One Body & One Spirit

Annual Appeal

The diocesan One Body & One Spirit Appeal is once again accepting grant applications for ministry projects in congregations, schools, and affiliated institutions while continuing to allocate wildfire-relief funds according to guidelines set by the Corporation of the Diocese. Donors may choose for their One Body & One Spirit donation to go to funds for ministry projects or to fire -relief.

This Advent season, gifts to the Annual Appeal not allocated to fire-relief will go to support families and congregations affected by ICE.

Donate to the fire-relief fund

Fire-relief grant application form

Donate to the ministry projects fund

Ministry project grant application

Frequently Asked Questions

A video message from Bishop John Harvey Taylor: Watch above or read transcription below.

Help families, churches affected by cruel ICE raids: Make an Advent gift to the One Body & One Spirit Appeal today

“This is Bishop John, extending Advent-season blessings from Echo Park Lake, right across from your diocesan headquarters at St. Paul’s Commons.

“At most of our 133 missions and parishes on the first Sunday of Advent, folks lit the Hope candle; not all of our churches stress this, but many do. And the hope that the candle that’s lit on the first Sunday of Advent represents to many of our folks is the hope of the coming both of the Christ Child as well as of Jesus Christ in Majesty, returning at some moment known only to God, to see how God’s people have been doing building an earthly realm of justice and love and peace.

“And for everyone at most of our churches who went to church on the first Sunday of Advent, they didn’t think twice about the blessing of being able to do so. But at a score or more of our churches, those where English is not the principal language of worship — in other words, where people worship primarily in Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, and Spanish — many of the members of those churches were afraid to go to the church because of our government’s cruel ICE raids and roundups. Not only are they afraid to go to church, but they’re afraid to come to the park with their family. They were afraid to go to the supermarket to shop for Thanksgiving groceries, and they’re afraid right now to go to the store to shop for Christmas because they just can’t be sure about that sketchy-looking white van in the parking lot.

“This is the daily experience of hundreds of thousands of our members and our neighbors in the Diocese of Los Angeles. And among all of the human impacts this cruel government policy is having, it’s having a financial impact on our parishes and missions that serve this community of our fellow Episcopalians, and we are hearing and expect to be hearing more from these parishes and missions who have financial needs they didn’t expect to have before this government began being a terror to our neighbors and to the members of our churches. And at the One Body & One Spirit Appeal, we expect to hear and already are hearing from churches that need a little financial support to get through these difficult days.

“That’s why I’m urging you in the spirit of Advent and the spirit of the coming nativity and the spirit of the return of the Christ who will ask God’s people how we have been doing building a realm of peace of love and justice, asking you is part of your year-end giving to make a gift to the One Body & One Spirit Appeal today. It’s easy to do: Go to the diocesan website, diocesela.org, and click at the very top; you can learn both how to make a gift as Kathy and I are doing this Advent season, and you can learn how to apply for a grant.

“The time is now to help our people who are suffering as a consequence of these government policies, to help them get through these Advent and Christmas days and into a new year when we may pray that the grace of peace and justice will come upon those in power and lift this burden from the shoulders of our neighbors. For now, God bless you and keep you this Advent and this Christmastide.”

Launched as an emergency fund during COVID, the Appeal isn’t just for crisis response. It’s for anything a church or institution needs that isn’t covered by the budget. Every dollar donated goes back out the door in a grant.

Since 2022, the Appeal has raised $388,662 for ministry grants through 561 gifts by 293 donors; an additional $175,000 was raised for COVID-related grants in 2020-2022. Donations for ministry project grants may be made here.

The Corporation will award a new round of grants in December, and May 1 is the filing deadline for the next ministry grants, to be awarded in June. An application packet may be downloaded here. Grants may be requested up to a maximum amount of $10,000 each by congregations, institutions, and programs in the diocese.

Gifts received after January 7 were reserved for fire relief until April 1 when ministry grants resumed and a dual track of awards began. To date, a total of 1,235 donors have raised $779,526 in 1,251 gifts for fire relief through the One Body & One Spirit Annual Appeal.

Fire-relief grants are made by the Corporation of the Diocese to individuals and institutions based on applications reviewed regularly by a panel representing diocesan fiduciary bodies. Apply for a fire relief grant here and donate to the fire relief fund here. Gifts to the Appeal also may be mailed to the diocesan Finance Office at St. Paul’s Commons, 840 Echo Park Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90026.

Thank you for your support of the One Body & One Spirit Annual Appeal.

Thank you for your support of the Annual Appeal – and for making a donation today by clicking the button below.

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