentially in dioceses across the country. Join on Zoom to hear what makes the program compelling and how the series continues to challenge participants to do the deep work of racial healing, reconciliation, and justice—in their own lives, within their ministries, and in society. Learn more about Sacred Ground here.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 7 – 8:30 p.m.

The Welcome Table: A Christian Spiritual Gathering

for the LGBTQ+ Community and Our Allies

Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church

24901 Orchard Village Road, Santa Clarita 91355

Information: 661.259.7307 or here

The Welcome Table is an experience created by and for the LGBTQ+ community. Gather with us as we eat, pray, sing, discuss, share communion, celebrate diversity and explore our faith community as our true, authentic selves. Come as you are, this place is for you.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Lunch & Learn Lecture Series: Natasha Khamashta

St. Paul’s Commons (Jonathan Daniels Room)

840 Echo Park Avenue, Los Angeles 90026, or on Zoom

Natasha Khamashta, deputy public defender, will speak about the impact of diversion programs in the juvenile detention system, and how we, as a community, can invest in and support the healing of children in custody. Khamashta will be introduced by and converse with John Mutz, former L.A. police captain and member of the Immaculate Heart Community.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Engaged Compassion and the 2024 Election:

Bringing Compassion to Difficult Conversations and Relationships

St. George’s Episcopal Church

950 Spruce Street, Riverside 92507

Information/Registration: Karri@stgeorgesriverside.org

Developed by the Center for Engaged Compassion at The Claremont School of Theology, this day-long workshop will address the difficulties that some are experiencing in their relationships around politics, especially as we get closer to the election. We will look at ways to help you bring compassion to conversations and relationships, and how to work toward social change using compassion, not confrontation, as a guide. Lunch will be provided. There is no fee, but registration is required, and a freewill offering will be collected. This workshop will be facilitated by the Rev. Karri Backer, Ph.D., a certified facilitator of The Compassion Practice, spiritual director, therapist, and vicar of St. George’s.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 6 - 10 p.m.

Centennial Gala: 100 Years of Love, God and Community

St. Luke’s of the Mountains Episcopal Church

2563 Foothill Blvd., La Crescenta 91214

The centennial celebration will include history, music, a formal dinner dance, and a “fund a program” auction. Tickets are $125 each; on PayPal order form, note “Gala” and number of tickets - or contact the church office at 818.248.3639 or info@stlukeslacrescenta.org.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2 - 4 p.m.

Losing Truth: The Critical Cost to Our Lives and Future (Forum 2)

Online: register here

Presented by the Program Group on Ecumenical and Interfaith Life. How do we determine truth from lies? How do we recognize omissions of truth? How do we face facts and not look away even if those facts tell a story we are not comfortable with or want to acknowledge? Join us for this two-part series for an examination of the misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation that has infiltrated our daily lives, through the lenses of faith, law, psychology, and more. With opening remarks from Bishop Diocesan John Harvey Taylor, the first panel, on Sept. 15, features insights presented by journalists and a cyber liaison officer. At the second session, panelists will be a psychologist, a theologian, and a retired federal district court judge. Leach will moderate both presentations. More about the programs and panelists is here.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 4 p.m.

Music for Brass and Organ

St. Gregory's Episcopal Church

6201 E. Willow Street, Long Beach 90815

The South Coast Brass Quintet, organist David York and percussionist Paul Sternhagen unite to present festive music for brass, organ and timpani featuring selections from Gabrieli to Gershwin, Bach to the Beatles. A free-will offering will be accepted, and a reception will follow.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 8 p.m.

Concert: Featuring Jan Berry Baker, saxophone

St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church

1031 Bienveneda Avenue, Pacific Palisades

Information/Tickets here or 310.573.7422

The Music Guild at St. Matthew’s Church will begin is 2024 - 2025 season with this concert featuring renowned saxophonist Jan Berry Baker performing Jacque Ibert’s Concertino da Camera and William Grant Still’s Romance for Alto Saxophone and Strings. Baker is professor of saxophone and head of woodwinds at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music and performs regularly with the L.A. Philharmonic, Chicago and Atlanta symphonies and a variety of new music ensembles. The program also will include a celebratory new work by conductor/composer Dwayne S. Milburn and concludes with Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony. Tickets: $45 or Music Guild Season Pass (available for eight concerts for as little as $285). Free parking and intermission refreshments are provided.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2 – 4:00 p.m.

The Work of Ida Puliwa

St. Paul’s Commons

840 Echo Park Avenue, Los Angeles 90026

Information: Michele Richards, 747.307.4253 or mrichards@ihworks.org

The Immaculate Heart Community invites you to learn more about the work of Ida Puliwa, founder of Othakarhaka Foundation, empowering girls in Malawi by promoting gender equality, education, healthcare and sustainability. Light refreshments will be provided

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 12 - 3 p.m.

Cultural Competency: It’s Not Only About Pronouns

St. Wilfrid of York Episcopal Church

18631 Chapel Lane, Huntington Beach

Information: 714.962.7512 or here

Hosted by the St. Wilfrid’s Episcopal PRIDE Alliance, this workshop is designed to increase knowledge of our LGBTQIA+ community. Learn strategies to become an ally. Refreshments will be served at 12 p.m.; the program begins at 12:15. Presented by representatives of the LGBTQ Center of Orange County. Reservations are requested: email Conniehornyak@icloud.com or Steven@jimbocosw.com.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 4 p.m.

Organ Recital by Thomas Mellan

Grace Episcopal Church

555 E. Mountain View Avenue, Glendora

Thomas Mellan, a graduate of USC's Thornton School of Music, has been the organist at Grace Church for about a year. Described by a parishioner as "a bit of a rock star in the organ community," Mellan will perform on the church's organ, Manuel Rosale' Opus 3. The program will be followed by a wine-and-cheese reception. There is no charge.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 10 a.m.

St. Michael and All Angels Eucharist & BBQ

Desert Journeys Guest House

Desert Journeys, Joshua Tree

A relaxed, warm and welcoming gathering. To attend, contact the Rev. Canon David Carrey at 760.362.4670 or desertfather@earthlink.net.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 7 p.m.

Taizé Heartfulness Prayer Service

St. Mary’s Episcopal Church

428 Park Avenue, Laguna Beach 92651

Join St. Mary’s on the first Thursday of each month for this service in the style of France’s Taizé monastery.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 5:30 - 9 p.m.

Dinner and a Show

St. Luke the Physician Episcopal Church

122 South California Avenue, Monrovia 91016

Tickets/Information

An evening of fun, fellowship and fundraising, beginning with dinner at 5:30 p.m. prepared by Chef Joseph Lauer and Kelly Lauer and served in the garden. Once dinner is complete, we will progress to the sanctuary to enjoy a curated musical performance by members of the choir, parish musicians and other special guests. The show begins at 6:45 pm. After the show, dessert will be served. Advance general admission tickets: $60 (with wine) or $40) without wine. At the door tickets will be $70 or $55; check or exact change only. A 50/50 raffle will be held. Proceeds will benefit St. Luke's music program.

Events to be included in the online diocesan calendar and the Update may be emailed to editor@ladiocese.org.

Opportunities

VOLUNTEER

St. Andrew's Soup Kitchen

St. Andrew's Episcopal Church

1231 E. Chapman, Fullerton

Do you have a few hours to spare on Friday nights? Join us at St. Andrew's Soup Kitchen to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those who rarely have a hot meal. Fridays at 5:30 p.m. St. Andrew's is in need of dedicated volunteers to help serve dinner and assist with cleanup. Their time and effort will provide warmth, nourishment, and a sense of community to our guests. No experience is necessary – just a kind heart and a willingness to help. All are welcome. To volunteer, please contact office@saintandrewwsfullerton.com

Immigration & Refugee ministry

IRIS (Interfaith Refugee & Immigration Service)

3621 Brunswick Ave., Los Angeles 90039

Support is needed more than ever for newly arrived refugee and immigrant neighbors. Community members can volunteer with IRIS in many ways, from one-off or short-term opportunities, such as greeting newcomers at the airport, to donation coordination, transportation, translation, and more. For those interested in even deeper client connections, don't hesitate to ask about mentorship opportunities. Proficiency in Spanish, Arabic, Farsi (and other languages) is desirable, but not required, for some volunteer positions. A background check will be conducted for volunteers working directly with clients. Contact Ruben Tomasian at rtomasian@ladiocese.org. IRIS, a non-profit organization, is a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, and an affiliate of Episcopal Migration Ministries. Through refugee resettlement, immigration legal services, and organized community involvement, IRIS helps immigrants and refugees reach self-sufficiency. Check the website for more information.

Food Pantry

Our Saviour Center

4368 Santa Anita Avenue, El Monte

With lower pandemic numbers and everyone back at school and work our Food Pantry is in need of volunteers. Lend a hand on Tuesdays and Thursdays and the second and fourth Saturdays of each month from 8 a.m. until 12 p.m., rain or shine, to help us help the neediest families in our community. Volunteers should be age 16 and up. Street parking is available on Santa Anita, McGirk and Lambert avenues. Please wear a mask. All activities are outdoors; dress appropriately and wear close-toed shoes. For information or to sign up (not required), email info@our-center.org.

TRAVEL & PILGRIMAGE

MARCH 20 - 25, 2025

Episcopalians cope with fire threat, offer comfort and assistance to those fleeing flames

History of women's ordination is focus of Oct. 27 service at St. Wilfrid's, Huntington Beach

Visiting Santa Barbara congregations

Prayers for those in the path of wildfires

Dodgers lose, Episcopalians and Lutherans win at April 6 game

Sheryl Kujawa-Holbrook appointed historiographer of The Episcopal Church

Nancy Houston Guthrie

‘Losing Truth’ online forums Sept. 15, 22, will address societal impact of disinformation

Santa Clarita church to host dialogue on Christian response to war between Israel and Hamas

Camp Stevens to host stop on Valarie Kaur’s ‘Revolutionary Love Bus Tour’

Call to the 2024 meeting of Diocesan Convention

St. Paul’s Commons sets Oct. 20 Evensong to mark 30th anniversary of campus opening

St. John's Cathedral invites church singers to Choral Festival Oct. 5 - 6

Golfers (and non-golfers) invited to take part in Oct. 14 Shepherd's Cup Golf Classic

Faculty and staff invited to Episcopal schools celebration Oct. 10

Camp Stevens seeks donations for annual ‘Acorns to Oaks’ fundraising auction

'By Your Side' training sessions set for autumn

Bishop’s Commission on Climate Change sets Nov. 20 webinar with scientist Katharine Hayhoe

In nine years, presiding bishop’s travels have touched more than 100 dioceses and counting

Chicago diocese confronts legacy of slavery with Repentance, Repair and Reconciliation Project

Atlanta diocese to host faith-based suicide prevention training program

Take Heart Now: Spiritual Tools for Centering and Compassion

Community Yoga Class

Episcopal Students of UCLA

Art in Contemplation Exploring Parables

Through the Paintings of Rembrandt

Vigil for Peace

Valarie Kaur’s Revolutionary Love Bus Tour

and Interfaith Blessing of the Bus

Saturday Night Stay Home Cinema

Documentary Screening: The Philadelphia 11

Losing Truth: The Critical Cost to Our Lives and Future (Forum 1)

Sacred Ground Program Year Launch with Presiding Bishop Michael Curry

The Welcome Table: A Christian Spiritual Gathering

for the LGBTQ+ Community and Our Allies

Lunch & Learn Lecture Series: Natasha Khamashta

Engaged Compassion and the 2024 Election:

Bringing Compassion to Difficult Conversations and Relationships

Centennial Gala: 100 Years of Love, God and Community

Losing Truth: The Critical Cost to Our Lives and Future (Forum 2)

Music for Brass and Organ

Concert: Featuring Jan Berry Baker, saxophone

The Work of Ida Puliwa

Cultural Competency: It’s Not Only About Pronouns

Organ Recital by Thomas Mellan

St. Michael and All Angels Eucharist & BBQ

Taizé Heartfulness Prayer Service

Dinner and a Show

St. Andrew's Soup Kitchen

Immigration & Refugee ministry

Food Pantry

A Journey of Faith & Action: In the Footsteps of San Romero