A Time for Prayer and Action
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THE LENT 2018 EpiscopalEpiscopal NewsNews WWW.EPISCOPALNEWS.COM SERVING THE SIX-COUNTY DIOCESE OF LOS ANGELES A time for prayer and action FROM THE BISHOP Standing up to fear with hope, love and level heads ear stalked the border and our By John Harvey Taylor schools in recent weeks. How do Bishop of Los Angeles Episcopalians respond? With faith, TAYLOR . F H hope, love, and the level heads our God in Christ gave us. JOHN First to St. Philip’s in Lemon Grove in the Diocese invited them to come to the U.S. by the tens of mil- of San Diego. Before Holy Eucharist at our Called lions to work in factories and fields, hotels and to the Wall service Feb. 17, worshipers had a chance homes. The other scapegoats them for accepting the to denounce unreasoning fear by tearing the wall invitation. Our baptismal commitment to respect the down, or at least a symbolic version — small pieces dignity of every human being calls us to the wall and of brick and fencing wire that organizers had put on to speak up for sensible, humane immigration reform. a table in front of the altar. They built their own wall Those who seek political advantage by promot- because federal restrictions on U.S. citizens’ move- ing fear of the immigrant don’t just encourage rac- ments in Friendship Park, adjacent to the border ism while ignoring the immutable realities of the la- wall, had ruled out our usual practice of sharing the bor market. They also promote the fake news that service with bishops, deacons, laypeople, and priests immigrants are more dangerous than the popula- gathered on the Mexican side. tion at large. One result is that while planning to The photo above shows Salvador and Benedito, militarize the border, our leaders have scandalously children of the Rev. Jennifer Hughes, an associate left our schoolchildren, teachers, and administra- professor of history at the University of California, tors vulnerable. Riverside. They’re holding pieces of fence they’d just In Parkland, Florida, Feb. 14 a troubled home- taken from the table. Eight years ago, Dr. Hughes grown killer with a legally acquired military-style inspired our annual witness for immigration reform. weapon murdered 17 high school students and facul- She helps organize it each year along with Bishop ty members. Prior school massacres weren’t enough Diane Jardine Bruce and their partners in San Diego. to persuade the federal government to adopt tougher, Above: Salvador and If we left it to children, who so often express the good-sense gun laws. We pray that change will come Benedito, sons of the soul of welcome, they’d make short work of the real at last, thanks to the young people demonstrating Rev. Jennifer Hughes, wall, too. Cynics might reply that children don’t get around the country against gun violence. hold pieces of a wall how complicated and dangerous the world is. Chris- Nor has our society faced up to the correlation of symbolizing the border tians retort that we’re all safe in the Resurrection, rage, isolation, and violence against women that so between the United safe to take risks of hospitality and sharing what often typifies the narratives of the young men who States and Mexico. we have for the good of all God’s children, since all commit these acts of savagery. If this isn’t the realm our blessings come of the Church, nothing is. Our specialty is creating THE VOLUME 68, NUMBER 2 from God. communities of care, connection, communication, Impractical, fools- and accountability. We model relationships rooted in Episcopal News for-Christ stuff? After equity and mutuality. We notice when a friend’s tem- all, nations do need perament turns sullen or a young person suddenly Publication of the Diocese of Los Angeles. Serving readers since 1898. borders. But for gen- stops attending youth group and begins to self-iso- Editor The Episcopal News (ISSN 0195-0681) is Canon Janet Kawamoto published bimonthly by the Program Group erations, we have late. When someone’s at risk or posing a risk, we do [email protected] on Communications and Public Affairs of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, 840 Echo spoken to immigrant what all families do for one another. We don’t recoil Correspondent Park Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90026. The Rev. Canon Patricia McCaughan workers with two in fear. We don’t point fingers at scapegoats. We act [email protected] Subscription price: $15 per year. voices. One voice has boldly and in love. ? Art Director Molly Ruttan-Moffat The Episcopal News Update is published [email protected] by email each Wednesday (every other Wednesday during the summer months). Editorial and Advertising Office To subscribe, send a request to On the cover: Patricia Fredlund of All Saints by-the-Sea Church, Santa Barbara, lights a Cathedral Center of St. Paul [email protected] 840 Echo Park Avenue, Los Angeles 90026 For weekly news and calendar updates candle at a Jan. 26 prayer service at Trinity Church, Santa Barbara, during the Montecito 213.482.2040 online, visit the Episcopal News website at email: [email protected] www.episcopalnews.com parish’s evacuation from devastating mudslides. Now All Saints continues its heightened presence and ministry in the neighborhood. See story on page 8. Photo: Janet Kawamoto 2 E TH EPISCOPAL NEWS Lent 2018 NEWS March 10 forum set regarding Newport Beach mission station March 10 public forum on the station status is the bish- topic of designating an Episcopal op’s to make in consul- A Church mission station near New- tation with the Standing port Beach’s Lido Isle has been called by Committee, the Diocese the Standing Committee in accordance is first to make provi- WE HO with diocesan canonical and procedural sions for a public forum T requirements. so leaders and members ROBER Representatives of four neighboring of neighboring congre- St. George’s Episcopal Church, Laguna Hills, will be the site of a Episcopal congregations — St. Michael gations may support or March 10 forum considering a mission station in Newport Beach. and All Angels, Corona del Mar; St. John oppose the proposal or the Divine, Costa Mesa; St. Wilfrid of just seek more information. The canons been processed in compliance with pro- York, Huntington Beach; and St. Mary’s, also stipulate that ‘any person wanting to cedures monitored by the Program Group Laguna Beach — are invited to comment be heard’ should have the opportunity to on Mission Congregations, chaired by the at the Saturday forum, set for 10 a.m. at St. speak. I stress that the purpose of the forum Very Rev. Canon Kelli Grace Kurtz of St. George’s Episcopal Church, 23802 Aveni- is to gauge the appropriateness of establish- John’s, La Verne. da de la Carlota, Laguna Hills. The forum ing a new worshiping community within “As a mission station they would come was set Jan. 24 at the first 2018 meeting the polity of our Diocese in coastal Orange under the direct supervision of the bishop of the Standing Committee, chaired by the County and not to revisit controversies.” as they make their way towards application Rev. Abel Lopez of Messiah, Santa Ana. Filed in November, the congregants’ to be admitted as a mission congregation at Requesting official recognition as a mis- request to become a mission station has Diocesan Convention,” Kurtz said. ? sion station are leaders of the congregation of St. James’ the Great who seek to restore services in church buildings at 3209 Via Lido, the congregants’ previous church home that in recent years has been mired in property disputes. In an accord reached last fall, Bishop Diocesan John H. Taylor, Newport Beach A T priest Cindy Evans Voorhees, and then- OH Standing Committee President the Rev. Ra- J H. N YLOR WILLIAMS BOB chel Anne Nyback agreed to diocesan pro- cedures regarding steps necessary prior to ECW officers installed, leaders honored at annual event the restoration of church ministry on site. piscopal Church Women - Diocese of Los Angeles gathered Feb. 24 at the Cathedral Center Under the canons, decisions to confer E of St. Paul for their annual meeting. Bishop Diocesan John Harvey Taylor presided and mission status are made by the bishop di- preached at the Eucharist, and installed new officers, including President Christine Budzowski, ocesan. In a letter to participants, Taylor pictured second from left in photo above. Past president Martha Estes, pictured at far left, will wrote: “While the decision about mission take on a new position as Province VIII representative on the churchwide ECW board. Taylor also presented two certificates of appreciation; the first to Canon Donna Keller — pictured above In this issue: with Taylor and Estes, retiring president — for Page 4: Conference on mass incarceration, prison ministry; Lent 2018 ‘Versed’ to reflect on death more than 15 years as Bishop’s Guild president; Page 5: Interfaith MLK event; Spanish-language ministry fair; Stewardship University and the second to Nancy Ypma for many years Page 6: Pasadena church moves forward after vandalism as diocesan representative of the Washington Page 8: Parish goes on ‘being the church’ as Montecito recovers from mudslides National Cathedral. Canon Hank Gatlin and Page 10: Camp Stevens dedicates new lodge in honor of Bergstroms, gets new interim director Deacon Celeste Holm gave a presentation about Page 11: Pilgrims ‘tear down the wall’ during Via Crucis journey in support of immigrant rights the Bishop Talton Deacon Education Fund, and Page 12: The Archdeacon: Deacons ‘serve margins of church and world’ Sonia and Mike Hernandez and five student Page 14: Take Note: News brief and coming events leaders spoke on behalf of Neighborhood Youth Page 15: People: News of the diocesan community Association.