May 2024

Laura Siriani

From Archdeacon Laura Siriani

But, what about Deacons?

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Bishop Taylor’s recent article “Sunday without a Priest? Feeding the People with the Word” stirred questions about the deacon’s role in the liturgy and the wider church. Bishop Taylor kindly invited me to clarify how we function in the church.

Vocational Deacons everywhere serve their local communities and the world as advocates, ministers, and leaders in places of suffering and injustice. That is where we are most comfortable.  We are often described as tenacious, restless, uncompromising, and even irritating because we constantly ask the church to stand with those who have no voice. Ordination as a deacon gives us the authority to do that and the sacraments strengthen our ministry daily.

How does that relate to the way that we serve during the liturgy?

Deacon Ormonde Plater who wrote “Deacons in the Liturgy” described it this way: “As symbols, deacons embody two ancient concepts, angels and waiters. They are messengers and heralds of the word. They proclaim the good news of God in Christ and interpret the world to the community of faith. They oversee the sacrificial meal, wait on the table, prepare, serve (the bread or cup), and clean up. They enable the hungry to eat and thirsty to drink, as they serve in the sacramental liturgies of the church among God’s poor in the world.”

‘In other words, the deacon’s role in the liturgy reflects our role outside the liturgy. While the bishop and priest preside in the Eucharist and other congregational liturgies, deacons serve in the liturgy because our role is to mobilize the church for the work of love in the world.

We proclaim the gospel.
We bear witness to the world around us by preaching.
We lead and often write the intercessions.
We invite the confession.
We serve at the table.
We serve Bread and Wine.
We dismiss the congregation to go and serve God’s world.

Today, our liturgical roles are often intermingled with that of Lay Eucharistic Ministers, and we welcome that. Without exception, deacons will, however, lay claim to proclaiming the gospel, serving at the table, and dismissing the congregation. We stand in what may seem an uncomfortable place with one foot in the church and the other in the world, ministering and bearing witness to both.

Bishop Taylor’s article was not meant to diminish deacons, but to point out that we must not be confused with priests by taking on their sacramental role. Ours is a sacred order because we serve the world in the holiest of ways. Deacons know the suffering of God’s people and are called to lead the church to holy work everywhere.

We deacons thank God that we are called to those sacred places.

Blessings,
Laura

If you or anyone in your parish is interested in learning more about the diaconate, Bloy House is offering a three-week Introduction to the Diaconate class. Registration is here.

The Ven. Laura Siriani is the archdeacon for the Diocese of Los Angeles. She has also served congregations in the diocese, including St. Paul’s Church in Tustin.

From Camp Stevens Executive Director Kathy Wilder 

Camp Stevens: the sacred in the story

Kathy Wilder

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

In 2007 I stood by the water towers above the remains of what had been our summer cabins. Looking down through the smoke and ash, I took a deep breath and let out a sigh of exhaustion. It had been 48 hours of no sleep and intense worry.

It took me a moment to realize standing next to me was a firefighter. She was taller than me, broad and loaded with a substantial equipment belt. She was covered head to toe in soot. I didn’t expect to see tears on her face. I reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder. I asked if she was okay.

She shared her story – that she had grown up in foster care and, as a middle schooler, her case worker had partnered with Camp Stevens to send kids to summer camp. Her time at Camp Stevens was her first time in an outdoor environment, and, while she had to get used to spiders and sunscreen, she fell in love with the wild. She recalled cooking over a fire, getting poison oak, listening to the Lorax before bed, feeling scared of owls, and counting stars with her new friends. At camp she figured herself out, she could breathe deeply, and she felt like she belonged – even when it was hard.

Upon returning from camp, she shared that her life got complicated and she lost herself, resulting in prison time as a young adult. The impact of her camp experience never left her, so she chose to train in the inmate wildland firefighting program. She had been out of prison for several years, now working full time with Cal Fire. “Thank you,“ she said, “for giving me a lifeline back to myself.” We hugged and we cried, our spirits strengthened through the sacred connection of camp, of resilience, of life.

In a post-Covid, tech-captivated, socially polarized world, these sacred connections and transformative experiences are more important than ever. Camp Stevens offers a space where people are the priority.

We strive to foster a community that encourages participation, not perfection; authenticity, not assimilation; and faith exploration, not religious exclusion. While relationship building remains a constant at camp, living our Episcopal values galvanizes our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our work shows up in how we compensate and train staff, how we prioritize our resources, and how we take responsibility for improving access and belonging for our campers.

The two current primary equity initiatives include the employee equity grants and our campership program. The employee equity grants address the pay gap between what our employees can make at a minimum wage summer job at home versus a week of summer camp.

These grants are available to staff who identify as BIPoC, LGBTQIA2S+,disabled, economically vulnerable, or other groups of marginalized people.

Over the past two summers, we have disbursed almost $15,000, supporting over 30 staff. In 2023, over $100,000 was raised for camperships providing financial support for over 50% of our campers – just like that firefighter.

Camperships support individuals and partnerships including our partnerships with Refugee Net and the Hemet School District Foster program.

Recently I hiked my dogs up to those same water towers. I looked down, remembering the conversation with the firefighter; I observed the replacement construction and the 10,000 trees we planted.

It was striking to recall the changes we navigated in response to the fire and the pandemic. These challenges taught us that sacred connection is about people and relationships and meeting the moment. We do this by prioritizing our shared Episcopal mission and values.

We welcome you! Join us for summer camp, family camp, or retreats. Support our ongoing year round work and DEI initiatives. Strengthen and expand the sacred connections we share as an Episcopal community by staying in touch and adding your own part to the Camp Stevens story.

Blessings,

Kathy

— Dr. Kathy Wilder is the executive director of Camp Stevens, and will serve as keynote speaker for the upcoming diocesan clergy conference, themed “Sacred Leadership.”

BONNIE BRANDON has begun serving as priest-in-charge of Church of the Holy Communion, Gardena.

ADAM DAWKINS has been called as the 6th rector of St. Alban’s Church in Westwood.

STACEY FORTE-DUPRE has begun serving as long-term supply clergy at Grace Church in Moreno Valley.

KAREN JAMES, MICHAEL MISCHLER and MARGARET STIVERS will be ordained to the diaconate at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 8, at St. John’s Cathedral by Bishop John Harvey Taylor. The diocesan community is invited to attend. Clergy: red stoles.

OPEN

Receiving names/developing profile

Inglewood, Holy Faith Parish

Redlands, Trinity Parish

Redondo Beach, Christ Church Parish–St. Andrew’s, Torrance / Rector

Westchester, Holy Nativity Parish

Whittier, St. Matthias / Rector

OPEN

No longer receiving names/Interviewing candidate

Lompoc, St. Mary’s Parish / Rector

MISSION & OTHER POSITION APPOINTMENTS

Mission congregation positions, some of them part time, for which the Formation and Transition Ministry office is presently receiving names for the bishop’s consideration.

Big Bear, St. Columba / Spirit of Peace Mission

Gardena, Holy Communion Mission

Isla Vista, St. Michael’s University Church Mission

La Verne, St. John’s Mission

Lake Arrowhead, St. Richard of Chichester Mission

Moreno Valley, Grace Mission

Needles, St. John’s Mission

Rancho Santa Margarita, St. John Chrysostom Mission

Rialto, St. Peter’s Mission

Wilmington, St. John’s / Holy Child (PIC) Mission

Yucca Valley, St. Joseph of Arimathea Mission