[caption width="240" id="attachment_31137" align="alignleft"] Judy Heffron

August 2024

Supply and Demand

By the Rev. Canon Judy Heffrom

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I have loved being pastor, priest and preacher in a mid-sized congregation and felt called to that ministry from the age of twelve, long before women were ordained in most mainline denominations. So as my 72^nd birthday approached, I knew my days were numbered as rector of Holy Trinity, Covina. Bishop Mary Glasspool preached and celebrated on that last Sunday in January, 2013, and the vestry honored me with the title of Rector Emeritus.

It took almost a year to find my way back into what I most loved to do as I began to be invited to supply for rectors and vicars as they took vacations, sabbaticals and maternity leaves.  These requests have come more frequently in the past year so that I have supplied on 20 of the past 25 Sundays and am scheduled to supply every Sunday between now and the end of October.  In addition, in just the past six months, I have done three graveside services, a baptism, a wedding and one funeral.  The reason for this is the current scarcity of available supply clergy.  In Deanery Six, in which there are only nine churches four of these have no permanent clergy and must rely on supply clergy or on lay ministry for worship services. And Deanery Six is not unique in this diocese where about forty percent of our churches are facing similar challenges.

There are significant advantages to doing supply ministry, as a “retired” priest.  You get to do almost everything you were ordained to do; e.g. preach, teach, celebrate, bless, absolve, baptize, marry, bury, evangelize, etc,  Yet, you are relieved of administrative duties such as keeping records, conducting vestry and other organizational meetings, and resolving most conflicts. Such administrative and executive duties are assumed by the senior warden, in a parish, or the bishop’s warden in a mission. If the request for your service extends to several Sundays, you come to know the church leaders and many of the members.  These relationships lead to other opportunities for ministry; e.g. weddings, burials, baptisms, pastoral care, etc.

In the ten years I have been doing supply ministry, I have served 18 – 20 different congregations, some as far as 50 miles away, though most are much closer. All of them have been by my choice and all have been at the request of the rector, vicar or senior or bishop’s warden.  During these same ten years, I have also served as Assisting Priest at St.Luke’s, Monrovia, for a period of time and St .Edmund’s, San Marino, for a few months.  Supply ministry is a very flexible position and entirely at the discretion of the supply priest.

I have been most grateful to serve in those churches where I know, in advance, the name of the senior warden, the musician, and the person who will be making the announcements.  It is also very helpful to receive a copy of the church bulletin prior to the Sunday that I will be serving.  This usually comes as an email. Of course, I need to know which Sunday(s) my service will be needed.  It is also nice to know anything unusual about the order of service; e.g., in one church that I served the music was provided by a woman who played either guitar or piano and sang the musical offerings and/or accompanied the hymns.  In another church, the announcements for the week were made before the opening hymn.  I have always arrived at least 30 minutes before the service started to be apprised of any changes and to get organized before the service.  It really helps to love people and to be at least somewhat flexible to enjoy this kind of ministry, but it can be truly satisfying and it is greatly needed in many churches at this time in the diocese of Los Angeles.

If you are available on Sunday mornings, whether you are retired or otherwise free at this time,  I would encourage you to consider supply ministry.  There is a modest compensation:  in most churches it is $200 for a single service and $250 for two services. For me, however, the primary compensation is the joy of doing what I was called to do and what makes a Sunday a day for which it is worth getting out of bed.  The church needs you and maybe you need the church.

And you’re not too old after age 72.

— The Rev. Judy Heffron is the Rector Emeritus of Holy Trinity, Covina and retired Dean of Deanery 6.

Betsy Hooper-Rosebrook

 June 2024

Why a Dean of Chaplains?

By the Very Rev. Betsy Hooper Rosebrook

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

In the midst of tumultuous protests on campuses, college chaplains offer calm voices and safe spaces.
In impersonal medical settings, hospital chaplains sit quietly with patients and families in their fear and confusion.
In the loneliness of jails, prison chaplains listen closely with respectful compassion.
In schools and camps, chaplains offer a caring presence by praying for beloved pets who have died, admiring the wonder of pill bugs, and engaging the faith questions of youth and adult alike.
On base, military chaplains hear the struggles of those who are far from home. In senior housing, chaplains walk with residents through the end of the arc of their life’s journey.

And in the Diocese of Los Angeles, increasingly, chaplains are at parks and ports and parades, at food banks and tent encampments, in libraries and transitional housing settings—in short, in the words of the Center for Lay Chaplaincy’s motto, “Chaplaincy Everywhere”–bringing the gifts of seeing each person as God’s beloved child, of honoring their stories and struggles and questions, and of offering a supportive presence in ways appropriate to the context.

All of this is important ministry, and can be personally satisfying work, but it’s often hard, frequently confusing, and sometimes conducted without colleagues to share in reflection, encouragement, and debriefing. Recognizing that the particular needs of chaplains are easily overlooked, Bishop Taylor invited me in the summer of 2022 to become the diocese’s first Dean of Chaplains. With 20+ years of experience as a school chaplain at Saint Mark’s, Altadena, and 35 years as a priest in the diocese and thus familiar with our breadth of needs and opportunities, I felt like this was a wonderful chance to support the ever-expanding ministry of chaplains.

Regional deans are familiar in the diocese; [each of the 10 deans gathers clergy for periodic clericus meetings, offers pastoral support to clergy, serves as the bishop’s eyes and ears in a geographic area, and works with deanery presidents]*. However, the Dean of Chaplains role is unique in that I serve both lay and clergy chaplains throughout the entire diocese. Since I began, this has included:

• Compiling an ever-growing list of chaplains and their ministries
• Casual events to bring chaplains together for fun
• Periodic Zoom check-ins
• Individual communication via text, email, phone, and Zoom
• Vocational discernment as chaplains explore possible new directions
• Support for chaplains during personally or professionally stressful times
• Lunch and a speaker at St. Paul’s Commons
• Connecting chaplains to resources and people who may be helpful in their ministry

My focus has been on those persons, both clergy and laity, who have a primary ministry as chaplains; certainly there are lots of folks who do wonderful chaplaincy work as part of their congregational responsibilities, but in figuring out this new dean’s job description—a volunteer position—I’ve chosen to keep the scope a bit narrower. If you or someone you know fits this description, please let me know at **.

Far beyond the walls of our churches, in all sorts of settings, chaplains are here for people of every faith, uncertain faith, and no faith; as Dean of Chaplains, I’m privileged to be here for the chaplains!

— The Very Rev. Betsy Hooper Rosebrook is the first Dean of Chaplains in the Diocese of Los Angeles.  

Laura Siriani

May 2024

But what about Deacons?

By Laura Siriani

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, “Sunday without a Priest ….” 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 Archdeacon of the Diocese of Los Angeles, and has served in local congregations, including St. Paul’s Church in Tustin. 

May 2024

Camp Stevens: the sacred
in the story

By Executive Director 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 galvanize 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 in Julian, California.  

Susan Russell

April 2024

Connection & Care:
Reimagining Chaplaincy for Retirees
in the Diocese of Los Angeles

By Susan Russell

Psalm 71:17-18
¹⁷ Since my youth, God, you have taught me,
    and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.
¹⁸ Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
    your mighty acts to all who are to come.

 Dear EDLA Clergy Colleagues,

 I write this message for the April edition of The Angelus on the afternoon following our annual Holy Week gathering for our Renewal of Clergy Vows service — still full of gratitude for the gift of community, communion and the common mission of making the indestructible power of God’s inexhaustible love present in our beautiful and broken world. What a blessing to be part of such a great cloud of witnesses.

 “Doing the math” while driving to the service this morning, I realized that this was my 28th such gathering — and so my gratitude is not only for those who were incarnationally present at St. John’s Cathedral today but for the memories of so many colleagues whose work and witness has been inextricably woven into the tapestry that is the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles … a tapestry that continues to be created as we move into new chapters of mission and ministry in our diocese and in The Episcopal Church.

 So I write this afternoon with that gratitude and with a deep awareness of so many other gatherings in that sacred space over these many years — and just how quickly those years have gone. As I said to Dean Kay Sylvester as we were waiting for the service to start “It’s amazing how fast we went from ingenues to elders!”

 What I know from my conversations with many of you over these first months of 2024 as I’ve begun this new scope of work for the bishop’s office coordinating chaplaincy for retired clergy and spouses, is that while my experience is far from unique there are as many stories and experiences of living into retirement as there are clergy and spouses living into that chapter of their journey.

 And what I am learning from those conversations is that there is much good work to be done to build up a robust network of chaplaincy to provide both connection and care for clergy and spouses who are living out their retirement years here in the Diocese of Los Angeles.

 What I’m learning from stories of what we’ve done in the past that worked — and what we tried in the past that didn’t — is that the needs of retirees in a diocese as large and diverse as EDLA are best served by a systemic commitment to connection and care which includes staff members and volunteers, diocesan and deanery leaders in partnership with our CPG (Church Pension Group) colleagues. It is that kind of “deep bench” of connectivity we will be working to build in the weeks and months ahead … standing on the shoulders of those who have done this work in the past and building toward a sustainable structure for the future.

I am deeply grateful to the clergy chaplain conversation partners with whom I’ve had the chance to connect for their support, encouragement and willingness to share their history, experiences and challenges – for those who are willing to continue to participate in that work going forward and for those for whom it is time for a new chapter. Those conversations and that work will continue during Eastertide, and I look forward to time with diocesan chaplains at a Province VIII gathering convened by CPG at the end of April to pick their brains and bring some best practices back to Los Angeles.

I’m hoping we might also have some conversation on one of the upcoming Clergy Zoom meetings and would love to convene some connection time at the Clergy Conference in May in Riverside. In the meantime, if you have stories of your own to tell, questions to ask or suggestions to offer, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at srussell@ladiocese.org.

 I’ll close with these verses from Psalm 71 … a reminder that whoever you are and wherever you find yourself on the continuum — from ingenue to elder — there is work for all of us to do as we build up our clergy community in order to support each other for the work of proclamation of God’s love made available to absolutely everyone:

“Since my youth, God, you have taught me,
and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.
Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God,
till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.”

All best blessings,
Susan

— The Rev. Canon Susan Russell is Canon for Engagement of the Diocese of Los Angeles, and an assisting priest at All Saints Church in Pasadena. 

September 2023

Congregations invited to participate in
Climate Change Summit Sept. 16
at St. Paul’s Commons

By Payton Hoegh

In the Margaret Parker Lecture of our 2021 diocesan convention, Dr. Mary Nichols, offered a clear and compelling outline of the threat the world faces in climate change. Alongside sharp, sober warnings, she urged our Episcopal community to, “act out of hope and from a place of love, not fear.” 

As the Church’s Season of Creation begins after a summer of record-setting heat, devastating wildfires, and the first tropical storm to strike California in 26 years, more than ever, our wounded world needs the Episcopal Church to act. 

The Diocese of Los Angeles is responding to that call. 

Since Dr. Nichols’ convention address, our diocesan leadership has made creation care and climate consciousness a key priority in our communal ministry and witness. Rev. Canon McCarthy recently represented our diocese as part of the Presiding Bishops’ delegation to the United Nations’ Climate Change conference, COP 26. Now, at Bishop Taylor’s direction, she leads a Climate Change Commission made up of passionate lay and clergy leaders working diligently to envision, vet, and implement practical and impactful local responses to this issue the UN has deemed, “the greatest threat the world has ever faced.” 

On September 16th at St. Paul’s Commons, the 2023 Climate Change Summit offers our broad and diverse community the opportunity to continue that important work, embodying hope and love in this fearful time.

As someone whose ministry is centered on creation care and engagement, who has been active in environmental advocacy and climate justice, and who – despite better judgment – reads the comments under articles and op-eds, I know these are issues that can still divide us. There will be some who scoff at this ministry and decry it as partisan or political. In fact, we should see care for God’s creation as parochial, tied fast to our baptismal vows and to the faithful practice of each Episcopalian and every faith community. We are facing more than an ecological crisis. Climate chaos is a spiritual crisis.

This understanding was affirmed by our denominational leaders at the close of the Episcopal Church’s 80th General Convention in July. In a resounding statement, they established the care of creation as our very first Christian vocation. Offering faith-rooted focus to warnings of the scientific community and governmental bodies, they proclaimed: “Climate change and environmental degradation are manifestations of our turning away from God. The effects of this willful separation from God resonate across our collective lives: All areas of justice are either worsened or made better depending on the health of the planet.”

The Episcopal Church’s forthcoming creation care curriculum puts it more simply. We are called to Love God, Love God’s World.

Such prophetic pronouncements are not limited to denominational resources and decrees from our House of Bishops. They are embodied in efforts across our own diocese. Congregations in every corner of the 5 and a half counties of this expansive community are supporting emergency preparedness and disaster resilience efforts, leading beach clean-ups and garden-based ministries. They are implementing sustainable energy solutions and water conscious updates to church infrastructure. Small groups are being formed to reconnect with a sense of rootedness and to the rich Christian tradition of nature-centered spiritual formation. Parishes are appointing Creation Care committees and Green Teams to share information and engage advocacy to preserve local ecosystems and contribute to a cleaner, healthier environment for us all.

This is hope and love in action. It is a humble step back towards God who, with artistry and intent, formed each creature and every crevice of this Earth and called us to care for it with the same passion and creativity that marked its making.

Still, there is work to be done. 

The 2023 Climate Change Summit will draw our community together for more purposeful and productive action. Virtually and in-person, we will engage the facts of this global issue and explore ways we can move collectively and individually to love and care for God’s creation. Focusing on disaster resiliency, reducing carbon footprints, limiting the use of fossil fuels, adopting green technologies, and strategies to partner with communities most affected by the consequences of climate change, this summit will equip and inspire our diocese to enact meaningful change to faithfully respond to the dire ecological crisis we face.

Register and learn more about how you can get involved, here.

Blessings,
Payton Hoegh, M.Div
Climate Change Summit Chaplain
Postulant for Holy Orders
Program Director of the Center for Spirituality in Nature

— Payton Hoegh is a postulant for Holy Orders in the Diocese of Los Angeles. He will serve as Chaplain of the upcoming Climate Change Summit. Since discerning a call to ordination in 2017, Payton’s ministry has centered on creation care, contemplative practice, and the creation of alternative spaces for spiritual engagement and community weaving–particularly in and with the natural world. He is the Program Director of the Center for Spirituality in Nature, founder and guide of All Wanderers, a contemplative spiritual community, and author of two sessions of the Episcopal Church’s forthcoming Creation Care curriculum, Love God, Love God’s World. Payton holds a master of divinity degree from the Claremont School of Theology.

August 2023

Mental Health First Aid: Confronting an Urgent Need

By Brian Tucker

July 2023

A reflection: Ministry that leads to new vision

By Thomas Discavage-Quijada

It is a wonderful thing when you take the time to reflect on ministry, old and new. Having recently turned 60, I decided to take some time to pray and reflect on the ministry that has been part of more than half of my life. I have been ordained for 34 years. Even when I was on the journey between my life as a Roman Catholic priest into my Episcopal identity, my ministry was alive and well. I think of parish work in one place with 2700 families to more recent places with 20 to 30 families, and I recall ministry in the secular not-for-profit places I was fortunate to work. From parish life to diocesan staff ministry, the Spirit has always been the guiding force.

All of my ministry has seemed a bit like “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride,” if I were to give it a title. And the ride continues.

At the Province VIII Transition Ministers Conference this Spring it became more and more evident that we are in an unprecedented time in our church as a whole and especially in the areas of formation and transition. As many of you know, we have about 50 congregations in some form of transition. Some of these have been in transition for a few years, and some will need to look at other ministry models as the next chapter in their ever-evolving story. Across the province there is a need for well over 100 clergy to fill current openings, many of which are part-time placements. At another recent gathering, transition minsters from 25 dioceses, many from the East Coast, shared that they have a need for a total of 296 clergy: 128 full-time and 168 part-time.

We all decided that while it may seem that we are experiencing a type of Lenten Journey in our ministry we are fully committed to the truth that we are an Easter people, ever filled with Resurrection hope; a new and vibrant vision for tomorrow. We shared that discernment and formation are ongoing and essential for both clergy and congregations, and that building and strengthening collegial relationships is crucial to lasting ministry. We share as a goal the desire for a strong and healthy clergy community, committed to the vision that Jesus has set before us.

Here in the diocese, as mentioned at our recent Clergy Conference, one of the ways to support and strengthen our clergy community is through intentional time together to share and reflect on ministry. During the Covid hiatus we have done a bit of a revamping on our FreshStart program and are introducing a new rendition that we are calling Anima – Ministry’s Soul / Tending the heart of our call.

Being faithful to our long relationship with FreshStart, now seems to be the right time to update curriculum/content, meeting format, leadership, etc.

For all those who participate in the program – newly ordained, those beginning new congregational leadership, and deacons – Anima will be the time and place to discuss, in a confidential setting, all aspects of ministry. “Anima” has as its root the “Animating Principle,” that which is at the core of anything we do. For our purposes, it is that essence that gives life to our ministry. We will intentionally tend God’s call through discussion and reflection.

Session topics, individual – group specific – questions, session presenters, etc. will be chosen collaboratively in each of the respective groups. Within that context we will also address some of the original FreshStart areas, which remain pertinent and important to ministry’s complexities.

The design will include a gathering of all groups for a day-long introduction/retreat at St. Paul’s Commons. A mid-year in-person group-specific session will also be scheduled at St. Paul’s Commons. In between those sessions each group will gather via ZOOM for half-day sharing monthly. The regular program year will run from September through June, beginning this Fall.

More to come as we move forward. If you have any questions do not hesitate to reach out to me either by email tdiscavage@ladiocese.org or by phone at 213.482.2040, ext. 220.

— The Rev. Thomas Discavage-Quijada is missioner for Formation and Transition Ministry for the Diocese of Los Angeles.

May 2023

Future Focused: Technology integration at your Episcopal Credit Union

By Jennifer Miramontes

One of the biggest challenges faced by small credit unions is the rapid advancement of technology in the banking industry. Many of those who would be best served by our services, as well as those who are most well-equipped to provide stable accounts, have grown up with a device in their hand. If it can’t be done on a phone, it can’t be done.

For a small credit union, investing in technology overhauls is daunting. The investment isn’t just an expense that’s not in the budget (just as with our churches, it never is), it’s a new way of thinking, a new way of serving, a new way of believing in doing mission.

Founded in the wake of the 1992 civil unrest, the Episcopal Community Federal Credit Union (Episcopal Credit) received its federal charter in 1994 with the support of many volunteers from parishes around the diocese as well as seed funding from what we now know as Episcopal Relief & Development. As a faith-based credit union, headquartered at St. Paul’s Commons, we serve a low- and moderate-income community that believes in the principle of service to others and responsible investing in the community. This philosophy follows the credit union principle where members pool their savings to make loans to one another and are shareholders of the institution where they save, borrow, and obtain financial services.

As Bishop of Los Angeles John Harvey Taylor notes, “Our credit union began and persists as a ministry of economic justice, enabling individuals and institutions to lay hands on some vital capital to leverage a better future when other lenders pass them by.”

Currently, our credit union provides an abundance of services, including:

• Low-cost financial services for members opening their first account or who need financial counseling, in a supportive, compassionate, bilingual environment with fee-free, direct-deposit checking accounts and co-op debit cards;
• Support for local entrepreneurs in the form of small business loans and loans to churches to assist with much-needed repairs or revenue generating revitalization;
• As an extension of its focus on social justice ministries, the credit union enables members with well-established banking records to help support others in the community as they build a more financially sustainable future
• Support for clergy in establishing credit and providing savings and checking accounts and debit cards.

Pre-pandemic, Episcopal Credit’s board of directors recognized the need to modernize the credit union’s technology infrastructure platforms and product offerings to make our services more accessible to current and prospective members. Episcopal Credit launched our transformational efforts in the middle of lock-down, remotely researching the efforts of other credit unions, logging countless Zoom meeting hours, and determining which platforms and programs would best fill the needs of our diverse and flourishing community. Little did we know how long the pandemic would last, the impact it would have, the devastation it would leave.

During these pandemic years it would have been easy to leave good enough alone. But Episcopal Credit’s mission has always been focused on serving our community. This means finding a way forward isn’t really a choice. It’s a calling.

In practical terms, this means that Episcopal Credit wants to expand the reach of our services, making them available to technology savvy generations that rely primarily on cell phones for financial transactions. We want to make it easier for you to access your accounts, make transfers, pay bills, check your credit, and begin other financial transactions including opening new accounts and applying for loans – all online.

In 2023, all these things will be possible. We are thrilled to announce the many new technologies now available through the Episcopal Community Federal Credit Union:

• New online banking platform, available on our website at EpiscopalCredit.org
• New online bill pay system
• Apple Pay and Samsung Pay
• Mobile App, now available in the App store (ECFCU app)
• Mobile check deposit (coming soon)
• Zelle digital payment service (coming Summer 2023)

As happy as we are about these significant technological enhancements, we do not intend to rest on our laurels. These upgrades mean nothing if no one knows about them. They cannot help folks who aren’t yet members of the Credit Union. As noted earlier, credit union members are shareholders and pool their own money to make loans to one another. Increased membership is essential to develop our loan offerings, both for auto and personal loans and for church loans.

As a credit union with a low-income designation, we are eager to keep our identity as a local community financial center while expanding our reach, providing our neighbors, clergy, and churches with opportunities to grow in financial strength and to pass that knowledge along in their own community. We want our larger Episcopal community – which includes anyone who participates in any program of the Episcopal Church – to have the opportunity to participate in low interest lending, social justice banking, and feel-good funding.

Not a member yet? Please visit EpiscopalCredit.org or call 213.482.2040, ext. 254 to join!

— Jennifer Miramontes is vice-chair of the board of directors of the Episcopal Community Federal Credit Union.

April 2023

Holy Week

March 2023

Future Fridays

Lenten List-tending 

January 2023

A new thing; Collaborative ministry in the Inland Empire’s Deanery 7

December 2022

Episcopal Schools: the Great Domestic Missionary Field of the Church

November 2022

New Directions for IRIS 

By Troy Elder, Executive Director, IRIS

 Jana Milhon-Martin

Dear Siblings in Christ,

I am so excited to return to the diocesan community!

I feel extremely fortunate to be taking on the role of Executive Director of our Interfaith Refugee and Immigration Service, IRIS, at such an important time.

 

As refugee resettlement emerges from a very lean period, this lifesaving ministry

faces daunting challenges from the war in Ukraine, the sequelae of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, and of course, the seemingly intractable situation at our southern border, where I’ve just spent several years.

 

I am also lucky to succeed the exceptional Meghan Taylor, whose work I’ve long known and admired. One of my aspirations as we move forward in this transitional time is to honor her legacy. I ask for your prayers and partnership as we continue

to broaden and deepen IRIS’s engagement with other diocesan ministries,

congregations, schools, and institutions, with an even more intentional embrace

of cooperative projects that reflect and celebrate the rich immigrant mosaic that

is greater Los Angeles.

We also hope to extend IRIS’s unique role in greater Los Angeles as an interfaith provider of refugee and immigration services through cooperation with ecumenical and interfaith partners. One area of focus will be assisting those persecuted because of religious belief or the religious beliefs of others, such as the increasingly–and, in cases like that of Russia, newly-embattled LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Beyond the greater L.A. area, we hope to collaborate with and, where possible, take leadership roles in, Episcopal and Anglican entities whose focus is migration, at local, state, Province VIII, national, and international levels. On this front, we’ve already begun conversations with our European counterparts at Episcopal churches there.

In addition, we also aim to reinforce our commitment to the very important ministry of becoming beloved community in our contracted work and programming. Such concrete steps will reassert and institutionalize Diocesan and other commitments to anti-racism work in general, and to anti-anti-Blackness, in particular. Examples of this might include an increase in the resettlement of Congolese refugees and representation of Haitian and other Black asylum seekers.

Structurally, our goal is to diversity our funding streams and activity through public and private dollars as a hedge against possible future cuts in federal and state refugee resettlement funds.There are also many other items to be addressed, including:

·     Addressing our physical plant needs, after a study of workflows, hybrid or staggered work schedules and telework possibilities, etc., with a focus on resilience and flexibility in anticipation of future staff expansion and/or contraction;

 

·     Ensuring a robust and competitive salary and benefits package, so as to promote recruitment and retention of qualified staff in a demand-driven market; and

·     Providing opportunities for IRIS staff for professional growth, through trainings, conferences, and retreats.

In sum, we are honored and grateful to share in this life-changing work, in which we invite your partnership and that of your congregations, schools, and institutions.

I look forward to meeting and talking with you in the days ahead.

Blessings,

Troy

____________

Troy Elder, who served as Bishop’s Legate for Global Partnership in the Diocese of Los Angeles from 2014 to 2018, is an attorney whose experience in immigration and refugee law spans nearly 25 years. A graduate of the Yale Law School and Yale Divinity School, he is fluent in Spanish, French, and Haitian Creole. Elder spent a decade teaching immigration law, poverty law, health law, international human rights, and ethics at U.S. law schools, most recently at Yale. He assumed the role of Executive Director of IRIS on Sept. 1, and continues to serve, through year-end, as Migration Missioner for the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego.community.

 

October 2022

Sacred Teaching to heal Mother Earth

By the Rev. Canon Mary Crist

 Jana Milhon-Martin

This is the time for us to hear the voices of Indigenous Episcopalians in order to heal the Mother Earth and her people. We have a long history together. Our sacred ways are related.

The relationship between the Episcopal Church and Indigenous people in North America began over 400 years ago. The first contact was in 1579 when the chaplains to Sir Francis Drake met and interacted with Indigenous People on the West Coast, but not for religious purposes. The earliest intentional Episcopal Church missions to the Native Americans occurred under the direction of Bishop John Henry Hobart, who began missionary outreach in the early 19th century to the Oneida Indians of New York. The Oneida mission under Eleazar Williams gave birth to similar endeavors in Wisconsin and Minnesota (Chippewas) in the 1850s. The Church of England was the established church of the Virginia colony as early as 1607, when the first English colonists settled Jamestown, but was not formally established by the House of Burgesses until 1619. The first Indigenous Episcopal priest, Enmegahbowh, was ordained in 1867. This was 57 years before his people could become American citizens.

Historians have documented the tragic events resulting from colonization. Our ancestors were systematically removed and relocated from their birthplaces. Their children were forcibly removed from their homes and sent to Indigenous boarding school.  Extraordinary assimilation efforts were undertaken to discredit and destroy Indigenous spiritual beliefs and practice. Not until 1978, did Congress pass the American Indian Religious Freedom Act (AIRFA) restoring religious freedom to our people. The Act reads, in part, “It shall be the policy of the U.S. to protect and preserve for American Indians their inherent right of freedom to believe, express, and exercise [their] traditional religions” including “access to sites, use and possession of sacred objects, and the freedom to worship through ceremonials and traditional rites.”[1]

Because the colonists did not recognize value of the religious practices of Indigenous people, they forced us to forfeit the very lands that form our sacred connection to Creator. These are  the same lands some of our people had occupied for more than 30,000 years in North America and 65,000 years in Australia.[2]

Remarkably, the Indigenous people survived genocide. What sustained them? It was the strength of their faith in their Creator, particularly the tenet of faith that all things are related. It remains the basis for our worldview, and it is compatible with the teachings of Jesus.

Indigenous Spirituality

Indigenous people believe that all things made by Creator are connected. We are all related. We are responsible for one another’s welfare. Our world is organized as a circle in which no one is higher than another, and all are dependent upon one another. Our teachings are conveyed through stories that are handed down by the elders who are honored for the wisdom they have acquired through their years of living. We learn from one another by observing how things happen. Humans learn from plants and animals, just as they learn from one another. We also learn from observing the stars, the oceans, and the land itself.

Land is sacred to our faith because it was made by Creator for us to share with one another. It is not to be abused, but to be nurtured. It is not to be sold, but to be shared. We are here to care for the earth, not to dominate it. We do not see the earth as a storehouse of riches to be used until they are gone, or even riches to be used sparingly or to be saved, but we see ourselves as part of the riches. We are not the spider that made the web. We are part of the web. We do not have a word for “sin” in our languages, but we believe that if we do not care for the earth and for one another, then we fall out of balance and out of relationship with Creator. Beauty is found in living a life that is in balance with all the things of the earth and therefore, with the earth itself. We are part of the creation. We are not above it or beyond it.

In his 1854 response to an offer from the “Great White Chief” in Washington to buy a large area of Native land with the promise for a “reservation” for the people, Chief Seattle says:

Man did not weave the web of life: he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself. Even the white man, whose God walks and talks with him as friend to friend, cannot be exempt from the common destiny. We may be brothers after all. We shall see. One thing we know, which the white man may one day discover, our God is the same God. You may think now that you own Him as you wish to own our land; but you cannot. He is the God of man, and His compassion is equal for the red man and the white. This earth is precious to Him, and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on its Creator.[3]

This is a critical time for Mother Earth and for all the creation itself. The stories of the First Peoples of the earth remain powerful and holy. We can learn from them. By sharing our stories, as the people of Israel did, we can encourage the people to live out the teachings of Jesus. By caring for one another, as Jesus teaches, we can restore the beloved community.

[1] Harvard University. The Pluralism Project. https://pluralism.org/religious-freedom-for-native-americans

[2] Paul Rincon. Science Editor, BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53486868
Humans settled in the Americas much earlier than previously thought, according to new finds from Mexico. They suggest people were living there 33,000 years ago, twice the widely accepted age for the earliest settlement of the Americas.The results are based on work at Chiquihuite Cave, a high-altitude rock shelter in central Mexico. Archaeologists found nearly 2,000 stone tools, suggesting the cave was used by people for at least 20,000 years.

 

[3] Chief Seattle’s beautiful statement is found in its entirety at the link below. It is said to be a reliable translation although there are multiple translations of the speech which was delivered by Chief Seattle in his Native language, Lushootseed. https://denverpdc.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/chief-seattle-oration-1854.pdf

Blessings,

Mary+

Mary Crist is an enrolled Blackfeet (Amskapi Pikuni) from the Douglas family in Babb on the reservation Montana, in addition to serving at St. Michael’s Ministry Center in Riverside and as The Episcopal Church’s Indigenous Theological Education Coordinator

 

September 2022

Center for Lay Chaplaincy & Prism Present: ‘Building Spiritual Vitality’
October 8 fundraiser to benefit united ministries

By the Rev. Jana Milhon-Martin

Jana Milhon-Martin

PRISM Restorative Justice and The Center for Lay Chaplaincy (CFLC) are two Diocesan ministries who work to build spiritual vitality in seemingly hopeless contexts in and around Los Angeles. PRISM is well known for providing spiritual care for our incarcerated brothers and sisters. CFLC, a relatively new Diocesan ministry, works to train, place, and support chaplains who provide spiritual care in under-resourced contexts like food banks, service centers for the unhoused, shower programs, and public spaces. The work of both ministries run parallel to one another, and these two chaplaincy ministries have decided to join forces to create a larger, more comprehensive chaplaincy ministry within the LA Diocese. 

To celebrate and support this exciting transition, CFLC and PRISM are hosting a celebration fundraiser at the Bishop Residence on October 8th from 5pm-8pm. The celebration will be an opportunity to share the discoveries we have made over the past 18 months, engage some of the innovative resources we have developed, and share in our vision for the future of lay chaplaincy and spiritual care in the 21st century.

Sharon Crandall, Director of PRISM Restorative Justice explains, “Joining these two ministries provides endless possibilities to provide spiritual care to underserved populations within our communities. The combining of CFLC and PRISM will also create opportunities for individuals to experience chaplaincy in spaces that speak to their own particular call. The life-giving beauty of chaplaincy is a gift to the caregiver and the care seeker. As Father Greg Boyle says, ‘We keep going to the margins until the margins disappear.’ The work of CFLC providing ‘chaplaincy everywhere’ strives to meet more people where they are and to work toward erasing those margins.” 

Beginning in March 2020, CLFC has been adapting Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) for diverse contexts while developing innovative strategies for providing spiritual care for people outside of traditional church contexts. Chaplains training with CFLC have worked in food banks, shower programs, and the county jails. During Lent, CFLC hosted “Confessions for Humanity” at Blossom Market Hall in San Gabriel.

This interactive exhibit engaged visitors in the function of confession, and what might be learned about the human spirit from our collective human need for honesty about wrongdoing. Hundreds of visitors wrote confessions and talked to CFLC chaplains during the exhibit. The Confessions for Humanity installation will be onsite at the celebration and attendees will be invited to write confessions and engage with chaplains who worked at the installation in San Gabriel, who will be available to answer questions and share their experiences. 

In public locations around LA, CFLC installed a pop-up tea house and offered tea meditation to visitors who stopped by. Jessica Zheng, a doctoral student in Buddhist Chaplaincy at the University of West Los Angeles, is studying the application of tea meditation as a mechanism for spiritual care. Jessica will also be at the celebration with her tea house to offer tea meditation, answer questions about her research, and share her enthusiasm for tea as spiritual practice.  

In addition, CFLC is beta-testing an innovative curriculum for training lay chaplains and working alongside the Commission on Ministry to develop a process for licensing lay chaplains to work in parishes and throughout the Diocese. Come learn about this important work for the future of lay ministry in the Diocese of Los Angeles. 

Alongside this work, the PRISM ministry in LA County jails offers church services each weekend and PRISM chaplains make individual visits there during the week, providing much needed spiritual care and support to those who are incarcerated. This work is a critical ministry as the County of Los Angeles does not provide any sort of spiritual care for people who are incarcerated in County facilities, and volunteer chaplains from conservative Christian denominations who serve in the jails are often theologically motivated to convert or persuade. PRISM volunteers will also be available at the celebration to share about their work and their experiences providing spiritual care and companionship to our incarcerated friends. 

Make plans to join us and plan to be energized with new ideas and possibilities for your congregation in employing some of these resources in your own context, and to consider the possibilities of chaplain ministries within your own parish context. 

To RSVP, please visit: https://www.thecflc.org/event-details/

Blessings,

Jana+

July 2022

Fellowship, teaching, and healing 

June 2022

Thirty years of hope and healing: celebrating our diocesan LGBTQ+ ministry

May 2022

Missional versus Institutional Thinking 

By the Very Rev. Gary Hall, 
Outgoing Interim Dean and President, Bloy House
Incoming Convener, Program Group on Mission Congregations 

Gary Hall has been appointed interim dean at Bloy House (ETSC). Photo: Cam Sanders

April 2022

AAPI Alive! Eastertide Devotional, Easter Living 

By the Rev. Peter Huang,
A Leader of The Gathering: a space for APA  Spirituality
Assisting Priest, St. Luke’s, Long Beach

March 2022

An Invitation to Run the Race

February 2022

Launching the Bishop’s Commission on Climate Change
Clergy conference set for May 2-4

January 2022

Archdeacon Laura Siriani delivers the sermon at the convention Eucharist. Photo: Janet Kawamoto

‘Reflections from the Archdeacon’
by Diocesan Archdeacon
Laura Siriani

December 2021

‘The Advent Waiting Game’
By Diocesan Canon for Engagement Across Difference
Susan Russell

November 2021

‘Being Safe and Welcoming for Christmas’
By Bishop Diocesan
John Harvey Taylor 

January 2021

‘Media Gifts & Skills’
By Canon for Common Life
Bob Williams 

December 2020

‘New Life, New Hope’

By Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy 

November 2020

‘I Hear America Singing’

By Bishop Diocesan John Harvey Taylor

Homily during A Service of Prayer for Our Nation, Oct. 29, 2020

October 2020

Taking Care of Business … and Ourselves

By Bishop Suffragan Diane M. Jardine-Bruce

It’s surreal and it’s real at the same time. We have been MONTHS in this tunnel-time of pandemic, without a clear light at the end to tell us we are nearing the end of it. We have learned the great importance of staying connected with our congregants and mastered new technology. Our added challenge today is navigating the rocky waters of:

 •   Prayer
 •   Self-care

If you’re a parent with a child or children attending school from home, you have a additional strain on your time and energy. 

Keep connected
Among the most important things we can do right now for our congregations is to keep in touch with all our members. This involves phone calls, emails, newsletters – ways to keep everyone in your congregation “in the loop” and to know how people are doing. This is the most important work we can do right now as clergy.

 Keep coming to the Clergy Check-Ins, now occurring approximately every other Thursday afternoon at 2 p.m.. These are great opportunities to hear from the Diocese and each other about resources and to ask questions about the pandemic and other issues. If you can’t make it to these meetings, make sure you review the recap email that you should be receiving after each meeting.

 Review the weekly Resource Roundup and the Update – they are great sources of information for you and your congregation. Speaking of your congregation – please share, as you are able, your congregation’s contact email list with Canon Janet Kawamoto (jkawamoto@ladiocese.org) to make sure members of your congregations are also staying connected with what’s happening at and in and around the Diocese.

Attend your deanery clericus meetings. I know not all of the deaneries meet regularly. If yours does, plan on attending!

Technology and technology boundaries
Almost all of you have mastered zoom/live streaming, and have created a pattern or rhythm to make that happen. Some of our greatest resources and assets have been the members of our churches who know this stuff cold. I know many of you have relied on them as well as tips from other clergy to “make it happen” – THANK YOU!

Zoom meetings have taken over our time and energy. Zoom fatigue is real. It is a very different energy from face-to-face meetings, and it takes up more of our psychic and mental capabilities. Don’t book back-to-back zoom meetings throughout the day. You need a break — even if it’s just 15 minutes (hopefully it’s more!) to get up, walk around, drink water and eat a healthy snack.

 Racial Injustice
The pandemic and the brutal murder of George Floyd have brought into sharp focus the need to address racial injustice in our society and in the church. On the diocesan website there are resources for you, including the work your New Community team (formerly known as multicultural ministry) put together. This includes an introductory video on three areas we will be exploring more deeply in the weeks and months to come: the Doctrine of Discovery, Racial Identity and Racial Capitalism. The introductory video and a listing of upcoming events can be found here. In addition, information is available in the One in the Spirit section here.

 Election Season
Adding to the stress of living in and through a pandemic and an early and devastating fire season, we have an election coming up. On September 10 at the Clergy Gathering we spoke about and shared our “best practices” of dealing with a difficult political climate. Notes from that meeting can be found here.

In addition, the Presiding Bishop’s sermon to the House of Bishops which met on September 16th as well as other resources for navigating these election season days can be found here.

Stewardship
The Program Group on Stewardship worked this summer and through September with TENS (The Episcopal Network on Stewardship) to develop campaign strategies, address online giving options, and offer ways to do online auctions, etc. for our congregations. The video recordings of these events along with the PowerPoint slide decks (in English and Spanish) can be found here.

Prayer
I don’t know about you, but I’m finding the need to pray more now than ever. This can be particularly difficult if you are offering virtual morning or evening prayer or compline every day. It can feel as though you’re doing more work just to set up the right equipment, etc. to pray. I’m finding praying as I take my daily walk is really helping keep me centered. You may have another way you can feel refreshed through prayer. Whatever that might be, please do take the time to engage in this important spiritual discipline.

 Self Care
You should all have a spiritual director. Now, more than ever, it’s important to have that relationship in place and connect regularly. Personally, I “meet” with my spiritual directly every 4-6 weeks over the phone. I’ve found him to be extremely helpful to me during this time of pandemic. If you don’t have a spiritual director, you can find one via Stillpoint or the Center for Spiritual Development.

 Try to block out ONE WHOLE DAY each week without a zoom meeting on your calendar. HONOR YOUR DAY OFF. It’s easy to get overloaded at this time. Remember — Jesus took time out to rest.

 Some clergy are helping their neighbors by taking a Sunday service via ZOOM or Facebook Live to enable their neighbor to have a day off. Others are coming together to do joint services – bringing two or more congregations together. It’s a small breather from the stress of offering weekly 100% digital or hybrid services.

Take advantage of Bishop Taylor’s great gift of that occasional Sunday “off” by pointing your congregation to Bishop Taylor’s services for the diocesan community. The next one scheduled is the Diocesan Convention Eucharist at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 15.

Make sure, even in this time of COVID, you take your vacation. I had a “staycation” and truthfully, it was great! I would’ve enjoyed being able to go away, but sadly with Steve having had surgery, that wasn’t possible. Instead we took a little time each day to plan future “getaways” in 2021, 2022 and 2023 (yes, we plan that far out on the calendar). I also got a group of friends together and we did a “virtual tour” of the Jewish quarter in Paris with a guide leading the tour from Paris. It was a great “getaway” without leaving our home.

 Most of all, watch your stress level, get some exercise, try to eat well, get enough sleep, keep up with dental and doctor visits as appropriate, keep in touch with loved ones, and ask for help when you need it. We are here for you.

 +Diane

September 2020

Policing in America: Parishes, precincts invited to share local conversations Oct. 9-12

By Bob Williams, Canon for Common Life

A protégé of the late Coretta Scott King, Pastor Markel Hutchins of Atlanta is leading a strategic initiative that is sparking nationwide participation from various Episcopal dioceses among other mainline judicatories, evangelical churches, mosques, synagogues, and temples, together with police and sheriff’s federations across the country.

Helpful for bolstering the national will to end systemic racism and its manifestations in policing and other societal systems, the National Faith & Blue Weekend, Oct. 9-12, offers congregations practical, uncomplicated ways to share in dialogue and relationship-building in what has been called “the most consolidated police-community engagement project in recent history.” A video is here.

To use the weekend as a catalyst for initiating and strengthening local alliances, congregations are encouraged to host – ideally with other nearby houses of worship – a Zoom forum, coffee hour, or similar gathering to which the neighborhood’s senior lead police officer, local precinct captains, or area sheriff’s officers are invited to share in conversation with neighborhood clergy and parishioners.

As parish and mission clergy will attest, knowing and interacting regularly with a neighborhood’s senior lead officer is typically of ongoing benefit to the congregation, and especially helpful at times of emergency and crisis. Also key to Faith & Blue Weekend forums and wider conversations is the input of law enforcement professionals who are among parishioners of local congregations.

Suggested discussion topics and formats for weekend forums are clearly outlined – together with easily shareable graphics, flyers, and posters – on the National Faith & Blue website. Episcopal congregations and dioceses from California and Arizona to Atlanta and Missouri and beyond are using these materials to engage participation.

The initiative resonates with L.A. Bishop John Harvey Taylor’s call for diocesan work to “assess, articulate and advocate a Gospel-based approach to policing and community safety” by engaging a variety of voices and viewpoints in fair and balanced consultation. The Episcopal News will report on next steps in that effort as the process unfolds.

Meanwhile, within the diocese, interfaith efforts are underway to organize virtual Faith & Blue Weekend forums engaging houses of worship along the Wilshire Corridor, in Central L.A., Hollywood, and Orange County, with invitations pending in the Inland Empire and Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Specific details will follow in The News.

Congregations are encouraged to arrange their own local forums and register them directly through the National Faith & Blue website, thereby engaging more of the 113 law enforcement agencies– local police and sheriff’s departments together with the California Highway Patrol – that serve neighborhoods in which the diocese’s 135 church sites are found.

Kevin Smith, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Center for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives, says the National Faith & Blue Weekend has the potential to “power a movement where law enforcement professionals and residents build connections that break down divides, decrease biases, increase familiarity and spur ongoing collaboration.”

Additional background resources for this work include:

• Two view-on-demand virtual forums, “Policing and a Just Society,” convened in August by Washington National Cathedral;
• Ongoing programs, including “Our Work to Do” and the diocesan “Trauma and (Un)Truths” series, details of which are here.

And, upcoming on October 4 is “Reimagine Justice,” a virtual fundraiser of PRISM, the diocesan restorative justice ministry led by clergy colleagues Dennis Gibbs and Greta Ronningen, featuring as keynoter the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary.

Thank you for considering these opportunities, and for all the ways in which your ministries strengthen civic engagement and common life.

August 2020

‘A marathon, not a sprint’

by Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Dear colleagues,

Happy August to all!

I hope you have found some time to rest and recreate this summer or that you have some time scheduled soon. I keep reminding myself that this unprecedented time in the world, in our nation, and in our church is a marathon and not a sprint. I cannot pace myself as if it were a sprint but rather as a marathon, with a steady pace, conserving energy, and finding those rest points along the way.

The metaphor of a marathon is a positive one which brings with it accomplishment as well as a clear beginning, middle, and end. While there is much for us to be proud of in terms of how we have responded to the multiple crises in our world, I don’t believe there is a clear beginning, middle, and end in what we are experiencing. In fact, part of the spiritual discipline for us to engage as leaders is in holding the tension between the dire nature of what we are experiencing and the new ways of being church in the world this unique situation is inspiring in us.

With centuries of abuse and murder of black and brown people by white Americans and the willful ignorance of the realities of racism and racial injustice in our nation as well as the pandemic that is ever increasing in numbers, there is much to disturb and disrupt our sense of what it means to be human beings, faithful followers of Christ, and leaders in the church. We have moved into a time when nearly every aspect of our lives is being called into question, examined, and, in some cases, regrded as no longer relevant, reasonable, or even reality based. The world has been on a course of significant change for some time now and, in 2020, the snowball effect has taken hold and accelerated the course of change.

I find myself wondering, mulling, praying, discussing, and listening for what this means for us as church. Church business as usual is no longer an option. We have focused so much on getting back to in person worship, as we should, since it is in our worshipping communities that we hear and discern God’s call to us and receive both the solace and the strength, the courage and renewal we need to be grounded in our faith in all that we do (BCP Eucharistic prayer C). We don’t worship just for ourselves and our own relationship with God. We don’t worship so that we can feel better in a chaotic world. That may be part of what we experience but worship is really about having a spiritual and communal home base from which open ourselves to God for God’s work of healing and restoration in the world. For too long we have been content to focus on worship as the means to an end as well as the end itself. We can no longer do this.

What can we do?

First, we pray.
We pray for God to show us the way forward and to give us the courage we need to act on what we discern.

Second, we listen.
Listen to the world. Listen to each other. Listen for where God’s love and grace, healing and restoration is needed.

Third, we educate ourselves.
One of the best ways to reduce anxiety is to stimulate resources and to learn.

Fourth, we preach and pray that every Sunday, every sermon becomes a miracle whereby the words we say are transformed into the words our people need to hear to inspire them to love God more and to be courageous.

Fifth, we advocate.
Advocate for People of Color, advocate for the sick, advocate for those in prison, advocate for those in danger of any kind, and advocate for those who have no one to advocate for them. Lastly, and perhaps foundationally, we care for ourselves. We remember this is a long haul we are in and not a passing moment. Remember we are in the process of creating a new normal and what that new normal is depends on what we do in our own families, communities, and in the church at large. As much as this is a time of crisis, it is also a time of amazing creative opportunities. In the tension of those two things – crisis and creativity – is the heart of our spiritual practice.

Along with reminding myself to keep a steady pace and to find rest points along the way, I also remind myself that the church has gone through so much over these 2000 years and, with God’s help, continues to grow, change, and transform. Our current circumstance is no different. The bottom line truth of our lives is that we are sealed by the Holy Spirit in baptism and marked as Christ’s own forever. We are loved by the God who created us exactly as we are. We are saved by the God who became human in Jesus so that we might know the way to God. We are knit together through the power of God in the Holy Spirit, who is alive in us, among us, and between us.

I am grateful for all of you and hold you in my prayers every day.

Take care, pace yourselves, and remember how loved you are.

Faithfully,
Melissa+

‘Pray, and do something’: resources offer help to respond systemic racism

By Bishop Suffragan Diane M. Jardine Bruce

God,
Grant me justice, so that I may treat others as they deserve.
Grant me mercy, so that I don’t treat others as they deserve.
Grant me a humble walk with you, so that I may understand the difference.

— The Rev. Dr. Patricia McCaughan and the Very Rev. Keith Yamamoto

 This prayer, written by two priests of this diocese, can be found on page 166 of the book Race and Prayer: Collected Voices Many Dreams, Malcolm Boyd and Chester Talton, editors.

I used this book a number of times when I was a parish priest, but hadn’t looked at it in the last few years. The violence and murder perpetrated at the hands of law enforcement and vigilantes on our black community, especially the “caught on tape” murder of George Floyd, moved me to pull this book off my shelf, dust it off, and pray.

Maybe you are in that same place as well. I need to pray, but I also know I need to DO something. The first thing I want to do is to apologize to you, my siblings in Christ right here in the Diocese of Los Angeles who have been living under and with the systems of injustice and white supremacy for centuries, and who feel the weight of that oppression every day of your lives.

On June 7 the national Union of Black Episcopalians (UBE) hosted Talk2Talk: Congregational and UBE Activism in the Face of Social Unrest. The panelists (bios at the end of this note) were the Rev. Dr. Gayle Fisher-Stewart, the Very Rev. Canon Martini Shaw and the Rev. Melanie Mullens. They said what I needed to hear: we cannot let this minute in our history fade away like dust in the wind. We are being called to voice our disdain for the actions taken against God’s people – especially those who have been marginalized and discriminated against for centuries. The YouTube video of the event can be found here

On June 21 UBE hosted a follow-up to the June 7 event: Talk2Talk: Moving from Protest to Marathon Systemic Response. The same panelists offered their wisdom as to how we can — no, we MUST — move past protest to effecting the kind of radical changes to dismantle systems of injustice and inequality that have existed in this country for centuries.

If we have had any part in building or sustaining any system that has oppressed another, we need to acknowledge that sin, and repent. We need to work to transform systems of oppression into systems of love and care – ensuring equal access to all at every level and area of our society.

If you, like me, have felt hopeless in wondering “what can I do,” when the video of this event becomes available that will be a great place to start. We will post a link to it on our diocesan website when it is available.

Building on the work of the UBE’s Talk2Talks, Canon Suzanne Edwards-Acton and I are excited to announce that the Rev. Dr. Gayle Fisher-Stewart has agreed to be our preacher at our annual celebration of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday in 2021. Working with a team from the diocese, we hope to put together an interactive program for that event. Given the uncertainty of the pandemic, we will be planning for both a digital and an in-person event.

In terms of resources locally and throughout the Episcopal Church to use sooner than the MLK weekend, the diocesan website has a section with resources for you and your congregation to begin this work. More will be added over time. That webpage can be found here. If you have found other resources we can add to this page, please send them to Canon Janet Kawamoto (jkawamoto@ladiocese.org).

My siblings in Christ: Please pray. Please study. Please teach. Please act. We cannot let this “blow over” and not address the underlying causes – including white supremacy – that keep us repeating the same acts of injustice on our siblings in Christ.

WWJD? We all know the answer to that.

God of all peoples of the earth: we pray for an end to racism in all forms, and for an end to the denial that perpetuates white privilege, and for your support for all of those who bear the struggle of internalized racism, and for wisdom to recognize and eradicate the institutional racism in the church, and for the strength to stand against the bigotry and suffering that inhabits the world; for these and all your blessings we pray, O God, Christ Jesus, Holy Spirit. Amen.

— Sheryl Kujawa-Holbrook, Race and Prayer: Collected Voices Many Dreams, pg. 50

Guest Panelists for Talk2Talk:

The Rev. Dr. Gayle Fisher-Stewart is interim rector of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Washington, DC, and is the president of the Crummell-Cooper DC Chapter, UBE. She comes to ordained ministry after retiring from the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington with the rank of captain. She is the author of the forthcoming book (July 17, 2020), Preaching Black Lives (Matter) (Church Publishing).

The Very Rev. Canon Martini Shaw is rector of The Historic African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he has led this community in boldly proclaiming the reconciling Gospel of Jesus Christ for 17 years. UBE’s former national second vice president, Father Shaw also serves on the advisory board for the Episcopal Church Office of Black Ministries and is chair of the Episcopal Church’s Executive Council Committee for HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities).

The Rev. Melanie Mullens, director of Reconciliation, Justice and Creation Care for The Episcopal Church, is charged with bringing the Jesus Movement to the concerns of the world. Prior to joining the presiding bishop’s staff, she was the downtown missioner at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, leading a historic southern congregation’s missional, civic and reconciliation ministries.

+Diane

Dios,
Concédeme justicia, para que pueda tratar a los demás como se merecen.
Concédeme misericordia, para que no trate a los demás como se merecen.
Concédeme un humilde paseo contigo, para que pueda entender la diferencia.

— La Rev. Dra. Patricia McCaughan y el Rev. Keith Yamamoto

Esta oración, que fué escrita por dos sacerdotes de esta diócesis, y se encuentra en la página 166 del libro, Race and Prayer: Collected Voices Many Dreams, Malcolm Boyd y Chester Talton, editores. Utilicé este libro varias veces cuando estaba como sacerdote en una parroquia, pero no lo había vuelto a ver en los últimos años. La violencia y los asesinatos perpetrados por las fuerzas del orden y los vigilantes hacia nuestra comunidad Negra, especialmente el asesinato de George Floyd “grabado en un video”, me motivó a sacar este libro de mi librero, quitarle el polvo y rezar. Tal vez ustedes estén en este mismo lugar también. Necesito rezar, pero también sé que tengo que HACER algo. Lo primero que quiero hacer es disculparme con ustedes, mis hermanos y hermanas en Cristo aquí en la Diócesis de Los Ángeles que han estado viviendo con y bajo los sistemas de injusticia y supremacía blanca durante siglos, y que sienten el peso de esa opresión cada día de sus vidas.

El 7 de junio la Unión de Episcopales Negros (UBE por sus siglas en Inglés) organizó Talk2Talk: Activismo Congregacional y de UBE ante el malestar social. Los panelistas (biografías al final de esta nota) fueron la Rev. Dra. Gayle Fisher-Stewart, el Muy Rev. Canónigo Martini Shaw y la Rev. Melanie Mullens. Ellos dijeron lo que yo necesitaba oír: no podemos dejar que este minuto de nuestra historia se desvanezca como el polvo en el viento. Estamos llamados a expresar nuestro desdén por las acciones tomadas contra el pueblo de Dios – especialmente aquellos que han sido marginados y discriminados durante siglos. El video del evento puede ser encontrado aquí.

El 21 de Junio, UBE organizó un seguimiento del evento del 7 de Junio, Talk2Talk: Pasando de la protesta a la respuesta sistémica maratónica. Los mismos panelistas ofrecieron su sabiduría sobre cómo podemos — no, DEBEMOS — pasar de la protesta a efectuar el tipo de cambios radicales necesarios para desmantelar los sistemas de injusticia y desigualdad que han existido en este país durante siglos. Si hemos tenido alguna participación en la construcción o el mantenimiento de cualquier sistema que ha oprimido a otro, tenemos que reconocer ese pecado, y arrepentirnos. Necesitamos trabajar para transformar los sistemas de opresión en sistemas de amor y cuidado – asegurando el acceso igualitario a todos en los diferentes niveles y áreas de nuestra sociedad. Si ustedes, como yo, se ha sentido desesperanzados al preguntarse “qué puedo hacer yo”, el video de este evento será un gran lugar para comenzar. Pondremos un enlace en nuestro sitio web de la diócesis cuando esté disponible.

Basándonos en el trabajo de Talk2Talks de la UBE, la canóniga Suzanne Edwards-Acton y yo estamos encantadas de anunciar que la reverenda Dra. Gayle Fisher-Stewart ha aceptado ser nuestra predicadora en la celebración anual del Reverendo Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. durante el fin de semana de MLK en 2021. Trabajando con un equipo de la diócesis, esperamos crear un programa interactivo para ese evento. Dada la incertidumbre causada por la pandemia, planearemos un evento en formatos digital y en persona.

En términos de recursos locales y en toda la Iglesia Episcopal para usar antes del fin de semana de MLK, el sitio web diocesano tiene una sección con recursos para que usted y su congregación puedan comenzar con este trabajo. Se irán añadiendo más recursos eventualmente. Este sitio web se puede encontrar aquí. Si ustedes han encontrado otros recursos que pudiéramos añadir a esta página, por favor envíelos a la canóniga Janet Kawamoto (jkawamoto@ladiocese.org).

 Mis hermanos y hermanas en Cristo: Por favor oren. Por favor estudien. Por favor enseñen. Por favor actúen. No podemos dejar que esto “se desvanezca” y no abordar las causas subyacentes -incluyendo la supremacía blanca- que nos mantienen repitiendo los mismos actos de injusticia en nuestros hermanos y hermanas en Cristo. WWJD? (Siglas en Inglés para: Qué Haría Jesús?) Todos sabemos la respuesta a eso.

Dios de todos los pueblos de la tierra: oramos por el fin del racismo en todas sus formas, y por el fin de la abnegación que perpetúa el privilegio blanco, y por tu apoyo a todos aquellos que sufren del racismo internalizado, y por la sabiduría para reconocer y erradicar el racismo institucional en la iglesia, y por fuerza para oponernos a la intolerancia y al sufrimiento que habitan en el mundo; por estas y todas tus bendiciones oramos, oh Dios, Cristo Jesús, Espíritu Santo. Amén.
— Sheryl Kujawa-Holbrook, Race and Prayer: Collected Voices Many Dreams, pg. 50

Panelistas invitados para Talk2Talk:

La Rev. Dra. Gayle Fisher-Stewart es la Rectora Interina de la Iglesia Episcopal de San Lucas en Washington, DC, y es la presidenta del capítulo Crummell-Cooper DC de la Unión de Episcopales Negros. Llega al ministerio ordenado después de retirarse del Departamento de Policía Metropolitana, en Washington, con el rango de capitán. Es la autora del libro que saldrá próximamente a la venta (17 de julio de 2020), “Preaching Black Lives (Matter),” (Church Publishing).

El Muy Reverendo Canónigo Martini Shaw quien es el Rector de la histórica Iglesia Episcopal Africana de Santo Tomás, en Filadelfia, Pensilvania, donde ha dirigido a esta comunidad en la audaz proclamación del Evangelio reconciliador de Jesucristo durante 17 años. El Padre Shaw, ex vicepresidente nacional de la UBE, también forma parte de la Junta Asesora de la Oficina de Ministerios de los Negros de la Iglesia Episcopal y es el presidente del Comité del Consejo Ejecutivo de la Iglesia Episcopal para los HBCU (Siglas en Inglés para: Colegios y Universidades Históricamente Negros).

La Rev. Melanie Mullens, es la Directora de Reconciliación, Justicia y Cuidado de la Creación de la Iglesia Episcopal, está encargada de llevar el Movimiento de Jesús a las preocupaciones del mundo. Antes de unirse al personal del Obispo Presidente, fue la misionera en la Iglesia Episcopal de San Pablo en el centro de Richmond, dirigiendo los ministerios misioneros, cívicos y de reconciliación.

+Diane

June 2020

Amid dual pandemics, diocesan resources offer help

From Bishop John Harvey Taylor

My colleagues in Christ:

• The New Community multicultural ministries of the diocese, including the Program Group on Black Ministries, are standing by to confer and consult with all congregations, also tapping the expertise of Episcopal Sacred Resistance, the Kaleidoscope Institute and the church-wide “Becoming Beloved Community” initiative. For consultation and direct referrals, please contact Bishop Bruce (dbruce@ladiocese.org).

• Help in providing supplies – including masks and sanitizer – and hands-on training in live-streaming and digital discipleship is now available to clergy and lay leaders in keeping with recommendations of the Bishop’s Council of Advice on Our Safe Return to Physical Presence. The diocesan Program Group on Communications stands ready to assist with technical support. Please direct requests to Canon for Common Life Bob Williams (bobwilliams@ladiocese.org) or Canon Clare Zabala Bangao, coordinator of mission congregations, (clarezabala@ladiocese.org).

• Discerning Our Readiness to Resume Physical Presence in Church
• Discernir Nuestra Disposición a Reanudar la Presencia Física en la Iglesia
• Confirmation of Church Building Readiness (PDF form)
• Confirmación de la Preparación de Reapertura de los Edificios de las Iglesias (PDF)
• Confirmation of Church Building Readiness /Confirmación de la Preparación de Reapertura de los Edificios de las Iglesias (online form)

Yours in Christ’s love,

+John

July 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

July – a way of rest

July is always that month when I can kinda-sorta-breathe. Is it that way for you too?

Starting with Easter I feel as though I’m on a dead run to July. June is always the worst — it’s a whirlwind for me; graduations, ordinations, consecrations, birthdays. Maybe June was and is a whirlwind for you too.

Now it’s July — June gloom is behind us (hopefully) and we look forward to sunny days and a more reasonable pace of work. Maybe you’ve scheduled all or part of your vacation for July. Many clergy do.

We as clergy tend to over-function. We do so at times out of necessity, especially when we are the only clergy person caring for a congregation. We do so out of our own insecurity, as if people might think we are slacking off if we actually take time apart to rest, reflect and pray.

We do so because there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done, someone to be visited, something to fix, more meetings to schedule. God knows I eat over-functioning for breakfast! Yet I know I’m not called to stay in that place. It is not healthy for my body, mind or spirit, and it is not healthy for you either.

I want to invite you to continue to walk with me on the Way of Love. During the month of July — and heck, let’s throw August in there as well — I invite you to move into a bit of REST. It doesn’t mean we completely stop working (unless, of course, you are on vacation!). It does mean taking some time to think about, pray about, work on that aspect of the Way of Love which our Presiding Bishop calls rest.

From https://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/documents/way_of_love_introduction.pdf:

REST: Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  – John 14:27

Blessed are you, O Lord … giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent.  – Book of Common Prayer, 113

From the beginning of creation, God has established the sacred pattern of going and returning, labor and rest. Especially today, God invites us to dedicate time for restoration and wholeness – within our bodies, minds, and souls, and within our communities and institutions. By resting we place our trust in God, the primary actor who brings all things to their fullness.

For Reflection and Discernment

• What practices restore your body, mind, and soul?
• How will you observe rest and renewal on a regular basis?
• With whom will you commit to create and maintain a regular practice of rest?

Use this quieter time we live in right now to honor your body, mind and spirit — and drink in God’s love and grace.

Blessings and love to you all,
+Diane

_______________________________________________________________________________________

June 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Knowing Your Rest Points

“Know your rest points,” was the sage advice I received from a choreographer I worked with about 20 years ago when I was dancing to make a living. We were learning a particularly challenging piece and she told us to pace ourselves; to look at the piece as a whole and find those moments when we could rest. Even though we were still moving, there were less intense moments that, with intention and focus, could provide us with enough respite to restore us for what was ahead.

This idea of rest points stuck with me through my discernment, seminary, and into my priestly vocation. Vacation is a great time for rest, of course, as are our days off. There are times and seasons of rest as well as moments of rest in each day. The key to finding this rest is to be intentional about it. We can take a look at the pacing of each day, or week, or month, or year, and find those moments when we can take a break and a breath, reconnecting to ourselves and to God.

It’s always seemed a bit of a puzzle to me why clergy, myself included, work hard and so often resist taking the rest we need. Is it the infamous “fear of missing out”? Or is it because somewhere inside of us we still feel like we need to earn our salvation? Is it because we fear Jesus (or our people) will loves us less if we take some time to rest? I have never come up with a good answer for this in myself. Maybe you have and can share it with me!

What I do know is that Jesus will not love us less if we take time to rest. Jesus will not love us less if we spend some time doing whatever provides our hearts and souls with the respite that will restore us for the work we are called to do in the more intense times in our day, week, month, or year. In the end, aren’t we all going for the long game, which is a life of meaningful work and deep connection with God and those whom God loves? The way I know how to do this is by pacing myself, knowing when I can rest, knowing when I need to push through, and remembering that everything we do is for the sake of God’s love.

Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce and I, along with Canon Satorius and the Formations and Transitions team, have been thinking of ways that we can offer moments of rest for the clergy community as well. We began with clergy conference, which was a different kind of clergy conference than we have had in previous years. Rather than listening to a speaker, which can feel exhausting in the Easter season after a full year, we opted for a conference that felt more like a retreat. It was our first draft, so to speak, and next year we will fine-tune it.

Additionally, we are experimenting with two other points during the year where rest, restoration, and learning can be offered. The first will be on November 1, when the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary, will offer a retreat day for clergy held at St. Paul’s Commons (the Cathedral Center). More details on this event will come soon, but in the meantime please check out Dean Douglas’ biography. I also encourage you to check out some of her writing, including her groundbreaking book Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective.

Second, in the spring, we will offer a retreat day prior to Lent in collaboration with Stillpoint. What that day looks like has yet to be planned but we will have information out as soon as we are able.

Until then, I pray you have a blessed and restorative summer! If we can be of service to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

Melissa

______________________________________________________________________________

November 2021

‘Being Safe and Welcoming for Christmas’
By Bishop Diocesan
John Harvey Taylor 

January 2021

‘Media Gifts & Skills’
By Canon for Common Life
Bob Williams 

December 2020

‘New Life, New Hope’

By Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy 

November 2020

‘I Hear America Singing’

By Bishop Diocesan John Harvey Taylor

Homily during A Service of Prayer for Our Nation, Oct. 29, 2020

October 2020

Taking Care of Business … and Ourselves

By Bishop Suffragan Diane M. Jardine-Bruce

It’s surreal and it’s real at the same time. We have been MONTHS in this tunnel-time of pandemic, without a clear light at the end to tell us we are nearing the end of it. We have learned the great importance of staying connected with our congregants and mastered new technology. Our added challenge today is navigating the rocky waters of:

 •   Prayer
 •   Self-care

If you’re a parent with a child or children attending school from home, you have a additional strain on your time and energy. 

Keep connected
Among the most important things we can do right now for our congregations is to keep in touch with all our members. This involves phone calls, emails, newsletters – ways to keep everyone in your congregation “in the loop” and to know how people are doing. This is the most important work we can do right now as clergy.

 Keep coming to the Clergy Check-Ins, now occurring approximately every other Thursday afternoon at 2 p.m.. These are great opportunities to hear from the Diocese and each other about resources and to ask questions about the pandemic and other issues. If you can’t make it to these meetings, make sure you review the recap email that you should be receiving after each meeting.

 Review the weekly Resource Roundup and the Update – they are great sources of information for you and your congregation. Speaking of your congregation – please share, as you are able, your congregation’s contact email list with Canon Janet Kawamoto (jkawamoto@ladiocese.org) to make sure members of your congregations are also staying connected with what’s happening at and in and around the Diocese.

Attend your deanery clericus meetings. I know not all of the deaneries meet regularly. If yours does, plan on attending!

Technology and technology boundaries
Almost all of you have mastered zoom/live streaming, and have created a pattern or rhythm to make that happen. Some of our greatest resources and assets have been the members of our churches who know this stuff cold. I know many of you have relied on them as well as tips from other clergy to “make it happen” – THANK YOU!

Zoom meetings have taken over our time and energy. Zoom fatigue is real. It is a very different energy from face-to-face meetings, and it takes up more of our psychic and mental capabilities. Don’t book back-to-back zoom meetings throughout the day. You need a break — even if it’s just 15 minutes (hopefully it’s more!) to get up, walk around, drink water and eat a healthy snack.

 Racial Injustice
The pandemic and the brutal murder of George Floyd have brought into sharp focus the need to address racial injustice in our society and in the church. On the diocesan website there are resources for you, including the work your New Community team (formerly known as multicultural ministry) put together. This includes an introductory video on three areas we will be exploring more deeply in the weeks and months to come: the Doctrine of Discovery, Racial Identity and Racial Capitalism. The introductory video and a listing of upcoming events can be found here. In addition, information is available in the One in the Spirit section here.

 Election Season
Adding to the stress of living in and through a pandemic and an early and devastating fire season, we have an election coming up. On September 10 at the Clergy Gathering we spoke about and shared our “best practices” of dealing with a difficult political climate. Notes from that meeting can be found here.

In addition, the Presiding Bishop’s sermon to the House of Bishops which met on September 16th as well as other resources for navigating these election season days can be found here.

Stewardship
The Program Group on Stewardship worked this summer and through September with TENS (The Episcopal Network on Stewardship) to develop campaign strategies, address online giving options, and offer ways to do online auctions, etc. for our congregations. The video recordings of these events along with the PowerPoint slide decks (in English and Spanish) can be found here.

Prayer
I don’t know about you, but I’m finding the need to pray more now than ever. This can be particularly difficult if you are offering virtual morning or evening prayer or compline every day. It can feel as though you’re doing more work just to set up the right equipment, etc. to pray. I’m finding praying as I take my daily walk is really helping keep me centered. You may have another way you can feel refreshed through prayer. Whatever that might be, please do take the time to engage in this important spiritual discipline.

 Self Care
You should all have a spiritual director. Now, more than ever, it’s important to have that relationship in place and connect regularly. Personally, I “meet” with my spiritual directly every 4-6 weeks over the phone. I’ve found him to be extremely helpful to me during this time of pandemic. If you don’t have a spiritual director, you can find one via Stillpoint or the Center for Spiritual Development.

 Try to block out ONE WHOLE DAY each week without a zoom meeting on your calendar. HONOR YOUR DAY OFF. It’s easy to get overloaded at this time. Remember — Jesus took time out to rest.

 Some clergy are helping their neighbors by taking a Sunday service via ZOOM or Facebook Live to enable their neighbor to have a day off. Others are coming together to do joint services – bringing two or more congregations together. It’s a small breather from the stress of offering weekly 100% digital or hybrid services.

Take advantage of Bishop Taylor’s great gift of that occasional Sunday “off” by pointing your congregation to Bishop Taylor’s services for the diocesan community. The next one scheduled is the Diocesan Convention Eucharist at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 15.

Make sure, even in this time of COVID, you take your vacation. I had a “staycation” and truthfully, it was great! I would’ve enjoyed being able to go away, but sadly with Steve having had surgery, that wasn’t possible. Instead we took a little time each day to plan future “getaways” in 2021, 2022 and 2023 (yes, we plan that far out on the calendar). I also got a group of friends together and we did a “virtual tour” of the Jewish quarter in Paris with a guide leading the tour from Paris. It was a great “getaway” without leaving our home.

 Most of all, watch your stress level, get some exercise, try to eat well, get enough sleep, keep up with dental and doctor visits as appropriate, keep in touch with loved ones, and ask for help when you need it. We are here for you.

 +Diane

September 2020

Policing in America: Parishes, precincts invited to share local conversations Oct. 9-12

By Bob Williams, Canon for Common Life

A protégé of the late Coretta Scott King, Pastor Markel Hutchins of Atlanta is leading a strategic initiative that is sparking nationwide participation from various Episcopal dioceses among other mainline judicatories, evangelical churches, mosques, synagogues, and temples, together with police and sheriff’s federations across the country.

Helpful for bolstering the national will to end systemic racism and its manifestations in policing and other societal systems, the National Faith & Blue Weekend, Oct. 9-12, offers congregations practical, uncomplicated ways to share in dialogue and relationship-building in what has been called “the most consolidated police-community engagement project in recent history.” A video is here.

To use the weekend as a catalyst for initiating and strengthening local alliances, congregations are encouraged to host – ideally with other nearby houses of worship – a Zoom forum, coffee hour, or similar gathering to which the neighborhood’s senior lead police officer, local precinct captains, or area sheriff’s officers are invited to share in conversation with neighborhood clergy and parishioners.

As parish and mission clergy will attest, knowing and interacting regularly with a neighborhood’s senior lead officer is typically of ongoing benefit to the congregation, and especially helpful at times of emergency and crisis. Also key to Faith & Blue Weekend forums and wider conversations is the input of law enforcement professionals who are among parishioners of local congregations.

Suggested discussion topics and formats for weekend forums are clearly outlined – together with easily shareable graphics, flyers, and posters – on the National Faith & Blue website. Episcopal congregations and dioceses from California and Arizona to Atlanta and Missouri and beyond are using these materials to engage participation.

The initiative resonates with L.A. Bishop John Harvey Taylor’s call for diocesan work to “assess, articulate and advocate a Gospel-based approach to policing and community safety” by engaging a variety of voices and viewpoints in fair and balanced consultation. The Episcopal News will report on next steps in that effort as the process unfolds.

Meanwhile, within the diocese, interfaith efforts are underway to organize virtual Faith & Blue Weekend forums engaging houses of worship along the Wilshire Corridor, in Central L.A., Hollywood, and Orange County, with invitations pending in the Inland Empire and Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Specific details will follow in The News.

Congregations are encouraged to arrange their own local forums and register them directly through the National Faith & Blue website, thereby engaging more of the 113 law enforcement agencies– local police and sheriff’s departments together with the California Highway Patrol – that serve neighborhoods in which the diocese’s 135 church sites are found.

Kevin Smith, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Center for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives, says the National Faith & Blue Weekend has the potential to “power a movement where law enforcement professionals and residents build connections that break down divides, decrease biases, increase familiarity and spur ongoing collaboration.”

Additional background resources for this work include:

• Two view-on-demand virtual forums, “Policing and a Just Society,” convened in August by Washington National Cathedral;
• Ongoing programs, including “Our Work to Do” and the diocesan “Trauma and (Un)Truths” series, details of which are here.

And, upcoming on October 4 is “Reimagine Justice,” a virtual fundraiser of PRISM, the diocesan restorative justice ministry led by clergy colleagues Dennis Gibbs and Greta Ronningen, featuring as keynoter the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary.

Thank you for considering these opportunities, and for all the ways in which your ministries strengthen civic engagement and common life.

August 2020

‘A marathon, not a sprint’

by Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Dear colleagues,

Happy August to all!

I hope you have found some time to rest and recreate this summer or that you have some time scheduled soon. I keep reminding myself that this unprecedented time in the world, in our nation, and in our church is a marathon and not a sprint. I cannot pace myself as if it were a sprint but rather as a marathon, with a steady pace, conserving energy, and finding those rest points along the way.

The metaphor of a marathon is a positive one which brings with it accomplishment as well as a clear beginning, middle, and end. While there is much for us to be proud of in terms of how we have responded to the multiple crises in our world, I don’t believe there is a clear beginning, middle, and end in what we are experiencing. In fact, part of the spiritual discipline for us to engage as leaders is in holding the tension between the dire nature of what we are experiencing and the new ways of being church in the world this unique situation is inspiring in us.

With centuries of abuse and murder of black and brown people by white Americans and the willful ignorance of the realities of racism and racial injustice in our nation as well as the pandemic that is ever increasing in numbers, there is much to disturb and disrupt our sense of what it means to be human beings, faithful followers of Christ, and leaders in the church. We have moved into a time when nearly every aspect of our lives is being called into question, examined, and, in some cases, regrded as no longer relevant, reasonable, or even reality based. The world has been on a course of significant change for some time now and, in 2020, the snowball effect has taken hold and accelerated the course of change.

I find myself wondering, mulling, praying, discussing, and listening for what this means for us as church. Church business as usual is no longer an option. We have focused so much on getting back to in person worship, as we should, since it is in our worshipping communities that we hear and discern God’s call to us and receive both the solace and the strength, the courage and renewal we need to be grounded in our faith in all that we do (BCP Eucharistic prayer C). We don’t worship just for ourselves and our own relationship with God. We don’t worship so that we can feel better in a chaotic world. That may be part of what we experience but worship is really about having a spiritual and communal home base from which open ourselves to God for God’s work of healing and restoration in the world. For too long we have been content to focus on worship as the means to an end as well as the end itself. We can no longer do this.

What can we do?

First, we pray.
We pray for God to show us the way forward and to give us the courage we need to act on what we discern.

Second, we listen.
Listen to the world. Listen to each other. Listen for where God’s love and grace, healing and restoration is needed.

Third, we educate ourselves.
One of the best ways to reduce anxiety is to stimulate resources and to learn.

Fourth, we preach and pray that every Sunday, every sermon becomes a miracle whereby the words we say are transformed into the words our people need to hear to inspire them to love God more and to be courageous.

Fifth, we advocate.
Advocate for People of Color, advocate for the sick, advocate for those in prison, advocate for those in danger of any kind, and advocate for those who have no one to advocate for them. Lastly, and perhaps foundationally, we care for ourselves. We remember this is a long haul we are in and not a passing moment. Remember we are in the process of creating a new normal and what that new normal is depends on what we do in our own families, communities, and in the church at large. As much as this is a time of crisis, it is also a time of amazing creative opportunities. In the tension of those two things – crisis and creativity – is the heart of our spiritual practice.

Along with reminding myself to keep a steady pace and to find rest points along the way, I also remind myself that the church has gone through so much over these 2000 years and, with God’s help, continues to grow, change, and transform. Our current circumstance is no different. The bottom line truth of our lives is that we are sealed by the Holy Spirit in baptism and marked as Christ’s own forever. We are loved by the God who created us exactly as we are. We are saved by the God who became human in Jesus so that we might know the way to God. We are knit together through the power of God in the Holy Spirit, who is alive in us, among us, and between us.

I am grateful for all of you and hold you in my prayers every day.

Take care, pace yourselves, and remember how loved you are.

Faithfully,
Melissa+

‘Pray, and do something’: resources offer help to respond systemic racism

By Bishop Suffragan Diane M. Jardine Bruce

God,
Grant me justice, so that I may treat others as they deserve.
Grant me mercy, so that I don’t treat others as they deserve.
Grant me a humble walk with you, so that I may understand the difference.

— The Rev. Dr. Patricia McCaughan and the Very Rev. Keith Yamamoto

 This prayer, written by two priests of this diocese, can be found on page 166 of the book Race and Prayer: Collected Voices Many Dreams, Malcolm Boyd and Chester Talton, editors.

I used this book a number of times when I was a parish priest, but hadn’t looked at it in the last few years. The violence and murder perpetrated at the hands of law enforcement and vigilantes on our black community, especially the “caught on tape” murder of George Floyd, moved me to pull this book off my shelf, dust it off, and pray.

Maybe you are in that same place as well. I need to pray, but I also know I need to DO something. The first thing I want to do is to apologize to you, my siblings in Christ right here in the Diocese of Los Angeles who have been living under and with the systems of injustice and white supremacy for centuries, and who feel the weight of that oppression every day of your lives.

On June 7 the national Union of Black Episcopalians (UBE) hosted Talk2Talk: Congregational and UBE Activism in the Face of Social Unrest. The panelists (bios at the end of this note) were the Rev. Dr. Gayle Fisher-Stewart, the Very Rev. Canon Martini Shaw and the Rev. Melanie Mullens. They said what I needed to hear: we cannot let this minute in our history fade away like dust in the wind. We are being called to voice our disdain for the actions taken against God’s people – especially those who have been marginalized and discriminated against for centuries. The YouTube video of the event can be found here

On June 21 UBE hosted a follow-up to the June 7 event: Talk2Talk: Moving from Protest to Marathon Systemic Response. The same panelists offered their wisdom as to how we can — no, we MUST — move past protest to effecting the kind of radical changes to dismantle systems of injustice and inequality that have existed in this country for centuries.

If we have had any part in building or sustaining any system that has oppressed another, we need to acknowledge that sin, and repent. We need to work to transform systems of oppression into systems of love and care – ensuring equal access to all at every level and area of our society.

If you, like me, have felt hopeless in wondering “what can I do,” when the video of this event becomes available that will be a great place to start. We will post a link to it on our diocesan website when it is available.

Building on the work of the UBE’s Talk2Talks, Canon Suzanne Edwards-Acton and I are excited to announce that the Rev. Dr. Gayle Fisher-Stewart has agreed to be our preacher at our annual celebration of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday in 2021. Working with a team from the diocese, we hope to put together an interactive program for that event. Given the uncertainty of the pandemic, we will be planning for both a digital and an in-person event.

In terms of resources locally and throughout the Episcopal Church to use sooner than the MLK weekend, the diocesan website has a section with resources for you and your congregation to begin this work. More will be added over time. That webpage can be found here. If you have found other resources we can add to this page, please send them to Canon Janet Kawamoto (jkawamoto@ladiocese.org).

My siblings in Christ: Please pray. Please study. Please teach. Please act. We cannot let this “blow over” and not address the underlying causes – including white supremacy – that keep us repeating the same acts of injustice on our siblings in Christ.

WWJD? We all know the answer to that.

God of all peoples of the earth: we pray for an end to racism in all forms, and for an end to the denial that perpetuates white privilege, and for your support for all of those who bear the struggle of internalized racism, and for wisdom to recognize and eradicate the institutional racism in the church, and for the strength to stand against the bigotry and suffering that inhabits the world; for these and all your blessings we pray, O God, Christ Jesus, Holy Spirit. Amen.

— Sheryl Kujawa-Holbrook, Race and Prayer: Collected Voices Many Dreams, pg. 50

Guest Panelists for Talk2Talk:

The Rev. Dr. Gayle Fisher-Stewart is interim rector of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Washington, DC, and is the president of the Crummell-Cooper DC Chapter, UBE. She comes to ordained ministry after retiring from the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington with the rank of captain. She is the author of the forthcoming book (July 17, 2020), Preaching Black Lives (Matter) (Church Publishing).

The Very Rev. Canon Martini Shaw is rector of The Historic African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he has led this community in boldly proclaiming the reconciling Gospel of Jesus Christ for 17 years. UBE’s former national second vice president, Father Shaw also serves on the advisory board for the Episcopal Church Office of Black Ministries and is chair of the Episcopal Church’s Executive Council Committee for HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities).

The Rev. Melanie Mullens, director of Reconciliation, Justice and Creation Care for The Episcopal Church, is charged with bringing the Jesus Movement to the concerns of the world. Prior to joining the presiding bishop’s staff, she was the downtown missioner at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, leading a historic southern congregation’s missional, civic and reconciliation ministries.

+Diane

Dios,
Concédeme justicia, para que pueda tratar a los demás como se merecen.
Concédeme misericordia, para que no trate a los demás como se merecen.
Concédeme un humilde paseo contigo, para que pueda entender la diferencia.

— La Rev. Dra. Patricia McCaughan y el Rev. Keith Yamamoto

Esta oración, que fué escrita por dos sacerdotes de esta diócesis, y se encuentra en la página 166 del libro, Race and Prayer: Collected Voices Many Dreams, Malcolm Boyd y Chester Talton, editores. Utilicé este libro varias veces cuando estaba como sacerdote en una parroquia, pero no lo había vuelto a ver en los últimos años. La violencia y los asesinatos perpetrados por las fuerzas del orden y los vigilantes hacia nuestra comunidad Negra, especialmente el asesinato de George Floyd “grabado en un video”, me motivó a sacar este libro de mi librero, quitarle el polvo y rezar. Tal vez ustedes estén en este mismo lugar también. Necesito rezar, pero también sé que tengo que HACER algo. Lo primero que quiero hacer es disculparme con ustedes, mis hermanos y hermanas en Cristo aquí en la Diócesis de Los Ángeles que han estado viviendo con y bajo los sistemas de injusticia y supremacía blanca durante siglos, y que sienten el peso de esa opresión cada día de sus vidas.

El 7 de junio la Unión de Episcopales Negros (UBE por sus siglas en Inglés) organizó Talk2Talk: Activismo Congregacional y de UBE ante el malestar social. Los panelistas (biografías al final de esta nota) fueron la Rev. Dra. Gayle Fisher-Stewart, el Muy Rev. Canónigo Martini Shaw y la Rev. Melanie Mullens. Ellos dijeron lo que yo necesitaba oír: no podemos dejar que este minuto de nuestra historia se desvanezca como el polvo en el viento. Estamos llamados a expresar nuestro desdén por las acciones tomadas contra el pueblo de Dios – especialmente aquellos que han sido marginados y discriminados durante siglos. El video del evento puede ser encontrado aquí.

El 21 de Junio, UBE organizó un seguimiento del evento del 7 de Junio, Talk2Talk: Pasando de la protesta a la respuesta sistémica maratónica. Los mismos panelistas ofrecieron su sabiduría sobre cómo podemos — no, DEBEMOS — pasar de la protesta a efectuar el tipo de cambios radicales necesarios para desmantelar los sistemas de injusticia y desigualdad que han existido en este país durante siglos. Si hemos tenido alguna participación en la construcción o el mantenimiento de cualquier sistema que ha oprimido a otro, tenemos que reconocer ese pecado, y arrepentirnos. Necesitamos trabajar para transformar los sistemas de opresión en sistemas de amor y cuidado – asegurando el acceso igualitario a todos en los diferentes niveles y áreas de nuestra sociedad. Si ustedes, como yo, se ha sentido desesperanzados al preguntarse “qué puedo hacer yo”, el video de este evento será un gran lugar para comenzar. Pondremos un enlace en nuestro sitio web de la diócesis cuando esté disponible.

Basándonos en el trabajo de Talk2Talks de la UBE, la canóniga Suzanne Edwards-Acton y yo estamos encantadas de anunciar que la reverenda Dra. Gayle Fisher-Stewart ha aceptado ser nuestra predicadora en la celebración anual del Reverendo Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. durante el fin de semana de MLK en 2021. Trabajando con un equipo de la diócesis, esperamos crear un programa interactivo para ese evento. Dada la incertidumbre causada por la pandemia, planearemos un evento en formatos digital y en persona.

En términos de recursos locales y en toda la Iglesia Episcopal para usar antes del fin de semana de MLK, el sitio web diocesano tiene una sección con recursos para que usted y su congregación puedan comenzar con este trabajo. Se irán añadiendo más recursos eventualmente. Este sitio web se puede encontrar aquí. Si ustedes han encontrado otros recursos que pudiéramos añadir a esta página, por favor envíelos a la canóniga Janet Kawamoto (jkawamoto@ladiocese.org).

 Mis hermanos y hermanas en Cristo: Por favor oren. Por favor estudien. Por favor enseñen. Por favor actúen. No podemos dejar que esto “se desvanezca” y no abordar las causas subyacentes -incluyendo la supremacía blanca- que nos mantienen repitiendo los mismos actos de injusticia en nuestros hermanos y hermanas en Cristo. WWJD? (Siglas en Inglés para: Qué Haría Jesús?) Todos sabemos la respuesta a eso.

Dios de todos los pueblos de la tierra: oramos por el fin del racismo en todas sus formas, y por el fin de la abnegación que perpetúa el privilegio blanco, y por tu apoyo a todos aquellos que sufren del racismo internalizado, y por la sabiduría para reconocer y erradicar el racismo institucional en la iglesia, y por fuerza para oponernos a la intolerancia y al sufrimiento que habitan en el mundo; por estas y todas tus bendiciones oramos, oh Dios, Cristo Jesús, Espíritu Santo. Amén.
— Sheryl Kujawa-Holbrook, Race and Prayer: Collected Voices Many Dreams, pg. 50

Panelistas invitados para Talk2Talk:

La Rev. Dra. Gayle Fisher-Stewart es la Rectora Interina de la Iglesia Episcopal de San Lucas en Washington, DC, y es la presidenta del capítulo Crummell-Cooper DC de la Unión de Episcopales Negros. Llega al ministerio ordenado después de retirarse del Departamento de Policía Metropolitana, en Washington, con el rango de capitán. Es la autora del libro que saldrá próximamente a la venta (17 de julio de 2020), “Preaching Black Lives (Matter),” (Church Publishing).

El Muy Reverendo Canónigo Martini Shaw quien es el Rector de la histórica Iglesia Episcopal Africana de Santo Tomás, en Filadelfia, Pensilvania, donde ha dirigido a esta comunidad en la audaz proclamación del Evangelio reconciliador de Jesucristo durante 17 años. El Padre Shaw, ex vicepresidente nacional de la UBE, también forma parte de la Junta Asesora de la Oficina de Ministerios de los Negros de la Iglesia Episcopal y es el presidente del Comité del Consejo Ejecutivo de la Iglesia Episcopal para los HBCU (Siglas en Inglés para: Colegios y Universidades Históricamente Negros).

La Rev. Melanie Mullens, es la Directora de Reconciliación, Justicia y Cuidado de la Creación de la Iglesia Episcopal, está encargada de llevar el Movimiento de Jesús a las preocupaciones del mundo. Antes de unirse al personal del Obispo Presidente, fue la misionera en la Iglesia Episcopal de San Pablo en el centro de Richmond, dirigiendo los ministerios misioneros, cívicos y de reconciliación.

+Diane

June 2020

Amid dual pandemics, diocesan resources offer help

From Bishop John Harvey Taylor

My colleagues in Christ:

• The New Community multicultural ministries of the diocese, including the Program Group on Black Ministries, are standing by to confer and consult with all congregations, also tapping the expertise of Episcopal Sacred Resistance, the Kaleidoscope Institute and the church-wide “Becoming Beloved Community” initiative. For consultation and direct referrals, please contact Bishop Bruce (dbruce@ladiocese.org).

• Help in providing supplies – including masks and sanitizer – and hands-on training in live-streaming and digital discipleship is now available to clergy and lay leaders in keeping with recommendations of the Bishop’s Council of Advice on Our Safe Return to Physical Presence. The diocesan Program Group on Communications stands ready to assist with technical support. Please direct requests to Canon for Common Life Bob Williams (bobwilliams@ladiocese.org) or Canon Clare Zabala Bangao, coordinator of mission congregations, (clarezabala@ladiocese.org).

• Discerning Our Readiness to Resume Physical Presence in Church
• Discernir Nuestra Disposición a Reanudar la Presencia Física en la Iglesia
• Confirmation of Church Building Readiness (PDF form)
• Confirmación de la Preparación de Reapertura de los Edificios de las Iglesias (PDF)
• Confirmation of Church Building Readiness /Confirmación de la Preparación de Reapertura de los Edificios de las Iglesias (online form)

Yours in Christ’s love,

+John

July 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

July – a way of rest

July is always that month when I can kinda-sorta-breathe. Is it that way for you too?

Starting with Easter I feel as though I’m on a dead run to July. June is always the worst — it’s a whirlwind for me; graduations, ordinations, consecrations, birthdays. Maybe June was and is a whirlwind for you too.

Now it’s July — June gloom is behind us (hopefully) and we look forward to sunny days and a more reasonable pace of work. Maybe you’ve scheduled all or part of your vacation for July. Many clergy do.

We as clergy tend to over-function. We do so at times out of necessity, especially when we are the only clergy person caring for a congregation. We do so out of our own insecurity, as if people might think we are slacking off if we actually take time apart to rest, reflect and pray.

We do so because there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done, someone to be visited, something to fix, more meetings to schedule. God knows I eat over-functioning for breakfast! Yet I know I’m not called to stay in that place. It is not healthy for my body, mind or spirit, and it is not healthy for you either.

I want to invite you to continue to walk with me on the Way of Love. During the month of July — and heck, let’s throw August in there as well — I invite you to move into a bit of REST. It doesn’t mean we completely stop working (unless, of course, you are on vacation!). It does mean taking some time to think about, pray about, work on that aspect of the Way of Love which our Presiding Bishop calls rest.

From https://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/documents/way_of_love_introduction.pdf:

REST: Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  – John 14:27

Blessed are you, O Lord … giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent.  – Book of Common Prayer, 113

From the beginning of creation, God has established the sacred pattern of going and returning, labor and rest. Especially today, God invites us to dedicate time for restoration and wholeness – within our bodies, minds, and souls, and within our communities and institutions. By resting we place our trust in God, the primary actor who brings all things to their fullness.

For Reflection and Discernment

• What practices restore your body, mind, and soul?
• How will you observe rest and renewal on a regular basis?
• With whom will you commit to create and maintain a regular practice of rest?

Use this quieter time we live in right now to honor your body, mind and spirit — and drink in God’s love and grace.

Blessings and love to you all,
+Diane

_______________________________________________________________________________________

June 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Knowing Your Rest Points

“Know your rest points,” was the sage advice I received from a choreographer I worked with about 20 years ago when I was dancing to make a living. We were learning a particularly challenging piece and she told us to pace ourselves; to look at the piece as a whole and find those moments when we could rest. Even though we were still moving, there were less intense moments that, with intention and focus, could provide us with enough respite to restore us for what was ahead.

This idea of rest points stuck with me through my discernment, seminary, and into my priestly vocation. Vacation is a great time for rest, of course, as are our days off. There are times and seasons of rest as well as moments of rest in each day. The key to finding this rest is to be intentional about it. We can take a look at the pacing of each day, or week, or month, or year, and find those moments when we can take a break and a breath, reconnecting to ourselves and to God.

It’s always seemed a bit of a puzzle to me why clergy, myself included, work hard and so often resist taking the rest we need. Is it the infamous “fear of missing out”? Or is it because somewhere inside of us we still feel like we need to earn our salvation? Is it because we fear Jesus (or our people) will loves us less if we take some time to rest? I have never come up with a good answer for this in myself. Maybe you have and can share it with me!

What I do know is that Jesus will not love us less if we take time to rest. Jesus will not love us less if we spend some time doing whatever provides our hearts and souls with the respite that will restore us for the work we are called to do in the more intense times in our day, week, month, or year. In the end, aren’t we all going for the long game, which is a life of meaningful work and deep connection with God and those whom God loves? The way I know how to do this is by pacing myself, knowing when I can rest, knowing when I need to push through, and remembering that everything we do is for the sake of God’s love.

Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce and I, along with Canon Satorius and the Formations and Transitions team, have been thinking of ways that we can offer moments of rest for the clergy community as well. We began with clergy conference, which was a different kind of clergy conference than we have had in previous years. Rather than listening to a speaker, which can feel exhausting in the Easter season after a full year, we opted for a conference that felt more like a retreat. It was our first draft, so to speak, and next year we will fine-tune it.

Additionally, we are experimenting with two other points during the year where rest, restoration, and learning can be offered. The first will be on November 1, when the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary, will offer a retreat day for clergy held at St. Paul’s Commons (the Cathedral Center). More details on this event will come soon, but in the meantime please check out Dean Douglas’ biography. I also encourage you to check out some of her writing, including her groundbreaking book Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective.

Second, in the spring, we will offer a retreat day prior to Lent in collaboration with Stillpoint. What that day looks like has yet to be planned but we will have information out as soon as we are able.

Until then, I pray you have a blessed and restorative summer! If we can be of service to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

Melissa

______________________________________________________________________________

March 2020

From Bishop John Harvey Taylor

My colleagues in Christ:

More than a year ago, Bishop Bruce invited Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to speak at our annual Bishop’s Dinner this November. As you know, it’s a fundraiser, with proceeds set aside for our missions and ministry centers. As in 2019, we’ll use the money this year to enable as many missions as possible to participate in Jaime Edwards-Acton and Betsy Densmore’s Social Enterprise Academy, learning how to leverage their resources for the sake of God’s people and the sustainability of the church.

Just think about it. The greatest preacher of our time, in Los Angeles, just a few days after the presidential election, offering the inspiration of Christ’s way of love.

Then Canon McCarthy had an idea. Why don’t we ask Bishop Curry to offer his sure-to-be-stirring address twice, at each end of the diocese? I pitched it to him in a few weeks ago in Detroit, at Bishop Bonnie Perry’s ordination and consecration, and he graciously assented.

So my colleagues, this is a “save the date” notice to keep in mind as you plan your own 2020-21 schedules. The Bishop’s Dinner del norte will be on Friday, November 6, 2020 at California Lutheran University. La cena del sur will be on Saturday, November 7, 2020 in the White House East Room replica of the Nixon library in Yorba Linda.

Please mark your calendars, and spread the word. More details to come, including about additional special guests. My spouse Canon Kathy O’Connor, again serving as volunteer dinner coordinator, is looking for dinner sponsors as well as volunteers for organizing committees for both dinners. Please write her at koconnor@ladiocese.org. We promise to keep the tickets as affordable as possible. Thank you for understanding the vital importance of raising these funds for our institutions on the front lines of mission and ministry.

Yours in Christ’s love,

+John

July 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

July – a way of rest

July is always that month when I can kinda-sorta-breathe. Is it that way for you too?

Starting with Easter I feel as though I’m on a dead run to July. June is always the worst — it’s a whirlwind for me; graduations, ordinations, consecrations, birthdays. Maybe June was and is a whirlwind for you too.

Now it’s July — June gloom is behind us (hopefully) and we look forward to sunny days and a more reasonable pace of work. Maybe you’ve scheduled all or part of your vacation for July. Many clergy do.

We as clergy tend to over-function. We do so at times out of necessity, especially when we are the only clergy person caring for a congregation. We do so out of our own insecurity, as if people might think we are slacking off if we actually take time apart to rest, reflect and pray.

We do so because there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done, someone to be visited, something to fix, more meetings to schedule. God knows I eat over-functioning for breakfast! Yet I know I’m not called to stay in that place. It is not healthy for my body, mind or spirit, and it is not healthy for you either.

I want to invite you to continue to walk with me on the Way of Love. During the month of July — and heck, let’s throw August in there as well — I invite you to move into a bit of REST. It doesn’t mean we completely stop working (unless, of course, you are on vacation!). It does mean taking some time to think about, pray about, work on that aspect of the Way of Love which our Presiding Bishop calls rest.

From https://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/documents/way_of_love_introduction.pdf:

REST: Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  – John 14:27

Blessed are you, O Lord … giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent.  – Book of Common Prayer, 113

From the beginning of creation, God has established the sacred pattern of going and returning, labor and rest. Especially today, God invites us to dedicate time for restoration and wholeness – within our bodies, minds, and souls, and within our communities and institutions. By resting we place our trust in God, the primary actor who brings all things to their fullness.

For Reflection and Discernment

• What practices restore your body, mind, and soul?
• How will you observe rest and renewal on a regular basis?
• With whom will you commit to create and maintain a regular practice of rest?

Use this quieter time we live in right now to honor your body, mind and spirit — and drink in God’s love and grace.

Blessings and love to you all,
+Diane

_______________________________________________________________________________________

June 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Knowing Your Rest Points

“Know your rest points,” was the sage advice I received from a choreographer I worked with about 20 years ago when I was dancing to make a living. We were learning a particularly challenging piece and she told us to pace ourselves; to look at the piece as a whole and find those moments when we could rest. Even though we were still moving, there were less intense moments that, with intention and focus, could provide us with enough respite to restore us for what was ahead.

This idea of rest points stuck with me through my discernment, seminary, and into my priestly vocation. Vacation is a great time for rest, of course, as are our days off. There are times and seasons of rest as well as moments of rest in each day. The key to finding this rest is to be intentional about it. We can take a look at the pacing of each day, or week, or month, or year, and find those moments when we can take a break and a breath, reconnecting to ourselves and to God.

It’s always seemed a bit of a puzzle to me why clergy, myself included, work hard and so often resist taking the rest we need. Is it the infamous “fear of missing out”? Or is it because somewhere inside of us we still feel like we need to earn our salvation? Is it because we fear Jesus (or our people) will loves us less if we take some time to rest? I have never come up with a good answer for this in myself. Maybe you have and can share it with me!

What I do know is that Jesus will not love us less if we take time to rest. Jesus will not love us less if we spend some time doing whatever provides our hearts and souls with the respite that will restore us for the work we are called to do in the more intense times in our day, week, month, or year. In the end, aren’t we all going for the long game, which is a life of meaningful work and deep connection with God and those whom God loves? The way I know how to do this is by pacing myself, knowing when I can rest, knowing when I need to push through, and remembering that everything we do is for the sake of God’s love.

Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce and I, along with Canon Satorius and the Formations and Transitions team, have been thinking of ways that we can offer moments of rest for the clergy community as well. We began with clergy conference, which was a different kind of clergy conference than we have had in previous years. Rather than listening to a speaker, which can feel exhausting in the Easter season after a full year, we opted for a conference that felt more like a retreat. It was our first draft, so to speak, and next year we will fine-tune it.

Additionally, we are experimenting with two other points during the year where rest, restoration, and learning can be offered. The first will be on November 1, when the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary, will offer a retreat day for clergy held at St. Paul’s Commons (the Cathedral Center). More details on this event will come soon, but in the meantime please check out Dean Douglas’ biography. I also encourage you to check out some of her writing, including her groundbreaking book Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective.

Second, in the spring, we will offer a retreat day prior to Lent in collaboration with Stillpoint. What that day looks like has yet to be planned but we will have information out as soon as we are able.

Until then, I pray you have a blessed and restorative summer! If we can be of service to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

Melissa

______________________________________________________________________________

March 2020

From Bishop John Harvey Taylor

My colleagues in Christ:

More than a year ago, Bishop Bruce invited Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to speak at our annual Bishop’s Dinner this November. As you know, it’s a fundraiser, with proceeds set aside for our missions and ministry centers. As in 2019, we’ll use the money this year to enable as many missions as possible to participate in Jaime Edwards-Acton and Betsy Densmore’s Social Enterprise Academy, learning how to leverage their resources for the sake of God’s people and the sustainability of the church.

Just think about it. The greatest preacher of our time, in Los Angeles, just a few days after the presidential election, offering the inspiration of Christ’s way of love.

Then Canon McCarthy had an idea. Why don’t we ask Bishop Curry to offer his sure-to-be-stirring address twice, at each end of the diocese? I pitched it to him in a few weeks ago in Detroit, at Bishop Bonnie Perry’s ordination and consecration, and he graciously assented.

So my colleagues, this is a “save the date” notice to keep in mind as you plan your own 2020-21 schedules. The Bishop’s Dinner del norte will be on Friday, November 6, 2020 at California Lutheran University. La cena del sur will be on Saturday, November 7, 2020 in the White House East Room replica of the Nixon library in Yorba Linda.

Please mark your calendars, and spread the word. More details to come, including about additional special guests. My spouse Canon Kathy O’Connor, again serving as volunteer dinner coordinator, is looking for dinner sponsors as well as volunteers for organizing committees for both dinners. Please write her at koconnor@ladiocese.org. We promise to keep the tickets as affordable as possible. Thank you for understanding the vital importance of raising these funds for our institutions on the front lines of mission and ministry.

Yours in Christ’s love,

+John

July 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

July – a way of rest

July is always that month when I can kinda-sorta-breathe. Is it that way for you too?

Starting with Easter I feel as though I’m on a dead run to July. June is always the worst — it’s a whirlwind for me; graduations, ordinations, consecrations, birthdays. Maybe June was and is a whirlwind for you too.

Now it’s July — June gloom is behind us (hopefully) and we look forward to sunny days and a more reasonable pace of work. Maybe you’ve scheduled all or part of your vacation for July. Many clergy do.

We as clergy tend to over-function. We do so at times out of necessity, especially when we are the only clergy person caring for a congregation. We do so out of our own insecurity, as if people might think we are slacking off if we actually take time apart to rest, reflect and pray.

We do so because there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done, someone to be visited, something to fix, more meetings to schedule. God knows I eat over-functioning for breakfast! Yet I know I’m not called to stay in that place. It is not healthy for my body, mind or spirit, and it is not healthy for you either.

I want to invite you to continue to walk with me on the Way of Love. During the month of July — and heck, let’s throw August in there as well — I invite you to move into a bit of REST. It doesn’t mean we completely stop working (unless, of course, you are on vacation!). It does mean taking some time to think about, pray about, work on that aspect of the Way of Love which our Presiding Bishop calls rest.

From https://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/documents/way_of_love_introduction.pdf:

REST: Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  – John 14:27

Blessed are you, O Lord … giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent.  – Book of Common Prayer, 113

From the beginning of creation, God has established the sacred pattern of going and returning, labor and rest. Especially today, God invites us to dedicate time for restoration and wholeness – within our bodies, minds, and souls, and within our communities and institutions. By resting we place our trust in God, the primary actor who brings all things to their fullness.

For Reflection and Discernment

• What practices restore your body, mind, and soul?
• How will you observe rest and renewal on a regular basis?
• With whom will you commit to create and maintain a regular practice of rest?

Use this quieter time we live in right now to honor your body, mind and spirit — and drink in God’s love and grace.

Blessings and love to you all,
+Diane

_______________________________________________________________________________________

June 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Knowing Your Rest Points

“Know your rest points,” was the sage advice I received from a choreographer I worked with about 20 years ago when I was dancing to make a living. We were learning a particularly challenging piece and she told us to pace ourselves; to look at the piece as a whole and find those moments when we could rest. Even though we were still moving, there were less intense moments that, with intention and focus, could provide us with enough respite to restore us for what was ahead.

This idea of rest points stuck with me through my discernment, seminary, and into my priestly vocation. Vacation is a great time for rest, of course, as are our days off. There are times and seasons of rest as well as moments of rest in each day. The key to finding this rest is to be intentional about it. We can take a look at the pacing of each day, or week, or month, or year, and find those moments when we can take a break and a breath, reconnecting to ourselves and to God.

It’s always seemed a bit of a puzzle to me why clergy, myself included, work hard and so often resist taking the rest we need. Is it the infamous “fear of missing out”? Or is it because somewhere inside of us we still feel like we need to earn our salvation? Is it because we fear Jesus (or our people) will loves us less if we take some time to rest? I have never come up with a good answer for this in myself. Maybe you have and can share it with me!

What I do know is that Jesus will not love us less if we take time to rest. Jesus will not love us less if we spend some time doing whatever provides our hearts and souls with the respite that will restore us for the work we are called to do in the more intense times in our day, week, month, or year. In the end, aren’t we all going for the long game, which is a life of meaningful work and deep connection with God and those whom God loves? The way I know how to do this is by pacing myself, knowing when I can rest, knowing when I need to push through, and remembering that everything we do is for the sake of God’s love.

Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce and I, along with Canon Satorius and the Formations and Transitions team, have been thinking of ways that we can offer moments of rest for the clergy community as well. We began with clergy conference, which was a different kind of clergy conference than we have had in previous years. Rather than listening to a speaker, which can feel exhausting in the Easter season after a full year, we opted for a conference that felt more like a retreat. It was our first draft, so to speak, and next year we will fine-tune it.

Additionally, we are experimenting with two other points during the year where rest, restoration, and learning can be offered. The first will be on November 1, when the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary, will offer a retreat day for clergy held at St. Paul’s Commons (the Cathedral Center). More details on this event will come soon, but in the meantime please check out Dean Douglas’ biography. I also encourage you to check out some of her writing, including her groundbreaking book Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective.

Second, in the spring, we will offer a retreat day prior to Lent in collaboration with Stillpoint. What that day looks like has yet to be planned but we will have information out as soon as we are able.

Until then, I pray you have a blessed and restorative summer! If we can be of service to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

Melissa

______________________________________________________________________________

March 2020

From Bishop John Harvey Taylor

My colleagues in Christ:

More than a year ago, Bishop Bruce invited Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to speak at our annual Bishop’s Dinner this November. As you know, it’s a fundraiser, with proceeds set aside for our missions and ministry centers. As in 2019, we’ll use the money this year to enable as many missions as possible to participate in Jaime Edwards-Acton and Betsy Densmore’s Social Enterprise Academy, learning how to leverage their resources for the sake of God’s people and the sustainability of the church.

Just think about it. The greatest preacher of our time, in Los Angeles, just a few days after the presidential election, offering the inspiration of Christ’s way of love.

Then Canon McCarthy had an idea. Why don’t we ask Bishop Curry to offer his sure-to-be-stirring address twice, at each end of the diocese? I pitched it to him in a few weeks ago in Detroit, at Bishop Bonnie Perry’s ordination and consecration, and he graciously assented.

So my colleagues, this is a “save the date” notice to keep in mind as you plan your own 2020-21 schedules. The Bishop’s Dinner del norte will be on Friday, November 6, 2020 at California Lutheran University. La cena del sur will be on Saturday, November 7, 2020 in the White House East Room replica of the Nixon library in Yorba Linda.

Please mark your calendars, and spread the word. More details to come, including about additional special guests. My spouse Canon Kathy O’Connor, again serving as volunteer dinner coordinator, is looking for dinner sponsors as well as volunteers for organizing committees for both dinners. Please write her at koconnor@ladiocese.org. We promise to keep the tickets as affordable as possible. Thank you for understanding the vital importance of raising these funds for our institutions on the front lines of mission and ministry.

Yours in Christ’s love,

+John

July 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

July – a way of rest

July is always that month when I can kinda-sorta-breathe. Is it that way for you too?

Starting with Easter I feel as though I’m on a dead run to July. June is always the worst — it’s a whirlwind for me; graduations, ordinations, consecrations, birthdays. Maybe June was and is a whirlwind for you too.

Now it’s July — June gloom is behind us (hopefully) and we look forward to sunny days and a more reasonable pace of work. Maybe you’ve scheduled all or part of your vacation for July. Many clergy do.

We as clergy tend to over-function. We do so at times out of necessity, especially when we are the only clergy person caring for a congregation. We do so out of our own insecurity, as if people might think we are slacking off if we actually take time apart to rest, reflect and pray.

We do so because there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done, someone to be visited, something to fix, more meetings to schedule. God knows I eat over-functioning for breakfast! Yet I know I’m not called to stay in that place. It is not healthy for my body, mind or spirit, and it is not healthy for you either.

I want to invite you to continue to walk with me on the Way of Love. During the month of July — and heck, let’s throw August in there as well — I invite you to move into a bit of REST. It doesn’t mean we completely stop working (unless, of course, you are on vacation!). It does mean taking some time to think about, pray about, work on that aspect of the Way of Love which our Presiding Bishop calls rest.

From https://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/documents/way_of_love_introduction.pdf:

REST: Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  – John 14:27

Blessed are you, O Lord … giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent.  – Book of Common Prayer, 113

From the beginning of creation, God has established the sacred pattern of going and returning, labor and rest. Especially today, God invites us to dedicate time for restoration and wholeness – within our bodies, minds, and souls, and within our communities and institutions. By resting we place our trust in God, the primary actor who brings all things to their fullness.

For Reflection and Discernment

• What practices restore your body, mind, and soul?
• How will you observe rest and renewal on a regular basis?
• With whom will you commit to create and maintain a regular practice of rest?

Use this quieter time we live in right now to honor your body, mind and spirit — and drink in God’s love and grace.

Blessings and love to you all,
+Diane

_______________________________________________________________________________________

June 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Knowing Your Rest Points

“Know your rest points,” was the sage advice I received from a choreographer I worked with about 20 years ago when I was dancing to make a living. We were learning a particularly challenging piece and she told us to pace ourselves; to look at the piece as a whole and find those moments when we could rest. Even though we were still moving, there were less intense moments that, with intention and focus, could provide us with enough respite to restore us for what was ahead.

This idea of rest points stuck with me through my discernment, seminary, and into my priestly vocation. Vacation is a great time for rest, of course, as are our days off. There are times and seasons of rest as well as moments of rest in each day. The key to finding this rest is to be intentional about it. We can take a look at the pacing of each day, or week, or month, or year, and find those moments when we can take a break and a breath, reconnecting to ourselves and to God.

It’s always seemed a bit of a puzzle to me why clergy, myself included, work hard and so often resist taking the rest we need. Is it the infamous “fear of missing out”? Or is it because somewhere inside of us we still feel like we need to earn our salvation? Is it because we fear Jesus (or our people) will loves us less if we take some time to rest? I have never come up with a good answer for this in myself. Maybe you have and can share it with me!

What I do know is that Jesus will not love us less if we take time to rest. Jesus will not love us less if we spend some time doing whatever provides our hearts and souls with the respite that will restore us for the work we are called to do in the more intense times in our day, week, month, or year. In the end, aren’t we all going for the long game, which is a life of meaningful work and deep connection with God and those whom God loves? The way I know how to do this is by pacing myself, knowing when I can rest, knowing when I need to push through, and remembering that everything we do is for the sake of God’s love.

Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce and I, along with Canon Satorius and the Formations and Transitions team, have been thinking of ways that we can offer moments of rest for the clergy community as well. We began with clergy conference, which was a different kind of clergy conference than we have had in previous years. Rather than listening to a speaker, which can feel exhausting in the Easter season after a full year, we opted for a conference that felt more like a retreat. It was our first draft, so to speak, and next year we will fine-tune it.

Additionally, we are experimenting with two other points during the year where rest, restoration, and learning can be offered. The first will be on November 1, when the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary, will offer a retreat day for clergy held at St. Paul’s Commons (the Cathedral Center). More details on this event will come soon, but in the meantime please check out Dean Douglas’ biography. I also encourage you to check out some of her writing, including her groundbreaking book Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective.

Second, in the spring, we will offer a retreat day prior to Lent in collaboration with Stillpoint. What that day looks like has yet to be planned but we will have information out as soon as we are able.

Until then, I pray you have a blessed and restorative summer! If we can be of service to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

Melissa

______________________________________________________________________________

March 2020

From Bishop John Harvey Taylor

My colleagues in Christ:

More than a year ago, Bishop Bruce invited Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to speak at our annual Bishop’s Dinner this November. As you know, it’s a fundraiser, with proceeds set aside for our missions and ministry centers. As in 2019, we’ll use the money this year to enable as many missions as possible to participate in Jaime Edwards-Acton and Betsy Densmore’s Social Enterprise Academy, learning how to leverage their resources for the sake of God’s people and the sustainability of the church.

Just think about it. The greatest preacher of our time, in Los Angeles, just a few days after the presidential election, offering the inspiration of Christ’s way of love.

Then Canon McCarthy had an idea. Why don’t we ask Bishop Curry to offer his sure-to-be-stirring address twice, at each end of the diocese? I pitched it to him in a few weeks ago in Detroit, at Bishop Bonnie Perry’s ordination and consecration, and he graciously assented.

So my colleagues, this is a “save the date” notice to keep in mind as you plan your own 2020-21 schedules. The Bishop’s Dinner del norte will be on Friday, November 6, 2020 at California Lutheran University. La cena del sur will be on Saturday, November 7, 2020 in the White House East Room replica of the Nixon library in Yorba Linda.

Please mark your calendars, and spread the word. More details to come, including about additional special guests. My spouse Canon Kathy O’Connor, again serving as volunteer dinner coordinator, is looking for dinner sponsors as well as volunteers for organizing committees for both dinners. Please write her at koconnor@ladiocese.org. We promise to keep the tickets as affordable as possible. Thank you for understanding the vital importance of raising these funds for our institutions on the front lines of mission and ministry.

Yours in Christ’s love,

+John

July 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

July – a way of rest

July is always that month when I can kinda-sorta-breathe. Is it that way for you too?

Starting with Easter I feel as though I’m on a dead run to July. June is always the worst — it’s a whirlwind for me; graduations, ordinations, consecrations, birthdays. Maybe June was and is a whirlwind for you too.

Now it’s July — June gloom is behind us (hopefully) and we look forward to sunny days and a more reasonable pace of work. Maybe you’ve scheduled all or part of your vacation for July. Many clergy do.

We as clergy tend to over-function. We do so at times out of necessity, especially when we are the only clergy person caring for a congregation. We do so out of our own insecurity, as if people might think we are slacking off if we actually take time apart to rest, reflect and pray.

We do so because there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done, someone to be visited, something to fix, more meetings to schedule. God knows I eat over-functioning for breakfast! Yet I know I’m not called to stay in that place. It is not healthy for my body, mind or spirit, and it is not healthy for you either.

I want to invite you to continue to walk with me on the Way of Love. During the month of July — and heck, let’s throw August in there as well — I invite you to move into a bit of REST. It doesn’t mean we completely stop working (unless, of course, you are on vacation!). It does mean taking some time to think about, pray about, work on that aspect of the Way of Love which our Presiding Bishop calls rest.

From https://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/documents/way_of_love_introduction.pdf:

REST: Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  – John 14:27

Blessed are you, O Lord … giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent.  – Book of Common Prayer, 113

From the beginning of creation, God has established the sacred pattern of going and returning, labor and rest. Especially today, God invites us to dedicate time for restoration and wholeness – within our bodies, minds, and souls, and within our communities and institutions. By resting we place our trust in God, the primary actor who brings all things to their fullness.

For Reflection and Discernment

• What practices restore your body, mind, and soul?
• How will you observe rest and renewal on a regular basis?
• With whom will you commit to create and maintain a regular practice of rest?

Use this quieter time we live in right now to honor your body, mind and spirit — and drink in God’s love and grace.

Blessings and love to you all,
+Diane

_______________________________________________________________________________________

June 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Knowing Your Rest Points

“Know your rest points,” was the sage advice I received from a choreographer I worked with about 20 years ago when I was dancing to make a living. We were learning a particularly challenging piece and she told us to pace ourselves; to look at the piece as a whole and find those moments when we could rest. Even though we were still moving, there were less intense moments that, with intention and focus, could provide us with enough respite to restore us for what was ahead.

This idea of rest points stuck with me through my discernment, seminary, and into my priestly vocation. Vacation is a great time for rest, of course, as are our days off. There are times and seasons of rest as well as moments of rest in each day. The key to finding this rest is to be intentional about it. We can take a look at the pacing of each day, or week, or month, or year, and find those moments when we can take a break and a breath, reconnecting to ourselves and to God.

It’s always seemed a bit of a puzzle to me why clergy, myself included, work hard and so often resist taking the rest we need. Is it the infamous “fear of missing out”? Or is it because somewhere inside of us we still feel like we need to earn our salvation? Is it because we fear Jesus (or our people) will loves us less if we take some time to rest? I have never come up with a good answer for this in myself. Maybe you have and can share it with me!

What I do know is that Jesus will not love us less if we take time to rest. Jesus will not love us less if we spend some time doing whatever provides our hearts and souls with the respite that will restore us for the work we are called to do in the more intense times in our day, week, month, or year. In the end, aren’t we all going for the long game, which is a life of meaningful work and deep connection with God and those whom God loves? The way I know how to do this is by pacing myself, knowing when I can rest, knowing when I need to push through, and remembering that everything we do is for the sake of God’s love.

Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce and I, along with Canon Satorius and the Formations and Transitions team, have been thinking of ways that we can offer moments of rest for the clergy community as well. We began with clergy conference, which was a different kind of clergy conference than we have had in previous years. Rather than listening to a speaker, which can feel exhausting in the Easter season after a full year, we opted for a conference that felt more like a retreat. It was our first draft, so to speak, and next year we will fine-tune it.

Additionally, we are experimenting with two other points during the year where rest, restoration, and learning can be offered. The first will be on November 1, when the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary, will offer a retreat day for clergy held at St. Paul’s Commons (the Cathedral Center). More details on this event will come soon, but in the meantime please check out Dean Douglas’ biography. I also encourage you to check out some of her writing, including her groundbreaking book Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective.

Second, in the spring, we will offer a retreat day prior to Lent in collaboration with Stillpoint. What that day looks like has yet to be planned but we will have information out as soon as we are able.

Until then, I pray you have a blessed and restorative summer! If we can be of service to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

Melissa

______________________________________________________________________________

May 2019

From Bishop Diocesan John Harvey Taylor

May 2, 2019 – Feast of St. Athanasius

St. Paul’s Commons
is the new name for
our diocesan HQ in Echo Park

______________________________________________________________________________

April 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce:

About Lambeth

Dear Friends in Christ:

In mid-March Bishop Taylor and I spent four long, intense days with our fellow Bishops at Kanuga in North Carolina. You have already seen the letter from us and our spouses regarding the controversy surrounding Lambeth 2020.

Leaving Bishop Mary Glasspool’s beloved Becki off the guest list was shocking and painful – especially for those of us who have experienced their powerful and loving ministry among us. The response of the House of Bishops (HOB) as well as your bishops here was undertaken prayerfully. Mary herself gave a moving account of what transpired in the weeks leading up to our gathering at the HOB.

The work of the HOB in this triennium is centered on The Way of Love. For those of you who haven’t reviewed the materials for The Way of Love a good place to begin is here.

We had the privilege of hearing from Bishop Vashti McKenzie (AME Bishop, Texas) as well as Bishop Ric Thorpe (Bishop of Islington) on Evangelism as it relates to the Way of Love.

Bishop McKenzie is the Bishop in charge of all the AME churches in the State of Texas. She talked about the fact that many people practice “CHURCHianity” rather than “CHRISTianity”.

She asked the question, “Is it possible that we are more in love with Church than we are with Jesus Christ?” It is so easy to get caught up in the mechanics of Church that we forget the reason we are here and what we are called to do. While we need the institution, we also need to be open to the movement of the Holy Spirit.

Bishop Ric Thorpe has been Bishop of Islington, a suffragan bishopric in the Diocese of London with special attention to the ministry of church planting, since September 2015. He is responsible for the London diocese’s goal of creating 100 New Worshipping Communities by 2020 and is also working nationally to support other dioceses to plant new churches and revitalize existing ones. Before being appointed to Islington, Bishop Ric was the Bishop of London’s adviser for Church Planting and the rector of St. Paul’s Shadwell.

Bishop Thorpe offered that the Way of Love re-centers us on what really matters. He shared that the decade of Evangelism in England didn’t produce much fruit in terms of the programs and projects that it did — EXCEPT for Alpha and for a renewed passion for the poor and the marginalized.

Reflecting on his work turning around St. Paul’s, he told us that St. Paul’s had 12 people left in it and was going to be closed. The Bishop of London asked Bishop Thorpe and a team to revitalize it — 95 people came with him to revitalize. The neighborhood is 45% Muslim, 45% secular young professionals, 10% aging cockney. The congregation grew! Check out their website here.

Bishop Thorpe draws his tradition from Gregory the Great — a vision for the re-visioning of a community and re-evangelizing of the nation. Augustine similarly worked with the powers that be to plant churches. Bishop Thorpe then looked to the Celtic saints and found Cuthbert who worked by coming alongside a community, developing a church outside the city limits and offering hospitality. The Celtic way is all about relationships.

Both Bishop McKenzie and Bishop Thorpe agreed that if we want to see the church revitalized and become a church that is full of the love of God in Christ and is following The Way of Love it starts with prayer. Here we are, back to where we started. The bishops spent time and prayed as we dealt with the harsh reality of Lambeth 2020. It all starts with prayer, and it all must end with prayer.

Please know I pray for you all daily. I pray for our Church. I pray for our nation. I pray for our world. May all we do be begin and end in prayer.

+Diane

March 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Summiting Together

Dear Friends:

Mount Snowdon is the highest mountain peak in Wales and the highest peak in all of the United Kingdom outside of the Scottish Highlands. This 3,560-foot peak seems small for us here in California where snow falls generally occur at 4,500 feet and above. However, each mountain has its own personality, its own treachery, and Snowdon is no different.

I visited Wales in 2005 and, with my friend Isabella, decided to take a day to make the climb. I was barely 30 and still had that feeling of invincibility when we embarked that July morning. We decided to take the longest and busiest route to the top because we had been warned by so many locals to be careful of sudden weather changes and the danger such changes would bring us along the less traversed and more narrow paths. As I recall, it is a five-mile hike to the top so, after a good and fortifying breakfast, we started our ascent early that morning.

The hike up to the peak was beautiful. We encountered many fellow pilgrims, shook our figurative fists at those who zoomed past us on the train to the top, and enjoyed every moment of it. Almost. When we were about three-fourths of a mile from summiting the strangest thing happened. I got tired. Really tired. My legs felt heavy. Every step was a monumental effort. I kept pushing myself until finally I couldn’t do it any longer. I told Isabella what I was experiencing and she, being older and much wiser, said, “Oh, you are bonking,” which I inferred to mean some kind of crazy fatigue that she was aware of and I was not.

As it turns out “bonking” or “hitting the wall” is a real thing. It is the onset of sudden fatigue caused by a loss of glycogen. I sat down, she handed me a cliff bar, and I ate about half of it along with some long sips of water. A few minutes later I was fine. In fact, we ate that last three-fourths of a mile for a midmorning snack. The summit was as amazing as promised with cool winds and breathtaking views.

Being in ministry is a lot like summiting a peak. It’s a process and a journey. It’s something we sign up for and embark on with the best preparation we can have. It’s something that we do with others and, like my experience on Snowdon, it can wear us out. This is normal. Strength and energy comes and goes. We need periods of rest and quiet.

We need time to refuel and re-energize. As I was beginning to “bonk” I felt a sense of shame. I wondered what was wrong with me and why I couldn’t just keep going. I looked at Isabella and she was fine. How come I wasn’t? I tried to push through and then I stopped. What Isabella did was normalize it for me, give me some fuel, and sit with me while I rested.

We can do the same for each other: normalize the fatigue, share the fuel for ministry that we have with each other, and be with each other in those periods of rest. Doing this for each other helps neutralize any shame we might be experiencing as well as any sense of competition with each other we may be indulging.

In the end, our vocational lives are most healthy and vibrant when we are in good relationship with each other, which necessarily means being able to share our vulnerabilities with each other and receive the support that is waiting to be offered.

These are my reflections on the eve of Lent, a time that is guaranteed to wear out anyone in active ministry. Be gentle with yourselves, reach out to one another (and to me!), and enjoy the journey with fellow pilgrims on the way.

A blessed Lent to all!

Melissa+
______________________________________________________________________________

February 2019

From Bishop Diocesan John Taylor 

 Joining the List

______________________________________________________________________________

October 2018

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Expectations

Greetings, dear colleagues!

I sit down to write this note to you on the morning after Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s harrowing testimony. I will confess that I am still reeling from watching the hearing and how it all played out. I am still reeling from the fact that a victim is being prosecuted. I am still reeling from the dehumanization she has experienced.

I am still reeling from the undeniable and incontrovertible evidence this testimony and the whole hearing has provided us of how far this country’s leadership has fallen and how openly, indeed publicly, sexual abuse of women has been given the rubber stamp of approval by our current president.

Meanwhile, while we are all focused on this hearing, ICE detained 150 good people in Southern California, which is yet another example of the horrific policies put into place by the current president.

Given everything that is happening in our world, how do we continue our vocational tasks of preaching, teaching, and living the good news?

How do we find the energy for it?

For me, it has come through reflection upon a question a colleague posed to me. A couple of Sundays ago, I had the opportunity to do a parish visit, sit with the vestry of the church, and talk about mission in ministry in their particular context. During this meeting, their rector asked me a question that caught me up short for a moment. It was a simple, articulate, and profound question. It was an articulation of something I have wondered during all my years of priesthood but have never been able to put words to, at least not this way. The rector asked what our bishops expect of us, the clergy.

I went back to Echo Park and told Bishop Taylor about this question, how it had struck me, and how I answered the question. Together, he and I put some more thinking behind what is expected of us, and by “us” I mean all of us, including the bishops.

Here’s what we came up with:

Curiosity
In a cultural context that dehumanizes and renders invisible those that it deems “other,” one of the most profoundly easy and highly impactful things we can do is to be curious about the people we meet. We can learn their stories, get to know them, and listen to what they have to teach us. Our curiosity and interest in others helps them to feel seen and heard, and it fosters a sense of safety in community’

Joy
An underrated charism in our church, joy is infectious. It is almost impossible not to feel it when you encounter someone who has this infectious joy. Joy for me has been an on again/off again experience, but more and more, in the light of what is happening in our world, I am doing my best to lean into it. Our lives are resurrection narratives and that is something we can be joyful about. We have Jesus and that is where our joy is found.

Talk less and listen more
We clergy are in the business of talking. We pray, we preach, we provide leadership for our people. We certainly value listening as an essential part of our vocation, but it’s easier said than done. Simply listening, without jumping in to share our own story or make a connection with an experience we have had, is one way we can really see the people with whom we minister. Listening to someone is receiving them.

Do the opposite
In a context and time in history which is increasingly polarized, binary, either/or, impatient, anxious, suspicious, and volatile, go and do the opposite.

We have the opportunity to bring in the gray areas, to see the both/and, to adopt radical calm, and to believe what people tell us. Whatever we can do that is the opposite of what is happening around us will be transformative. Of course, this goes back to our baptismal promise to seek justice and peace among all people, and to respect the dignity of every human being. Whatever we can do to live into this promise, one relationship at a time, will make a difference.

Love one another as God has loved us
Our collegial relationships are among the most important relationships we have beyond our families. Let us love each other as God has loved us. A safe community of holy love and grace is what God wants for us. Let us be that for one another.

Thank you, dear colleagues, for the ministries you do, for the love you share, and for saying yes to God’s call to bring hope to the world during this time. It is an honor to be doing ministry with you!

Blessings,

Melissa+

______________________________________________________________________________

July 2018

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

Where the spirit moves us

Dear Friends in Christ,

As I write this article to you, I’m preparing to head to General Convention on Sunday, July 1.

I arrive early as I have responsibilities to attend to as Secretary to the House of Bishops. We will be talking about and voting on a wide variety of subjects – some of which many of you are passionate about.

It will be about two weeks of intensive work, which is designed to point us as a Church in the direction that the Spirit moves us.

I am never good at predicting the outcome of elections to offices or of the fate of various resolutions, yet one thing I do know: much work will be done, many conversations will be had (some heated) – and all this set in the context of prayer and the Eucharist.

In addition to preparing for General Convention I have been working on finance and stewardship work, and am most grateful to Lorenzo Lebrija for his help and work on the Stewardship event we held last weekend. Thanks also to Chris Tumilty, who used his expertise to allow us for the first time to go “live” to you – with the plenary and all workshops live-streamed.

We hope to do more of this, so that the diocese can meet YOU where YOU are — not just at Echo Park. Videos of the plenary and workshops will be available for your viewing here.

The work was designed to help congregations with planned giving, narrative budgeting, utilizing TENS (The Episcopal Network on Stewardship), utilizing Holy Currencies, etc.

Speaking of TENS, if you want to use the materials, the Diocese has purchased access for you. The login ID is: Mark; the password is: 10:21. The work we are doing in Finance and the work of the Stewardship Conference was and is to equip you and all of us for the work God is giving us to do.

While I am personally preoccupied at the moment with General Convention preparations, and in the midst of work in Finance and just through with our Stewardship Conference, I’m most grateful to our Bishop Diocesan John Taylor and the men and women, lay and ordained, who are working tirelessly to bring attention to and end the separation of children from their parents at the border.

From demonstrations to protests to phone calls to letter writing–something has to change. The evil – and I use the word evil — separation of children from their families is one of the most depraved acts we as a nation can commit against a human family. Families must be reunited again – now. I keep thinking about the Holy Family – fleeing to Egypt. What if Jesus had been separated from his parents at that border?

Friends in Christ, we need to band together as the Episcopal Branch of the Jesus movement to not only move in the way the Spirit is leading us through the work of our General Convention, and through the way we utilize our gifts of time, talent and treasure, but most importantly through the way we shed light into the darkness that sometimes overtakes our world.

We must continue to advocate for those who have no voice or whose voices are being silenced. That is Jesus-work for us all. May we continue to do so, speaking out, using our resources, advocating for, loving, caring and protecting ALL whom God brings to us.

Blessings,

+Diane

_____________________________________________________________________

June 2018

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

The truth of our vocation

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to you after a wonderful meeting with those who will be ordained on June 2 at St. John’s Cathedral. I came to my scheduled time with them with no agenda.

As we talked, a few questions began to emerge. Among the things they asked were the usual questions about when to wear or not wear their collars, when to call the bishop, and all the other things you may remember having questions about when you were newly ordained.

As the conversation continued, the questions moved from the practical to the personal and theological. One of the ordinands asked me something like this: “What lies do the newly ordained tell themselves and how can we stay true to the truth?”

I was struck by the honesty of this question and how important it is for us to stay true to the truth of our vocations. What are the lies we tell ourselves? What is the truth of our vocation that we need to keep in focus?

For each of us, the answers to these questions may be different but I imagine there is a similar theme. The lies we tell ourselves are most likely rooted in ego and insecurity, arrogance and fear. The truth of our vocation is rooted in love, humility, faithfulness, and hope. That part of the question is not so tricky to identify. Staying true to the truth is a more difficult task.

How do you avoid the lies of ego and insecurity, arrogance and fear, and stay rooted in love, humility, faithfulness, and hope? What does that mean for you?

For me it has something to do with remembering what a privilege it is to be called into a vocation where our work is to love others as Christ has loved us as well as the fact that while we will always have lots of tasks, what matters most in our ordained ministry is who we are. Our presence is our primary strength as leaders. Everything else will take care of itself when our presence is rooted in love, humility, faithfulness, and hope.

Please pray for those being ordained on June 2, as well as for all of our colleagues in this sacred work into which we have been called.

Know that you are held in prayer by Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce, the whole diocesan staff, and me. My prayer for us all is that our work may be rooted in God’s love, humility, faithfulness, and hope!

Blessings,

Melissa+

November 2020

‘I Hear America Singing’

By Bishop Diocesan John Harvey Taylor

Homily during A Service of Prayer for Our Nation, Oct. 29, 2020

October 2020

Taking Care of Business … and Ourselves

By Bishop Suffragan Diane M. Jardine-Bruce

It’s surreal and it’s real at the same time. We have been MONTHS in this tunnel-time of pandemic, without a clear light at the end to tell us we are nearing the end of it. We have learned the great importance of staying connected with our congregants and mastered new technology. Our added challenge today is navigating the rocky waters of:

 •   Prayer
 •   Self-care

If you’re a parent with a child or children attending school from home, you have a additional strain on your time and energy. 

Keep connected
Among the most important things we can do right now for our congregations is to keep in touch with all our members. This involves phone calls, emails, newsletters – ways to keep everyone in your congregation “in the loop” and to know how people are doing. This is the most important work we can do right now as clergy.

 Keep coming to the Clergy Check-Ins, now occurring approximately every other Thursday afternoon at 2 p.m.. These are great opportunities to hear from the Diocese and each other about resources and to ask questions about the pandemic and other issues. If you can’t make it to these meetings, make sure you review the recap email that you should be receiving after each meeting.

 Review the weekly Resource Roundup and the Update – they are great sources of information for you and your congregation. Speaking of your congregation – please share, as you are able, your congregation’s contact email list with Canon Janet Kawamoto (jkawamoto@ladiocese.org) to make sure members of your congregations are also staying connected with what’s happening at and in and around the Diocese.

Attend your deanery clericus meetings. I know not all of the deaneries meet regularly. If yours does, plan on attending!

Technology and technology boundaries
Almost all of you have mastered zoom/live streaming, and have created a pattern or rhythm to make that happen. Some of our greatest resources and assets have been the members of our churches who know this stuff cold. I know many of you have relied on them as well as tips from other clergy to “make it happen” – THANK YOU!

Zoom meetings have taken over our time and energy. Zoom fatigue is real. It is a very different energy from face-to-face meetings, and it takes up more of our psychic and mental capabilities. Don’t book back-to-back zoom meetings throughout the day. You need a break — even if it’s just 15 minutes (hopefully it’s more!) to get up, walk around, drink water and eat a healthy snack.

 Racial Injustice
The pandemic and the brutal murder of George Floyd have brought into sharp focus the need to address racial injustice in our society and in the church. On the diocesan website there are resources for you, including the work your New Community team (formerly known as multicultural ministry) put together. This includes an introductory video on three areas we will be exploring more deeply in the weeks and months to come: the Doctrine of Discovery, Racial Identity and Racial Capitalism. The introductory video and a listing of upcoming events can be found here. In addition, information is available in the One in the Spirit section here.

 Election Season
Adding to the stress of living in and through a pandemic and an early and devastating fire season, we have an election coming up. On September 10 at the Clergy Gathering we spoke about and shared our “best practices” of dealing with a difficult political climate. Notes from that meeting can be found here.

In addition, the Presiding Bishop’s sermon to the House of Bishops which met on September 16th as well as other resources for navigating these election season days can be found here.

Stewardship
The Program Group on Stewardship worked this summer and through September with TENS (The Episcopal Network on Stewardship) to develop campaign strategies, address online giving options, and offer ways to do online auctions, etc. for our congregations. The video recordings of these events along with the PowerPoint slide decks (in English and Spanish) can be found here.

Prayer
I don’t know about you, but I’m finding the need to pray more now than ever. This can be particularly difficult if you are offering virtual morning or evening prayer or compline every day. It can feel as though you’re doing more work just to set up the right equipment, etc. to pray. I’m finding praying as I take my daily walk is really helping keep me centered. You may have another way you can feel refreshed through prayer. Whatever that might be, please do take the time to engage in this important spiritual discipline.

 Self Care
You should all have a spiritual director. Now, more than ever, it’s important to have that relationship in place and connect regularly. Personally, I “meet” with my spiritual directly every 4-6 weeks over the phone. I’ve found him to be extremely helpful to me during this time of pandemic. If you don’t have a spiritual director, you can find one via Stillpoint or the Center for Spiritual Development.

 Try to block out ONE WHOLE DAY each week without a zoom meeting on your calendar. HONOR YOUR DAY OFF. It’s easy to get overloaded at this time. Remember — Jesus took time out to rest.

 Some clergy are helping their neighbors by taking a Sunday service via ZOOM or Facebook Live to enable their neighbor to have a day off. Others are coming together to do joint services – bringing two or more congregations together. It’s a small breather from the stress of offering weekly 100% digital or hybrid services.

Take advantage of Bishop Taylor’s great gift of that occasional Sunday “off” by pointing your congregation to Bishop Taylor’s services for the diocesan community. The next one scheduled is the Diocesan Convention Eucharist at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 15.

Make sure, even in this time of COVID, you take your vacation. I had a “staycation” and truthfully, it was great! I would’ve enjoyed being able to go away, but sadly with Steve having had surgery, that wasn’t possible. Instead we took a little time each day to plan future “getaways” in 2021, 2022 and 2023 (yes, we plan that far out on the calendar). I also got a group of friends together and we did a “virtual tour” of the Jewish quarter in Paris with a guide leading the tour from Paris. It was a great “getaway” without leaving our home.

 Most of all, watch your stress level, get some exercise, try to eat well, get enough sleep, keep up with dental and doctor visits as appropriate, keep in touch with loved ones, and ask for help when you need it. We are here for you.

 +Diane

September 2020

Policing in America: Parishes, precincts invited to share local conversations Oct. 9-12

By Bob Williams, Canon for Common Life

A protégé of the late Coretta Scott King, Pastor Markel Hutchins of Atlanta is leading a strategic initiative that is sparking nationwide participation from various Episcopal dioceses among other mainline judicatories, evangelical churches, mosques, synagogues, and temples, together with police and sheriff’s federations across the country.

Helpful for bolstering the national will to end systemic racism and its manifestations in policing and other societal systems, the National Faith & Blue Weekend, Oct. 9-12, offers congregations practical, uncomplicated ways to share in dialogue and relationship-building in what has been called “the most consolidated police-community engagement project in recent history.” A video is here.

To use the weekend as a catalyst for initiating and strengthening local alliances, congregations are encouraged to host – ideally with other nearby houses of worship – a Zoom forum, coffee hour, or similar gathering to which the neighborhood’s senior lead police officer, local precinct captains, or area sheriff’s officers are invited to share in conversation with neighborhood clergy and parishioners.

As parish and mission clergy will attest, knowing and interacting regularly with a neighborhood’s senior lead officer is typically of ongoing benefit to the congregation, and especially helpful at times of emergency and crisis. Also key to Faith & Blue Weekend forums and wider conversations is the input of law enforcement professionals who are among parishioners of local congregations.

Suggested discussion topics and formats for weekend forums are clearly outlined – together with easily shareable graphics, flyers, and posters – on the National Faith & Blue website. Episcopal congregations and dioceses from California and Arizona to Atlanta and Missouri and beyond are using these materials to engage participation.

The initiative resonates with L.A. Bishop John Harvey Taylor’s call for diocesan work to “assess, articulate and advocate a Gospel-based approach to policing and community safety” by engaging a variety of voices and viewpoints in fair and balanced consultation. The Episcopal News will report on next steps in that effort as the process unfolds.

Meanwhile, within the diocese, interfaith efforts are underway to organize virtual Faith & Blue Weekend forums engaging houses of worship along the Wilshire Corridor, in Central L.A., Hollywood, and Orange County, with invitations pending in the Inland Empire and Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Specific details will follow in The News.

Congregations are encouraged to arrange their own local forums and register them directly through the National Faith & Blue website, thereby engaging more of the 113 law enforcement agencies– local police and sheriff’s departments together with the California Highway Patrol – that serve neighborhoods in which the diocese’s 135 church sites are found.

Kevin Smith, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Center for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives, says the National Faith & Blue Weekend has the potential to “power a movement where law enforcement professionals and residents build connections that break down divides, decrease biases, increase familiarity and spur ongoing collaboration.”

Additional background resources for this work include:

• Two view-on-demand virtual forums, “Policing and a Just Society,” convened in August by Washington National Cathedral;
• Ongoing programs, including “Our Work to Do” and the diocesan “Trauma and (Un)Truths” series, details of which are here.

And, upcoming on October 4 is “Reimagine Justice,” a virtual fundraiser of PRISM, the diocesan restorative justice ministry led by clergy colleagues Dennis Gibbs and Greta Ronningen, featuring as keynoter the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary.

Thank you for considering these opportunities, and for all the ways in which your ministries strengthen civic engagement and common life.

August 2020

‘A marathon, not a sprint’

by Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Dear colleagues,

Happy August to all!

I hope you have found some time to rest and recreate this summer or that you have some time scheduled soon. I keep reminding myself that this unprecedented time in the world, in our nation, and in our church is a marathon and not a sprint. I cannot pace myself as if it were a sprint but rather as a marathon, with a steady pace, conserving energy, and finding those rest points along the way.

The metaphor of a marathon is a positive one which brings with it accomplishment as well as a clear beginning, middle, and end. While there is much for us to be proud of in terms of how we have responded to the multiple crises in our world, I don’t believe there is a clear beginning, middle, and end in what we are experiencing. In fact, part of the spiritual discipline for us to engage as leaders is in holding the tension between the dire nature of what we are experiencing and the new ways of being church in the world this unique situation is inspiring in us.

With centuries of abuse and murder of black and brown people by white Americans and the willful ignorance of the realities of racism and racial injustice in our nation as well as the pandemic that is ever increasing in numbers, there is much to disturb and disrupt our sense of what it means to be human beings, faithful followers of Christ, and leaders in the church. We have moved into a time when nearly every aspect of our lives is being called into question, examined, and, in some cases, regrded as no longer relevant, reasonable, or even reality based. The world has been on a course of significant change for some time now and, in 2020, the snowball effect has taken hold and accelerated the course of change.

I find myself wondering, mulling, praying, discussing, and listening for what this means for us as church. Church business as usual is no longer an option. We have focused so much on getting back to in person worship, as we should, since it is in our worshipping communities that we hear and discern God’s call to us and receive both the solace and the strength, the courage and renewal we need to be grounded in our faith in all that we do (BCP Eucharistic prayer C). We don’t worship just for ourselves and our own relationship with God. We don’t worship so that we can feel better in a chaotic world. That may be part of what we experience but worship is really about having a spiritual and communal home base from which open ourselves to God for God’s work of healing and restoration in the world. For too long we have been content to focus on worship as the means to an end as well as the end itself. We can no longer do this.

What can we do?

First, we pray.
We pray for God to show us the way forward and to give us the courage we need to act on what we discern.

Second, we listen.
Listen to the world. Listen to each other. Listen for where God’s love and grace, healing and restoration is needed.

Third, we educate ourselves.
One of the best ways to reduce anxiety is to stimulate resources and to learn.

Fourth, we preach and pray that every Sunday, every sermon becomes a miracle whereby the words we say are transformed into the words our people need to hear to inspire them to love God more and to be courageous.

Fifth, we advocate.
Advocate for People of Color, advocate for the sick, advocate for those in prison, advocate for those in danger of any kind, and advocate for those who have no one to advocate for them. Lastly, and perhaps foundationally, we care for ourselves. We remember this is a long haul we are in and not a passing moment. Remember we are in the process of creating a new normal and what that new normal is depends on what we do in our own families, communities, and in the church at large. As much as this is a time of crisis, it is also a time of amazing creative opportunities. In the tension of those two things – crisis and creativity – is the heart of our spiritual practice.

Along with reminding myself to keep a steady pace and to find rest points along the way, I also remind myself that the church has gone through so much over these 2000 years and, with God’s help, continues to grow, change, and transform. Our current circumstance is no different. The bottom line truth of our lives is that we are sealed by the Holy Spirit in baptism and marked as Christ’s own forever. We are loved by the God who created us exactly as we are. We are saved by the God who became human in Jesus so that we might know the way to God. We are knit together through the power of God in the Holy Spirit, who is alive in us, among us, and between us.

I am grateful for all of you and hold you in my prayers every day.

Take care, pace yourselves, and remember how loved you are.

Faithfully,
Melissa+

‘Pray, and do something’: resources offer help to respond systemic racism

By Bishop Suffragan Diane M. Jardine Bruce

God,
Grant me justice, so that I may treat others as they deserve.
Grant me mercy, so that I don’t treat others as they deserve.
Grant me a humble walk with you, so that I may understand the difference.

— The Rev. Dr. Patricia McCaughan and the Very Rev. Keith Yamamoto

 This prayer, written by two priests of this diocese, can be found on page 166 of the book Race and Prayer: Collected Voices Many Dreams, Malcolm Boyd and Chester Talton, editors.

I used this book a number of times when I was a parish priest, but hadn’t looked at it in the last few years. The violence and murder perpetrated at the hands of law enforcement and vigilantes on our black community, especially the “caught on tape” murder of George Floyd, moved me to pull this book off my shelf, dust it off, and pray.

Maybe you are in that same place as well. I need to pray, but I also know I need to DO something. The first thing I want to do is to apologize to you, my siblings in Christ right here in the Diocese of Los Angeles who have been living under and with the systems of injustice and white supremacy for centuries, and who feel the weight of that oppression every day of your lives.

On June 7 the national Union of Black Episcopalians (UBE) hosted Talk2Talk: Congregational and UBE Activism in the Face of Social Unrest. The panelists (bios at the end of this note) were the Rev. Dr. Gayle Fisher-Stewart, the Very Rev. Canon Martini Shaw and the Rev. Melanie Mullens. They said what I needed to hear: we cannot let this minute in our history fade away like dust in the wind. We are being called to voice our disdain for the actions taken against God’s people – especially those who have been marginalized and discriminated against for centuries. The YouTube video of the event can be found here

On June 21 UBE hosted a follow-up to the June 7 event: Talk2Talk: Moving from Protest to Marathon Systemic Response. The same panelists offered their wisdom as to how we can — no, we MUST — move past protest to effecting the kind of radical changes to dismantle systems of injustice and inequality that have existed in this country for centuries.

If we have had any part in building or sustaining any system that has oppressed another, we need to acknowledge that sin, and repent. We need to work to transform systems of oppression into systems of love and care – ensuring equal access to all at every level and area of our society.

If you, like me, have felt hopeless in wondering “what can I do,” when the video of this event becomes available that will be a great place to start. We will post a link to it on our diocesan website when it is available.

Building on the work of the UBE’s Talk2Talks, Canon Suzanne Edwards-Acton and I are excited to announce that the Rev. Dr. Gayle Fisher-Stewart has agreed to be our preacher at our annual celebration of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday in 2021. Working with a team from the diocese, we hope to put together an interactive program for that event. Given the uncertainty of the pandemic, we will be planning for both a digital and an in-person event.

In terms of resources locally and throughout the Episcopal Church to use sooner than the MLK weekend, the diocesan website has a section with resources for you and your congregation to begin this work. More will be added over time. That webpage can be found here. If you have found other resources we can add to this page, please send them to Canon Janet Kawamoto (jkawamoto@ladiocese.org).

My siblings in Christ: Please pray. Please study. Please teach. Please act. We cannot let this “blow over” and not address the underlying causes – including white supremacy – that keep us repeating the same acts of injustice on our siblings in Christ.

WWJD? We all know the answer to that.

God of all peoples of the earth: we pray for an end to racism in all forms, and for an end to the denial that perpetuates white privilege, and for your support for all of those who bear the struggle of internalized racism, and for wisdom to recognize and eradicate the institutional racism in the church, and for the strength to stand against the bigotry and suffering that inhabits the world; for these and all your blessings we pray, O God, Christ Jesus, Holy Spirit. Amen.

— Sheryl Kujawa-Holbrook, Race and Prayer: Collected Voices Many Dreams, pg. 50

Guest Panelists for Talk2Talk:

The Rev. Dr. Gayle Fisher-Stewart is interim rector of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Washington, DC, and is the president of the Crummell-Cooper DC Chapter, UBE. She comes to ordained ministry after retiring from the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington with the rank of captain. She is the author of the forthcoming book (July 17, 2020), Preaching Black Lives (Matter) (Church Publishing).

The Very Rev. Canon Martini Shaw is rector of The Historic African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he has led this community in boldly proclaiming the reconciling Gospel of Jesus Christ for 17 years. UBE’s former national second vice president, Father Shaw also serves on the advisory board for the Episcopal Church Office of Black Ministries and is chair of the Episcopal Church’s Executive Council Committee for HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities).

The Rev. Melanie Mullens, director of Reconciliation, Justice and Creation Care for The Episcopal Church, is charged with bringing the Jesus Movement to the concerns of the world. Prior to joining the presiding bishop’s staff, she was the downtown missioner at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, leading a historic southern congregation’s missional, civic and reconciliation ministries.

+Diane

Dios,
Concédeme justicia, para que pueda tratar a los demás como se merecen.
Concédeme misericordia, para que no trate a los demás como se merecen.
Concédeme un humilde paseo contigo, para que pueda entender la diferencia.

— La Rev. Dra. Patricia McCaughan y el Rev. Keith Yamamoto

Esta oración, que fué escrita por dos sacerdotes de esta diócesis, y se encuentra en la página 166 del libro, Race and Prayer: Collected Voices Many Dreams, Malcolm Boyd y Chester Talton, editores. Utilicé este libro varias veces cuando estaba como sacerdote en una parroquia, pero no lo había vuelto a ver en los últimos años. La violencia y los asesinatos perpetrados por las fuerzas del orden y los vigilantes hacia nuestra comunidad Negra, especialmente el asesinato de George Floyd “grabado en un video”, me motivó a sacar este libro de mi librero, quitarle el polvo y rezar. Tal vez ustedes estén en este mismo lugar también. Necesito rezar, pero también sé que tengo que HACER algo. Lo primero que quiero hacer es disculparme con ustedes, mis hermanos y hermanas en Cristo aquí en la Diócesis de Los Ángeles que han estado viviendo con y bajo los sistemas de injusticia y supremacía blanca durante siglos, y que sienten el peso de esa opresión cada día de sus vidas.

El 7 de junio la Unión de Episcopales Negros (UBE por sus siglas en Inglés) organizó Talk2Talk: Activismo Congregacional y de UBE ante el malestar social. Los panelistas (biografías al final de esta nota) fueron la Rev. Dra. Gayle Fisher-Stewart, el Muy Rev. Canónigo Martini Shaw y la Rev. Melanie Mullens. Ellos dijeron lo que yo necesitaba oír: no podemos dejar que este minuto de nuestra historia se desvanezca como el polvo en el viento. Estamos llamados a expresar nuestro desdén por las acciones tomadas contra el pueblo de Dios – especialmente aquellos que han sido marginados y discriminados durante siglos. El video del evento puede ser encontrado aquí.

El 21 de Junio, UBE organizó un seguimiento del evento del 7 de Junio, Talk2Talk: Pasando de la protesta a la respuesta sistémica maratónica. Los mismos panelistas ofrecieron su sabiduría sobre cómo podemos — no, DEBEMOS — pasar de la protesta a efectuar el tipo de cambios radicales necesarios para desmantelar los sistemas de injusticia y desigualdad que han existido en este país durante siglos. Si hemos tenido alguna participación en la construcción o el mantenimiento de cualquier sistema que ha oprimido a otro, tenemos que reconocer ese pecado, y arrepentirnos. Necesitamos trabajar para transformar los sistemas de opresión en sistemas de amor y cuidado – asegurando el acceso igualitario a todos en los diferentes niveles y áreas de nuestra sociedad. Si ustedes, como yo, se ha sentido desesperanzados al preguntarse “qué puedo hacer yo”, el video de este evento será un gran lugar para comenzar. Pondremos un enlace en nuestro sitio web de la diócesis cuando esté disponible.

Basándonos en el trabajo de Talk2Talks de la UBE, la canóniga Suzanne Edwards-Acton y yo estamos encantadas de anunciar que la reverenda Dra. Gayle Fisher-Stewart ha aceptado ser nuestra predicadora en la celebración anual del Reverendo Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. durante el fin de semana de MLK en 2021. Trabajando con un equipo de la diócesis, esperamos crear un programa interactivo para ese evento. Dada la incertidumbre causada por la pandemia, planearemos un evento en formatos digital y en persona.

En términos de recursos locales y en toda la Iglesia Episcopal para usar antes del fin de semana de MLK, el sitio web diocesano tiene una sección con recursos para que usted y su congregación puedan comenzar con este trabajo. Se irán añadiendo más recursos eventualmente. Este sitio web se puede encontrar aquí. Si ustedes han encontrado otros recursos que pudiéramos añadir a esta página, por favor envíelos a la canóniga Janet Kawamoto (jkawamoto@ladiocese.org).

 Mis hermanos y hermanas en Cristo: Por favor oren. Por favor estudien. Por favor enseñen. Por favor actúen. No podemos dejar que esto “se desvanezca” y no abordar las causas subyacentes -incluyendo la supremacía blanca- que nos mantienen repitiendo los mismos actos de injusticia en nuestros hermanos y hermanas en Cristo. WWJD? (Siglas en Inglés para: Qué Haría Jesús?) Todos sabemos la respuesta a eso.

Dios de todos los pueblos de la tierra: oramos por el fin del racismo en todas sus formas, y por el fin de la abnegación que perpetúa el privilegio blanco, y por tu apoyo a todos aquellos que sufren del racismo internalizado, y por la sabiduría para reconocer y erradicar el racismo institucional en la iglesia, y por fuerza para oponernos a la intolerancia y al sufrimiento que habitan en el mundo; por estas y todas tus bendiciones oramos, oh Dios, Cristo Jesús, Espíritu Santo. Amén.
— Sheryl Kujawa-Holbrook, Race and Prayer: Collected Voices Many Dreams, pg. 50

Panelistas invitados para Talk2Talk:

La Rev. Dra. Gayle Fisher-Stewart es la Rectora Interina de la Iglesia Episcopal de San Lucas en Washington, DC, y es la presidenta del capítulo Crummell-Cooper DC de la Unión de Episcopales Negros. Llega al ministerio ordenado después de retirarse del Departamento de Policía Metropolitana, en Washington, con el rango de capitán. Es la autora del libro que saldrá próximamente a la venta (17 de julio de 2020), “Preaching Black Lives (Matter),” (Church Publishing).

El Muy Reverendo Canónigo Martini Shaw quien es el Rector de la histórica Iglesia Episcopal Africana de Santo Tomás, en Filadelfia, Pensilvania, donde ha dirigido a esta comunidad en la audaz proclamación del Evangelio reconciliador de Jesucristo durante 17 años. El Padre Shaw, ex vicepresidente nacional de la UBE, también forma parte de la Junta Asesora de la Oficina de Ministerios de los Negros de la Iglesia Episcopal y es el presidente del Comité del Consejo Ejecutivo de la Iglesia Episcopal para los HBCU (Siglas en Inglés para: Colegios y Universidades Históricamente Negros).

La Rev. Melanie Mullens, es la Directora de Reconciliación, Justicia y Cuidado de la Creación de la Iglesia Episcopal, está encargada de llevar el Movimiento de Jesús a las preocupaciones del mundo. Antes de unirse al personal del Obispo Presidente, fue la misionera en la Iglesia Episcopal de San Pablo en el centro de Richmond, dirigiendo los ministerios misioneros, cívicos y de reconciliación.

+Diane

June 2020

Amid dual pandemics, diocesan resources offer help

From Bishop John Harvey Taylor

My colleagues in Christ:

• The New Community multicultural ministries of the diocese, including the Program Group on Black Ministries, are standing by to confer and consult with all congregations, also tapping the expertise of Episcopal Sacred Resistance, the Kaleidoscope Institute and the church-wide “Becoming Beloved Community” initiative. For consultation and direct referrals, please contact Bishop Bruce (dbruce@ladiocese.org).

• Help in providing supplies – including masks and sanitizer – and hands-on training in live-streaming and digital discipleship is now available to clergy and lay leaders in keeping with recommendations of the Bishop’s Council of Advice on Our Safe Return to Physical Presence. The diocesan Program Group on Communications stands ready to assist with technical support. Please direct requests to Canon for Common Life Bob Williams (bobwilliams@ladiocese.org) or Canon Clare Zabala Bangao, coordinator of mission congregations, (clarezabala@ladiocese.org).

• Discerning Our Readiness to Resume Physical Presence in Church
• Discernir Nuestra Disposición a Reanudar la Presencia Física en la Iglesia
• Confirmation of Church Building Readiness (PDF form)
• Confirmación de la Preparación de Reapertura de los Edificios de las Iglesias (PDF)
• Confirmation of Church Building Readiness /Confirmación de la Preparación de Reapertura de los Edificios de las Iglesias (online form)

Yours in Christ’s love,

+John

July 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

July – a way of rest

July is always that month when I can kinda-sorta-breathe. Is it that way for you too?

Starting with Easter I feel as though I’m on a dead run to July. June is always the worst — it’s a whirlwind for me; graduations, ordinations, consecrations, birthdays. Maybe June was and is a whirlwind for you too.

Now it’s July — June gloom is behind us (hopefully) and we look forward to sunny days and a more reasonable pace of work. Maybe you’ve scheduled all or part of your vacation for July. Many clergy do.

We as clergy tend to over-function. We do so at times out of necessity, especially when we are the only clergy person caring for a congregation. We do so out of our own insecurity, as if people might think we are slacking off if we actually take time apart to rest, reflect and pray.

We do so because there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done, someone to be visited, something to fix, more meetings to schedule. God knows I eat over-functioning for breakfast! Yet I know I’m not called to stay in that place. It is not healthy for my body, mind or spirit, and it is not healthy for you either.

I want to invite you to continue to walk with me on the Way of Love. During the month of July — and heck, let’s throw August in there as well — I invite you to move into a bit of REST. It doesn’t mean we completely stop working (unless, of course, you are on vacation!). It does mean taking some time to think about, pray about, work on that aspect of the Way of Love which our Presiding Bishop calls rest.

From https://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/documents/way_of_love_introduction.pdf:

REST: Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  – John 14:27

Blessed are you, O Lord … giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent.  – Book of Common Prayer, 113

From the beginning of creation, God has established the sacred pattern of going and returning, labor and rest. Especially today, God invites us to dedicate time for restoration and wholeness – within our bodies, minds, and souls, and within our communities and institutions. By resting we place our trust in God, the primary actor who brings all things to their fullness.

For Reflection and Discernment

• What practices restore your body, mind, and soul?
• How will you observe rest and renewal on a regular basis?
• With whom will you commit to create and maintain a regular practice of rest?

Use this quieter time we live in right now to honor your body, mind and spirit — and drink in God’s love and grace.

Blessings and love to you all,
+Diane

_______________________________________________________________________________________

June 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Knowing Your Rest Points

“Know your rest points,” was the sage advice I received from a choreographer I worked with about 20 years ago when I was dancing to make a living. We were learning a particularly challenging piece and she told us to pace ourselves; to look at the piece as a whole and find those moments when we could rest. Even though we were still moving, there were less intense moments that, with intention and focus, could provide us with enough respite to restore us for what was ahead.

This idea of rest points stuck with me through my discernment, seminary, and into my priestly vocation. Vacation is a great time for rest, of course, as are our days off. There are times and seasons of rest as well as moments of rest in each day. The key to finding this rest is to be intentional about it. We can take a look at the pacing of each day, or week, or month, or year, and find those moments when we can take a break and a breath, reconnecting to ourselves and to God.

It’s always seemed a bit of a puzzle to me why clergy, myself included, work hard and so often resist taking the rest we need. Is it the infamous “fear of missing out”? Or is it because somewhere inside of us we still feel like we need to earn our salvation? Is it because we fear Jesus (or our people) will loves us less if we take some time to rest? I have never come up with a good answer for this in myself. Maybe you have and can share it with me!

What I do know is that Jesus will not love us less if we take time to rest. Jesus will not love us less if we spend some time doing whatever provides our hearts and souls with the respite that will restore us for the work we are called to do in the more intense times in our day, week, month, or year. In the end, aren’t we all going for the long game, which is a life of meaningful work and deep connection with God and those whom God loves? The way I know how to do this is by pacing myself, knowing when I can rest, knowing when I need to push through, and remembering that everything we do is for the sake of God’s love.

Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce and I, along with Canon Satorius and the Formations and Transitions team, have been thinking of ways that we can offer moments of rest for the clergy community as well. We began with clergy conference, which was a different kind of clergy conference than we have had in previous years. Rather than listening to a speaker, which can feel exhausting in the Easter season after a full year, we opted for a conference that felt more like a retreat. It was our first draft, so to speak, and next year we will fine-tune it.

Additionally, we are experimenting with two other points during the year where rest, restoration, and learning can be offered. The first will be on November 1, when the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary, will offer a retreat day for clergy held at St. Paul’s Commons (the Cathedral Center). More details on this event will come soon, but in the meantime please check out Dean Douglas’ biography. I also encourage you to check out some of her writing, including her groundbreaking book Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective.

Second, in the spring, we will offer a retreat day prior to Lent in collaboration with Stillpoint. What that day looks like has yet to be planned but we will have information out as soon as we are able.

Until then, I pray you have a blessed and restorative summer! If we can be of service to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

Melissa

______________________________________________________________________________

March 2020

From Bishop John Harvey Taylor

My colleagues in Christ:

More than a year ago, Bishop Bruce invited Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to speak at our annual Bishop’s Dinner this November. As you know, it’s a fundraiser, with proceeds set aside for our missions and ministry centers. As in 2019, we’ll use the money this year to enable as many missions as possible to participate in Jaime Edwards-Acton and Betsy Densmore’s Social Enterprise Academy, learning how to leverage their resources for the sake of God’s people and the sustainability of the church.

Just think about it. The greatest preacher of our time, in Los Angeles, just a few days after the presidential election, offering the inspiration of Christ’s way of love.

Then Canon McCarthy had an idea. Why don’t we ask Bishop Curry to offer his sure-to-be-stirring address twice, at each end of the diocese? I pitched it to him in a few weeks ago in Detroit, at Bishop Bonnie Perry’s ordination and consecration, and he graciously assented.

So my colleagues, this is a “save the date” notice to keep in mind as you plan your own 2020-21 schedules. The Bishop’s Dinner del norte will be on Friday, November 6, 2020 at California Lutheran University. La cena del sur will be on Saturday, November 7, 2020 in the White House East Room replica of the Nixon library in Yorba Linda.

Please mark your calendars, and spread the word. More details to come, including about additional special guests. My spouse Canon Kathy O’Connor, again serving as volunteer dinner coordinator, is looking for dinner sponsors as well as volunteers for organizing committees for both dinners. Please write her at koconnor@ladiocese.org. We promise to keep the tickets as affordable as possible. Thank you for understanding the vital importance of raising these funds for our institutions on the front lines of mission and ministry.

Yours in Christ’s love,

+John

July 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

July – a way of rest

July is always that month when I can kinda-sorta-breathe. Is it that way for you too?

Starting with Easter I feel as though I’m on a dead run to July. June is always the worst — it’s a whirlwind for me; graduations, ordinations, consecrations, birthdays. Maybe June was and is a whirlwind for you too.

Now it’s July — June gloom is behind us (hopefully) and we look forward to sunny days and a more reasonable pace of work. Maybe you’ve scheduled all or part of your vacation for July. Many clergy do.

We as clergy tend to over-function. We do so at times out of necessity, especially when we are the only clergy person caring for a congregation. We do so out of our own insecurity, as if people might think we are slacking off if we actually take time apart to rest, reflect and pray.

We do so because there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done, someone to be visited, something to fix, more meetings to schedule. God knows I eat over-functioning for breakfast! Yet I know I’m not called to stay in that place. It is not healthy for my body, mind or spirit, and it is not healthy for you either.

I want to invite you to continue to walk with me on the Way of Love. During the month of July — and heck, let’s throw August in there as well — I invite you to move into a bit of REST. It doesn’t mean we completely stop working (unless, of course, you are on vacation!). It does mean taking some time to think about, pray about, work on that aspect of the Way of Love which our Presiding Bishop calls rest.

From https://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/documents/way_of_love_introduction.pdf:

REST: Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  – John 14:27

Blessed are you, O Lord … giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent.  – Book of Common Prayer, 113

From the beginning of creation, God has established the sacred pattern of going and returning, labor and rest. Especially today, God invites us to dedicate time for restoration and wholeness – within our bodies, minds, and souls, and within our communities and institutions. By resting we place our trust in God, the primary actor who brings all things to their fullness.

For Reflection and Discernment

• What practices restore your body, mind, and soul?
• How will you observe rest and renewal on a regular basis?
• With whom will you commit to create and maintain a regular practice of rest?

Use this quieter time we live in right now to honor your body, mind and spirit — and drink in God’s love and grace.

Blessings and love to you all,
+Diane

_______________________________________________________________________________________

June 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Knowing Your Rest Points

“Know your rest points,” was the sage advice I received from a choreographer I worked with about 20 years ago when I was dancing to make a living. We were learning a particularly challenging piece and she told us to pace ourselves; to look at the piece as a whole and find those moments when we could rest. Even though we were still moving, there were less intense moments that, with intention and focus, could provide us with enough respite to restore us for what was ahead.

This idea of rest points stuck with me through my discernment, seminary, and into my priestly vocation. Vacation is a great time for rest, of course, as are our days off. There are times and seasons of rest as well as moments of rest in each day. The key to finding this rest is to be intentional about it. We can take a look at the pacing of each day, or week, or month, or year, and find those moments when we can take a break and a breath, reconnecting to ourselves and to God.

It’s always seemed a bit of a puzzle to me why clergy, myself included, work hard and so often resist taking the rest we need. Is it the infamous “fear of missing out”? Or is it because somewhere inside of us we still feel like we need to earn our salvation? Is it because we fear Jesus (or our people) will loves us less if we take some time to rest? I have never come up with a good answer for this in myself. Maybe you have and can share it with me!

What I do know is that Jesus will not love us less if we take time to rest. Jesus will not love us less if we spend some time doing whatever provides our hearts and souls with the respite that will restore us for the work we are called to do in the more intense times in our day, week, month, or year. In the end, aren’t we all going for the long game, which is a life of meaningful work and deep connection with God and those whom God loves? The way I know how to do this is by pacing myself, knowing when I can rest, knowing when I need to push through, and remembering that everything we do is for the sake of God’s love.

Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce and I, along with Canon Satorius and the Formations and Transitions team, have been thinking of ways that we can offer moments of rest for the clergy community as well. We began with clergy conference, which was a different kind of clergy conference than we have had in previous years. Rather than listening to a speaker, which can feel exhausting in the Easter season after a full year, we opted for a conference that felt more like a retreat. It was our first draft, so to speak, and next year we will fine-tune it.

Additionally, we are experimenting with two other points during the year where rest, restoration, and learning can be offered. The first will be on November 1, when the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary, will offer a retreat day for clergy held at St. Paul’s Commons (the Cathedral Center). More details on this event will come soon, but in the meantime please check out Dean Douglas’ biography. I also encourage you to check out some of her writing, including her groundbreaking book Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective.

Second, in the spring, we will offer a retreat day prior to Lent in collaboration with Stillpoint. What that day looks like has yet to be planned but we will have information out as soon as we are able.

Until then, I pray you have a blessed and restorative summer! If we can be of service to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

Melissa

______________________________________________________________________________

March 2020

From Bishop John Harvey Taylor

My colleagues in Christ:

More than a year ago, Bishop Bruce invited Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to speak at our annual Bishop’s Dinner this November. As you know, it’s a fundraiser, with proceeds set aside for our missions and ministry centers. As in 2019, we’ll use the money this year to enable as many missions as possible to participate in Jaime Edwards-Acton and Betsy Densmore’s Social Enterprise Academy, learning how to leverage their resources for the sake of God’s people and the sustainability of the church.

Just think about it. The greatest preacher of our time, in Los Angeles, just a few days after the presidential election, offering the inspiration of Christ’s way of love.

Then Canon McCarthy had an idea. Why don’t we ask Bishop Curry to offer his sure-to-be-stirring address twice, at each end of the diocese? I pitched it to him in a few weeks ago in Detroit, at Bishop Bonnie Perry’s ordination and consecration, and he graciously assented.

So my colleagues, this is a “save the date” notice to keep in mind as you plan your own 2020-21 schedules. The Bishop’s Dinner del norte will be on Friday, November 6, 2020 at California Lutheran University. La cena del sur will be on Saturday, November 7, 2020 in the White House East Room replica of the Nixon library in Yorba Linda.

Please mark your calendars, and spread the word. More details to come, including about additional special guests. My spouse Canon Kathy O’Connor, again serving as volunteer dinner coordinator, is looking for dinner sponsors as well as volunteers for organizing committees for both dinners. Please write her at koconnor@ladiocese.org. We promise to keep the tickets as affordable as possible. Thank you for understanding the vital importance of raising these funds for our institutions on the front lines of mission and ministry.

Yours in Christ’s love,

+John

July 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

July – a way of rest

July is always that month when I can kinda-sorta-breathe. Is it that way for you too?

Starting with Easter I feel as though I’m on a dead run to July. June is always the worst — it’s a whirlwind for me; graduations, ordinations, consecrations, birthdays. Maybe June was and is a whirlwind for you too.

Now it’s July — June gloom is behind us (hopefully) and we look forward to sunny days and a more reasonable pace of work. Maybe you’ve scheduled all or part of your vacation for July. Many clergy do.

We as clergy tend to over-function. We do so at times out of necessity, especially when we are the only clergy person caring for a congregation. We do so out of our own insecurity, as if people might think we are slacking off if we actually take time apart to rest, reflect and pray.

We do so because there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done, someone to be visited, something to fix, more meetings to schedule. God knows I eat over-functioning for breakfast! Yet I know I’m not called to stay in that place. It is not healthy for my body, mind or spirit, and it is not healthy for you either.

I want to invite you to continue to walk with me on the Way of Love. During the month of July — and heck, let’s throw August in there as well — I invite you to move into a bit of REST. It doesn’t mean we completely stop working (unless, of course, you are on vacation!). It does mean taking some time to think about, pray about, work on that aspect of the Way of Love which our Presiding Bishop calls rest.

From https://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/documents/way_of_love_introduction.pdf:

REST: Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  – John 14:27

Blessed are you, O Lord … giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent.  – Book of Common Prayer, 113

From the beginning of creation, God has established the sacred pattern of going and returning, labor and rest. Especially today, God invites us to dedicate time for restoration and wholeness – within our bodies, minds, and souls, and within our communities and institutions. By resting we place our trust in God, the primary actor who brings all things to their fullness.

For Reflection and Discernment

• What practices restore your body, mind, and soul?
• How will you observe rest and renewal on a regular basis?
• With whom will you commit to create and maintain a regular practice of rest?

Use this quieter time we live in right now to honor your body, mind and spirit — and drink in God’s love and grace.

Blessings and love to you all,
+Diane

_______________________________________________________________________________________

June 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Knowing Your Rest Points

“Know your rest points,” was the sage advice I received from a choreographer I worked with about 20 years ago when I was dancing to make a living. We were learning a particularly challenging piece and she told us to pace ourselves; to look at the piece as a whole and find those moments when we could rest. Even though we were still moving, there were less intense moments that, with intention and focus, could provide us with enough respite to restore us for what was ahead.

This idea of rest points stuck with me through my discernment, seminary, and into my priestly vocation. Vacation is a great time for rest, of course, as are our days off. There are times and seasons of rest as well as moments of rest in each day. The key to finding this rest is to be intentional about it. We can take a look at the pacing of each day, or week, or month, or year, and find those moments when we can take a break and a breath, reconnecting to ourselves and to God.

It’s always seemed a bit of a puzzle to me why clergy, myself included, work hard and so often resist taking the rest we need. Is it the infamous “fear of missing out”? Or is it because somewhere inside of us we still feel like we need to earn our salvation? Is it because we fear Jesus (or our people) will loves us less if we take some time to rest? I have never come up with a good answer for this in myself. Maybe you have and can share it with me!

What I do know is that Jesus will not love us less if we take time to rest. Jesus will not love us less if we spend some time doing whatever provides our hearts and souls with the respite that will restore us for the work we are called to do in the more intense times in our day, week, month, or year. In the end, aren’t we all going for the long game, which is a life of meaningful work and deep connection with God and those whom God loves? The way I know how to do this is by pacing myself, knowing when I can rest, knowing when I need to push through, and remembering that everything we do is for the sake of God’s love.

Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce and I, along with Canon Satorius and the Formations and Transitions team, have been thinking of ways that we can offer moments of rest for the clergy community as well. We began with clergy conference, which was a different kind of clergy conference than we have had in previous years. Rather than listening to a speaker, which can feel exhausting in the Easter season after a full year, we opted for a conference that felt more like a retreat. It was our first draft, so to speak, and next year we will fine-tune it.

Additionally, we are experimenting with two other points during the year where rest, restoration, and learning can be offered. The first will be on November 1, when the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary, will offer a retreat day for clergy held at St. Paul’s Commons (the Cathedral Center). More details on this event will come soon, but in the meantime please check out Dean Douglas’ biography. I also encourage you to check out some of her writing, including her groundbreaking book Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective.

Second, in the spring, we will offer a retreat day prior to Lent in collaboration with Stillpoint. What that day looks like has yet to be planned but we will have information out as soon as we are able.

Until then, I pray you have a blessed and restorative summer! If we can be of service to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

Melissa

______________________________________________________________________________

March 2020

From Bishop John Harvey Taylor

My colleagues in Christ:

More than a year ago, Bishop Bruce invited Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to speak at our annual Bishop’s Dinner this November. As you know, it’s a fundraiser, with proceeds set aside for our missions and ministry centers. As in 2019, we’ll use the money this year to enable as many missions as possible to participate in Jaime Edwards-Acton and Betsy Densmore’s Social Enterprise Academy, learning how to leverage their resources for the sake of God’s people and the sustainability of the church.

Just think about it. The greatest preacher of our time, in Los Angeles, just a few days after the presidential election, offering the inspiration of Christ’s way of love.

Then Canon McCarthy had an idea. Why don’t we ask Bishop Curry to offer his sure-to-be-stirring address twice, at each end of the diocese? I pitched it to him in a few weeks ago in Detroit, at Bishop Bonnie Perry’s ordination and consecration, and he graciously assented.

So my colleagues, this is a “save the date” notice to keep in mind as you plan your own 2020-21 schedules. The Bishop’s Dinner del norte will be on Friday, November 6, 2020 at California Lutheran University. La cena del sur will be on Saturday, November 7, 2020 in the White House East Room replica of the Nixon library in Yorba Linda.

Please mark your calendars, and spread the word. More details to come, including about additional special guests. My spouse Canon Kathy O’Connor, again serving as volunteer dinner coordinator, is looking for dinner sponsors as well as volunteers for organizing committees for both dinners. Please write her at koconnor@ladiocese.org. We promise to keep the tickets as affordable as possible. Thank you for understanding the vital importance of raising these funds for our institutions on the front lines of mission and ministry.

Yours in Christ’s love,

+John

July 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

July – a way of rest

July is always that month when I can kinda-sorta-breathe. Is it that way for you too?

Starting with Easter I feel as though I’m on a dead run to July. June is always the worst — it’s a whirlwind for me; graduations, ordinations, consecrations, birthdays. Maybe June was and is a whirlwind for you too.

Now it’s July — June gloom is behind us (hopefully) and we look forward to sunny days and a more reasonable pace of work. Maybe you’ve scheduled all or part of your vacation for July. Many clergy do.

We as clergy tend to over-function. We do so at times out of necessity, especially when we are the only clergy person caring for a congregation. We do so out of our own insecurity, as if people might think we are slacking off if we actually take time apart to rest, reflect and pray.

We do so because there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done, someone to be visited, something to fix, more meetings to schedule. God knows I eat over-functioning for breakfast! Yet I know I’m not called to stay in that place. It is not healthy for my body, mind or spirit, and it is not healthy for you either.

I want to invite you to continue to walk with me on the Way of Love. During the month of July — and heck, let’s throw August in there as well — I invite you to move into a bit of REST. It doesn’t mean we completely stop working (unless, of course, you are on vacation!). It does mean taking some time to think about, pray about, work on that aspect of the Way of Love which our Presiding Bishop calls rest.

From https://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/documents/way_of_love_introduction.pdf:

REST: Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  – John 14:27

Blessed are you, O Lord … giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent.  – Book of Common Prayer, 113

From the beginning of creation, God has established the sacred pattern of going and returning, labor and rest. Especially today, God invites us to dedicate time for restoration and wholeness – within our bodies, minds, and souls, and within our communities and institutions. By resting we place our trust in God, the primary actor who brings all things to their fullness.

For Reflection and Discernment

• What practices restore your body, mind, and soul?
• How will you observe rest and renewal on a regular basis?
• With whom will you commit to create and maintain a regular practice of rest?

Use this quieter time we live in right now to honor your body, mind and spirit — and drink in God’s love and grace.

Blessings and love to you all,
+Diane

_______________________________________________________________________________________

June 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Knowing Your Rest Points

“Know your rest points,” was the sage advice I received from a choreographer I worked with about 20 years ago when I was dancing to make a living. We were learning a particularly challenging piece and she told us to pace ourselves; to look at the piece as a whole and find those moments when we could rest. Even though we were still moving, there were less intense moments that, with intention and focus, could provide us with enough respite to restore us for what was ahead.

This idea of rest points stuck with me through my discernment, seminary, and into my priestly vocation. Vacation is a great time for rest, of course, as are our days off. There are times and seasons of rest as well as moments of rest in each day. The key to finding this rest is to be intentional about it. We can take a look at the pacing of each day, or week, or month, or year, and find those moments when we can take a break and a breath, reconnecting to ourselves and to God.

It’s always seemed a bit of a puzzle to me why clergy, myself included, work hard and so often resist taking the rest we need. Is it the infamous “fear of missing out”? Or is it because somewhere inside of us we still feel like we need to earn our salvation? Is it because we fear Jesus (or our people) will loves us less if we take some time to rest? I have never come up with a good answer for this in myself. Maybe you have and can share it with me!

What I do know is that Jesus will not love us less if we take time to rest. Jesus will not love us less if we spend some time doing whatever provides our hearts and souls with the respite that will restore us for the work we are called to do in the more intense times in our day, week, month, or year. In the end, aren’t we all going for the long game, which is a life of meaningful work and deep connection with God and those whom God loves? The way I know how to do this is by pacing myself, knowing when I can rest, knowing when I need to push through, and remembering that everything we do is for the sake of God’s love.

Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce and I, along with Canon Satorius and the Formations and Transitions team, have been thinking of ways that we can offer moments of rest for the clergy community as well. We began with clergy conference, which was a different kind of clergy conference than we have had in previous years. Rather than listening to a speaker, which can feel exhausting in the Easter season after a full year, we opted for a conference that felt more like a retreat. It was our first draft, so to speak, and next year we will fine-tune it.

Additionally, we are experimenting with two other points during the year where rest, restoration, and learning can be offered. The first will be on November 1, when the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary, will offer a retreat day for clergy held at St. Paul’s Commons (the Cathedral Center). More details on this event will come soon, but in the meantime please check out Dean Douglas’ biography. I also encourage you to check out some of her writing, including her groundbreaking book Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective.

Second, in the spring, we will offer a retreat day prior to Lent in collaboration with Stillpoint. What that day looks like has yet to be planned but we will have information out as soon as we are able.

Until then, I pray you have a blessed and restorative summer! If we can be of service to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

Melissa

______________________________________________________________________________

March 2020

From Bishop John Harvey Taylor

My colleagues in Christ:

More than a year ago, Bishop Bruce invited Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to speak at our annual Bishop’s Dinner this November. As you know, it’s a fundraiser, with proceeds set aside for our missions and ministry centers. As in 2019, we’ll use the money this year to enable as many missions as possible to participate in Jaime Edwards-Acton and Betsy Densmore’s Social Enterprise Academy, learning how to leverage their resources for the sake of God’s people and the sustainability of the church.

Just think about it. The greatest preacher of our time, in Los Angeles, just a few days after the presidential election, offering the inspiration of Christ’s way of love.

Then Canon McCarthy had an idea. Why don’t we ask Bishop Curry to offer his sure-to-be-stirring address twice, at each end of the diocese? I pitched it to him in a few weeks ago in Detroit, at Bishop Bonnie Perry’s ordination and consecration, and he graciously assented.

So my colleagues, this is a “save the date” notice to keep in mind as you plan your own 2020-21 schedules. The Bishop’s Dinner del norte will be on Friday, November 6, 2020 at California Lutheran University. La cena del sur will be on Saturday, November 7, 2020 in the White House East Room replica of the Nixon library in Yorba Linda.

Please mark your calendars, and spread the word. More details to come, including about additional special guests. My spouse Canon Kathy O’Connor, again serving as volunteer dinner coordinator, is looking for dinner sponsors as well as volunteers for organizing committees for both dinners. Please write her at koconnor@ladiocese.org. We promise to keep the tickets as affordable as possible. Thank you for understanding the vital importance of raising these funds for our institutions on the front lines of mission and ministry.

Yours in Christ’s love,

+John

July 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

July – a way of rest

July is always that month when I can kinda-sorta-breathe. Is it that way for you too?

Starting with Easter I feel as though I’m on a dead run to July. June is always the worst — it’s a whirlwind for me; graduations, ordinations, consecrations, birthdays. Maybe June was and is a whirlwind for you too.

Now it’s July — June gloom is behind us (hopefully) and we look forward to sunny days and a more reasonable pace of work. Maybe you’ve scheduled all or part of your vacation for July. Many clergy do.

We as clergy tend to over-function. We do so at times out of necessity, especially when we are the only clergy person caring for a congregation. We do so out of our own insecurity, as if people might think we are slacking off if we actually take time apart to rest, reflect and pray.

We do so because there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done, someone to be visited, something to fix, more meetings to schedule. God knows I eat over-functioning for breakfast! Yet I know I’m not called to stay in that place. It is not healthy for my body, mind or spirit, and it is not healthy for you either.

I want to invite you to continue to walk with me on the Way of Love. During the month of July — and heck, let’s throw August in there as well — I invite you to move into a bit of REST. It doesn’t mean we completely stop working (unless, of course, you are on vacation!). It does mean taking some time to think about, pray about, work on that aspect of the Way of Love which our Presiding Bishop calls rest.

From https://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/documents/way_of_love_introduction.pdf:

REST: Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  – John 14:27

Blessed are you, O Lord … giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent.  – Book of Common Prayer, 113

From the beginning of creation, God has established the sacred pattern of going and returning, labor and rest. Especially today, God invites us to dedicate time for restoration and wholeness – within our bodies, minds, and souls, and within our communities and institutions. By resting we place our trust in God, the primary actor who brings all things to their fullness.

For Reflection and Discernment

• What practices restore your body, mind, and soul?
• How will you observe rest and renewal on a regular basis?
• With whom will you commit to create and maintain a regular practice of rest?

Use this quieter time we live in right now to honor your body, mind and spirit — and drink in God’s love and grace.

Blessings and love to you all,
+Diane

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June 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Knowing Your Rest Points

“Know your rest points,” was the sage advice I received from a choreographer I worked with about 20 years ago when I was dancing to make a living. We were learning a particularly challenging piece and she told us to pace ourselves; to look at the piece as a whole and find those moments when we could rest. Even though we were still moving, there were less intense moments that, with intention and focus, could provide us with enough respite to restore us for what was ahead.

This idea of rest points stuck with me through my discernment, seminary, and into my priestly vocation. Vacation is a great time for rest, of course, as are our days off. There are times and seasons of rest as well as moments of rest in each day. The key to finding this rest is to be intentional about it. We can take a look at the pacing of each day, or week, or month, or year, and find those moments when we can take a break and a breath, reconnecting to ourselves and to God.

It’s always seemed a bit of a puzzle to me why clergy, myself included, work hard and so often resist taking the rest we need. Is it the infamous “fear of missing out”? Or is it because somewhere inside of us we still feel like we need to earn our salvation? Is it because we fear Jesus (or our people) will loves us less if we take some time to rest? I have never come up with a good answer for this in myself. Maybe you have and can share it with me!

What I do know is that Jesus will not love us less if we take time to rest. Jesus will not love us less if we spend some time doing whatever provides our hearts and souls with the respite that will restore us for the work we are called to do in the more intense times in our day, week, month, or year. In the end, aren’t we all going for the long game, which is a life of meaningful work and deep connection with God and those whom God loves? The way I know how to do this is by pacing myself, knowing when I can rest, knowing when I need to push through, and remembering that everything we do is for the sake of God’s love.

Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce and I, along with Canon Satorius and the Formations and Transitions team, have been thinking of ways that we can offer moments of rest for the clergy community as well. We began with clergy conference, which was a different kind of clergy conference than we have had in previous years. Rather than listening to a speaker, which can feel exhausting in the Easter season after a full year, we opted for a conference that felt more like a retreat. It was our first draft, so to speak, and next year we will fine-tune it.

Additionally, we are experimenting with two other points during the year where rest, restoration, and learning can be offered. The first will be on November 1, when the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary, will offer a retreat day for clergy held at St. Paul’s Commons (the Cathedral Center). More details on this event will come soon, but in the meantime please check out Dean Douglas’ biography. I also encourage you to check out some of her writing, including her groundbreaking book Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective.

Second, in the spring, we will offer a retreat day prior to Lent in collaboration with Stillpoint. What that day looks like has yet to be planned but we will have information out as soon as we are able.

Until then, I pray you have a blessed and restorative summer! If we can be of service to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

Melissa

______________________________________________________________________________

May 2019

From Bishop Diocesan John Harvey Taylor

May 2, 2019 – Feast of St. Athanasius

St. Paul’s Commons
is the new name for
our diocesan HQ in Echo Park

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April 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce:

About Lambeth

Dear Friends in Christ:

In mid-March Bishop Taylor and I spent four long, intense days with our fellow Bishops at Kanuga in North Carolina. You have already seen the letter from us and our spouses regarding the controversy surrounding Lambeth 2020.

Leaving Bishop Mary Glasspool’s beloved Becki off the guest list was shocking and painful – especially for those of us who have experienced their powerful and loving ministry among us. The response of the House of Bishops (HOB) as well as your bishops here was undertaken prayerfully. Mary herself gave a moving account of what transpired in the weeks leading up to our gathering at the HOB.

The work of the HOB in this triennium is centered on The Way of Love. For those of you who haven’t reviewed the materials for The Way of Love a good place to begin is here.

We had the privilege of hearing from Bishop Vashti McKenzie (AME Bishop, Texas) as well as Bishop Ric Thorpe (Bishop of Islington) on Evangelism as it relates to the Way of Love.

Bishop McKenzie is the Bishop in charge of all the AME churches in the State of Texas. She talked about the fact that many people practice “CHURCHianity” rather than “CHRISTianity”.

She asked the question, “Is it possible that we are more in love with Church than we are with Jesus Christ?” It is so easy to get caught up in the mechanics of Church that we forget the reason we are here and what we are called to do. While we need the institution, we also need to be open to the movement of the Holy Spirit.

Bishop Ric Thorpe has been Bishop of Islington, a suffragan bishopric in the Diocese of London with special attention to the ministry of church planting, since September 2015. He is responsible for the London diocese’s goal of creating 100 New Worshipping Communities by 2020 and is also working nationally to support other dioceses to plant new churches and revitalize existing ones. Before being appointed to Islington, Bishop Ric was the Bishop of London’s adviser for Church Planting and the rector of St. Paul’s Shadwell.

Bishop Thorpe offered that the Way of Love re-centers us on what really matters. He shared that the decade of Evangelism in England didn’t produce much fruit in terms of the programs and projects that it did — EXCEPT for Alpha and for a renewed passion for the poor and the marginalized.

Reflecting on his work turning around St. Paul’s, he told us that St. Paul’s had 12 people left in it and was going to be closed. The Bishop of London asked Bishop Thorpe and a team to revitalize it — 95 people came with him to revitalize. The neighborhood is 45% Muslim, 45% secular young professionals, 10% aging cockney. The congregation grew! Check out their website here.

Bishop Thorpe draws his tradition from Gregory the Great — a vision for the re-visioning of a community and re-evangelizing of the nation. Augustine similarly worked with the powers that be to plant churches. Bishop Thorpe then looked to the Celtic saints and found Cuthbert who worked by coming alongside a community, developing a church outside the city limits and offering hospitality. The Celtic way is all about relationships.

Both Bishop McKenzie and Bishop Thorpe agreed that if we want to see the church revitalized and become a church that is full of the love of God in Christ and is following The Way of Love it starts with prayer. Here we are, back to where we started. The bishops spent time and prayed as we dealt with the harsh reality of Lambeth 2020. It all starts with prayer, and it all must end with prayer.

Please know I pray for you all daily. I pray for our Church. I pray for our nation. I pray for our world. May all we do be begin and end in prayer.

+Diane

March 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Summiting Together

Dear Friends:

Mount Snowdon is the highest mountain peak in Wales and the highest peak in all of the United Kingdom outside of the Scottish Highlands. This 3,560-foot peak seems small for us here in California where snow falls generally occur at 4,500 feet and above. However, each mountain has its own personality, its own treachery, and Snowdon is no different.

I visited Wales in 2005 and, with my friend Isabella, decided to take a day to make the climb. I was barely 30 and still had that feeling of invincibility when we embarked that July morning. We decided to take the longest and busiest route to the top because we had been warned by so many locals to be careful of sudden weather changes and the danger such changes would bring us along the less traversed and more narrow paths. As I recall, it is a five-mile hike to the top so, after a good and fortifying breakfast, we started our ascent early that morning.

The hike up to the peak was beautiful. We encountered many fellow pilgrims, shook our figurative fists at those who zoomed past us on the train to the top, and enjoyed every moment of it. Almost. When we were about three-fourths of a mile from summiting the strangest thing happened. I got tired. Really tired. My legs felt heavy. Every step was a monumental effort. I kept pushing myself until finally I couldn’t do it any longer. I told Isabella what I was experiencing and she, being older and much wiser, said, “Oh, you are bonking,” which I inferred to mean some kind of crazy fatigue that she was aware of and I was not.

As it turns out “bonking” or “hitting the wall” is a real thing. It is the onset of sudden fatigue caused by a loss of glycogen. I sat down, she handed me a cliff bar, and I ate about half of it along with some long sips of water. A few minutes later I was fine. In fact, we ate that last three-fourths of a mile for a midmorning snack. The summit was as amazing as promised with cool winds and breathtaking views.

Being in ministry is a lot like summiting a peak. It’s a process and a journey. It’s something we sign up for and embark on with the best preparation we can have. It’s something that we do with others and, like my experience on Snowdon, it can wear us out. This is normal. Strength and energy comes and goes. We need periods of rest and quiet.

We need time to refuel and re-energize. As I was beginning to “bonk” I felt a sense of shame. I wondered what was wrong with me and why I couldn’t just keep going. I looked at Isabella and she was fine. How come I wasn’t? I tried to push through and then I stopped. What Isabella did was normalize it for me, give me some fuel, and sit with me while I rested.

We can do the same for each other: normalize the fatigue, share the fuel for ministry that we have with each other, and be with each other in those periods of rest. Doing this for each other helps neutralize any shame we might be experiencing as well as any sense of competition with each other we may be indulging.

In the end, our vocational lives are most healthy and vibrant when we are in good relationship with each other, which necessarily means being able to share our vulnerabilities with each other and receive the support that is waiting to be offered.

These are my reflections on the eve of Lent, a time that is guaranteed to wear out anyone in active ministry. Be gentle with yourselves, reach out to one another (and to me!), and enjoy the journey with fellow pilgrims on the way.

A blessed Lent to all!

Melissa+
______________________________________________________________________________

February 2019

From Bishop Diocesan John Taylor 

 Joining the List

______________________________________________________________________________

October 2018

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Expectations

Greetings, dear colleagues!

I sit down to write this note to you on the morning after Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s harrowing testimony. I will confess that I am still reeling from watching the hearing and how it all played out. I am still reeling from the fact that a victim is being prosecuted. I am still reeling from the dehumanization she has experienced.

I am still reeling from the undeniable and incontrovertible evidence this testimony and the whole hearing has provided us of how far this country’s leadership has fallen and how openly, indeed publicly, sexual abuse of women has been given the rubber stamp of approval by our current president.

Meanwhile, while we are all focused on this hearing, ICE detained 150 good people in Southern California, which is yet another example of the horrific policies put into place by the current president.

Given everything that is happening in our world, how do we continue our vocational tasks of preaching, teaching, and living the good news?

How do we find the energy for it?

For me, it has come through reflection upon a question a colleague posed to me. A couple of Sundays ago, I had the opportunity to do a parish visit, sit with the vestry of the church, and talk about mission in ministry in their particular context. During this meeting, their rector asked me a question that caught me up short for a moment. It was a simple, articulate, and profound question. It was an articulation of something I have wondered during all my years of priesthood but have never been able to put words to, at least not this way. The rector asked what our bishops expect of us, the clergy.

I went back to Echo Park and told Bishop Taylor about this question, how it had struck me, and how I answered the question. Together, he and I put some more thinking behind what is expected of us, and by “us” I mean all of us, including the bishops.

Here’s what we came up with:

Curiosity
In a cultural context that dehumanizes and renders invisible those that it deems “other,” one of the most profoundly easy and highly impactful things we can do is to be curious about the people we meet. We can learn their stories, get to know them, and listen to what they have to teach us. Our curiosity and interest in others helps them to feel seen and heard, and it fosters a sense of safety in community’

Joy
An underrated charism in our church, joy is infectious. It is almost impossible not to feel it when you encounter someone who has this infectious joy. Joy for me has been an on again/off again experience, but more and more, in the light of what is happening in our world, I am doing my best to lean into it. Our lives are resurrection narratives and that is something we can be joyful about. We have Jesus and that is where our joy is found.

Talk less and listen more
We clergy are in the business of talking. We pray, we preach, we provide leadership for our people. We certainly value listening as an essential part of our vocation, but it’s easier said than done. Simply listening, without jumping in to share our own story or make a connection with an experience we have had, is one way we can really see the people with whom we minister. Listening to someone is receiving them.

Do the opposite
In a context and time in history which is increasingly polarized, binary, either/or, impatient, anxious, suspicious, and volatile, go and do the opposite.

We have the opportunity to bring in the gray areas, to see the both/and, to adopt radical calm, and to believe what people tell us. Whatever we can do that is the opposite of what is happening around us will be transformative. Of course, this goes back to our baptismal promise to seek justice and peace among all people, and to respect the dignity of every human being. Whatever we can do to live into this promise, one relationship at a time, will make a difference.

Love one another as God has loved us
Our collegial relationships are among the most important relationships we have beyond our families. Let us love each other as God has loved us. A safe community of holy love and grace is what God wants for us. Let us be that for one another.

Thank you, dear colleagues, for the ministries you do, for the love you share, and for saying yes to God’s call to bring hope to the world during this time. It is an honor to be doing ministry with you!

Blessings,

Melissa+

______________________________________________________________________________

July 2018

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

Where the spirit moves us

Dear Friends in Christ,

As I write this article to you, I’m preparing to head to General Convention on Sunday, July 1.

I arrive early as I have responsibilities to attend to as Secretary to the House of Bishops. We will be talking about and voting on a wide variety of subjects – some of which many of you are passionate about.

It will be about two weeks of intensive work, which is designed to point us as a Church in the direction that the Spirit moves us.

I am never good at predicting the outcome of elections to offices or of the fate of various resolutions, yet one thing I do know: much work will be done, many conversations will be had (some heated) – and all this set in the context of prayer and the Eucharist.

In addition to preparing for General Convention I have been working on finance and stewardship work, and am most grateful to Lorenzo Lebrija for his help and work on the Stewardship event we held last weekend. Thanks also to Chris Tumilty, who used his expertise to allow us for the first time to go “live” to you – with the plenary and all workshops live-streamed.

We hope to do more of this, so that the diocese can meet YOU where YOU are — not just at Echo Park. Videos of the plenary and workshops will be available for your viewing here.

The work was designed to help congregations with planned giving, narrative budgeting, utilizing TENS (The Episcopal Network on Stewardship), utilizing Holy Currencies, etc.

Speaking of TENS, if you want to use the materials, the Diocese has purchased access for you. The login ID is: Mark; the password is: 10:21. The work we are doing in Finance and the work of the Stewardship Conference was and is to equip you and all of us for the work God is giving us to do.

While I am personally preoccupied at the moment with General Convention preparations, and in the midst of work in Finance and just through with our Stewardship Conference, I’m most grateful to our Bishop Diocesan John Taylor and the men and women, lay and ordained, who are working tirelessly to bring attention to and end the separation of children from their parents at the border.

From demonstrations to protests to phone calls to letter writing–something has to change. The evil – and I use the word evil — separation of children from their families is one of the most depraved acts we as a nation can commit against a human family. Families must be reunited again – now. I keep thinking about the Holy Family – fleeing to Egypt. What if Jesus had been separated from his parents at that border?

Friends in Christ, we need to band together as the Episcopal Branch of the Jesus movement to not only move in the way the Spirit is leading us through the work of our General Convention, and through the way we utilize our gifts of time, talent and treasure, but most importantly through the way we shed light into the darkness that sometimes overtakes our world.

We must continue to advocate for those who have no voice or whose voices are being silenced. That is Jesus-work for us all. May we continue to do so, speaking out, using our resources, advocating for, loving, caring and protecting ALL whom God brings to us.

Blessings,

+Diane

_____________________________________________________________________

June 2018

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

The truth of our vocation

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to you after a wonderful meeting with those who will be ordained on June 2 at St. John’s Cathedral. I came to my scheduled time with them with no agenda.

As we talked, a few questions began to emerge. Among the things they asked were the usual questions about when to wear or not wear their collars, when to call the bishop, and all the other things you may remember having questions about when you were newly ordained.

As the conversation continued, the questions moved from the practical to the personal and theological. One of the ordinands asked me something like this: “What lies do the newly ordained tell themselves and how can we stay true to the truth?”

I was struck by the honesty of this question and how important it is for us to stay true to the truth of our vocations. What are the lies we tell ourselves? What is the truth of our vocation that we need to keep in focus?

For each of us, the answers to these questions may be different but I imagine there is a similar theme. The lies we tell ourselves are most likely rooted in ego and insecurity, arrogance and fear. The truth of our vocation is rooted in love, humility, faithfulness, and hope. That part of the question is not so tricky to identify. Staying true to the truth is a more difficult task.

How do you avoid the lies of ego and insecurity, arrogance and fear, and stay rooted in love, humility, faithfulness, and hope? What does that mean for you?

For me it has something to do with remembering what a privilege it is to be called into a vocation where our work is to love others as Christ has loved us as well as the fact that while we will always have lots of tasks, what matters most in our ordained ministry is who we are. Our presence is our primary strength as leaders. Everything else will take care of itself when our presence is rooted in love, humility, faithfulness, and hope.

Please pray for those being ordained on June 2, as well as for all of our colleagues in this sacred work into which we have been called.

Know that you are held in prayer by Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce, the whole diocesan staff, and me. My prayer for us all is that our work may be rooted in God’s love, humility, faithfulness, and hope!

Blessings,

Melissa+

November 2020

‘I Hear America Singing’

By Bishop Diocesan John Harvey Taylor

Homily during A Service of Prayer for Our Nation, Oct. 29, 2020

October 2020

Taking Care of Business … and Ourselves

By Bishop Suffragan Diane M. Jardine-Bruce

It’s surreal and it’s real at the same time. We have been MONTHS in this tunnel-time of pandemic, without a clear light at the end to tell us we are nearing the end of it. We have learned the great importance of staying connected with our congregants and mastered new technology. Our added challenge today is navigating the rocky waters of:

 •   Prayer
 •   Self-care

If you’re a parent with a child or children attending school from home, you have a additional strain on your time and energy. 

Keep connected
Among the most important things we can do right now for our congregations is to keep in touch with all our members. This involves phone calls, emails, newsletters – ways to keep everyone in your congregation “in the loop” and to know how people are doing. This is the most important work we can do right now as clergy.

 Keep coming to the Clergy Check-Ins, now occurring approximately every other Thursday afternoon at 2 p.m.. These are great opportunities to hear from the Diocese and each other about resources and to ask questions about the pandemic and other issues. If you can’t make it to these meetings, make sure you review the recap email that you should be receiving after each meeting.

 Review the weekly Resource Roundup and the Update – they are great sources of information for you and your congregation. Speaking of your congregation – please share, as you are able, your congregation’s contact email list with Canon Janet Kawamoto (jkawamoto@ladiocese.org) to make sure members of your congregations are also staying connected with what’s happening at and in and around the Diocese.

Attend your deanery clericus meetings. I know not all of the deaneries meet regularly. If yours does, plan on attending!

Technology and technology boundaries
Almost all of you have mastered zoom/live streaming, and have created a pattern or rhythm to make that happen. Some of our greatest resources and assets have been the members of our churches who know this stuff cold. I know many of you have relied on them as well as tips from other clergy to “make it happen” – THANK YOU!

Zoom meetings have taken over our time and energy. Zoom fatigue is real. It is a very different energy from face-to-face meetings, and it takes up more of our psychic and mental capabilities. Don’t book back-to-back zoom meetings throughout the day. You need a break — even if it’s just 15 minutes (hopefully it’s more!) to get up, walk around, drink water and eat a healthy snack.

 Racial Injustice
The pandemic and the brutal murder of George Floyd have brought into sharp focus the need to address racial injustice in our society and in the church. On the diocesan website there are resources for you, including the work your New Community team (formerly known as multicultural ministry) put together. This includes an introductory video on three areas we will be exploring more deeply in the weeks and months to come: the Doctrine of Discovery, Racial Identity and Racial Capitalism. The introductory video and a listing of upcoming events can be found here. In addition, information is available in the One in the Spirit section here.

 Election Season
Adding to the stress of living in and through a pandemic and an early and devastating fire season, we have an election coming up. On September 10 at the Clergy Gathering we spoke about and shared our “best practices” of dealing with a difficult political climate. Notes from that meeting can be found here.

In addition, the Presiding Bishop’s sermon to the House of Bishops which met on September 16th as well as other resources for navigating these election season days can be found here.

Stewardship
The Program Group on Stewardship worked this summer and through September with TENS (The Episcopal Network on Stewardship) to develop campaign strategies, address online giving options, and offer ways to do online auctions, etc. for our congregations. The video recordings of these events along with the PowerPoint slide decks (in English and Spanish) can be found here.

Prayer
I don’t know about you, but I’m finding the need to pray more now than ever. This can be particularly difficult if you are offering virtual morning or evening prayer or compline every day. It can feel as though you’re doing more work just to set up the right equipment, etc. to pray. I’m finding praying as I take my daily walk is really helping keep me centered. You may have another way you can feel refreshed through prayer. Whatever that might be, please do take the time to engage in this important spiritual discipline.

 Self Care
You should all have a spiritual director. Now, more than ever, it’s important to have that relationship in place and connect regularly. Personally, I “meet” with my spiritual directly every 4-6 weeks over the phone. I’ve found him to be extremely helpful to me during this time of pandemic. If you don’t have a spiritual director, you can find one via Stillpoint or the Center for Spiritual Development.

 Try to block out ONE WHOLE DAY each week without a zoom meeting on your calendar. HONOR YOUR DAY OFF. It’s easy to get overloaded at this time. Remember — Jesus took time out to rest.

 Some clergy are helping their neighbors by taking a Sunday service via ZOOM or Facebook Live to enable their neighbor to have a day off. Others are coming together to do joint services – bringing two or more congregations together. It’s a small breather from the stress of offering weekly 100% digital or hybrid services.

Take advantage of Bishop Taylor’s great gift of that occasional Sunday “off” by pointing your congregation to Bishop Taylor’s services for the diocesan community. The next one scheduled is the Diocesan Convention Eucharist at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 15.

Make sure, even in this time of COVID, you take your vacation. I had a “staycation” and truthfully, it was great! I would’ve enjoyed being able to go away, but sadly with Steve having had surgery, that wasn’t possible. Instead we took a little time each day to plan future “getaways” in 2021, 2022 and 2023 (yes, we plan that far out on the calendar). I also got a group of friends together and we did a “virtual tour” of the Jewish quarter in Paris with a guide leading the tour from Paris. It was a great “getaway” without leaving our home.

 Most of all, watch your stress level, get some exercise, try to eat well, get enough sleep, keep up with dental and doctor visits as appropriate, keep in touch with loved ones, and ask for help when you need it. We are here for you.

 +Diane

September 2020

Policing in America: Parishes, precincts invited to share local conversations Oct. 9-12

By Bob Williams, Canon for Common Life

A protégé of the late Coretta Scott King, Pastor Markel Hutchins of Atlanta is leading a strategic initiative that is sparking nationwide participation from various Episcopal dioceses among other mainline judicatories, evangelical churches, mosques, synagogues, and temples, together with police and sheriff’s federations across the country.

Helpful for bolstering the national will to end systemic racism and its manifestations in policing and other societal systems, the National Faith & Blue Weekend, Oct. 9-12, offers congregations practical, uncomplicated ways to share in dialogue and relationship-building in what has been called “the most consolidated police-community engagement project in recent history.” A video is here.

To use the weekend as a catalyst for initiating and strengthening local alliances, congregations are encouraged to host – ideally with other nearby houses of worship – a Zoom forum, coffee hour, or similar gathering to which the neighborhood’s senior lead police officer, local precinct captains, or area sheriff’s officers are invited to share in conversation with neighborhood clergy and parishioners.

As parish and mission clergy will attest, knowing and interacting regularly with a neighborhood’s senior lead officer is typically of ongoing benefit to the congregation, and especially helpful at times of emergency and crisis. Also key to Faith & Blue Weekend forums and wider conversations is the input of law enforcement professionals who are among parishioners of local congregations.

Suggested discussion topics and formats for weekend forums are clearly outlined – together with easily shareable graphics, flyers, and posters – on the National Faith & Blue website. Episcopal congregations and dioceses from California and Arizona to Atlanta and Missouri and beyond are using these materials to engage participation.

The initiative resonates with L.A. Bishop John Harvey Taylor’s call for diocesan work to “assess, articulate and advocate a Gospel-based approach to policing and community safety” by engaging a variety of voices and viewpoints in fair and balanced consultation. The Episcopal News will report on next steps in that effort as the process unfolds.

Meanwhile, within the diocese, interfaith efforts are underway to organize virtual Faith & Blue Weekend forums engaging houses of worship along the Wilshire Corridor, in Central L.A., Hollywood, and Orange County, with invitations pending in the Inland Empire and Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Specific details will follow in The News.

Congregations are encouraged to arrange their own local forums and register them directly through the National Faith & Blue website, thereby engaging more of the 113 law enforcement agencies– local police and sheriff’s departments together with the California Highway Patrol – that serve neighborhoods in which the diocese’s 135 church sites are found.

Kevin Smith, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Center for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives, says the National Faith & Blue Weekend has the potential to “power a movement where law enforcement professionals and residents build connections that break down divides, decrease biases, increase familiarity and spur ongoing collaboration.”

Additional background resources for this work include:

• Two view-on-demand virtual forums, “Policing and a Just Society,” convened in August by Washington National Cathedral;
• Ongoing programs, including “Our Work to Do” and the diocesan “Trauma and (Un)Truths” series, details of which are here.

And, upcoming on October 4 is “Reimagine Justice,” a virtual fundraiser of PRISM, the diocesan restorative justice ministry led by clergy colleagues Dennis Gibbs and Greta Ronningen, featuring as keynoter the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary.

Thank you for considering these opportunities, and for all the ways in which your ministries strengthen civic engagement and common life.

August 2020

‘A marathon, not a sprint’

by Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Dear colleagues,

Happy August to all!

I hope you have found some time to rest and recreate this summer or that you have some time scheduled soon. I keep reminding myself that this unprecedented time in the world, in our nation, and in our church is a marathon and not a sprint. I cannot pace myself as if it were a sprint but rather as a marathon, with a steady pace, conserving energy, and finding those rest points along the way.

The metaphor of a marathon is a positive one which brings with it accomplishment as well as a clear beginning, middle, and end. While there is much for us to be proud of in terms of how we have responded to the multiple crises in our world, I don’t believe there is a clear beginning, middle, and end in what we are experiencing. In fact, part of the spiritual discipline for us to engage as leaders is in holding the tension between the dire nature of what we are experiencing and the new ways of being church in the world this unique situation is inspiring in us.

With centuries of abuse and murder of black and brown people by white Americans and the willful ignorance of the realities of racism and racial injustice in our nation as well as the pandemic that is ever increasing in numbers, there is much to disturb and disrupt our sense of what it means to be human beings, faithful followers of Christ, and leaders in the church. We have moved into a time when nearly every aspect of our lives is being called into question, examined, and, in some cases, regrded as no longer relevant, reasonable, or even reality based. The world has been on a course of significant change for some time now and, in 2020, the snowball effect has taken hold and accelerated the course of change.

I find myself wondering, mulling, praying, discussing, and listening for what this means for us as church. Church business as usual is no longer an option. We have focused so much on getting back to in person worship, as we should, since it is in our worshipping communities that we hear and discern God’s call to us and receive both the solace and the strength, the courage and renewal we need to be grounded in our faith in all that we do (BCP Eucharistic prayer C). We don’t worship just for ourselves and our own relationship with God. We don’t worship so that we can feel better in a chaotic world. That may be part of what we experience but worship is really about having a spiritual and communal home base from which open ourselves to God for God’s work of healing and restoration in the world. For too long we have been content to focus on worship as the means to an end as well as the end itself. We can no longer do this.

What can we do?

First, we pray.
We pray for God to show us the way forward and to give us the courage we need to act on what we discern.

Second, we listen.
Listen to the world. Listen to each other. Listen for where God’s love and grace, healing and restoration is needed.

Third, we educate ourselves.
One of the best ways to reduce anxiety is to stimulate resources and to learn.

Fourth, we preach and pray that every Sunday, every sermon becomes a miracle whereby the words we say are transformed into the words our people need to hear to inspire them to love God more and to be courageous.

Fifth, we advocate.
Advocate for People of Color, advocate for the sick, advocate for those in prison, advocate for those in danger of any kind, and advocate for those who have no one to advocate for them. Lastly, and perhaps foundationally, we care for ourselves. We remember this is a long haul we are in and not a passing moment. Remember we are in the process of creating a new normal and what that new normal is depends on what we do in our own families, communities, and in the church at large. As much as this is a time of crisis, it is also a time of amazing creative opportunities. In the tension of those two things – crisis and creativity – is the heart of our spiritual practice.

Along with reminding myself to keep a steady pace and to find rest points along the way, I also remind myself that the church has gone through so much over these 2000 years and, with God’s help, continues to grow, change, and transform. Our current circumstance is no different. The bottom line truth of our lives is that we are sealed by the Holy Spirit in baptism and marked as Christ’s own forever. We are loved by the God who created us exactly as we are. We are saved by the God who became human in Jesus so that we might know the way to God. We are knit together through the power of God in the Holy Spirit, who is alive in us, among us, and between us.

I am grateful for all of you and hold you in my prayers every day.

Take care, pace yourselves, and remember how loved you are.

Faithfully,
Melissa+

‘Pray, and do something’: resources offer help to respond systemic racism

By Bishop Suffragan Diane M. Jardine Bruce

God,
Grant me justice, so that I may treat others as they deserve.
Grant me mercy, so that I don’t treat others as they deserve.
Grant me a humble walk with you, so that I may understand the difference.

— The Rev. Dr. Patricia McCaughan and the Very Rev. Keith Yamamoto

 This prayer, written by two priests of this diocese, can be found on page 166 of the book Race and Prayer: Collected Voices Many Dreams, Malcolm Boyd and Chester Talton, editors.

I used this book a number of times when I was a parish priest, but hadn’t looked at it in the last few years. The violence and murder perpetrated at the hands of law enforcement and vigilantes on our black community, especially the “caught on tape” murder of George Floyd, moved me to pull this book off my shelf, dust it off, and pray.

Maybe you are in that same place as well. I need to pray, but I also know I need to DO something. The first thing I want to do is to apologize to you, my siblings in Christ right here in the Diocese of Los Angeles who have been living under and with the systems of injustice and white supremacy for centuries, and who feel the weight of that oppression every day of your lives.

On June 7 the national Union of Black Episcopalians (UBE) hosted Talk2Talk: Congregational and UBE Activism in the Face of Social Unrest. The panelists (bios at the end of this note) were the Rev. Dr. Gayle Fisher-Stewart, the Very Rev. Canon Martini Shaw and the Rev. Melanie Mullens. They said what I needed to hear: we cannot let this minute in our history fade away like dust in the wind. We are being called to voice our disdain for the actions taken against God’s people – especially those who have been marginalized and discriminated against for centuries. The YouTube video of the event can be found here

On June 21 UBE hosted a follow-up to the June 7 event: Talk2Talk: Moving from Protest to Marathon Systemic Response. The same panelists offered their wisdom as to how we can — no, we MUST — move past protest to effecting the kind of radical changes to dismantle systems of injustice and inequality that have existed in this country for centuries.

If we have had any part in building or sustaining any system that has oppressed another, we need to acknowledge that sin, and repent. We need to work to transform systems of oppression into systems of love and care – ensuring equal access to all at every level and area of our society.

If you, like me, have felt hopeless in wondering “what can I do,” when the video of this event becomes available that will be a great place to start. We will post a link to it on our diocesan website when it is available.

Building on the work of the UBE’s Talk2Talks, Canon Suzanne Edwards-Acton and I are excited to announce that the Rev. Dr. Gayle Fisher-Stewart has agreed to be our preacher at our annual celebration of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday in 2021. Working with a team from the diocese, we hope to put together an interactive program for that event. Given the uncertainty of the pandemic, we will be planning for both a digital and an in-person event.

In terms of resources locally and throughout the Episcopal Church to use sooner than the MLK weekend, the diocesan website has a section with resources for you and your congregation to begin this work. More will be added over time. That webpage can be found here. If you have found other resources we can add to this page, please send them to Canon Janet Kawamoto (jkawamoto@ladiocese.org).

My siblings in Christ: Please pray. Please study. Please teach. Please act. We cannot let this “blow over” and not address the underlying causes – including white supremacy – that keep us repeating the same acts of injustice on our siblings in Christ.

WWJD? We all know the answer to that.

God of all peoples of the earth: we pray for an end to racism in all forms, and for an end to the denial that perpetuates white privilege, and for your support for all of those who bear the struggle of internalized racism, and for wisdom to recognize and eradicate the institutional racism in the church, and for the strength to stand against the bigotry and suffering that inhabits the world; for these and all your blessings we pray, O God, Christ Jesus, Holy Spirit. Amen.

— Sheryl Kujawa-Holbrook, Race and Prayer: Collected Voices Many Dreams, pg. 50

Guest Panelists for Talk2Talk:

The Rev. Dr. Gayle Fisher-Stewart is interim rector of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Washington, DC, and is the president of the Crummell-Cooper DC Chapter, UBE. She comes to ordained ministry after retiring from the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington with the rank of captain. She is the author of the forthcoming book (July 17, 2020), Preaching Black Lives (Matter) (Church Publishing).

The Very Rev. Canon Martini Shaw is rector of The Historic African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he has led this community in boldly proclaiming the reconciling Gospel of Jesus Christ for 17 years. UBE’s former national second vice president, Father Shaw also serves on the advisory board for the Episcopal Church Office of Black Ministries and is chair of the Episcopal Church’s Executive Council Committee for HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities).

The Rev. Melanie Mullens, director of Reconciliation, Justice and Creation Care for The Episcopal Church, is charged with bringing the Jesus Movement to the concerns of the world. Prior to joining the presiding bishop’s staff, she was the downtown missioner at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, leading a historic southern congregation’s missional, civic and reconciliation ministries.

+Diane

Dios,
Concédeme justicia, para que pueda tratar a los demás como se merecen.
Concédeme misericordia, para que no trate a los demás como se merecen.
Concédeme un humilde paseo contigo, para que pueda entender la diferencia.

— La Rev. Dra. Patricia McCaughan y el Rev. Keith Yamamoto

Esta oración, que fué escrita por dos sacerdotes de esta diócesis, y se encuentra en la página 166 del libro, Race and Prayer: Collected Voices Many Dreams, Malcolm Boyd y Chester Talton, editores. Utilicé este libro varias veces cuando estaba como sacerdote en una parroquia, pero no lo había vuelto a ver en los últimos años. La violencia y los asesinatos perpetrados por las fuerzas del orden y los vigilantes hacia nuestra comunidad Negra, especialmente el asesinato de George Floyd “grabado en un video”, me motivó a sacar este libro de mi librero, quitarle el polvo y rezar. Tal vez ustedes estén en este mismo lugar también. Necesito rezar, pero también sé que tengo que HACER algo. Lo primero que quiero hacer es disculparme con ustedes, mis hermanos y hermanas en Cristo aquí en la Diócesis de Los Ángeles que han estado viviendo con y bajo los sistemas de injusticia y supremacía blanca durante siglos, y que sienten el peso de esa opresión cada día de sus vidas.

El 7 de junio la Unión de Episcopales Negros (UBE por sus siglas en Inglés) organizó Talk2Talk: Activismo Congregacional y de UBE ante el malestar social. Los panelistas (biografías al final de esta nota) fueron la Rev. Dra. Gayle Fisher-Stewart, el Muy Rev. Canónigo Martini Shaw y la Rev. Melanie Mullens. Ellos dijeron lo que yo necesitaba oír: no podemos dejar que este minuto de nuestra historia se desvanezca como el polvo en el viento. Estamos llamados a expresar nuestro desdén por las acciones tomadas contra el pueblo de Dios – especialmente aquellos que han sido marginados y discriminados durante siglos. El video del evento puede ser encontrado aquí.

El 21 de Junio, UBE organizó un seguimiento del evento del 7 de Junio, Talk2Talk: Pasando de la protesta a la respuesta sistémica maratónica. Los mismos panelistas ofrecieron su sabiduría sobre cómo podemos — no, DEBEMOS — pasar de la protesta a efectuar el tipo de cambios radicales necesarios para desmantelar los sistemas de injusticia y desigualdad que han existido en este país durante siglos. Si hemos tenido alguna participación en la construcción o el mantenimiento de cualquier sistema que ha oprimido a otro, tenemos que reconocer ese pecado, y arrepentirnos. Necesitamos trabajar para transformar los sistemas de opresión en sistemas de amor y cuidado – asegurando el acceso igualitario a todos en los diferentes niveles y áreas de nuestra sociedad. Si ustedes, como yo, se ha sentido desesperanzados al preguntarse “qué puedo hacer yo”, el video de este evento será un gran lugar para comenzar. Pondremos un enlace en nuestro sitio web de la diócesis cuando esté disponible.

Basándonos en el trabajo de Talk2Talks de la UBE, la canóniga Suzanne Edwards-Acton y yo estamos encantadas de anunciar que la reverenda Dra. Gayle Fisher-Stewart ha aceptado ser nuestra predicadora en la celebración anual del Reverendo Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. durante el fin de semana de MLK en 2021. Trabajando con un equipo de la diócesis, esperamos crear un programa interactivo para ese evento. Dada la incertidumbre causada por la pandemia, planearemos un evento en formatos digital y en persona.

En términos de recursos locales y en toda la Iglesia Episcopal para usar antes del fin de semana de MLK, el sitio web diocesano tiene una sección con recursos para que usted y su congregación puedan comenzar con este trabajo. Se irán añadiendo más recursos eventualmente. Este sitio web se puede encontrar aquí. Si ustedes han encontrado otros recursos que pudiéramos añadir a esta página, por favor envíelos a la canóniga Janet Kawamoto (jkawamoto@ladiocese.org).

 Mis hermanos y hermanas en Cristo: Por favor oren. Por favor estudien. Por favor enseñen. Por favor actúen. No podemos dejar que esto “se desvanezca” y no abordar las causas subyacentes -incluyendo la supremacía blanca- que nos mantienen repitiendo los mismos actos de injusticia en nuestros hermanos y hermanas en Cristo. WWJD? (Siglas en Inglés para: Qué Haría Jesús?) Todos sabemos la respuesta a eso.

Dios de todos los pueblos de la tierra: oramos por el fin del racismo en todas sus formas, y por el fin de la abnegación que perpetúa el privilegio blanco, y por tu apoyo a todos aquellos que sufren del racismo internalizado, y por la sabiduría para reconocer y erradicar el racismo institucional en la iglesia, y por fuerza para oponernos a la intolerancia y al sufrimiento que habitan en el mundo; por estas y todas tus bendiciones oramos, oh Dios, Cristo Jesús, Espíritu Santo. Amén.
— Sheryl Kujawa-Holbrook, Race and Prayer: Collected Voices Many Dreams, pg. 50

Panelistas invitados para Talk2Talk:

La Rev. Dra. Gayle Fisher-Stewart es la Rectora Interina de la Iglesia Episcopal de San Lucas en Washington, DC, y es la presidenta del capítulo Crummell-Cooper DC de la Unión de Episcopales Negros. Llega al ministerio ordenado después de retirarse del Departamento de Policía Metropolitana, en Washington, con el rango de capitán. Es la autora del libro que saldrá próximamente a la venta (17 de julio de 2020), “Preaching Black Lives (Matter),” (Church Publishing).

El Muy Reverendo Canónigo Martini Shaw quien es el Rector de la histórica Iglesia Episcopal Africana de Santo Tomás, en Filadelfia, Pensilvania, donde ha dirigido a esta comunidad en la audaz proclamación del Evangelio reconciliador de Jesucristo durante 17 años. El Padre Shaw, ex vicepresidente nacional de la UBE, también forma parte de la Junta Asesora de la Oficina de Ministerios de los Negros de la Iglesia Episcopal y es el presidente del Comité del Consejo Ejecutivo de la Iglesia Episcopal para los HBCU (Siglas en Inglés para: Colegios y Universidades Históricamente Negros).

La Rev. Melanie Mullens, es la Directora de Reconciliación, Justicia y Cuidado de la Creación de la Iglesia Episcopal, está encargada de llevar el Movimiento de Jesús a las preocupaciones del mundo. Antes de unirse al personal del Obispo Presidente, fue la misionera en la Iglesia Episcopal de San Pablo en el centro de Richmond, dirigiendo los ministerios misioneros, cívicos y de reconciliación.

+Diane

June 2020

Amid dual pandemics, diocesan resources offer help

From Bishop John Harvey Taylor

My colleagues in Christ:

• The New Community multicultural ministries of the diocese, including the Program Group on Black Ministries, are standing by to confer and consult with all congregations, also tapping the expertise of Episcopal Sacred Resistance, the Kaleidoscope Institute and the church-wide “Becoming Beloved Community” initiative. For consultation and direct referrals, please contact Bishop Bruce (dbruce@ladiocese.org).

• Help in providing supplies – including masks and sanitizer – and hands-on training in live-streaming and digital discipleship is now available to clergy and lay leaders in keeping with recommendations of the Bishop’s Council of Advice on Our Safe Return to Physical Presence. The diocesan Program Group on Communications stands ready to assist with technical support. Please direct requests to Canon for Common Life Bob Williams (bobwilliams@ladiocese.org) or Canon Clare Zabala Bangao, coordinator of mission congregations, (clarezabala@ladiocese.org).

• Discerning Our Readiness to Resume Physical Presence in Church
• Discernir Nuestra Disposición a Reanudar la Presencia Física en la Iglesia
• Confirmation of Church Building Readiness (PDF form)
• Confirmación de la Preparación de Reapertura de los Edificios de las Iglesias (PDF)
• Confirmation of Church Building Readiness /Confirmación de la Preparación de Reapertura de los Edificios de las Iglesias (online form)

Yours in Christ’s love,

+John

July 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

July – a way of rest

July is always that month when I can kinda-sorta-breathe. Is it that way for you too?

Starting with Easter I feel as though I’m on a dead run to July. June is always the worst — it’s a whirlwind for me; graduations, ordinations, consecrations, birthdays. Maybe June was and is a whirlwind for you too.

Now it’s July — June gloom is behind us (hopefully) and we look forward to sunny days and a more reasonable pace of work. Maybe you’ve scheduled all or part of your vacation for July. Many clergy do.

We as clergy tend to over-function. We do so at times out of necessity, especially when we are the only clergy person caring for a congregation. We do so out of our own insecurity, as if people might think we are slacking off if we actually take time apart to rest, reflect and pray.

We do so because there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done, someone to be visited, something to fix, more meetings to schedule. God knows I eat over-functioning for breakfast! Yet I know I’m not called to stay in that place. It is not healthy for my body, mind or spirit, and it is not healthy for you either.

I want to invite you to continue to walk with me on the Way of Love. During the month of July — and heck, let’s throw August in there as well — I invite you to move into a bit of REST. It doesn’t mean we completely stop working (unless, of course, you are on vacation!). It does mean taking some time to think about, pray about, work on that aspect of the Way of Love which our Presiding Bishop calls rest.

From https://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/documents/way_of_love_introduction.pdf:

REST: Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  – John 14:27

Blessed are you, O Lord … giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent.  – Book of Common Prayer, 113

From the beginning of creation, God has established the sacred pattern of going and returning, labor and rest. Especially today, God invites us to dedicate time for restoration and wholeness – within our bodies, minds, and souls, and within our communities and institutions. By resting we place our trust in God, the primary actor who brings all things to their fullness.

For Reflection and Discernment

• What practices restore your body, mind, and soul?
• How will you observe rest and renewal on a regular basis?
• With whom will you commit to create and maintain a regular practice of rest?

Use this quieter time we live in right now to honor your body, mind and spirit — and drink in God’s love and grace.

Blessings and love to you all,
+Diane

_______________________________________________________________________________________

June 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Knowing Your Rest Points

“Know your rest points,” was the sage advice I received from a choreographer I worked with about 20 years ago when I was dancing to make a living. We were learning a particularly challenging piece and she told us to pace ourselves; to look at the piece as a whole and find those moments when we could rest. Even though we were still moving, there were less intense moments that, with intention and focus, could provide us with enough respite to restore us for what was ahead.

This idea of rest points stuck with me through my discernment, seminary, and into my priestly vocation. Vacation is a great time for rest, of course, as are our days off. There are times and seasons of rest as well as moments of rest in each day. The key to finding this rest is to be intentional about it. We can take a look at the pacing of each day, or week, or month, or year, and find those moments when we can take a break and a breath, reconnecting to ourselves and to God.

It’s always seemed a bit of a puzzle to me why clergy, myself included, work hard and so often resist taking the rest we need. Is it the infamous “fear of missing out”? Or is it because somewhere inside of us we still feel like we need to earn our salvation? Is it because we fear Jesus (or our people) will loves us less if we take some time to rest? I have never come up with a good answer for this in myself. Maybe you have and can share it with me!

What I do know is that Jesus will not love us less if we take time to rest. Jesus will not love us less if we spend some time doing whatever provides our hearts and souls with the respite that will restore us for the work we are called to do in the more intense times in our day, week, month, or year. In the end, aren’t we all going for the long game, which is a life of meaningful work and deep connection with God and those whom God loves? The way I know how to do this is by pacing myself, knowing when I can rest, knowing when I need to push through, and remembering that everything we do is for the sake of God’s love.

Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce and I, along with Canon Satorius and the Formations and Transitions team, have been thinking of ways that we can offer moments of rest for the clergy community as well. We began with clergy conference, which was a different kind of clergy conference than we have had in previous years. Rather than listening to a speaker, which can feel exhausting in the Easter season after a full year, we opted for a conference that felt more like a retreat. It was our first draft, so to speak, and next year we will fine-tune it.

Additionally, we are experimenting with two other points during the year where rest, restoration, and learning can be offered. The first will be on November 1, when the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary, will offer a retreat day for clergy held at St. Paul’s Commons (the Cathedral Center). More details on this event will come soon, but in the meantime please check out Dean Douglas’ biography. I also encourage you to check out some of her writing, including her groundbreaking book Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective.

Second, in the spring, we will offer a retreat day prior to Lent in collaboration with Stillpoint. What that day looks like has yet to be planned but we will have information out as soon as we are able.

Until then, I pray you have a blessed and restorative summer! If we can be of service to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

Melissa

______________________________________________________________________________

March 2020

From Bishop John Harvey Taylor

My colleagues in Christ:

More than a year ago, Bishop Bruce invited Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to speak at our annual Bishop’s Dinner this November. As you know, it’s a fundraiser, with proceeds set aside for our missions and ministry centers. As in 2019, we’ll use the money this year to enable as many missions as possible to participate in Jaime Edwards-Acton and Betsy Densmore’s Social Enterprise Academy, learning how to leverage their resources for the sake of God’s people and the sustainability of the church.

Just think about it. The greatest preacher of our time, in Los Angeles, just a few days after the presidential election, offering the inspiration of Christ’s way of love.

Then Canon McCarthy had an idea. Why don’t we ask Bishop Curry to offer his sure-to-be-stirring address twice, at each end of the diocese? I pitched it to him in a few weeks ago in Detroit, at Bishop Bonnie Perry’s ordination and consecration, and he graciously assented.

So my colleagues, this is a “save the date” notice to keep in mind as you plan your own 2020-21 schedules. The Bishop’s Dinner del norte will be on Friday, November 6, 2020 at California Lutheran University. La cena del sur will be on Saturday, November 7, 2020 in the White House East Room replica of the Nixon library in Yorba Linda.

Please mark your calendars, and spread the word. More details to come, including about additional special guests. My spouse Canon Kathy O’Connor, again serving as volunteer dinner coordinator, is looking for dinner sponsors as well as volunteers for organizing committees for both dinners. Please write her at koconnor@ladiocese.org. We promise to keep the tickets as affordable as possible. Thank you for understanding the vital importance of raising these funds for our institutions on the front lines of mission and ministry.

Yours in Christ’s love,

+John

July 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

July – a way of rest

July is always that month when I can kinda-sorta-breathe. Is it that way for you too?

Starting with Easter I feel as though I’m on a dead run to July. June is always the worst — it’s a whirlwind for me; graduations, ordinations, consecrations, birthdays. Maybe June was and is a whirlwind for you too.

Now it’s July — June gloom is behind us (hopefully) and we look forward to sunny days and a more reasonable pace of work. Maybe you’ve scheduled all or part of your vacation for July. Many clergy do.

We as clergy tend to over-function. We do so at times out of necessity, especially when we are the only clergy person caring for a congregation. We do so out of our own insecurity, as if people might think we are slacking off if we actually take time apart to rest, reflect and pray.

We do so because there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done, someone to be visited, something to fix, more meetings to schedule. God knows I eat over-functioning for breakfast! Yet I know I’m not called to stay in that place. It is not healthy for my body, mind or spirit, and it is not healthy for you either.

I want to invite you to continue to walk with me on the Way of Love. During the month of July — and heck, let’s throw August in there as well — I invite you to move into a bit of REST. It doesn’t mean we completely stop working (unless, of course, you are on vacation!). It does mean taking some time to think about, pray about, work on that aspect of the Way of Love which our Presiding Bishop calls rest.

From https://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/documents/way_of_love_introduction.pdf:

REST: Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  – John 14:27

Blessed are you, O Lord … giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent.  – Book of Common Prayer, 113

From the beginning of creation, God has established the sacred pattern of going and returning, labor and rest. Especially today, God invites us to dedicate time for restoration and wholeness – within our bodies, minds, and souls, and within our communities and institutions. By resting we place our trust in God, the primary actor who brings all things to their fullness.

For Reflection and Discernment

• What practices restore your body, mind, and soul?
• How will you observe rest and renewal on a regular basis?
• With whom will you commit to create and maintain a regular practice of rest?

Use this quieter time we live in right now to honor your body, mind and spirit — and drink in God’s love and grace.

Blessings and love to you all,
+Diane

_______________________________________________________________________________________

June 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Knowing Your Rest Points

“Know your rest points,” was the sage advice I received from a choreographer I worked with about 20 years ago when I was dancing to make a living. We were learning a particularly challenging piece and she told us to pace ourselves; to look at the piece as a whole and find those moments when we could rest. Even though we were still moving, there were less intense moments that, with intention and focus, could provide us with enough respite to restore us for what was ahead.

This idea of rest points stuck with me through my discernment, seminary, and into my priestly vocation. Vacation is a great time for rest, of course, as are our days off. There are times and seasons of rest as well as moments of rest in each day. The key to finding this rest is to be intentional about it. We can take a look at the pacing of each day, or week, or month, or year, and find those moments when we can take a break and a breath, reconnecting to ourselves and to God.

It’s always seemed a bit of a puzzle to me why clergy, myself included, work hard and so often resist taking the rest we need. Is it the infamous “fear of missing out”? Or is it because somewhere inside of us we still feel like we need to earn our salvation? Is it because we fear Jesus (or our people) will loves us less if we take some time to rest? I have never come up with a good answer for this in myself. Maybe you have and can share it with me!

What I do know is that Jesus will not love us less if we take time to rest. Jesus will not love us less if we spend some time doing whatever provides our hearts and souls with the respite that will restore us for the work we are called to do in the more intense times in our day, week, month, or year. In the end, aren’t we all going for the long game, which is a life of meaningful work and deep connection with God and those whom God loves? The way I know how to do this is by pacing myself, knowing when I can rest, knowing when I need to push through, and remembering that everything we do is for the sake of God’s love.

Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce and I, along with Canon Satorius and the Formations and Transitions team, have been thinking of ways that we can offer moments of rest for the clergy community as well. We began with clergy conference, which was a different kind of clergy conference than we have had in previous years. Rather than listening to a speaker, which can feel exhausting in the Easter season after a full year, we opted for a conference that felt more like a retreat. It was our first draft, so to speak, and next year we will fine-tune it.

Additionally, we are experimenting with two other points during the year where rest, restoration, and learning can be offered. The first will be on November 1, when the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary, will offer a retreat day for clergy held at St. Paul’s Commons (the Cathedral Center). More details on this event will come soon, but in the meantime please check out Dean Douglas’ biography. I also encourage you to check out some of her writing, including her groundbreaking book Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective.

Second, in the spring, we will offer a retreat day prior to Lent in collaboration with Stillpoint. What that day looks like has yet to be planned but we will have information out as soon as we are able.

Until then, I pray you have a blessed and restorative summer! If we can be of service to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

Melissa

______________________________________________________________________________

March 2020

From Bishop John Harvey Taylor

My colleagues in Christ:

More than a year ago, Bishop Bruce invited Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to speak at our annual Bishop’s Dinner this November. As you know, it’s a fundraiser, with proceeds set aside for our missions and ministry centers. As in 2019, we’ll use the money this year to enable as many missions as possible to participate in Jaime Edwards-Acton and Betsy Densmore’s Social Enterprise Academy, learning how to leverage their resources for the sake of God’s people and the sustainability of the church.

Just think about it. The greatest preacher of our time, in Los Angeles, just a few days after the presidential election, offering the inspiration of Christ’s way of love.

Then Canon McCarthy had an idea. Why don’t we ask Bishop Curry to offer his sure-to-be-stirring address twice, at each end of the diocese? I pitched it to him in a few weeks ago in Detroit, at Bishop Bonnie Perry’s ordination and consecration, and he graciously assented.

So my colleagues, this is a “save the date” notice to keep in mind as you plan your own 2020-21 schedules. The Bishop’s Dinner del norte will be on Friday, November 6, 2020 at California Lutheran University. La cena del sur will be on Saturday, November 7, 2020 in the White House East Room replica of the Nixon library in Yorba Linda.

Please mark your calendars, and spread the word. More details to come, including about additional special guests. My spouse Canon Kathy O’Connor, again serving as volunteer dinner coordinator, is looking for dinner sponsors as well as volunteers for organizing committees for both dinners. Please write her at koconnor@ladiocese.org. We promise to keep the tickets as affordable as possible. Thank you for understanding the vital importance of raising these funds for our institutions on the front lines of mission and ministry.

Yours in Christ’s love,

+John

July 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

July – a way of rest

July is always that month when I can kinda-sorta-breathe. Is it that way for you too?

Starting with Easter I feel as though I’m on a dead run to July. June is always the worst — it’s a whirlwind for me; graduations, ordinations, consecrations, birthdays. Maybe June was and is a whirlwind for you too.

Now it’s July — June gloom is behind us (hopefully) and we look forward to sunny days and a more reasonable pace of work. Maybe you’ve scheduled all or part of your vacation for July. Many clergy do.

We as clergy tend to over-function. We do so at times out of necessity, especially when we are the only clergy person caring for a congregation. We do so out of our own insecurity, as if people might think we are slacking off if we actually take time apart to rest, reflect and pray.

We do so because there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done, someone to be visited, something to fix, more meetings to schedule. God knows I eat over-functioning for breakfast! Yet I know I’m not called to stay in that place. It is not healthy for my body, mind or spirit, and it is not healthy for you either.

I want to invite you to continue to walk with me on the Way of Love. During the month of July — and heck, let’s throw August in there as well — I invite you to move into a bit of REST. It doesn’t mean we completely stop working (unless, of course, you are on vacation!). It does mean taking some time to think about, pray about, work on that aspect of the Way of Love which our Presiding Bishop calls rest.

From https://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/documents/way_of_love_introduction.pdf:

REST: Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  – John 14:27

Blessed are you, O Lord … giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent.  – Book of Common Prayer, 113

From the beginning of creation, God has established the sacred pattern of going and returning, labor and rest. Especially today, God invites us to dedicate time for restoration and wholeness – within our bodies, minds, and souls, and within our communities and institutions. By resting we place our trust in God, the primary actor who brings all things to their fullness.

For Reflection and Discernment

• What practices restore your body, mind, and soul?
• How will you observe rest and renewal on a regular basis?
• With whom will you commit to create and maintain a regular practice of rest?

Use this quieter time we live in right now to honor your body, mind and spirit — and drink in God’s love and grace.

Blessings and love to you all,
+Diane

_______________________________________________________________________________________

June 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Knowing Your Rest Points

“Know your rest points,” was the sage advice I received from a choreographer I worked with about 20 years ago when I was dancing to make a living. We were learning a particularly challenging piece and she told us to pace ourselves; to look at the piece as a whole and find those moments when we could rest. Even though we were still moving, there were less intense moments that, with intention and focus, could provide us with enough respite to restore us for what was ahead.

This idea of rest points stuck with me through my discernment, seminary, and into my priestly vocation. Vacation is a great time for rest, of course, as are our days off. There are times and seasons of rest as well as moments of rest in each day. The key to finding this rest is to be intentional about it. We can take a look at the pacing of each day, or week, or month, or year, and find those moments when we can take a break and a breath, reconnecting to ourselves and to God.

It’s always seemed a bit of a puzzle to me why clergy, myself included, work hard and so often resist taking the rest we need. Is it the infamous “fear of missing out”? Or is it because somewhere inside of us we still feel like we need to earn our salvation? Is it because we fear Jesus (or our people) will loves us less if we take some time to rest? I have never come up with a good answer for this in myself. Maybe you have and can share it with me!

What I do know is that Jesus will not love us less if we take time to rest. Jesus will not love us less if we spend some time doing whatever provides our hearts and souls with the respite that will restore us for the work we are called to do in the more intense times in our day, week, month, or year. In the end, aren’t we all going for the long game, which is a life of meaningful work and deep connection with God and those whom God loves? The way I know how to do this is by pacing myself, knowing when I can rest, knowing when I need to push through, and remembering that everything we do is for the sake of God’s love.

Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce and I, along with Canon Satorius and the Formations and Transitions team, have been thinking of ways that we can offer moments of rest for the clergy community as well. We began with clergy conference, which was a different kind of clergy conference than we have had in previous years. Rather than listening to a speaker, which can feel exhausting in the Easter season after a full year, we opted for a conference that felt more like a retreat. It was our first draft, so to speak, and next year we will fine-tune it.

Additionally, we are experimenting with two other points during the year where rest, restoration, and learning can be offered. The first will be on November 1, when the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary, will offer a retreat day for clergy held at St. Paul’s Commons (the Cathedral Center). More details on this event will come soon, but in the meantime please check out Dean Douglas’ biography. I also encourage you to check out some of her writing, including her groundbreaking book Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective.

Second, in the spring, we will offer a retreat day prior to Lent in collaboration with Stillpoint. What that day looks like has yet to be planned but we will have information out as soon as we are able.

Until then, I pray you have a blessed and restorative summer! If we can be of service to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

Melissa

______________________________________________________________________________

March 2020

From Bishop John Harvey Taylor

My colleagues in Christ:

More than a year ago, Bishop Bruce invited Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to speak at our annual Bishop’s Dinner this November. As you know, it’s a fundraiser, with proceeds set aside for our missions and ministry centers. As in 2019, we’ll use the money this year to enable as many missions as possible to participate in Jaime Edwards-Acton and Betsy Densmore’s Social Enterprise Academy, learning how to leverage their resources for the sake of God’s people and the sustainability of the church.

Just think about it. The greatest preacher of our time, in Los Angeles, just a few days after the presidential election, offering the inspiration of Christ’s way of love.

Then Canon McCarthy had an idea. Why don’t we ask Bishop Curry to offer his sure-to-be-stirring address twice, at each end of the diocese? I pitched it to him in a few weeks ago in Detroit, at Bishop Bonnie Perry’s ordination and consecration, and he graciously assented.

So my colleagues, this is a “save the date” notice to keep in mind as you plan your own 2020-21 schedules. The Bishop’s Dinner del norte will be on Friday, November 6, 2020 at California Lutheran University. La cena del sur will be on Saturday, November 7, 2020 in the White House East Room replica of the Nixon library in Yorba Linda.

Please mark your calendars, and spread the word. More details to come, including about additional special guests. My spouse Canon Kathy O’Connor, again serving as volunteer dinner coordinator, is looking for dinner sponsors as well as volunteers for organizing committees for both dinners. Please write her at koconnor@ladiocese.org. We promise to keep the tickets as affordable as possible. Thank you for understanding the vital importance of raising these funds for our institutions on the front lines of mission and ministry.

Yours in Christ’s love,

+John

July 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

July – a way of rest

July is always that month when I can kinda-sorta-breathe. Is it that way for you too?

Starting with Easter I feel as though I’m on a dead run to July. June is always the worst — it’s a whirlwind for me; graduations, ordinations, consecrations, birthdays. Maybe June was and is a whirlwind for you too.

Now it’s July — June gloom is behind us (hopefully) and we look forward to sunny days and a more reasonable pace of work. Maybe you’ve scheduled all or part of your vacation for July. Many clergy do.

We as clergy tend to over-function. We do so at times out of necessity, especially when we are the only clergy person caring for a congregation. We do so out of our own insecurity, as if people might think we are slacking off if we actually take time apart to rest, reflect and pray.

We do so because there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done, someone to be visited, something to fix, more meetings to schedule. God knows I eat over-functioning for breakfast! Yet I know I’m not called to stay in that place. It is not healthy for my body, mind or spirit, and it is not healthy for you either.

I want to invite you to continue to walk with me on the Way of Love. During the month of July — and heck, let’s throw August in there as well — I invite you to move into a bit of REST. It doesn’t mean we completely stop working (unless, of course, you are on vacation!). It does mean taking some time to think about, pray about, work on that aspect of the Way of Love which our Presiding Bishop calls rest.

From https://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/documents/way_of_love_introduction.pdf:

REST: Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  – John 14:27

Blessed are you, O Lord … giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent.  – Book of Common Prayer, 113

From the beginning of creation, God has established the sacred pattern of going and returning, labor and rest. Especially today, God invites us to dedicate time for restoration and wholeness – within our bodies, minds, and souls, and within our communities and institutions. By resting we place our trust in God, the primary actor who brings all things to their fullness.

For Reflection and Discernment

• What practices restore your body, mind, and soul?
• How will you observe rest and renewal on a regular basis?
• With whom will you commit to create and maintain a regular practice of rest?

Use this quieter time we live in right now to honor your body, mind and spirit — and drink in God’s love and grace.

Blessings and love to you all,
+Diane

_______________________________________________________________________________________

June 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Knowing Your Rest Points

“Know your rest points,” was the sage advice I received from a choreographer I worked with about 20 years ago when I was dancing to make a living. We were learning a particularly challenging piece and she told us to pace ourselves; to look at the piece as a whole and find those moments when we could rest. Even though we were still moving, there were less intense moments that, with intention and focus, could provide us with enough respite to restore us for what was ahead.

This idea of rest points stuck with me through my discernment, seminary, and into my priestly vocation. Vacation is a great time for rest, of course, as are our days off. There are times and seasons of rest as well as moments of rest in each day. The key to finding this rest is to be intentional about it. We can take a look at the pacing of each day, or week, or month, or year, and find those moments when we can take a break and a breath, reconnecting to ourselves and to God.

It’s always seemed a bit of a puzzle to me why clergy, myself included, work hard and so often resist taking the rest we need. Is it the infamous “fear of missing out”? Or is it because somewhere inside of us we still feel like we need to earn our salvation? Is it because we fear Jesus (or our people) will loves us less if we take some time to rest? I have never come up with a good answer for this in myself. Maybe you have and can share it with me!

What I do know is that Jesus will not love us less if we take time to rest. Jesus will not love us less if we spend some time doing whatever provides our hearts and souls with the respite that will restore us for the work we are called to do in the more intense times in our day, week, month, or year. In the end, aren’t we all going for the long game, which is a life of meaningful work and deep connection with God and those whom God loves? The way I know how to do this is by pacing myself, knowing when I can rest, knowing when I need to push through, and remembering that everything we do is for the sake of God’s love.

Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce and I, along with Canon Satorius and the Formations and Transitions team, have been thinking of ways that we can offer moments of rest for the clergy community as well. We began with clergy conference, which was a different kind of clergy conference than we have had in previous years. Rather than listening to a speaker, which can feel exhausting in the Easter season after a full year, we opted for a conference that felt more like a retreat. It was our first draft, so to speak, and next year we will fine-tune it.

Additionally, we are experimenting with two other points during the year where rest, restoration, and learning can be offered. The first will be on November 1, when the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary, will offer a retreat day for clergy held at St. Paul’s Commons (the Cathedral Center). More details on this event will come soon, but in the meantime please check out Dean Douglas’ biography. I also encourage you to check out some of her writing, including her groundbreaking book Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective.

Second, in the spring, we will offer a retreat day prior to Lent in collaboration with Stillpoint. What that day looks like has yet to be planned but we will have information out as soon as we are able.

Until then, I pray you have a blessed and restorative summer! If we can be of service to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

Melissa

______________________________________________________________________________

March 2020

From Bishop John Harvey Taylor

My colleagues in Christ:

More than a year ago, Bishop Bruce invited Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to speak at our annual Bishop’s Dinner this November. As you know, it’s a fundraiser, with proceeds set aside for our missions and ministry centers. As in 2019, we’ll use the money this year to enable as many missions as possible to participate in Jaime Edwards-Acton and Betsy Densmore’s Social Enterprise Academy, learning how to leverage their resources for the sake of God’s people and the sustainability of the church.

Just think about it. The greatest preacher of our time, in Los Angeles, just a few days after the presidential election, offering the inspiration of Christ’s way of love.

Then Canon McCarthy had an idea. Why don’t we ask Bishop Curry to offer his sure-to-be-stirring address twice, at each end of the diocese? I pitched it to him in a few weeks ago in Detroit, at Bishop Bonnie Perry’s ordination and consecration, and he graciously assented.

So my colleagues, this is a “save the date” notice to keep in mind as you plan your own 2020-21 schedules. The Bishop’s Dinner del norte will be on Friday, November 6, 2020 at California Lutheran University. La cena del sur will be on Saturday, November 7, 2020 in the White House East Room replica of the Nixon library in Yorba Linda.

Please mark your calendars, and spread the word. More details to come, including about additional special guests. My spouse Canon Kathy O’Connor, again serving as volunteer dinner coordinator, is looking for dinner sponsors as well as volunteers for organizing committees for both dinners. Please write her at koconnor@ladiocese.org. We promise to keep the tickets as affordable as possible. Thank you for understanding the vital importance of raising these funds for our institutions on the front lines of mission and ministry.

Yours in Christ’s love,

+John

July 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

July – a way of rest

July is always that month when I can kinda-sorta-breathe. Is it that way for you too?

Starting with Easter I feel as though I’m on a dead run to July. June is always the worst — it’s a whirlwind for me; graduations, ordinations, consecrations, birthdays. Maybe June was and is a whirlwind for you too.

Now it’s July — June gloom is behind us (hopefully) and we look forward to sunny days and a more reasonable pace of work. Maybe you’ve scheduled all or part of your vacation for July. Many clergy do.

We as clergy tend to over-function. We do so at times out of necessity, especially when we are the only clergy person caring for a congregation. We do so out of our own insecurity, as if people might think we are slacking off if we actually take time apart to rest, reflect and pray.

We do so because there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done, someone to be visited, something to fix, more meetings to schedule. God knows I eat over-functioning for breakfast! Yet I know I’m not called to stay in that place. It is not healthy for my body, mind or spirit, and it is not healthy for you either.

I want to invite you to continue to walk with me on the Way of Love. During the month of July — and heck, let’s throw August in there as well — I invite you to move into a bit of REST. It doesn’t mean we completely stop working (unless, of course, you are on vacation!). It does mean taking some time to think about, pray about, work on that aspect of the Way of Love which our Presiding Bishop calls rest.

From https://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/documents/way_of_love_introduction.pdf:

REST: Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  – John 14:27

Blessed are you, O Lord … giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent.  – Book of Common Prayer, 113

From the beginning of creation, God has established the sacred pattern of going and returning, labor and rest. Especially today, God invites us to dedicate time for restoration and wholeness – within our bodies, minds, and souls, and within our communities and institutions. By resting we place our trust in God, the primary actor who brings all things to their fullness.

For Reflection and Discernment

• What practices restore your body, mind, and soul?
• How will you observe rest and renewal on a regular basis?
• With whom will you commit to create and maintain a regular practice of rest?

Use this quieter time we live in right now to honor your body, mind and spirit — and drink in God’s love and grace.

Blessings and love to you all,
+Diane

_______________________________________________________________________________________

June 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Knowing Your Rest Points

“Know your rest points,” was the sage advice I received from a choreographer I worked with about 20 years ago when I was dancing to make a living. We were learning a particularly challenging piece and she told us to pace ourselves; to look at the piece as a whole and find those moments when we could rest. Even though we were still moving, there were less intense moments that, with intention and focus, could provide us with enough respite to restore us for what was ahead.

This idea of rest points stuck with me through my discernment, seminary, and into my priestly vocation. Vacation is a great time for rest, of course, as are our days off. There are times and seasons of rest as well as moments of rest in each day. The key to finding this rest is to be intentional about it. We can take a look at the pacing of each day, or week, or month, or year, and find those moments when we can take a break and a breath, reconnecting to ourselves and to God.

It’s always seemed a bit of a puzzle to me why clergy, myself included, work hard and so often resist taking the rest we need. Is it the infamous “fear of missing out”? Or is it because somewhere inside of us we still feel like we need to earn our salvation? Is it because we fear Jesus (or our people) will loves us less if we take some time to rest? I have never come up with a good answer for this in myself. Maybe you have and can share it with me!

What I do know is that Jesus will not love us less if we take time to rest. Jesus will not love us less if we spend some time doing whatever provides our hearts and souls with the respite that will restore us for the work we are called to do in the more intense times in our day, week, month, or year. In the end, aren’t we all going for the long game, which is a life of meaningful work and deep connection with God and those whom God loves? The way I know how to do this is by pacing myself, knowing when I can rest, knowing when I need to push through, and remembering that everything we do is for the sake of God’s love.

Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce and I, along with Canon Satorius and the Formations and Transitions team, have been thinking of ways that we can offer moments of rest for the clergy community as well. We began with clergy conference, which was a different kind of clergy conference than we have had in previous years. Rather than listening to a speaker, which can feel exhausting in the Easter season after a full year, we opted for a conference that felt more like a retreat. It was our first draft, so to speak, and next year we will fine-tune it.

Additionally, we are experimenting with two other points during the year where rest, restoration, and learning can be offered. The first will be on November 1, when the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary, will offer a retreat day for clergy held at St. Paul’s Commons (the Cathedral Center). More details on this event will come soon, but in the meantime please check out Dean Douglas’ biography. I also encourage you to check out some of her writing, including her groundbreaking book Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective.

Second, in the spring, we will offer a retreat day prior to Lent in collaboration with Stillpoint. What that day looks like has yet to be planned but we will have information out as soon as we are able.

Until then, I pray you have a blessed and restorative summer! If we can be of service to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

Melissa

______________________________________________________________________________

May 2019

From Bishop Diocesan John Harvey Taylor

May 2, 2019 – Feast of St. Athanasius

St. Paul’s Commons
is the new name for
our diocesan HQ in Echo Park

______________________________________________________________________________

April 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce:

About Lambeth

Dear Friends in Christ:

In mid-March Bishop Taylor and I spent four long, intense days with our fellow Bishops at Kanuga in North Carolina. You have already seen the letter from us and our spouses regarding the controversy surrounding Lambeth 2020.

Leaving Bishop Mary Glasspool’s beloved Becki off the guest list was shocking and painful – especially for those of us who have experienced their powerful and loving ministry among us. The response of the House of Bishops (HOB) as well as your bishops here was undertaken prayerfully. Mary herself gave a moving account of what transpired in the weeks leading up to our gathering at the HOB.

The work of the HOB in this triennium is centered on The Way of Love. For those of you who haven’t reviewed the materials for The Way of Love a good place to begin is here.

We had the privilege of hearing from Bishop Vashti McKenzie (AME Bishop, Texas) as well as Bishop Ric Thorpe (Bishop of Islington) on Evangelism as it relates to the Way of Love.

Bishop McKenzie is the Bishop in charge of all the AME churches in the State of Texas. She talked about the fact that many people practice “CHURCHianity” rather than “CHRISTianity”.

She asked the question, “Is it possible that we are more in love with Church than we are with Jesus Christ?” It is so easy to get caught up in the mechanics of Church that we forget the reason we are here and what we are called to do. While we need the institution, we also need to be open to the movement of the Holy Spirit.

Bishop Ric Thorpe has been Bishop of Islington, a suffragan bishopric in the Diocese of London with special attention to the ministry of church planting, since September 2015. He is responsible for the London diocese’s goal of creating 100 New Worshipping Communities by 2020 and is also working nationally to support other dioceses to plant new churches and revitalize existing ones. Before being appointed to Islington, Bishop Ric was the Bishop of London’s adviser for Church Planting and the rector of St. Paul’s Shadwell.

Bishop Thorpe offered that the Way of Love re-centers us on what really matters. He shared that the decade of Evangelism in England didn’t produce much fruit in terms of the programs and projects that it did — EXCEPT for Alpha and for a renewed passion for the poor and the marginalized.

Reflecting on his work turning around St. Paul’s, he told us that St. Paul’s had 12 people left in it and was going to be closed. The Bishop of London asked Bishop Thorpe and a team to revitalize it — 95 people came with him to revitalize. The neighborhood is 45% Muslim, 45% secular young professionals, 10% aging cockney. The congregation grew! Check out their website here.

Bishop Thorpe draws his tradition from Gregory the Great — a vision for the re-visioning of a community and re-evangelizing of the nation. Augustine similarly worked with the powers that be to plant churches. Bishop Thorpe then looked to the Celtic saints and found Cuthbert who worked by coming alongside a community, developing a church outside the city limits and offering hospitality. The Celtic way is all about relationships.

Both Bishop McKenzie and Bishop Thorpe agreed that if we want to see the church revitalized and become a church that is full of the love of God in Christ and is following The Way of Love it starts with prayer. Here we are, back to where we started. The bishops spent time and prayed as we dealt with the harsh reality of Lambeth 2020. It all starts with prayer, and it all must end with prayer.

Please know I pray for you all daily. I pray for our Church. I pray for our nation. I pray for our world. May all we do be begin and end in prayer.

+Diane

March 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Summiting Together

Dear Friends:

Mount Snowdon is the highest mountain peak in Wales and the highest peak in all of the United Kingdom outside of the Scottish Highlands. This 3,560-foot peak seems small for us here in California where snow falls generally occur at 4,500 feet and above. However, each mountain has its own personality, its own treachery, and Snowdon is no different.

I visited Wales in 2005 and, with my friend Isabella, decided to take a day to make the climb. I was barely 30 and still had that feeling of invincibility when we embarked that July morning. We decided to take the longest and busiest route to the top because we had been warned by so many locals to be careful of sudden weather changes and the danger such changes would bring us along the less traversed and more narrow paths. As I recall, it is a five-mile hike to the top so, after a good and fortifying breakfast, we started our ascent early that morning.

The hike up to the peak was beautiful. We encountered many fellow pilgrims, shook our figurative fists at those who zoomed past us on the train to the top, and enjoyed every moment of it. Almost. When we were about three-fourths of a mile from summiting the strangest thing happened. I got tired. Really tired. My legs felt heavy. Every step was a monumental effort. I kept pushing myself until finally I couldn’t do it any longer. I told Isabella what I was experiencing and she, being older and much wiser, said, “Oh, you are bonking,” which I inferred to mean some kind of crazy fatigue that she was aware of and I was not.

As it turns out “bonking” or “hitting the wall” is a real thing. It is the onset of sudden fatigue caused by a loss of glycogen. I sat down, she handed me a cliff bar, and I ate about half of it along with some long sips of water. A few minutes later I was fine. In fact, we ate that last three-fourths of a mile for a midmorning snack. The summit was as amazing as promised with cool winds and breathtaking views.

Being in ministry is a lot like summiting a peak. It’s a process and a journey. It’s something we sign up for and embark on with the best preparation we can have. It’s something that we do with others and, like my experience on Snowdon, it can wear us out. This is normal. Strength and energy comes and goes. We need periods of rest and quiet.

We need time to refuel and re-energize. As I was beginning to “bonk” I felt a sense of shame. I wondered what was wrong with me and why I couldn’t just keep going. I looked at Isabella and she was fine. How come I wasn’t? I tried to push through and then I stopped. What Isabella did was normalize it for me, give me some fuel, and sit with me while I rested.

We can do the same for each other: normalize the fatigue, share the fuel for ministry that we have with each other, and be with each other in those periods of rest. Doing this for each other helps neutralize any shame we might be experiencing as well as any sense of competition with each other we may be indulging.

In the end, our vocational lives are most healthy and vibrant when we are in good relationship with each other, which necessarily means being able to share our vulnerabilities with each other and receive the support that is waiting to be offered.

These are my reflections on the eve of Lent, a time that is guaranteed to wear out anyone in active ministry. Be gentle with yourselves, reach out to one another (and to me!), and enjoy the journey with fellow pilgrims on the way.

A blessed Lent to all!

Melissa+
______________________________________________________________________________

February 2019

From Bishop Diocesan John Taylor 

 Joining the List

______________________________________________________________________________

October 2018

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Expectations

Greetings, dear colleagues!

I sit down to write this note to you on the morning after Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s harrowing testimony. I will confess that I am still reeling from watching the hearing and how it all played out. I am still reeling from the fact that a victim is being prosecuted. I am still reeling from the dehumanization she has experienced.

I am still reeling from the undeniable and incontrovertible evidence this testimony and the whole hearing has provided us of how far this country’s leadership has fallen and how openly, indeed publicly, sexual abuse of women has been given the rubber stamp of approval by our current president.

Meanwhile, while we are all focused on this hearing, ICE detained 150 good people in Southern California, which is yet another example of the horrific policies put into place by the current president.

Given everything that is happening in our world, how do we continue our vocational tasks of preaching, teaching, and living the good news?

How do we find the energy for it?

For me, it has come through reflection upon a question a colleague posed to me. A couple of Sundays ago, I had the opportunity to do a parish visit, sit with the vestry of the church, and talk about mission in ministry in their particular context. During this meeting, their rector asked me a question that caught me up short for a moment. It was a simple, articulate, and profound question. It was an articulation of something I have wondered during all my years of priesthood but have never been able to put words to, at least not this way. The rector asked what our bishops expect of us, the clergy.

I went back to Echo Park and told Bishop Taylor about this question, how it had struck me, and how I answered the question. Together, he and I put some more thinking behind what is expected of us, and by “us” I mean all of us, including the bishops.

Here’s what we came up with:

Curiosity
In a cultural context that dehumanizes and renders invisible those that it deems “other,” one of the most profoundly easy and highly impactful things we can do is to be curious about the people we meet. We can learn their stories, get to know them, and listen to what they have to teach us. Our curiosity and interest in others helps them to feel seen and heard, and it fosters a sense of safety in community’

Joy
An underrated charism in our church, joy is infectious. It is almost impossible not to feel it when you encounter someone who has this infectious joy. Joy for me has been an on again/off again experience, but more and more, in the light of what is happening in our world, I am doing my best to lean into it. Our lives are resurrection narratives and that is something we can be joyful about. We have Jesus and that is where our joy is found.

Talk less and listen more
We clergy are in the business of talking. We pray, we preach, we provide leadership for our people. We certainly value listening as an essential part of our vocation, but it’s easier said than done. Simply listening, without jumping in to share our own story or make a connection with an experience we have had, is one way we can really see the people with whom we minister. Listening to someone is receiving them.

Do the opposite
In a context and time in history which is increasingly polarized, binary, either/or, impatient, anxious, suspicious, and volatile, go and do the opposite.

We have the opportunity to bring in the gray areas, to see the both/and, to adopt radical calm, and to believe what people tell us. Whatever we can do that is the opposite of what is happening around us will be transformative. Of course, this goes back to our baptismal promise to seek justice and peace among all people, and to respect the dignity of every human being. Whatever we can do to live into this promise, one relationship at a time, will make a difference.

Love one another as God has loved us
Our collegial relationships are among the most important relationships we have beyond our families. Let us love each other as God has loved us. A safe community of holy love and grace is what God wants for us. Let us be that for one another.

Thank you, dear colleagues, for the ministries you do, for the love you share, and for saying yes to God’s call to bring hope to the world during this time. It is an honor to be doing ministry with you!

Blessings,

Melissa+

______________________________________________________________________________

July 2018

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

Where the spirit moves us

Dear Friends in Christ,

As I write this article to you, I’m preparing to head to General Convention on Sunday, July 1.

I arrive early as I have responsibilities to attend to as Secretary to the House of Bishops. We will be talking about and voting on a wide variety of subjects – some of which many of you are passionate about.

It will be about two weeks of intensive work, which is designed to point us as a Church in the direction that the Spirit moves us.

I am never good at predicting the outcome of elections to offices or of the fate of various resolutions, yet one thing I do know: much work will be done, many conversations will be had (some heated) – and all this set in the context of prayer and the Eucharist.

In addition to preparing for General Convention I have been working on finance and stewardship work, and am most grateful to Lorenzo Lebrija for his help and work on the Stewardship event we held last weekend. Thanks also to Chris Tumilty, who used his expertise to allow us for the first time to go “live” to you – with the plenary and all workshops live-streamed.

We hope to do more of this, so that the diocese can meet YOU where YOU are — not just at Echo Park. Videos of the plenary and workshops will be available for your viewing here.

The work was designed to help congregations with planned giving, narrative budgeting, utilizing TENS (The Episcopal Network on Stewardship), utilizing Holy Currencies, etc.

Speaking of TENS, if you want to use the materials, the Diocese has purchased access for you. The login ID is: Mark; the password is: 10:21. The work we are doing in Finance and the work of the Stewardship Conference was and is to equip you and all of us for the work God is giving us to do.

While I am personally preoccupied at the moment with General Convention preparations, and in the midst of work in Finance and just through with our Stewardship Conference, I’m most grateful to our Bishop Diocesan John Taylor and the men and women, lay and ordained, who are working tirelessly to bring attention to and end the separation of children from their parents at the border.

From demonstrations to protests to phone calls to letter writing–something has to change. The evil – and I use the word evil — separation of children from their families is one of the most depraved acts we as a nation can commit against a human family. Families must be reunited again – now. I keep thinking about the Holy Family – fleeing to Egypt. What if Jesus had been separated from his parents at that border?

Friends in Christ, we need to band together as the Episcopal Branch of the Jesus movement to not only move in the way the Spirit is leading us through the work of our General Convention, and through the way we utilize our gifts of time, talent and treasure, but most importantly through the way we shed light into the darkness that sometimes overtakes our world.

We must continue to advocate for those who have no voice or whose voices are being silenced. That is Jesus-work for us all. May we continue to do so, speaking out, using our resources, advocating for, loving, caring and protecting ALL whom God brings to us.

Blessings,

+Diane

_____________________________________________________________________

June 2018

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

The truth of our vocation

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to you after a wonderful meeting with those who will be ordained on June 2 at St. John’s Cathedral. I came to my scheduled time with them with no agenda.

As we talked, a few questions began to emerge. Among the things they asked were the usual questions about when to wear or not wear their collars, when to call the bishop, and all the other things you may remember having questions about when you were newly ordained.

As the conversation continued, the questions moved from the practical to the personal and theological. One of the ordinands asked me something like this: “What lies do the newly ordained tell themselves and how can we stay true to the truth?”

I was struck by the honesty of this question and how important it is for us to stay true to the truth of our vocations. What are the lies we tell ourselves? What is the truth of our vocation that we need to keep in focus?

For each of us, the answers to these questions may be different but I imagine there is a similar theme. The lies we tell ourselves are most likely rooted in ego and insecurity, arrogance and fear. The truth of our vocation is rooted in love, humility, faithfulness, and hope. That part of the question is not so tricky to identify. Staying true to the truth is a more difficult task.

How do you avoid the lies of ego and insecurity, arrogance and fear, and stay rooted in love, humility, faithfulness, and hope? What does that mean for you?

For me it has something to do with remembering what a privilege it is to be called into a vocation where our work is to love others as Christ has loved us as well as the fact that while we will always have lots of tasks, what matters most in our ordained ministry is who we are. Our presence is our primary strength as leaders. Everything else will take care of itself when our presence is rooted in love, humility, faithfulness, and hope.

Please pray for those being ordained on June 2, as well as for all of our colleagues in this sacred work into which we have been called.

Know that you are held in prayer by Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce, the whole diocesan staff, and me. My prayer for us all is that our work may be rooted in God’s love, humility, faithfulness, and hope!

Blessings,

Melissa+

March 2020

From Bishop John Harvey Taylor

My colleagues in Christ:

More than a year ago, Bishop Bruce invited Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to speak at our annual Bishop’s Dinner this November. As you know, it’s a fundraiser, with proceeds set aside for our missions and ministry centers. As in 2019, we’ll use the money this year to enable as many missions as possible to participate in Jaime Edwards-Acton and Betsy Densmore’s Social Enterprise Academy, learning how to leverage their resources for the sake of God’s people and the sustainability of the church.

Just think about it. The greatest preacher of our time, in Los Angeles, just a few days after the presidential election, offering the inspiration of Christ’s way of love.

Then Canon McCarthy had an idea. Why don’t we ask Bishop Curry to offer his sure-to-be-stirring address twice, at each end of the diocese? I pitched it to him in a few weeks ago in Detroit, at Bishop Bonnie Perry’s ordination and consecration, and he graciously assented.

So my colleagues, this is a “save the date” notice to keep in mind as you plan your own 2020-21 schedules. The Bishop’s Dinner del norte will be on Friday, November 6, 2020 at California Lutheran University. La cena del sur will be on Saturday, November 7, 2020 in the White House East Room replica of the Nixon library in Yorba Linda.

Please mark your calendars, and spread the word. More details to come, including about additional special guests. My spouse Canon Kathy O’Connor, again serving as volunteer dinner coordinator, is looking for dinner sponsors as well as volunteers for organizing committees for both dinners. Please write her at koconnor@ladiocese.org. We promise to keep the tickets as affordable as possible. Thank you for understanding the vital importance of raising these funds for our institutions on the front lines of mission and ministry.

Yours in Christ’s love,

+John

July 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

July – a way of rest

July is always that month when I can kinda-sorta-breathe. Is it that way for you too?

Starting with Easter I feel as though I’m on a dead run to July. June is always the worst — it’s a whirlwind for me; graduations, ordinations, consecrations, birthdays. Maybe June was and is a whirlwind for you too.

Now it’s July — June gloom is behind us (hopefully) and we look forward to sunny days and a more reasonable pace of work. Maybe you’ve scheduled all or part of your vacation for July. Many clergy do.

We as clergy tend to over-function. We do so at times out of necessity, especially when we are the only clergy person caring for a congregation. We do so out of our own insecurity, as if people might think we are slacking off if we actually take time apart to rest, reflect and pray.

We do so because there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done, someone to be visited, something to fix, more meetings to schedule. God knows I eat over-functioning for breakfast! Yet I know I’m not called to stay in that place. It is not healthy for my body, mind or spirit, and it is not healthy for you either.

I want to invite you to continue to walk with me on the Way of Love. During the month of July — and heck, let’s throw August in there as well — I invite you to move into a bit of REST. It doesn’t mean we completely stop working (unless, of course, you are on vacation!). It does mean taking some time to think about, pray about, work on that aspect of the Way of Love which our Presiding Bishop calls rest.

From https://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/documents/way_of_love_introduction.pdf:

REST: Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  – John 14:27

Blessed are you, O Lord … giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent.  – Book of Common Prayer, 113

From the beginning of creation, God has established the sacred pattern of going and returning, labor and rest. Especially today, God invites us to dedicate time for restoration and wholeness – within our bodies, minds, and souls, and within our communities and institutions. By resting we place our trust in God, the primary actor who brings all things to their fullness.

For Reflection and Discernment

• What practices restore your body, mind, and soul?
• How will you observe rest and renewal on a regular basis?
• With whom will you commit to create and maintain a regular practice of rest?

Use this quieter time we live in right now to honor your body, mind and spirit — and drink in God’s love and grace.

Blessings and love to you all,
+Diane

_______________________________________________________________________________________

June 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Knowing Your Rest Points

“Know your rest points,” was the sage advice I received from a choreographer I worked with about 20 years ago when I was dancing to make a living. We were learning a particularly challenging piece and she told us to pace ourselves; to look at the piece as a whole and find those moments when we could rest. Even though we were still moving, there were less intense moments that, with intention and focus, could provide us with enough respite to restore us for what was ahead.

This idea of rest points stuck with me through my discernment, seminary, and into my priestly vocation. Vacation is a great time for rest, of course, as are our days off. There are times and seasons of rest as well as moments of rest in each day. The key to finding this rest is to be intentional about it. We can take a look at the pacing of each day, or week, or month, or year, and find those moments when we can take a break and a breath, reconnecting to ourselves and to God.

It’s always seemed a bit of a puzzle to me why clergy, myself included, work hard and so often resist taking the rest we need. Is it the infamous “fear of missing out”? Or is it because somewhere inside of us we still feel like we need to earn our salvation? Is it because we fear Jesus (or our people) will loves us less if we take some time to rest? I have never come up with a good answer for this in myself. Maybe you have and can share it with me!

What I do know is that Jesus will not love us less if we take time to rest. Jesus will not love us less if we spend some time doing whatever provides our hearts and souls with the respite that will restore us for the work we are called to do in the more intense times in our day, week, month, or year. In the end, aren’t we all going for the long game, which is a life of meaningful work and deep connection with God and those whom God loves? The way I know how to do this is by pacing myself, knowing when I can rest, knowing when I need to push through, and remembering that everything we do is for the sake of God’s love.

Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce and I, along with Canon Satorius and the Formations and Transitions team, have been thinking of ways that we can offer moments of rest for the clergy community as well. We began with clergy conference, which was a different kind of clergy conference than we have had in previous years. Rather than listening to a speaker, which can feel exhausting in the Easter season after a full year, we opted for a conference that felt more like a retreat. It was our first draft, so to speak, and next year we will fine-tune it.

Additionally, we are experimenting with two other points during the year where rest, restoration, and learning can be offered. The first will be on November 1, when the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary, will offer a retreat day for clergy held at St. Paul’s Commons (the Cathedral Center). More details on this event will come soon, but in the meantime please check out Dean Douglas’ biography. I also encourage you to check out some of her writing, including her groundbreaking book Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective.

Second, in the spring, we will offer a retreat day prior to Lent in collaboration with Stillpoint. What that day looks like has yet to be planned but we will have information out as soon as we are able.

Until then, I pray you have a blessed and restorative summer! If we can be of service to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

Melissa

______________________________________________________________________________

March 2020

From Bishop John Harvey Taylor

My colleagues in Christ:

More than a year ago, Bishop Bruce invited Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to speak at our annual Bishop’s Dinner this November. As you know, it’s a fundraiser, with proceeds set aside for our missions and ministry centers. As in 2019, we’ll use the money this year to enable as many missions as possible to participate in Jaime Edwards-Acton and Betsy Densmore’s Social Enterprise Academy, learning how to leverage their resources for the sake of God’s people and the sustainability of the church.

Just think about it. The greatest preacher of our time, in Los Angeles, just a few days after the presidential election, offering the inspiration of Christ’s way of love.

Then Canon McCarthy had an idea. Why don’t we ask Bishop Curry to offer his sure-to-be-stirring address twice, at each end of the diocese? I pitched it to him in a few weeks ago in Detroit, at Bishop Bonnie Perry’s ordination and consecration, and he graciously assented.

So my colleagues, this is a “save the date” notice to keep in mind as you plan your own 2020-21 schedules. The Bishop’s Dinner del norte will be on Friday, November 6, 2020 at California Lutheran University. La cena del sur will be on Saturday, November 7, 2020 in the White House East Room replica of the Nixon library in Yorba Linda.

Please mark your calendars, and spread the word. More details to come, including about additional special guests. My spouse Canon Kathy O’Connor, again serving as volunteer dinner coordinator, is looking for dinner sponsors as well as volunteers for organizing committees for both dinners. Please write her at koconnor@ladiocese.org. We promise to keep the tickets as affordable as possible. Thank you for understanding the vital importance of raising these funds for our institutions on the front lines of mission and ministry.

Yours in Christ’s love,

+John

July 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

July – a way of rest

July is always that month when I can kinda-sorta-breathe. Is it that way for you too?

Starting with Easter I feel as though I’m on a dead run to July. June is always the worst — it’s a whirlwind for me; graduations, ordinations, consecrations, birthdays. Maybe June was and is a whirlwind for you too.

Now it’s July — June gloom is behind us (hopefully) and we look forward to sunny days and a more reasonable pace of work. Maybe you’ve scheduled all or part of your vacation for July. Many clergy do.

We as clergy tend to over-function. We do so at times out of necessity, especially when we are the only clergy person caring for a congregation. We do so out of our own insecurity, as if people might think we are slacking off if we actually take time apart to rest, reflect and pray.

We do so because there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done, someone to be visited, something to fix, more meetings to schedule. God knows I eat over-functioning for breakfast! Yet I know I’m not called to stay in that place. It is not healthy for my body, mind or spirit, and it is not healthy for you either.

I want to invite you to continue to walk with me on the Way of Love. During the month of July — and heck, let’s throw August in there as well — I invite you to move into a bit of REST. It doesn’t mean we completely stop working (unless, of course, you are on vacation!). It does mean taking some time to think about, pray about, work on that aspect of the Way of Love which our Presiding Bishop calls rest.

From https://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/documents/way_of_love_introduction.pdf:

REST: Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  – John 14:27

Blessed are you, O Lord … giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent.  – Book of Common Prayer, 113

From the beginning of creation, God has established the sacred pattern of going and returning, labor and rest. Especially today, God invites us to dedicate time for restoration and wholeness – within our bodies, minds, and souls, and within our communities and institutions. By resting we place our trust in God, the primary actor who brings all things to their fullness.

For Reflection and Discernment

• What practices restore your body, mind, and soul?
• How will you observe rest and renewal on a regular basis?
• With whom will you commit to create and maintain a regular practice of rest?

Use this quieter time we live in right now to honor your body, mind and spirit — and drink in God’s love and grace.

Blessings and love to you all,
+Diane

_______________________________________________________________________________________

June 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Knowing Your Rest Points

“Know your rest points,” was the sage advice I received from a choreographer I worked with about 20 years ago when I was dancing to make a living. We were learning a particularly challenging piece and she told us to pace ourselves; to look at the piece as a whole and find those moments when we could rest. Even though we were still moving, there were less intense moments that, with intention and focus, could provide us with enough respite to restore us for what was ahead.

This idea of rest points stuck with me through my discernment, seminary, and into my priestly vocation. Vacation is a great time for rest, of course, as are our days off. There are times and seasons of rest as well as moments of rest in each day. The key to finding this rest is to be intentional about it. We can take a look at the pacing of each day, or week, or month, or year, and find those moments when we can take a break and a breath, reconnecting to ourselves and to God.

It’s always seemed a bit of a puzzle to me why clergy, myself included, work hard and so often resist taking the rest we need. Is it the infamous “fear of missing out”? Or is it because somewhere inside of us we still feel like we need to earn our salvation? Is it because we fear Jesus (or our people) will loves us less if we take some time to rest? I have never come up with a good answer for this in myself. Maybe you have and can share it with me!

What I do know is that Jesus will not love us less if we take time to rest. Jesus will not love us less if we spend some time doing whatever provides our hearts and souls with the respite that will restore us for the work we are called to do in the more intense times in our day, week, month, or year. In the end, aren’t we all going for the long game, which is a life of meaningful work and deep connection with God and those whom God loves? The way I know how to do this is by pacing myself, knowing when I can rest, knowing when I need to push through, and remembering that everything we do is for the sake of God’s love.

Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce and I, along with Canon Satorius and the Formations and Transitions team, have been thinking of ways that we can offer moments of rest for the clergy community as well. We began with clergy conference, which was a different kind of clergy conference than we have had in previous years. Rather than listening to a speaker, which can feel exhausting in the Easter season after a full year, we opted for a conference that felt more like a retreat. It was our first draft, so to speak, and next year we will fine-tune it.

Additionally, we are experimenting with two other points during the year where rest, restoration, and learning can be offered. The first will be on November 1, when the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary, will offer a retreat day for clergy held at St. Paul’s Commons (the Cathedral Center). More details on this event will come soon, but in the meantime please check out Dean Douglas’ biography. I also encourage you to check out some of her writing, including her groundbreaking book Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective.

Second, in the spring, we will offer a retreat day prior to Lent in collaboration with Stillpoint. What that day looks like has yet to be planned but we will have information out as soon as we are able.

Until then, I pray you have a blessed and restorative summer! If we can be of service to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

Melissa

______________________________________________________________________________

March 2020

From Bishop John Harvey Taylor

My colleagues in Christ:

More than a year ago, Bishop Bruce invited Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to speak at our annual Bishop’s Dinner this November. As you know, it’s a fundraiser, with proceeds set aside for our missions and ministry centers. As in 2019, we’ll use the money this year to enable as many missions as possible to participate in Jaime Edwards-Acton and Betsy Densmore’s Social Enterprise Academy, learning how to leverage their resources for the sake of God’s people and the sustainability of the church.

Just think about it. The greatest preacher of our time, in Los Angeles, just a few days after the presidential election, offering the inspiration of Christ’s way of love.

Then Canon McCarthy had an idea. Why don’t we ask Bishop Curry to offer his sure-to-be-stirring address twice, at each end of the diocese? I pitched it to him in a few weeks ago in Detroit, at Bishop Bonnie Perry’s ordination and consecration, and he graciously assented.

So my colleagues, this is a “save the date” notice to keep in mind as you plan your own 2020-21 schedules. The Bishop’s Dinner del norte will be on Friday, November 6, 2020 at California Lutheran University. La cena del sur will be on Saturday, November 7, 2020 in the White House East Room replica of the Nixon library in Yorba Linda.

Please mark your calendars, and spread the word. More details to come, including about additional special guests. My spouse Canon Kathy O’Connor, again serving as volunteer dinner coordinator, is looking for dinner sponsors as well as volunteers for organizing committees for both dinners. Please write her at koconnor@ladiocese.org. We promise to keep the tickets as affordable as possible. Thank you for understanding the vital importance of raising these funds for our institutions on the front lines of mission and ministry.

Yours in Christ’s love,

+John

July 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

July – a way of rest

July is always that month when I can kinda-sorta-breathe. Is it that way for you too?

Starting with Easter I feel as though I’m on a dead run to July. June is always the worst — it’s a whirlwind for me; graduations, ordinations, consecrations, birthdays. Maybe June was and is a whirlwind for you too.

Now it’s July — June gloom is behind us (hopefully) and we look forward to sunny days and a more reasonable pace of work. Maybe you’ve scheduled all or part of your vacation for July. Many clergy do.

We as clergy tend to over-function. We do so at times out of necessity, especially when we are the only clergy person caring for a congregation. We do so out of our own insecurity, as if people might think we are slacking off if we actually take time apart to rest, reflect and pray.

We do so because there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done, someone to be visited, something to fix, more meetings to schedule. God knows I eat over-functioning for breakfast! Yet I know I’m not called to stay in that place. It is not healthy for my body, mind or spirit, and it is not healthy for you either.

I want to invite you to continue to walk with me on the Way of Love. During the month of July — and heck, let’s throw August in there as well — I invite you to move into a bit of REST. It doesn’t mean we completely stop working (unless, of course, you are on vacation!). It does mean taking some time to think about, pray about, work on that aspect of the Way of Love which our Presiding Bishop calls rest.

From https://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/documents/way_of_love_introduction.pdf:

REST: Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  – John 14:27

Blessed are you, O Lord … giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent.  – Book of Common Prayer, 113

From the beginning of creation, God has established the sacred pattern of going and returning, labor and rest. Especially today, God invites us to dedicate time for restoration and wholeness – within our bodies, minds, and souls, and within our communities and institutions. By resting we place our trust in God, the primary actor who brings all things to their fullness.

For Reflection and Discernment

• What practices restore your body, mind, and soul?
• How will you observe rest and renewal on a regular basis?
• With whom will you commit to create and maintain a regular practice of rest?

Use this quieter time we live in right now to honor your body, mind and spirit — and drink in God’s love and grace.

Blessings and love to you all,
+Diane

_______________________________________________________________________________________

June 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Knowing Your Rest Points

“Know your rest points,” was the sage advice I received from a choreographer I worked with about 20 years ago when I was dancing to make a living. We were learning a particularly challenging piece and she told us to pace ourselves; to look at the piece as a whole and find those moments when we could rest. Even though we were still moving, there were less intense moments that, with intention and focus, could provide us with enough respite to restore us for what was ahead.

This idea of rest points stuck with me through my discernment, seminary, and into my priestly vocation. Vacation is a great time for rest, of course, as are our days off. There are times and seasons of rest as well as moments of rest in each day. The key to finding this rest is to be intentional about it. We can take a look at the pacing of each day, or week, or month, or year, and find those moments when we can take a break and a breath, reconnecting to ourselves and to God.

It’s always seemed a bit of a puzzle to me why clergy, myself included, work hard and so often resist taking the rest we need. Is it the infamous “fear of missing out”? Or is it because somewhere inside of us we still feel like we need to earn our salvation? Is it because we fear Jesus (or our people) will loves us less if we take some time to rest? I have never come up with a good answer for this in myself. Maybe you have and can share it with me!

What I do know is that Jesus will not love us less if we take time to rest. Jesus will not love us less if we spend some time doing whatever provides our hearts and souls with the respite that will restore us for the work we are called to do in the more intense times in our day, week, month, or year. In the end, aren’t we all going for the long game, which is a life of meaningful work and deep connection with God and those whom God loves? The way I know how to do this is by pacing myself, knowing when I can rest, knowing when I need to push through, and remembering that everything we do is for the sake of God’s love.

Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce and I, along with Canon Satorius and the Formations and Transitions team, have been thinking of ways that we can offer moments of rest for the clergy community as well. We began with clergy conference, which was a different kind of clergy conference than we have had in previous years. Rather than listening to a speaker, which can feel exhausting in the Easter season after a full year, we opted for a conference that felt more like a retreat. It was our first draft, so to speak, and next year we will fine-tune it.

Additionally, we are experimenting with two other points during the year where rest, restoration, and learning can be offered. The first will be on November 1, when the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary, will offer a retreat day for clergy held at St. Paul’s Commons (the Cathedral Center). More details on this event will come soon, but in the meantime please check out Dean Douglas’ biography. I also encourage you to check out some of her writing, including her groundbreaking book Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective.

Second, in the spring, we will offer a retreat day prior to Lent in collaboration with Stillpoint. What that day looks like has yet to be planned but we will have information out as soon as we are able.

Until then, I pray you have a blessed and restorative summer! If we can be of service to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

Melissa

______________________________________________________________________________

March 2020

From Bishop John Harvey Taylor

My colleagues in Christ:

More than a year ago, Bishop Bruce invited Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to speak at our annual Bishop’s Dinner this November. As you know, it’s a fundraiser, with proceeds set aside for our missions and ministry centers. As in 2019, we’ll use the money this year to enable as many missions as possible to participate in Jaime Edwards-Acton and Betsy Densmore’s Social Enterprise Academy, learning how to leverage their resources for the sake of God’s people and the sustainability of the church.

Just think about it. The greatest preacher of our time, in Los Angeles, just a few days after the presidential election, offering the inspiration of Christ’s way of love.

Then Canon McCarthy had an idea. Why don’t we ask Bishop Curry to offer his sure-to-be-stirring address twice, at each end of the diocese? I pitched it to him in a few weeks ago in Detroit, at Bishop Bonnie Perry’s ordination and consecration, and he graciously assented.

So my colleagues, this is a “save the date” notice to keep in mind as you plan your own 2020-21 schedules. The Bishop’s Dinner del norte will be on Friday, November 6, 2020 at California Lutheran University. La cena del sur will be on Saturday, November 7, 2020 in the White House East Room replica of the Nixon library in Yorba Linda.

Please mark your calendars, and spread the word. More details to come, including about additional special guests. My spouse Canon Kathy O’Connor, again serving as volunteer dinner coordinator, is looking for dinner sponsors as well as volunteers for organizing committees for both dinners. Please write her at koconnor@ladiocese.org. We promise to keep the tickets as affordable as possible. Thank you for understanding the vital importance of raising these funds for our institutions on the front lines of mission and ministry.

Yours in Christ’s love,

+John

July 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

July – a way of rest

July is always that month when I can kinda-sorta-breathe. Is it that way for you too?

Starting with Easter I feel as though I’m on a dead run to July. June is always the worst — it’s a whirlwind for me; graduations, ordinations, consecrations, birthdays. Maybe June was and is a whirlwind for you too.

Now it’s July — June gloom is behind us (hopefully) and we look forward to sunny days and a more reasonable pace of work. Maybe you’ve scheduled all or part of your vacation for July. Many clergy do.

We as clergy tend to over-function. We do so at times out of necessity, especially when we are the only clergy person caring for a congregation. We do so out of our own insecurity, as if people might think we are slacking off if we actually take time apart to rest, reflect and pray.

We do so because there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done, someone to be visited, something to fix, more meetings to schedule. God knows I eat over-functioning for breakfast! Yet I know I’m not called to stay in that place. It is not healthy for my body, mind or spirit, and it is not healthy for you either.

I want to invite you to continue to walk with me on the Way of Love. During the month of July — and heck, let’s throw August in there as well — I invite you to move into a bit of REST. It doesn’t mean we completely stop working (unless, of course, you are on vacation!). It does mean taking some time to think about, pray about, work on that aspect of the Way of Love which our Presiding Bishop calls rest.

From https://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/documents/way_of_love_introduction.pdf:

REST: Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  – John 14:27

Blessed are you, O Lord … giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent.  – Book of Common Prayer, 113

From the beginning of creation, God has established the sacred pattern of going and returning, labor and rest. Especially today, God invites us to dedicate time for restoration and wholeness – within our bodies, minds, and souls, and within our communities and institutions. By resting we place our trust in God, the primary actor who brings all things to their fullness.

For Reflection and Discernment

• What practices restore your body, mind, and soul?
• How will you observe rest and renewal on a regular basis?
• With whom will you commit to create and maintain a regular practice of rest?

Use this quieter time we live in right now to honor your body, mind and spirit — and drink in God’s love and grace.

Blessings and love to you all,
+Diane

_______________________________________________________________________________________

June 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Knowing Your Rest Points

“Know your rest points,” was the sage advice I received from a choreographer I worked with about 20 years ago when I was dancing to make a living. We were learning a particularly challenging piece and she told us to pace ourselves; to look at the piece as a whole and find those moments when we could rest. Even though we were still moving, there were less intense moments that, with intention and focus, could provide us with enough respite to restore us for what was ahead.

This idea of rest points stuck with me through my discernment, seminary, and into my priestly vocation. Vacation is a great time for rest, of course, as are our days off. There are times and seasons of rest as well as moments of rest in each day. The key to finding this rest is to be intentional about it. We can take a look at the pacing of each day, or week, or month, or year, and find those moments when we can take a break and a breath, reconnecting to ourselves and to God.

It’s always seemed a bit of a puzzle to me why clergy, myself included, work hard and so often resist taking the rest we need. Is it the infamous “fear of missing out”? Or is it because somewhere inside of us we still feel like we need to earn our salvation? Is it because we fear Jesus (or our people) will loves us less if we take some time to rest? I have never come up with a good answer for this in myself. Maybe you have and can share it with me!

What I do know is that Jesus will not love us less if we take time to rest. Jesus will not love us less if we spend some time doing whatever provides our hearts and souls with the respite that will restore us for the work we are called to do in the more intense times in our day, week, month, or year. In the end, aren’t we all going for the long game, which is a life of meaningful work and deep connection with God and those whom God loves? The way I know how to do this is by pacing myself, knowing when I can rest, knowing when I need to push through, and remembering that everything we do is for the sake of God’s love.

Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce and I, along with Canon Satorius and the Formations and Transitions team, have been thinking of ways that we can offer moments of rest for the clergy community as well. We began with clergy conference, which was a different kind of clergy conference than we have had in previous years. Rather than listening to a speaker, which can feel exhausting in the Easter season after a full year, we opted for a conference that felt more like a retreat. It was our first draft, so to speak, and next year we will fine-tune it.

Additionally, we are experimenting with two other points during the year where rest, restoration, and learning can be offered. The first will be on November 1, when the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary, will offer a retreat day for clergy held at St. Paul’s Commons (the Cathedral Center). More details on this event will come soon, but in the meantime please check out Dean Douglas’ biography. I also encourage you to check out some of her writing, including her groundbreaking book Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective.

Second, in the spring, we will offer a retreat day prior to Lent in collaboration with Stillpoint. What that day looks like has yet to be planned but we will have information out as soon as we are able.

Until then, I pray you have a blessed and restorative summer! If we can be of service to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

Melissa

______________________________________________________________________________

March 2020

From Bishop John Harvey Taylor

My colleagues in Christ:

More than a year ago, Bishop Bruce invited Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to speak at our annual Bishop’s Dinner this November. As you know, it’s a fundraiser, with proceeds set aside for our missions and ministry centers. As in 2019, we’ll use the money this year to enable as many missions as possible to participate in Jaime Edwards-Acton and Betsy Densmore’s Social Enterprise Academy, learning how to leverage their resources for the sake of God’s people and the sustainability of the church.

Just think about it. The greatest preacher of our time, in Los Angeles, just a few days after the presidential election, offering the inspiration of Christ’s way of love.

Then Canon McCarthy had an idea. Why don’t we ask Bishop Curry to offer his sure-to-be-stirring address twice, at each end of the diocese? I pitched it to him in a few weeks ago in Detroit, at Bishop Bonnie Perry’s ordination and consecration, and he graciously assented.

So my colleagues, this is a “save the date” notice to keep in mind as you plan your own 2020-21 schedules. The Bishop’s Dinner del norte will be on Friday, November 6, 2020 at California Lutheran University. La cena del sur will be on Saturday, November 7, 2020 in the White House East Room replica of the Nixon library in Yorba Linda.

Please mark your calendars, and spread the word. More details to come, including about additional special guests. My spouse Canon Kathy O’Connor, again serving as volunteer dinner coordinator, is looking for dinner sponsors as well as volunteers for organizing committees for both dinners. Please write her at koconnor@ladiocese.org. We promise to keep the tickets as affordable as possible. Thank you for understanding the vital importance of raising these funds for our institutions on the front lines of mission and ministry.

Yours in Christ’s love,

+John

July 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

July – a way of rest

July is always that month when I can kinda-sorta-breathe. Is it that way for you too?

Starting with Easter I feel as though I’m on a dead run to July. June is always the worst — it’s a whirlwind for me; graduations, ordinations, consecrations, birthdays. Maybe June was and is a whirlwind for you too.

Now it’s July — June gloom is behind us (hopefully) and we look forward to sunny days and a more reasonable pace of work. Maybe you’ve scheduled all or part of your vacation for July. Many clergy do.

We as clergy tend to over-function. We do so at times out of necessity, especially when we are the only clergy person caring for a congregation. We do so out of our own insecurity, as if people might think we are slacking off if we actually take time apart to rest, reflect and pray.

We do so because there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done, someone to be visited, something to fix, more meetings to schedule. God knows I eat over-functioning for breakfast! Yet I know I’m not called to stay in that place. It is not healthy for my body, mind or spirit, and it is not healthy for you either.

I want to invite you to continue to walk with me on the Way of Love. During the month of July — and heck, let’s throw August in there as well — I invite you to move into a bit of REST. It doesn’t mean we completely stop working (unless, of course, you are on vacation!). It does mean taking some time to think about, pray about, work on that aspect of the Way of Love which our Presiding Bishop calls rest.

From https://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/documents/way_of_love_introduction.pdf:

REST: Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  – John 14:27

Blessed are you, O Lord … giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent.  – Book of Common Prayer, 113

From the beginning of creation, God has established the sacred pattern of going and returning, labor and rest. Especially today, God invites us to dedicate time for restoration and wholeness – within our bodies, minds, and souls, and within our communities and institutions. By resting we place our trust in God, the primary actor who brings all things to their fullness.

For Reflection and Discernment

• What practices restore your body, mind, and soul?
• How will you observe rest and renewal on a regular basis?
• With whom will you commit to create and maintain a regular practice of rest?

Use this quieter time we live in right now to honor your body, mind and spirit — and drink in God’s love and grace.

Blessings and love to you all,
+Diane

_______________________________________________________________________________________

June 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Knowing Your Rest Points

“Know your rest points,” was the sage advice I received from a choreographer I worked with about 20 years ago when I was dancing to make a living. We were learning a particularly challenging piece and she told us to pace ourselves; to look at the piece as a whole and find those moments when we could rest. Even though we were still moving, there were less intense moments that, with intention and focus, could provide us with enough respite to restore us for what was ahead.

This idea of rest points stuck with me through my discernment, seminary, and into my priestly vocation. Vacation is a great time for rest, of course, as are our days off. There are times and seasons of rest as well as moments of rest in each day. The key to finding this rest is to be intentional about it. We can take a look at the pacing of each day, or week, or month, or year, and find those moments when we can take a break and a breath, reconnecting to ourselves and to God.

It’s always seemed a bit of a puzzle to me why clergy, myself included, work hard and so often resist taking the rest we need. Is it the infamous “fear of missing out”? Or is it because somewhere inside of us we still feel like we need to earn our salvation? Is it because we fear Jesus (or our people) will loves us less if we take some time to rest? I have never come up with a good answer for this in myself. Maybe you have and can share it with me!

What I do know is that Jesus will not love us less if we take time to rest. Jesus will not love us less if we spend some time doing whatever provides our hearts and souls with the respite that will restore us for the work we are called to do in the more intense times in our day, week, month, or year. In the end, aren’t we all going for the long game, which is a life of meaningful work and deep connection with God and those whom God loves? The way I know how to do this is by pacing myself, knowing when I can rest, knowing when I need to push through, and remembering that everything we do is for the sake of God’s love.

Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce and I, along with Canon Satorius and the Formations and Transitions team, have been thinking of ways that we can offer moments of rest for the clergy community as well. We began with clergy conference, which was a different kind of clergy conference than we have had in previous years. Rather than listening to a speaker, which can feel exhausting in the Easter season after a full year, we opted for a conference that felt more like a retreat. It was our first draft, so to speak, and next year we will fine-tune it.

Additionally, we are experimenting with two other points during the year where rest, restoration, and learning can be offered. The first will be on November 1, when the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary, will offer a retreat day for clergy held at St. Paul’s Commons (the Cathedral Center). More details on this event will come soon, but in the meantime please check out Dean Douglas’ biography. I also encourage you to check out some of her writing, including her groundbreaking book Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective.

Second, in the spring, we will offer a retreat day prior to Lent in collaboration with Stillpoint. What that day looks like has yet to be planned but we will have information out as soon as we are able.

Until then, I pray you have a blessed and restorative summer! If we can be of service to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

Melissa

______________________________________________________________________________

May 2019

From Bishop Diocesan John Harvey Taylor

May 2, 2019 – Feast of St. Athanasius

St. Paul’s Commons
is the new name for
our diocesan HQ in Echo Park

______________________________________________________________________________

April 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce:

About Lambeth

Dear Friends in Christ:

In mid-March Bishop Taylor and I spent four long, intense days with our fellow Bishops at Kanuga in North Carolina. You have already seen the letter from us and our spouses regarding the controversy surrounding Lambeth 2020.

Leaving Bishop Mary Glasspool’s beloved Becki off the guest list was shocking and painful – especially for those of us who have experienced their powerful and loving ministry among us. The response of the House of Bishops (HOB) as well as your bishops here was undertaken prayerfully. Mary herself gave a moving account of what transpired in the weeks leading up to our gathering at the HOB.

The work of the HOB in this triennium is centered on The Way of Love. For those of you who haven’t reviewed the materials for The Way of Love a good place to begin is here.

We had the privilege of hearing from Bishop Vashti McKenzie (AME Bishop, Texas) as well as Bishop Ric Thorpe (Bishop of Islington) on Evangelism as it relates to the Way of Love.

Bishop McKenzie is the Bishop in charge of all the AME churches in the State of Texas. She talked about the fact that many people practice “CHURCHianity” rather than “CHRISTianity”.

She asked the question, “Is it possible that we are more in love with Church than we are with Jesus Christ?” It is so easy to get caught up in the mechanics of Church that we forget the reason we are here and what we are called to do. While we need the institution, we also need to be open to the movement of the Holy Spirit.

Bishop Ric Thorpe has been Bishop of Islington, a suffragan bishopric in the Diocese of London with special attention to the ministry of church planting, since September 2015. He is responsible for the London diocese’s goal of creating 100 New Worshipping Communities by 2020 and is also working nationally to support other dioceses to plant new churches and revitalize existing ones. Before being appointed to Islington, Bishop Ric was the Bishop of London’s adviser for Church Planting and the rector of St. Paul’s Shadwell.

Bishop Thorpe offered that the Way of Love re-centers us on what really matters. He shared that the decade of Evangelism in England didn’t produce much fruit in terms of the programs and projects that it did — EXCEPT for Alpha and for a renewed passion for the poor and the marginalized.

Reflecting on his work turning around St. Paul’s, he told us that St. Paul’s had 12 people left in it and was going to be closed. The Bishop of London asked Bishop Thorpe and a team to revitalize it — 95 people came with him to revitalize. The neighborhood is 45% Muslim, 45% secular young professionals, 10% aging cockney. The congregation grew! Check out their website here.

Bishop Thorpe draws his tradition from Gregory the Great — a vision for the re-visioning of a community and re-evangelizing of the nation. Augustine similarly worked with the powers that be to plant churches. Bishop Thorpe then looked to the Celtic saints and found Cuthbert who worked by coming alongside a community, developing a church outside the city limits and offering hospitality. The Celtic way is all about relationships.

Both Bishop McKenzie and Bishop Thorpe agreed that if we want to see the church revitalized and become a church that is full of the love of God in Christ and is following The Way of Love it starts with prayer. Here we are, back to where we started. The bishops spent time and prayed as we dealt with the harsh reality of Lambeth 2020. It all starts with prayer, and it all must end with prayer.

Please know I pray for you all daily. I pray for our Church. I pray for our nation. I pray for our world. May all we do be begin and end in prayer.

+Diane

March 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Summiting Together

Dear Friends:

Mount Snowdon is the highest mountain peak in Wales and the highest peak in all of the United Kingdom outside of the Scottish Highlands. This 3,560-foot peak seems small for us here in California where snow falls generally occur at 4,500 feet and above. However, each mountain has its own personality, its own treachery, and Snowdon is no different.

I visited Wales in 2005 and, with my friend Isabella, decided to take a day to make the climb. I was barely 30 and still had that feeling of invincibility when we embarked that July morning. We decided to take the longest and busiest route to the top because we had been warned by so many locals to be careful of sudden weather changes and the danger such changes would bring us along the less traversed and more narrow paths. As I recall, it is a five-mile hike to the top so, after a good and fortifying breakfast, we started our ascent early that morning.

The hike up to the peak was beautiful. We encountered many fellow pilgrims, shook our figurative fists at those who zoomed past us on the train to the top, and enjoyed every moment of it. Almost. When we were about three-fourths of a mile from summiting the strangest thing happened. I got tired. Really tired. My legs felt heavy. Every step was a monumental effort. I kept pushing myself until finally I couldn’t do it any longer. I told Isabella what I was experiencing and she, being older and much wiser, said, “Oh, you are bonking,” which I inferred to mean some kind of crazy fatigue that she was aware of and I was not.

As it turns out “bonking” or “hitting the wall” is a real thing. It is the onset of sudden fatigue caused by a loss of glycogen. I sat down, she handed me a cliff bar, and I ate about half of it along with some long sips of water. A few minutes later I was fine. In fact, we ate that last three-fourths of a mile for a midmorning snack. The summit was as amazing as promised with cool winds and breathtaking views.

Being in ministry is a lot like summiting a peak. It’s a process and a journey. It’s something we sign up for and embark on with the best preparation we can have. It’s something that we do with others and, like my experience on Snowdon, it can wear us out. This is normal. Strength and energy comes and goes. We need periods of rest and quiet.

We need time to refuel and re-energize. As I was beginning to “bonk” I felt a sense of shame. I wondered what was wrong with me and why I couldn’t just keep going. I looked at Isabella and she was fine. How come I wasn’t? I tried to push through and then I stopped. What Isabella did was normalize it for me, give me some fuel, and sit with me while I rested.

We can do the same for each other: normalize the fatigue, share the fuel for ministry that we have with each other, and be with each other in those periods of rest. Doing this for each other helps neutralize any shame we might be experiencing as well as any sense of competition with each other we may be indulging.

In the end, our vocational lives are most healthy and vibrant when we are in good relationship with each other, which necessarily means being able to share our vulnerabilities with each other and receive the support that is waiting to be offered.

These are my reflections on the eve of Lent, a time that is guaranteed to wear out anyone in active ministry. Be gentle with yourselves, reach out to one another (and to me!), and enjoy the journey with fellow pilgrims on the way.

A blessed Lent to all!

Melissa+
______________________________________________________________________________

February 2019

From Bishop Diocesan John Taylor 

 Joining the List

______________________________________________________________________________

October 2018

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Expectations

Greetings, dear colleagues!

I sit down to write this note to you on the morning after Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s harrowing testimony. I will confess that I am still reeling from watching the hearing and how it all played out. I am still reeling from the fact that a victim is being prosecuted. I am still reeling from the dehumanization she has experienced.

I am still reeling from the undeniable and incontrovertible evidence this testimony and the whole hearing has provided us of how far this country’s leadership has fallen and how openly, indeed publicly, sexual abuse of women has been given the rubber stamp of approval by our current president.

Meanwhile, while we are all focused on this hearing, ICE detained 150 good people in Southern California, which is yet another example of the horrific policies put into place by the current president.

Given everything that is happening in our world, how do we continue our vocational tasks of preaching, teaching, and living the good news?

How do we find the energy for it?

For me, it has come through reflection upon a question a colleague posed to me. A couple of Sundays ago, I had the opportunity to do a parish visit, sit with the vestry of the church, and talk about mission in ministry in their particular context. During this meeting, their rector asked me a question that caught me up short for a moment. It was a simple, articulate, and profound question. It was an articulation of something I have wondered during all my years of priesthood but have never been able to put words to, at least not this way. The rector asked what our bishops expect of us, the clergy.

I went back to Echo Park and told Bishop Taylor about this question, how it had struck me, and how I answered the question. Together, he and I put some more thinking behind what is expected of us, and by “us” I mean all of us, including the bishops.

Here’s what we came up with:

Curiosity
In a cultural context that dehumanizes and renders invisible those that it deems “other,” one of the most profoundly easy and highly impactful things we can do is to be curious about the people we meet. We can learn their stories, get to know them, and listen to what they have to teach us. Our curiosity and interest in others helps them to feel seen and heard, and it fosters a sense of safety in community’

Joy
An underrated charism in our church, joy is infectious. It is almost impossible not to feel it when you encounter someone who has this infectious joy. Joy for me has been an on again/off again experience, but more and more, in the light of what is happening in our world, I am doing my best to lean into it. Our lives are resurrection narratives and that is something we can be joyful about. We have Jesus and that is where our joy is found.

Talk less and listen more
We clergy are in the business of talking. We pray, we preach, we provide leadership for our people. We certainly value listening as an essential part of our vocation, but it’s easier said than done. Simply listening, without jumping in to share our own story or make a connection with an experience we have had, is one way we can really see the people with whom we minister. Listening to someone is receiving them.

Do the opposite
In a context and time in history which is increasingly polarized, binary, either/or, impatient, anxious, suspicious, and volatile, go and do the opposite.

We have the opportunity to bring in the gray areas, to see the both/and, to adopt radical calm, and to believe what people tell us. Whatever we can do that is the opposite of what is happening around us will be transformative. Of course, this goes back to our baptismal promise to seek justice and peace among all people, and to respect the dignity of every human being. Whatever we can do to live into this promise, one relationship at a time, will make a difference.

Love one another as God has loved us
Our collegial relationships are among the most important relationships we have beyond our families. Let us love each other as God has loved us. A safe community of holy love and grace is what God wants for us. Let us be that for one another.

Thank you, dear colleagues, for the ministries you do, for the love you share, and for saying yes to God’s call to bring hope to the world during this time. It is an honor to be doing ministry with you!

Blessings,

Melissa+

______________________________________________________________________________

July 2018

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

Where the spirit moves us

Dear Friends in Christ,

As I write this article to you, I’m preparing to head to General Convention on Sunday, July 1.

I arrive early as I have responsibilities to attend to as Secretary to the House of Bishops. We will be talking about and voting on a wide variety of subjects – some of which many of you are passionate about.

It will be about two weeks of intensive work, which is designed to point us as a Church in the direction that the Spirit moves us.

I am never good at predicting the outcome of elections to offices or of the fate of various resolutions, yet one thing I do know: much work will be done, many conversations will be had (some heated) – and all this set in the context of prayer and the Eucharist.

In addition to preparing for General Convention I have been working on finance and stewardship work, and am most grateful to Lorenzo Lebrija for his help and work on the Stewardship event we held last weekend. Thanks also to Chris Tumilty, who used his expertise to allow us for the first time to go “live” to you – with the plenary and all workshops live-streamed.

We hope to do more of this, so that the diocese can meet YOU where YOU are — not just at Echo Park. Videos of the plenary and workshops will be available for your viewing here.

The work was designed to help congregations with planned giving, narrative budgeting, utilizing TENS (The Episcopal Network on Stewardship), utilizing Holy Currencies, etc.

Speaking of TENS, if you want to use the materials, the Diocese has purchased access for you. The login ID is: Mark; the password is: 10:21. The work we are doing in Finance and the work of the Stewardship Conference was and is to equip you and all of us for the work God is giving us to do.

While I am personally preoccupied at the moment with General Convention preparations, and in the midst of work in Finance and just through with our Stewardship Conference, I’m most grateful to our Bishop Diocesan John Taylor and the men and women, lay and ordained, who are working tirelessly to bring attention to and end the separation of children from their parents at the border.

From demonstrations to protests to phone calls to letter writing–something has to change. The evil – and I use the word evil — separation of children from their families is one of the most depraved acts we as a nation can commit against a human family. Families must be reunited again – now. I keep thinking about the Holy Family – fleeing to Egypt. What if Jesus had been separated from his parents at that border?

Friends in Christ, we need to band together as the Episcopal Branch of the Jesus movement to not only move in the way the Spirit is leading us through the work of our General Convention, and through the way we utilize our gifts of time, talent and treasure, but most importantly through the way we shed light into the darkness that sometimes overtakes our world.

We must continue to advocate for those who have no voice or whose voices are being silenced. That is Jesus-work for us all. May we continue to do so, speaking out, using our resources, advocating for, loving, caring and protecting ALL whom God brings to us.

Blessings,

+Diane

_____________________________________________________________________

June 2018

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

The truth of our vocation

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to you after a wonderful meeting with those who will be ordained on June 2 at St. John’s Cathedral. I came to my scheduled time with them with no agenda.

As we talked, a few questions began to emerge. Among the things they asked were the usual questions about when to wear or not wear their collars, when to call the bishop, and all the other things you may remember having questions about when you were newly ordained.

As the conversation continued, the questions moved from the practical to the personal and theological. One of the ordinands asked me something like this: “What lies do the newly ordained tell themselves and how can we stay true to the truth?”

I was struck by the honesty of this question and how important it is for us to stay true to the truth of our vocations. What are the lies we tell ourselves? What is the truth of our vocation that we need to keep in focus?

For each of us, the answers to these questions may be different but I imagine there is a similar theme. The lies we tell ourselves are most likely rooted in ego and insecurity, arrogance and fear. The truth of our vocation is rooted in love, humility, faithfulness, and hope. That part of the question is not so tricky to identify. Staying true to the truth is a more difficult task.

How do you avoid the lies of ego and insecurity, arrogance and fear, and stay rooted in love, humility, faithfulness, and hope? What does that mean for you?

For me it has something to do with remembering what a privilege it is to be called into a vocation where our work is to love others as Christ has loved us as well as the fact that while we will always have lots of tasks, what matters most in our ordained ministry is who we are. Our presence is our primary strength as leaders. Everything else will take care of itself when our presence is rooted in love, humility, faithfulness, and hope.

Please pray for those being ordained on June 2, as well as for all of our colleagues in this sacred work into which we have been called.

Know that you are held in prayer by Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce, the whole diocesan staff, and me. My prayer for us all is that our work may be rooted in God’s love, humility, faithfulness, and hope!

Blessings,

Melissa+

March 2020

From Bishop John Harvey Taylor

My colleagues in Christ:

More than a year ago, Bishop Bruce invited Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to speak at our annual Bishop’s Dinner this November. As you know, it’s a fundraiser, with proceeds set aside for our missions and ministry centers. As in 2019, we’ll use the money this year to enable as many missions as possible to participate in Jaime Edwards-Acton and Betsy Densmore’s Social Enterprise Academy, learning how to leverage their resources for the sake of God’s people and the sustainability of the church.

Just think about it. The greatest preacher of our time, in Los Angeles, just a few days after the presidential election, offering the inspiration of Christ’s way of love.

Then Canon McCarthy had an idea. Why don’t we ask Bishop Curry to offer his sure-to-be-stirring address twice, at each end of the diocese? I pitched it to him in a few weeks ago in Detroit, at Bishop Bonnie Perry’s ordination and consecration, and he graciously assented.

So my colleagues, this is a “save the date” notice to keep in mind as you plan your own 2020-21 schedules. The Bishop’s Dinner del norte will be on Friday, November 6, 2020 at California Lutheran University. La cena del sur will be on Saturday, November 7, 2020 in the White House East Room replica of the Nixon library in Yorba Linda.

Please mark your calendars, and spread the word. More details to come, including about additional special guests. My spouse Canon Kathy O’Connor, again serving as volunteer dinner coordinator, is looking for dinner sponsors as well as volunteers for organizing committees for both dinners. Please write her at koconnor@ladiocese.org. We promise to keep the tickets as affordable as possible. Thank you for understanding the vital importance of raising these funds for our institutions on the front lines of mission and ministry.

Yours in Christ’s love,

+John

July 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

July – a way of rest

July is always that month when I can kinda-sorta-breathe. Is it that way for you too?

Starting with Easter I feel as though I’m on a dead run to July. June is always the worst — it’s a whirlwind for me; graduations, ordinations, consecrations, birthdays. Maybe June was and is a whirlwind for you too.

Now it’s July — June gloom is behind us (hopefully) and we look forward to sunny days and a more reasonable pace of work. Maybe you’ve scheduled all or part of your vacation for July. Many clergy do.

We as clergy tend to over-function. We do so at times out of necessity, especially when we are the only clergy person caring for a congregation. We do so out of our own insecurity, as if people might think we are slacking off if we actually take time apart to rest, reflect and pray.

We do so because there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done, someone to be visited, something to fix, more meetings to schedule. God knows I eat over-functioning for breakfast! Yet I know I’m not called to stay in that place. It is not healthy for my body, mind or spirit, and it is not healthy for you either.

I want to invite you to continue to walk with me on the Way of Love. During the month of July — and heck, let’s throw August in there as well — I invite you to move into a bit of REST. It doesn’t mean we completely stop working (unless, of course, you are on vacation!). It does mean taking some time to think about, pray about, work on that aspect of the Way of Love which our Presiding Bishop calls rest.

From https://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/documents/way_of_love_introduction.pdf:

REST: Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  – John 14:27

Blessed are you, O Lord … giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent.  – Book of Common Prayer, 113

From the beginning of creation, God has established the sacred pattern of going and returning, labor and rest. Especially today, God invites us to dedicate time for restoration and wholeness – within our bodies, minds, and souls, and within our communities and institutions. By resting we place our trust in God, the primary actor who brings all things to their fullness.

For Reflection and Discernment

• What practices restore your body, mind, and soul?
• How will you observe rest and renewal on a regular basis?
• With whom will you commit to create and maintain a regular practice of rest?

Use this quieter time we live in right now to honor your body, mind and spirit — and drink in God’s love and grace.

Blessings and love to you all,
+Diane

_______________________________________________________________________________________

June 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Knowing Your Rest Points

“Know your rest points,” was the sage advice I received from a choreographer I worked with about 20 years ago when I was dancing to make a living. We were learning a particularly challenging piece and she told us to pace ourselves; to look at the piece as a whole and find those moments when we could rest. Even though we were still moving, there were less intense moments that, with intention and focus, could provide us with enough respite to restore us for what was ahead.

This idea of rest points stuck with me through my discernment, seminary, and into my priestly vocation. Vacation is a great time for rest, of course, as are our days off. There are times and seasons of rest as well as moments of rest in each day. The key to finding this rest is to be intentional about it. We can take a look at the pacing of each day, or week, or month, or year, and find those moments when we can take a break and a breath, reconnecting to ourselves and to God.

It’s always seemed a bit of a puzzle to me why clergy, myself included, work hard and so often resist taking the rest we need. Is it the infamous “fear of missing out”? Or is it because somewhere inside of us we still feel like we need to earn our salvation? Is it because we fear Jesus (or our people) will loves us less if we take some time to rest? I have never come up with a good answer for this in myself. Maybe you have and can share it with me!

What I do know is that Jesus will not love us less if we take time to rest. Jesus will not love us less if we spend some time doing whatever provides our hearts and souls with the respite that will restore us for the work we are called to do in the more intense times in our day, week, month, or year. In the end, aren’t we all going for the long game, which is a life of meaningful work and deep connection with God and those whom God loves? The way I know how to do this is by pacing myself, knowing when I can rest, knowing when I need to push through, and remembering that everything we do is for the sake of God’s love.

Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce and I, along with Canon Satorius and the Formations and Transitions team, have been thinking of ways that we can offer moments of rest for the clergy community as well. We began with clergy conference, which was a different kind of clergy conference than we have had in previous years. Rather than listening to a speaker, which can feel exhausting in the Easter season after a full year, we opted for a conference that felt more like a retreat. It was our first draft, so to speak, and next year we will fine-tune it.

Additionally, we are experimenting with two other points during the year where rest, restoration, and learning can be offered. The first will be on November 1, when the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary, will offer a retreat day for clergy held at St. Paul’s Commons (the Cathedral Center). More details on this event will come soon, but in the meantime please check out Dean Douglas’ biography. I also encourage you to check out some of her writing, including her groundbreaking book Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective.

Second, in the spring, we will offer a retreat day prior to Lent in collaboration with Stillpoint. What that day looks like has yet to be planned but we will have information out as soon as we are able.

Until then, I pray you have a blessed and restorative summer! If we can be of service to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

Melissa

______________________________________________________________________________

March 2020

From Bishop John Harvey Taylor

My colleagues in Christ:

More than a year ago, Bishop Bruce invited Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to speak at our annual Bishop’s Dinner this November. As you know, it’s a fundraiser, with proceeds set aside for our missions and ministry centers. As in 2019, we’ll use the money this year to enable as many missions as possible to participate in Jaime Edwards-Acton and Betsy Densmore’s Social Enterprise Academy, learning how to leverage their resources for the sake of God’s people and the sustainability of the church.

Just think about it. The greatest preacher of our time, in Los Angeles, just a few days after the presidential election, offering the inspiration of Christ’s way of love.

Then Canon McCarthy had an idea. Why don’t we ask Bishop Curry to offer his sure-to-be-stirring address twice, at each end of the diocese? I pitched it to him in a few weeks ago in Detroit, at Bishop Bonnie Perry’s ordination and consecration, and he graciously assented.

So my colleagues, this is a “save the date” notice to keep in mind as you plan your own 2020-21 schedules. The Bishop’s Dinner del norte will be on Friday, November 6, 2020 at California Lutheran University. La cena del sur will be on Saturday, November 7, 2020 in the White House East Room replica of the Nixon library in Yorba Linda.

Please mark your calendars, and spread the word. More details to come, including about additional special guests. My spouse Canon Kathy O’Connor, again serving as volunteer dinner coordinator, is looking for dinner sponsors as well as volunteers for organizing committees for both dinners. Please write her at koconnor@ladiocese.org. We promise to keep the tickets as affordable as possible. Thank you for understanding the vital importance of raising these funds for our institutions on the front lines of mission and ministry.

Yours in Christ’s love,

+John

July 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

July – a way of rest

July is always that month when I can kinda-sorta-breathe. Is it that way for you too?

Starting with Easter I feel as though I’m on a dead run to July. June is always the worst — it’s a whirlwind for me; graduations, ordinations, consecrations, birthdays. Maybe June was and is a whirlwind for you too.

Now it’s July — June gloom is behind us (hopefully) and we look forward to sunny days and a more reasonable pace of work. Maybe you’ve scheduled all or part of your vacation for July. Many clergy do.

We as clergy tend to over-function. We do so at times out of necessity, especially when we are the only clergy person caring for a congregation. We do so out of our own insecurity, as if people might think we are slacking off if we actually take time apart to rest, reflect and pray.

We do so because there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done, someone to be visited, something to fix, more meetings to schedule. God knows I eat over-functioning for breakfast! Yet I know I’m not called to stay in that place. It is not healthy for my body, mind or spirit, and it is not healthy for you either.

I want to invite you to continue to walk with me on the Way of Love. During the month of July — and heck, let’s throw August in there as well — I invite you to move into a bit of REST. It doesn’t mean we completely stop working (unless, of course, you are on vacation!). It does mean taking some time to think about, pray about, work on that aspect of the Way of Love which our Presiding Bishop calls rest.

From https://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/documents/way_of_love_introduction.pdf:

REST: Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  – John 14:27

Blessed are you, O Lord … giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent.  – Book of Common Prayer, 113

From the beginning of creation, God has established the sacred pattern of going and returning, labor and rest. Especially today, God invites us to dedicate time for restoration and wholeness – within our bodies, minds, and souls, and within our communities and institutions. By resting we place our trust in God, the primary actor who brings all things to their fullness.

For Reflection and Discernment

• What practices restore your body, mind, and soul?
• How will you observe rest and renewal on a regular basis?
• With whom will you commit to create and maintain a regular practice of rest?

Use this quieter time we live in right now to honor your body, mind and spirit — and drink in God’s love and grace.

Blessings and love to you all,
+Diane

_______________________________________________________________________________________

June 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Knowing Your Rest Points

“Know your rest points,” was the sage advice I received from a choreographer I worked with about 20 years ago when I was dancing to make a living. We were learning a particularly challenging piece and she told us to pace ourselves; to look at the piece as a whole and find those moments when we could rest. Even though we were still moving, there were less intense moments that, with intention and focus, could provide us with enough respite to restore us for what was ahead.

This idea of rest points stuck with me through my discernment, seminary, and into my priestly vocation. Vacation is a great time for rest, of course, as are our days off. There are times and seasons of rest as well as moments of rest in each day. The key to finding this rest is to be intentional about it. We can take a look at the pacing of each day, or week, or month, or year, and find those moments when we can take a break and a breath, reconnecting to ourselves and to God.

It’s always seemed a bit of a puzzle to me why clergy, myself included, work hard and so often resist taking the rest we need. Is it the infamous “fear of missing out”? Or is it because somewhere inside of us we still feel like we need to earn our salvation? Is it because we fear Jesus (or our people) will loves us less if we take some time to rest? I have never come up with a good answer for this in myself. Maybe you have and can share it with me!

What I do know is that Jesus will not love us less if we take time to rest. Jesus will not love us less if we spend some time doing whatever provides our hearts and souls with the respite that will restore us for the work we are called to do in the more intense times in our day, week, month, or year. In the end, aren’t we all going for the long game, which is a life of meaningful work and deep connection with God and those whom God loves? The way I know how to do this is by pacing myself, knowing when I can rest, knowing when I need to push through, and remembering that everything we do is for the sake of God’s love.

Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce and I, along with Canon Satorius and the Formations and Transitions team, have been thinking of ways that we can offer moments of rest for the clergy community as well. We began with clergy conference, which was a different kind of clergy conference than we have had in previous years. Rather than listening to a speaker, which can feel exhausting in the Easter season after a full year, we opted for a conference that felt more like a retreat. It was our first draft, so to speak, and next year we will fine-tune it.

Additionally, we are experimenting with two other points during the year where rest, restoration, and learning can be offered. The first will be on November 1, when the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary, will offer a retreat day for clergy held at St. Paul’s Commons (the Cathedral Center). More details on this event will come soon, but in the meantime please check out Dean Douglas’ biography. I also encourage you to check out some of her writing, including her groundbreaking book Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective.

Second, in the spring, we will offer a retreat day prior to Lent in collaboration with Stillpoint. What that day looks like has yet to be planned but we will have information out as soon as we are able.

Until then, I pray you have a blessed and restorative summer! If we can be of service to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

Melissa

______________________________________________________________________________

March 2020

From Bishop John Harvey Taylor

My colleagues in Christ:

More than a year ago, Bishop Bruce invited Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to speak at our annual Bishop’s Dinner this November. As you know, it’s a fundraiser, with proceeds set aside for our missions and ministry centers. As in 2019, we’ll use the money this year to enable as many missions as possible to participate in Jaime Edwards-Acton and Betsy Densmore’s Social Enterprise Academy, learning how to leverage their resources for the sake of God’s people and the sustainability of the church.

Just think about it. The greatest preacher of our time, in Los Angeles, just a few days after the presidential election, offering the inspiration of Christ’s way of love.

Then Canon McCarthy had an idea. Why don’t we ask Bishop Curry to offer his sure-to-be-stirring address twice, at each end of the diocese? I pitched it to him in a few weeks ago in Detroit, at Bishop Bonnie Perry’s ordination and consecration, and he graciously assented.

So my colleagues, this is a “save the date” notice to keep in mind as you plan your own 2020-21 schedules. The Bishop’s Dinner del norte will be on Friday, November 6, 2020 at California Lutheran University. La cena del sur will be on Saturday, November 7, 2020 in the White House East Room replica of the Nixon library in Yorba Linda.

Please mark your calendars, and spread the word. More details to come, including about additional special guests. My spouse Canon Kathy O’Connor, again serving as volunteer dinner coordinator, is looking for dinner sponsors as well as volunteers for organizing committees for both dinners. Please write her at koconnor@ladiocese.org. We promise to keep the tickets as affordable as possible. Thank you for understanding the vital importance of raising these funds for our institutions on the front lines of mission and ministry.

Yours in Christ’s love,

+John

July 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

July – a way of rest

July is always that month when I can kinda-sorta-breathe. Is it that way for you too?

Starting with Easter I feel as though I’m on a dead run to July. June is always the worst — it’s a whirlwind for me; graduations, ordinations, consecrations, birthdays. Maybe June was and is a whirlwind for you too.

Now it’s July — June gloom is behind us (hopefully) and we look forward to sunny days and a more reasonable pace of work. Maybe you’ve scheduled all or part of your vacation for July. Many clergy do.

We as clergy tend to over-function. We do so at times out of necessity, especially when we are the only clergy person caring for a congregation. We do so out of our own insecurity, as if people might think we are slacking off if we actually take time apart to rest, reflect and pray.

We do so because there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done, someone to be visited, something to fix, more meetings to schedule. God knows I eat over-functioning for breakfast! Yet I know I’m not called to stay in that place. It is not healthy for my body, mind or spirit, and it is not healthy for you either.

I want to invite you to continue to walk with me on the Way of Love. During the month of July — and heck, let’s throw August in there as well — I invite you to move into a bit of REST. It doesn’t mean we completely stop working (unless, of course, you are on vacation!). It does mean taking some time to think about, pray about, work on that aspect of the Way of Love which our Presiding Bishop calls rest.

From https://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/documents/way_of_love_introduction.pdf:

REST: Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  – John 14:27

Blessed are you, O Lord … giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent.  – Book of Common Prayer, 113

From the beginning of creation, God has established the sacred pattern of going and returning, labor and rest. Especially today, God invites us to dedicate time for restoration and wholeness – within our bodies, minds, and souls, and within our communities and institutions. By resting we place our trust in God, the primary actor who brings all things to their fullness.

For Reflection and Discernment

• What practices restore your body, mind, and soul?
• How will you observe rest and renewal on a regular basis?
• With whom will you commit to create and maintain a regular practice of rest?

Use this quieter time we live in right now to honor your body, mind and spirit — and drink in God’s love and grace.

Blessings and love to you all,
+Diane

_______________________________________________________________________________________

June 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Knowing Your Rest Points

“Know your rest points,” was the sage advice I received from a choreographer I worked with about 20 years ago when I was dancing to make a living. We were learning a particularly challenging piece and she told us to pace ourselves; to look at the piece as a whole and find those moments when we could rest. Even though we were still moving, there were less intense moments that, with intention and focus, could provide us with enough respite to restore us for what was ahead.

This idea of rest points stuck with me through my discernment, seminary, and into my priestly vocation. Vacation is a great time for rest, of course, as are our days off. There are times and seasons of rest as well as moments of rest in each day. The key to finding this rest is to be intentional about it. We can take a look at the pacing of each day, or week, or month, or year, and find those moments when we can take a break and a breath, reconnecting to ourselves and to God.

It’s always seemed a bit of a puzzle to me why clergy, myself included, work hard and so often resist taking the rest we need. Is it the infamous “fear of missing out”? Or is it because somewhere inside of us we still feel like we need to earn our salvation? Is it because we fear Jesus (or our people) will loves us less if we take some time to rest? I have never come up with a good answer for this in myself. Maybe you have and can share it with me!

What I do know is that Jesus will not love us less if we take time to rest. Jesus will not love us less if we spend some time doing whatever provides our hearts and souls with the respite that will restore us for the work we are called to do in the more intense times in our day, week, month, or year. In the end, aren’t we all going for the long game, which is a life of meaningful work and deep connection with God and those whom God loves? The way I know how to do this is by pacing myself, knowing when I can rest, knowing when I need to push through, and remembering that everything we do is for the sake of God’s love.

Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce and I, along with Canon Satorius and the Formations and Transitions team, have been thinking of ways that we can offer moments of rest for the clergy community as well. We began with clergy conference, which was a different kind of clergy conference than we have had in previous years. Rather than listening to a speaker, which can feel exhausting in the Easter season after a full year, we opted for a conference that felt more like a retreat. It was our first draft, so to speak, and next year we will fine-tune it.

Additionally, we are experimenting with two other points during the year where rest, restoration, and learning can be offered. The first will be on November 1, when the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary, will offer a retreat day for clergy held at St. Paul’s Commons (the Cathedral Center). More details on this event will come soon, but in the meantime please check out Dean Douglas’ biography. I also encourage you to check out some of her writing, including her groundbreaking book Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective.

Second, in the spring, we will offer a retreat day prior to Lent in collaboration with Stillpoint. What that day looks like has yet to be planned but we will have information out as soon as we are able.

Until then, I pray you have a blessed and restorative summer! If we can be of service to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

Melissa

______________________________________________________________________________

March 2020

From Bishop John Harvey Taylor

My colleagues in Christ:

More than a year ago, Bishop Bruce invited Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to speak at our annual Bishop’s Dinner this November. As you know, it’s a fundraiser, with proceeds set aside for our missions and ministry centers. As in 2019, we’ll use the money this year to enable as many missions as possible to participate in Jaime Edwards-Acton and Betsy Densmore’s Social Enterprise Academy, learning how to leverage their resources for the sake of God’s people and the sustainability of the church.

Just think about it. The greatest preacher of our time, in Los Angeles, just a few days after the presidential election, offering the inspiration of Christ’s way of love.

Then Canon McCarthy had an idea. Why don’t we ask Bishop Curry to offer his sure-to-be-stirring address twice, at each end of the diocese? I pitched it to him in a few weeks ago in Detroit, at Bishop Bonnie Perry’s ordination and consecration, and he graciously assented.

So my colleagues, this is a “save the date” notice to keep in mind as you plan your own 2020-21 schedules. The Bishop’s Dinner del norte will be on Friday, November 6, 2020 at California Lutheran University. La cena del sur will be on Saturday, November 7, 2020 in the White House East Room replica of the Nixon library in Yorba Linda.

Please mark your calendars, and spread the word. More details to come, including about additional special guests. My spouse Canon Kathy O’Connor, again serving as volunteer dinner coordinator, is looking for dinner sponsors as well as volunteers for organizing committees for both dinners. Please write her at koconnor@ladiocese.org. We promise to keep the tickets as affordable as possible. Thank you for understanding the vital importance of raising these funds for our institutions on the front lines of mission and ministry.

Yours in Christ’s love,

+John

July 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

July – a way of rest

July is always that month when I can kinda-sorta-breathe. Is it that way for you too?

Starting with Easter I feel as though I’m on a dead run to July. June is always the worst — it’s a whirlwind for me; graduations, ordinations, consecrations, birthdays. Maybe June was and is a whirlwind for you too.

Now it’s July — June gloom is behind us (hopefully) and we look forward to sunny days and a more reasonable pace of work. Maybe you’ve scheduled all or part of your vacation for July. Many clergy do.

We as clergy tend to over-function. We do so at times out of necessity, especially when we are the only clergy person caring for a congregation. We do so out of our own insecurity, as if people might think we are slacking off if we actually take time apart to rest, reflect and pray.

We do so because there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done, someone to be visited, something to fix, more meetings to schedule. God knows I eat over-functioning for breakfast! Yet I know I’m not called to stay in that place. It is not healthy for my body, mind or spirit, and it is not healthy for you either.

I want to invite you to continue to walk with me on the Way of Love. During the month of July — and heck, let’s throw August in there as well — I invite you to move into a bit of REST. It doesn’t mean we completely stop working (unless, of course, you are on vacation!). It does mean taking some time to think about, pray about, work on that aspect of the Way of Love which our Presiding Bishop calls rest.

From https://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/documents/way_of_love_introduction.pdf:

REST: Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  – John 14:27

Blessed are you, O Lord … giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent.  – Book of Common Prayer, 113

From the beginning of creation, God has established the sacred pattern of going and returning, labor and rest. Especially today, God invites us to dedicate time for restoration and wholeness – within our bodies, minds, and souls, and within our communities and institutions. By resting we place our trust in God, the primary actor who brings all things to their fullness.

For Reflection and Discernment

• What practices restore your body, mind, and soul?
• How will you observe rest and renewal on a regular basis?
• With whom will you commit to create and maintain a regular practice of rest?

Use this quieter time we live in right now to honor your body, mind and spirit — and drink in God’s love and grace.

Blessings and love to you all,
+Diane

_______________________________________________________________________________________

June 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Knowing Your Rest Points

“Know your rest points,” was the sage advice I received from a choreographer I worked with about 20 years ago when I was dancing to make a living. We were learning a particularly challenging piece and she told us to pace ourselves; to look at the piece as a whole and find those moments when we could rest. Even though we were still moving, there were less intense moments that, with intention and focus, could provide us with enough respite to restore us for what was ahead.

This idea of rest points stuck with me through my discernment, seminary, and into my priestly vocation. Vacation is a great time for rest, of course, as are our days off. There are times and seasons of rest as well as moments of rest in each day. The key to finding this rest is to be intentional about it. We can take a look at the pacing of each day, or week, or month, or year, and find those moments when we can take a break and a breath, reconnecting to ourselves and to God.

It’s always seemed a bit of a puzzle to me why clergy, myself included, work hard and so often resist taking the rest we need. Is it the infamous “fear of missing out”? Or is it because somewhere inside of us we still feel like we need to earn our salvation? Is it because we fear Jesus (or our people) will loves us less if we take some time to rest? I have never come up with a good answer for this in myself. Maybe you have and can share it with me!

What I do know is that Jesus will not love us less if we take time to rest. Jesus will not love us less if we spend some time doing whatever provides our hearts and souls with the respite that will restore us for the work we are called to do in the more intense times in our day, week, month, or year. In the end, aren’t we all going for the long game, which is a life of meaningful work and deep connection with God and those whom God loves? The way I know how to do this is by pacing myself, knowing when I can rest, knowing when I need to push through, and remembering that everything we do is for the sake of God’s love.

Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce and I, along with Canon Satorius and the Formations and Transitions team, have been thinking of ways that we can offer moments of rest for the clergy community as well. We began with clergy conference, which was a different kind of clergy conference than we have had in previous years. Rather than listening to a speaker, which can feel exhausting in the Easter season after a full year, we opted for a conference that felt more like a retreat. It was our first draft, so to speak, and next year we will fine-tune it.

Additionally, we are experimenting with two other points during the year where rest, restoration, and learning can be offered. The first will be on November 1, when the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary, will offer a retreat day for clergy held at St. Paul’s Commons (the Cathedral Center). More details on this event will come soon, but in the meantime please check out Dean Douglas’ biography. I also encourage you to check out some of her writing, including her groundbreaking book Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective.

Second, in the spring, we will offer a retreat day prior to Lent in collaboration with Stillpoint. What that day looks like has yet to be planned but we will have information out as soon as we are able.

Until then, I pray you have a blessed and restorative summer! If we can be of service to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

Melissa

______________________________________________________________________________

March 2020

From Bishop John Harvey Taylor

My colleagues in Christ:

More than a year ago, Bishop Bruce invited Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to speak at our annual Bishop’s Dinner this November. As you know, it’s a fundraiser, with proceeds set aside for our missions and ministry centers. As in 2019, we’ll use the money this year to enable as many missions as possible to participate in Jaime Edwards-Acton and Betsy Densmore’s Social Enterprise Academy, learning how to leverage their resources for the sake of God’s people and the sustainability of the church.

Just think about it. The greatest preacher of our time, in Los Angeles, just a few days after the presidential election, offering the inspiration of Christ’s way of love.

Then Canon McCarthy had an idea. Why don’t we ask Bishop Curry to offer his sure-to-be-stirring address twice, at each end of the diocese? I pitched it to him in a few weeks ago in Detroit, at Bishop Bonnie Perry’s ordination and consecration, and he graciously assented.

So my colleagues, this is a “save the date” notice to keep in mind as you plan your own 2020-21 schedules. The Bishop’s Dinner del norte will be on Friday, November 6, 2020 at California Lutheran University. La cena del sur will be on Saturday, November 7, 2020 in the White House East Room replica of the Nixon library in Yorba Linda.

Please mark your calendars, and spread the word. More details to come, including about additional special guests. My spouse Canon Kathy O’Connor, again serving as volunteer dinner coordinator, is looking for dinner sponsors as well as volunteers for organizing committees for both dinners. Please write her at koconnor@ladiocese.org. We promise to keep the tickets as affordable as possible. Thank you for understanding the vital importance of raising these funds for our institutions on the front lines of mission and ministry.

Yours in Christ’s love,

+John

July 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

July – a way of rest

July is always that month when I can kinda-sorta-breathe. Is it that way for you too?

Starting with Easter I feel as though I’m on a dead run to July. June is always the worst — it’s a whirlwind for me; graduations, ordinations, consecrations, birthdays. Maybe June was and is a whirlwind for you too.

Now it’s July — June gloom is behind us (hopefully) and we look forward to sunny days and a more reasonable pace of work. Maybe you’ve scheduled all or part of your vacation for July. Many clergy do.

We as clergy tend to over-function. We do so at times out of necessity, especially when we are the only clergy person caring for a congregation. We do so out of our own insecurity, as if people might think we are slacking off if we actually take time apart to rest, reflect and pray.

We do so because there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done, someone to be visited, something to fix, more meetings to schedule. God knows I eat over-functioning for breakfast! Yet I know I’m not called to stay in that place. It is not healthy for my body, mind or spirit, and it is not healthy for you either.

I want to invite you to continue to walk with me on the Way of Love. During the month of July — and heck, let’s throw August in there as well — I invite you to move into a bit of REST. It doesn’t mean we completely stop working (unless, of course, you are on vacation!). It does mean taking some time to think about, pray about, work on that aspect of the Way of Love which our Presiding Bishop calls rest.

From https://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/documents/way_of_love_introduction.pdf:

REST: Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  – John 14:27

Blessed are you, O Lord … giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent.  – Book of Common Prayer, 113

From the beginning of creation, God has established the sacred pattern of going and returning, labor and rest. Especially today, God invites us to dedicate time for restoration and wholeness – within our bodies, minds, and souls, and within our communities and institutions. By resting we place our trust in God, the primary actor who brings all things to their fullness.

For Reflection and Discernment

• What practices restore your body, mind, and soul?
• How will you observe rest and renewal on a regular basis?
• With whom will you commit to create and maintain a regular practice of rest?

Use this quieter time we live in right now to honor your body, mind and spirit — and drink in God’s love and grace.

Blessings and love to you all,
+Diane

_______________________________________________________________________________________

June 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Knowing Your Rest Points

“Know your rest points,” was the sage advice I received from a choreographer I worked with about 20 years ago when I was dancing to make a living. We were learning a particularly challenging piece and she told us to pace ourselves; to look at the piece as a whole and find those moments when we could rest. Even though we were still moving, there were less intense moments that, with intention and focus, could provide us with enough respite to restore us for what was ahead.

This idea of rest points stuck with me through my discernment, seminary, and into my priestly vocation. Vacation is a great time for rest, of course, as are our days off. There are times and seasons of rest as well as moments of rest in each day. The key to finding this rest is to be intentional about it. We can take a look at the pacing of each day, or week, or month, or year, and find those moments when we can take a break and a breath, reconnecting to ourselves and to God.

It’s always seemed a bit of a puzzle to me why clergy, myself included, work hard and so often resist taking the rest we need. Is it the infamous “fear of missing out”? Or is it because somewhere inside of us we still feel like we need to earn our salvation? Is it because we fear Jesus (or our people) will loves us less if we take some time to rest? I have never come up with a good answer for this in myself. Maybe you have and can share it with me!

What I do know is that Jesus will not love us less if we take time to rest. Jesus will not love us less if we spend some time doing whatever provides our hearts and souls with the respite that will restore us for the work we are called to do in the more intense times in our day, week, month, or year. In the end, aren’t we all going for the long game, which is a life of meaningful work and deep connection with God and those whom God loves? The way I know how to do this is by pacing myself, knowing when I can rest, knowing when I need to push through, and remembering that everything we do is for the sake of God’s love.

Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce and I, along with Canon Satorius and the Formations and Transitions team, have been thinking of ways that we can offer moments of rest for the clergy community as well. We began with clergy conference, which was a different kind of clergy conference than we have had in previous years. Rather than listening to a speaker, which can feel exhausting in the Easter season after a full year, we opted for a conference that felt more like a retreat. It was our first draft, so to speak, and next year we will fine-tune it.

Additionally, we are experimenting with two other points during the year where rest, restoration, and learning can be offered. The first will be on November 1, when the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary, will offer a retreat day for clergy held at St. Paul’s Commons (the Cathedral Center). More details on this event will come soon, but in the meantime please check out Dean Douglas’ biography. I also encourage you to check out some of her writing, including her groundbreaking book Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective.

Second, in the spring, we will offer a retreat day prior to Lent in collaboration with Stillpoint. What that day looks like has yet to be planned but we will have information out as soon as we are able.

Until then, I pray you have a blessed and restorative summer! If we can be of service to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

Melissa

______________________________________________________________________________

May 2019

From Bishop Diocesan John Harvey Taylor

May 2, 2019 – Feast of St. Athanasius

St. Paul’s Commons
is the new name for
our diocesan HQ in Echo Park

______________________________________________________________________________

April 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce:

About Lambeth

Dear Friends in Christ:

In mid-March Bishop Taylor and I spent four long, intense days with our fellow Bishops at Kanuga in North Carolina. You have already seen the letter from us and our spouses regarding the controversy surrounding Lambeth 2020.

Leaving Bishop Mary Glasspool’s beloved Becki off the guest list was shocking and painful – especially for those of us who have experienced their powerful and loving ministry among us. The response of the House of Bishops (HOB) as well as your bishops here was undertaken prayerfully. Mary herself gave a moving account of what transpired in the weeks leading up to our gathering at the HOB.

The work of the HOB in this triennium is centered on The Way of Love. For those of you who haven’t reviewed the materials for The Way of Love a good place to begin is here.

We had the privilege of hearing from Bishop Vashti McKenzie (AME Bishop, Texas) as well as Bishop Ric Thorpe (Bishop of Islington) on Evangelism as it relates to the Way of Love.

Bishop McKenzie is the Bishop in charge of all the AME churches in the State of Texas. She talked about the fact that many people practice “CHURCHianity” rather than “CHRISTianity”.

She asked the question, “Is it possible that we are more in love with Church than we are with Jesus Christ?” It is so easy to get caught up in the mechanics of Church that we forget the reason we are here and what we are called to do. While we need the institution, we also need to be open to the movement of the Holy Spirit.

Bishop Ric Thorpe has been Bishop of Islington, a suffragan bishopric in the Diocese of London with special attention to the ministry of church planting, since September 2015. He is responsible for the London diocese’s goal of creating 100 New Worshipping Communities by 2020 and is also working nationally to support other dioceses to plant new churches and revitalize existing ones. Before being appointed to Islington, Bishop Ric was the Bishop of London’s adviser for Church Planting and the rector of St. Paul’s Shadwell.

Bishop Thorpe offered that the Way of Love re-centers us on what really matters. He shared that the decade of Evangelism in England didn’t produce much fruit in terms of the programs and projects that it did — EXCEPT for Alpha and for a renewed passion for the poor and the marginalized.

Reflecting on his work turning around St. Paul’s, he told us that St. Paul’s had 12 people left in it and was going to be closed. The Bishop of London asked Bishop Thorpe and a team to revitalize it — 95 people came with him to revitalize. The neighborhood is 45% Muslim, 45% secular young professionals, 10% aging cockney. The congregation grew! Check out their website here.

Bishop Thorpe draws his tradition from Gregory the Great — a vision for the re-visioning of a community and re-evangelizing of the nation. Augustine similarly worked with the powers that be to plant churches. Bishop Thorpe then looked to the Celtic saints and found Cuthbert who worked by coming alongside a community, developing a church outside the city limits and offering hospitality. The Celtic way is all about relationships.

Both Bishop McKenzie and Bishop Thorpe agreed that if we want to see the church revitalized and become a church that is full of the love of God in Christ and is following The Way of Love it starts with prayer. Here we are, back to where we started. The bishops spent time and prayed as we dealt with the harsh reality of Lambeth 2020. It all starts with prayer, and it all must end with prayer.

Please know I pray for you all daily. I pray for our Church. I pray for our nation. I pray for our world. May all we do be begin and end in prayer.

+Diane

March 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Summiting Together

Dear Friends:

Mount Snowdon is the highest mountain peak in Wales and the highest peak in all of the United Kingdom outside of the Scottish Highlands. This 3,560-foot peak seems small for us here in California where snow falls generally occur at 4,500 feet and above. However, each mountain has its own personality, its own treachery, and Snowdon is no different.

I visited Wales in 2005 and, with my friend Isabella, decided to take a day to make the climb. I was barely 30 and still had that feeling of invincibility when we embarked that July morning. We decided to take the longest and busiest route to the top because we had been warned by so many locals to be careful of sudden weather changes and the danger such changes would bring us along the less traversed and more narrow paths. As I recall, it is a five-mile hike to the top so, after a good and fortifying breakfast, we started our ascent early that morning.

The hike up to the peak was beautiful. We encountered many fellow pilgrims, shook our figurative fists at those who zoomed past us on the train to the top, and enjoyed every moment of it. Almost. When we were about three-fourths of a mile from summiting the strangest thing happened. I got tired. Really tired. My legs felt heavy. Every step was a monumental effort. I kept pushing myself until finally I couldn’t do it any longer. I told Isabella what I was experiencing and she, being older and much wiser, said, “Oh, you are bonking,” which I inferred to mean some kind of crazy fatigue that she was aware of and I was not.

As it turns out “bonking” or “hitting the wall” is a real thing. It is the onset of sudden fatigue caused by a loss of glycogen. I sat down, she handed me a cliff bar, and I ate about half of it along with some long sips of water. A few minutes later I was fine. In fact, we ate that last three-fourths of a mile for a midmorning snack. The summit was as amazing as promised with cool winds and breathtaking views.

Being in ministry is a lot like summiting a peak. It’s a process and a journey. It’s something we sign up for and embark on with the best preparation we can have. It’s something that we do with others and, like my experience on Snowdon, it can wear us out. This is normal. Strength and energy comes and goes. We need periods of rest and quiet.

We need time to refuel and re-energize. As I was beginning to “bonk” I felt a sense of shame. I wondered what was wrong with me and why I couldn’t just keep going. I looked at Isabella and she was fine. How come I wasn’t? I tried to push through and then I stopped. What Isabella did was normalize it for me, give me some fuel, and sit with me while I rested.

We can do the same for each other: normalize the fatigue, share the fuel for ministry that we have with each other, and be with each other in those periods of rest. Doing this for each other helps neutralize any shame we might be experiencing as well as any sense of competition with each other we may be indulging.

In the end, our vocational lives are most healthy and vibrant when we are in good relationship with each other, which necessarily means being able to share our vulnerabilities with each other and receive the support that is waiting to be offered.

These are my reflections on the eve of Lent, a time that is guaranteed to wear out anyone in active ministry. Be gentle with yourselves, reach out to one another (and to me!), and enjoy the journey with fellow pilgrims on the way.

A blessed Lent to all!

Melissa+
______________________________________________________________________________

February 2019

From Bishop Diocesan John Taylor 

 Joining the List

______________________________________________________________________________

October 2018

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Expectations

Greetings, dear colleagues!

I sit down to write this note to you on the morning after Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s harrowing testimony. I will confess that I am still reeling from watching the hearing and how it all played out. I am still reeling from the fact that a victim is being prosecuted. I am still reeling from the dehumanization she has experienced.

I am still reeling from the undeniable and incontrovertible evidence this testimony and the whole hearing has provided us of how far this country’s leadership has fallen and how openly, indeed publicly, sexual abuse of women has been given the rubber stamp of approval by our current president.

Meanwhile, while we are all focused on this hearing, ICE detained 150 good people in Southern California, which is yet another example of the horrific policies put into place by the current president.

Given everything that is happening in our world, how do we continue our vocational tasks of preaching, teaching, and living the good news?

How do we find the energy for it?

For me, it has come through reflection upon a question a colleague posed to me. A couple of Sundays ago, I had the opportunity to do a parish visit, sit with the vestry of the church, and talk about mission in ministry in their particular context. During this meeting, their rector asked me a question that caught me up short for a moment. It was a simple, articulate, and profound question. It was an articulation of something I have wondered during all my years of priesthood but have never been able to put words to, at least not this way. The rector asked what our bishops expect of us, the clergy.

I went back to Echo Park and told Bishop Taylor about this question, how it had struck me, and how I answered the question. Together, he and I put some more thinking behind what is expected of us, and by “us” I mean all of us, including the bishops.

Here’s what we came up with:

Curiosity
In a cultural context that dehumanizes and renders invisible those that it deems “other,” one of the most profoundly easy and highly impactful things we can do is to be curious about the people we meet. We can learn their stories, get to know them, and listen to what they have to teach us. Our curiosity and interest in others helps them to feel seen and heard, and it fosters a sense of safety in community’

Joy
An underrated charism in our church, joy is infectious. It is almost impossible not to feel it when you encounter someone who has this infectious joy. Joy for me has been an on again/off again experience, but more and more, in the light of what is happening in our world, I am doing my best to lean into it. Our lives are resurrection narratives and that is something we can be joyful about. We have Jesus and that is where our joy is found.

Talk less and listen more
We clergy are in the business of talking. We pray, we preach, we provide leadership for our people. We certainly value listening as an essential part of our vocation, but it’s easier said than done. Simply listening, without jumping in to share our own story or make a connection with an experience we have had, is one way we can really see the people with whom we minister. Listening to someone is receiving them.

Do the opposite
In a context and time in history which is increasingly polarized, binary, either/or, impatient, anxious, suspicious, and volatile, go and do the opposite.

We have the opportunity to bring in the gray areas, to see the both/and, to adopt radical calm, and to believe what people tell us. Whatever we can do that is the opposite of what is happening around us will be transformative. Of course, this goes back to our baptismal promise to seek justice and peace among all people, and to respect the dignity of every human being. Whatever we can do to live into this promise, one relationship at a time, will make a difference.

Love one another as God has loved us
Our collegial relationships are among the most important relationships we have beyond our families. Let us love each other as God has loved us. A safe community of holy love and grace is what God wants for us. Let us be that for one another.

Thank you, dear colleagues, for the ministries you do, for the love you share, and for saying yes to God’s call to bring hope to the world during this time. It is an honor to be doing ministry with you!

Blessings,

Melissa+

______________________________________________________________________________

July 2018

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

Where the spirit moves us

Dear Friends in Christ,

As I write this article to you, I’m preparing to head to General Convention on Sunday, July 1.

I arrive early as I have responsibilities to attend to as Secretary to the House of Bishops. We will be talking about and voting on a wide variety of subjects – some of which many of you are passionate about.

It will be about two weeks of intensive work, which is designed to point us as a Church in the direction that the Spirit moves us.

I am never good at predicting the outcome of elections to offices or of the fate of various resolutions, yet one thing I do know: much work will be done, many conversations will be had (some heated) – and all this set in the context of prayer and the Eucharist.

In addition to preparing for General Convention I have been working on finance and stewardship work, and am most grateful to Lorenzo Lebrija for his help and work on the Stewardship event we held last weekend. Thanks also to Chris Tumilty, who used his expertise to allow us for the first time to go “live” to you – with the plenary and all workshops live-streamed.

We hope to do more of this, so that the diocese can meet YOU where YOU are — not just at Echo Park. Videos of the plenary and workshops will be available for your viewing here.

The work was designed to help congregations with planned giving, narrative budgeting, utilizing TENS (The Episcopal Network on Stewardship), utilizing Holy Currencies, etc.

Speaking of TENS, if you want to use the materials, the Diocese has purchased access for you. The login ID is: Mark; the password is: 10:21. The work we are doing in Finance and the work of the Stewardship Conference was and is to equip you and all of us for the work God is giving us to do.

While I am personally preoccupied at the moment with General Convention preparations, and in the midst of work in Finance and just through with our Stewardship Conference, I’m most grateful to our Bishop Diocesan John Taylor and the men and women, lay and ordained, who are working tirelessly to bring attention to and end the separation of children from their parents at the border.

From demonstrations to protests to phone calls to letter writing–something has to change. The evil – and I use the word evil — separation of children from their families is one of the most depraved acts we as a nation can commit against a human family. Families must be reunited again – now. I keep thinking about the Holy Family – fleeing to Egypt. What if Jesus had been separated from his parents at that border?

Friends in Christ, we need to band together as the Episcopal Branch of the Jesus movement to not only move in the way the Spirit is leading us through the work of our General Convention, and through the way we utilize our gifts of time, talent and treasure, but most importantly through the way we shed light into the darkness that sometimes overtakes our world.

We must continue to advocate for those who have no voice or whose voices are being silenced. That is Jesus-work for us all. May we continue to do so, speaking out, using our resources, advocating for, loving, caring and protecting ALL whom God brings to us.

Blessings,

+Diane

_____________________________________________________________________

June 2018

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

The truth of our vocation

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to you after a wonderful meeting with those who will be ordained on June 2 at St. John’s Cathedral. I came to my scheduled time with them with no agenda.

As we talked, a few questions began to emerge. Among the things they asked were the usual questions about when to wear or not wear their collars, when to call the bishop, and all the other things you may remember having questions about when you were newly ordained.

As the conversation continued, the questions moved from the practical to the personal and theological. One of the ordinands asked me something like this: “What lies do the newly ordained tell themselves and how can we stay true to the truth?”

I was struck by the honesty of this question and how important it is for us to stay true to the truth of our vocations. What are the lies we tell ourselves? What is the truth of our vocation that we need to keep in focus?

For each of us, the answers to these questions may be different but I imagine there is a similar theme. The lies we tell ourselves are most likely rooted in ego and insecurity, arrogance and fear. The truth of our vocation is rooted in love, humility, faithfulness, and hope. That part of the question is not so tricky to identify. Staying true to the truth is a more difficult task.

How do you avoid the lies of ego and insecurity, arrogance and fear, and stay rooted in love, humility, faithfulness, and hope? What does that mean for you?

For me it has something to do with remembering what a privilege it is to be called into a vocation where our work is to love others as Christ has loved us as well as the fact that while we will always have lots of tasks, what matters most in our ordained ministry is who we are. Our presence is our primary strength as leaders. Everything else will take care of itself when our presence is rooted in love, humility, faithfulness, and hope.

Please pray for those being ordained on June 2, as well as for all of our colleagues in this sacred work into which we have been called.

Know that you are held in prayer by Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce, the whole diocesan staff, and me. My prayer for us all is that our work may be rooted in God’s love, humility, faithfulness, and hope!

Blessings,

Melissa+

March 2020

From Bishop John Harvey Taylor

My colleagues in Christ:

More than a year ago, Bishop Bruce invited Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to speak at our annual Bishop’s Dinner this November. As you know, it’s a fundraiser, with proceeds set aside for our missions and ministry centers. As in 2019, we’ll use the money this year to enable as many missions as possible to participate in Jaime Edwards-Acton and Betsy Densmore’s Social Enterprise Academy, learning how to leverage their resources for the sake of God’s people and the sustainability of the church.

Just think about it. The greatest preacher of our time, in Los Angeles, just a few days after the presidential election, offering the inspiration of Christ’s way of love.

Then Canon McCarthy had an idea. Why don’t we ask Bishop Curry to offer his sure-to-be-stirring address twice, at each end of the diocese? I pitched it to him in a few weeks ago in Detroit, at Bishop Bonnie Perry’s ordination and consecration, and he graciously assented.

So my colleagues, this is a “save the date” notice to keep in mind as you plan your own 2020-21 schedules. The Bishop’s Dinner del norte will be on Friday, November 6, 2020 at California Lutheran University. La cena del sur will be on Saturday, November 7, 2020 in the White House East Room replica of the Nixon library in Yorba Linda.

Please mark your calendars, and spread the word. More details to come, including about additional special guests. My spouse Canon Kathy O’Connor, again serving as volunteer dinner coordinator, is looking for dinner sponsors as well as volunteers for organizing committees for both dinners. Please write her at koconnor@ladiocese.org. We promise to keep the tickets as affordable as possible. Thank you for understanding the vital importance of raising these funds for our institutions on the front lines of mission and ministry.

Yours in Christ’s love,

+John

July 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

July – a way of rest

July is always that month when I can kinda-sorta-breathe. Is it that way for you too?

Starting with Easter I feel as though I’m on a dead run to July. June is always the worst — it’s a whirlwind for me; graduations, ordinations, consecrations, birthdays. Maybe June was and is a whirlwind for you too.

Now it’s July — June gloom is behind us (hopefully) and we look forward to sunny days and a more reasonable pace of work. Maybe you’ve scheduled all or part of your vacation for July. Many clergy do.

We as clergy tend to over-function. We do so at times out of necessity, especially when we are the only clergy person caring for a congregation. We do so out of our own insecurity, as if people might think we are slacking off if we actually take time apart to rest, reflect and pray.

We do so because there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done, someone to be visited, something to fix, more meetings to schedule. God knows I eat over-functioning for breakfast! Yet I know I’m not called to stay in that place. It is not healthy for my body, mind or spirit, and it is not healthy for you either.

I want to invite you to continue to walk with me on the Way of Love. During the month of July — and heck, let’s throw August in there as well — I invite you to move into a bit of REST. It doesn’t mean we completely stop working (unless, of course, you are on vacation!). It does mean taking some time to think about, pray about, work on that aspect of the Way of Love which our Presiding Bishop calls rest.

From https://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/documents/way_of_love_introduction.pdf:

REST: Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  – John 14:27

Blessed are you, O Lord … giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent.  – Book of Common Prayer, 113

From the beginning of creation, God has established the sacred pattern of going and returning, labor and rest. Especially today, God invites us to dedicate time for restoration and wholeness – within our bodies, minds, and souls, and within our communities and institutions. By resting we place our trust in God, the primary actor who brings all things to their fullness.

For Reflection and Discernment

• What practices restore your body, mind, and soul?
• How will you observe rest and renewal on a regular basis?
• With whom will you commit to create and maintain a regular practice of rest?

Use this quieter time we live in right now to honor your body, mind and spirit — and drink in God’s love and grace.

Blessings and love to you all,
+Diane

_______________________________________________________________________________________

June 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Knowing Your Rest Points

“Know your rest points,” was the sage advice I received from a choreographer I worked with about 20 years ago when I was dancing to make a living. We were learning a particularly challenging piece and she told us to pace ourselves; to look at the piece as a whole and find those moments when we could rest. Even though we were still moving, there were less intense moments that, with intention and focus, could provide us with enough respite to restore us for what was ahead.

This idea of rest points stuck with me through my discernment, seminary, and into my priestly vocation. Vacation is a great time for rest, of course, as are our days off. There are times and seasons of rest as well as moments of rest in each day. The key to finding this rest is to be intentional about it. We can take a look at the pacing of each day, or week, or month, or year, and find those moments when we can take a break and a breath, reconnecting to ourselves and to God.

It’s always seemed a bit of a puzzle to me why clergy, myself included, work hard and so often resist taking the rest we need. Is it the infamous “fear of missing out”? Or is it because somewhere inside of us we still feel like we need to earn our salvation? Is it because we fear Jesus (or our people) will loves us less if we take some time to rest? I have never come up with a good answer for this in myself. Maybe you have and can share it with me!

What I do know is that Jesus will not love us less if we take time to rest. Jesus will not love us less if we spend some time doing whatever provides our hearts and souls with the respite that will restore us for the work we are called to do in the more intense times in our day, week, month, or year. In the end, aren’t we all going for the long game, which is a life of meaningful work and deep connection with God and those whom God loves? The way I know how to do this is by pacing myself, knowing when I can rest, knowing when I need to push through, and remembering that everything we do is for the sake of God’s love.

Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce and I, along with Canon Satorius and the Formations and Transitions team, have been thinking of ways that we can offer moments of rest for the clergy community as well. We began with clergy conference, which was a different kind of clergy conference than we have had in previous years. Rather than listening to a speaker, which can feel exhausting in the Easter season after a full year, we opted for a conference that felt more like a retreat. It was our first draft, so to speak, and next year we will fine-tune it.

Additionally, we are experimenting with two other points during the year where rest, restoration, and learning can be offered. The first will be on November 1, when the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary, will offer a retreat day for clergy held at St. Paul’s Commons (the Cathedral Center). More details on this event will come soon, but in the meantime please check out Dean Douglas’ biography. I also encourage you to check out some of her writing, including her groundbreaking book Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective.

Second, in the spring, we will offer a retreat day prior to Lent in collaboration with Stillpoint. What that day looks like has yet to be planned but we will have information out as soon as we are able.

Until then, I pray you have a blessed and restorative summer! If we can be of service to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

Melissa

______________________________________________________________________________

May 2019

From Bishop Diocesan John Harvey Taylor

May 2, 2019 – Feast of St. Athanasius

St. Paul’s Commons
is the new name for
our diocesan HQ in Echo Park

______________________________________________________________________________

April 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce:

About Lambeth

Dear Friends in Christ:

In mid-March Bishop Taylor and I spent four long, intense days with our fellow Bishops at Kanuga in North Carolina. You have already seen the letter from us and our spouses regarding the controversy surrounding Lambeth 2020.

Leaving Bishop Mary Glasspool’s beloved Becki off the guest list was shocking and painful – especially for those of us who have experienced their powerful and loving ministry among us. The response of the House of Bishops (HOB) as well as your bishops here was undertaken prayerfully. Mary herself gave a moving account of what transpired in the weeks leading up to our gathering at the HOB.

The work of the HOB in this triennium is centered on The Way of Love. For those of you who haven’t reviewed the materials for The Way of Love a good place to begin is here.

We had the privilege of hearing from Bishop Vashti McKenzie (AME Bishop, Texas) as well as Bishop Ric Thorpe (Bishop of Islington) on Evangelism as it relates to the Way of Love.

Bishop McKenzie is the Bishop in charge of all the AME churches in the State of Texas. She talked about the fact that many people practice “CHURCHianity” rather than “CHRISTianity”.

She asked the question, “Is it possible that we are more in love with Church than we are with Jesus Christ?” It is so easy to get caught up in the mechanics of Church that we forget the reason we are here and what we are called to do. While we need the institution, we also need to be open to the movement of the Holy Spirit.

Bishop Ric Thorpe has been Bishop of Islington, a suffragan bishopric in the Diocese of London with special attention to the ministry of church planting, since September 2015. He is responsible for the London diocese’s goal of creating 100 New Worshipping Communities by 2020 and is also working nationally to support other dioceses to plant new churches and revitalize existing ones. Before being appointed to Islington, Bishop Ric was the Bishop of London’s adviser for Church Planting and the rector of St. Paul’s Shadwell.

Bishop Thorpe offered that the Way of Love re-centers us on what really matters. He shared that the decade of Evangelism in England didn’t produce much fruit in terms of the programs and projects that it did — EXCEPT for Alpha and for a renewed passion for the poor and the marginalized.

Reflecting on his work turning around St. Paul’s, he told us that St. Paul’s had 12 people left in it and was going to be closed. The Bishop of London asked Bishop Thorpe and a team to revitalize it — 95 people came with him to revitalize. The neighborhood is 45% Muslim, 45% secular young professionals, 10% aging cockney. The congregation grew! Check out their website here.

Bishop Thorpe draws his tradition from Gregory the Great — a vision for the re-visioning of a community and re-evangelizing of the nation. Augustine similarly worked with the powers that be to plant churches. Bishop Thorpe then looked to the Celtic saints and found Cuthbert who worked by coming alongside a community, developing a church outside the city limits and offering hospitality. The Celtic way is all about relationships.

Both Bishop McKenzie and Bishop Thorpe agreed that if we want to see the church revitalized and become a church that is full of the love of God in Christ and is following The Way of Love it starts with prayer. Here we are, back to where we started. The bishops spent time and prayed as we dealt with the harsh reality of Lambeth 2020. It all starts with prayer, and it all must end with prayer.

Please know I pray for you all daily. I pray for our Church. I pray for our nation. I pray for our world. May all we do be begin and end in prayer.

+Diane

March 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Summiting Together

Dear Friends:

Mount Snowdon is the highest mountain peak in Wales and the highest peak in all of the United Kingdom outside of the Scottish Highlands. This 3,560-foot peak seems small for us here in California where snow falls generally occur at 4,500 feet and above. However, each mountain has its own personality, its own treachery, and Snowdon is no different.

I visited Wales in 2005 and, with my friend Isabella, decided to take a day to make the climb. I was barely 30 and still had that feeling of invincibility when we embarked that July morning. We decided to take the longest and busiest route to the top because we had been warned by so many locals to be careful of sudden weather changes and the danger such changes would bring us along the less traversed and more narrow paths. As I recall, it is a five-mile hike to the top so, after a good and fortifying breakfast, we started our ascent early that morning.

The hike up to the peak was beautiful. We encountered many fellow pilgrims, shook our figurative fists at those who zoomed past us on the train to the top, and enjoyed every moment of it. Almost. When we were about three-fourths of a mile from summiting the strangest thing happened. I got tired. Really tired. My legs felt heavy. Every step was a monumental effort. I kept pushing myself until finally I couldn’t do it any longer. I told Isabella what I was experiencing and she, being older and much wiser, said, “Oh, you are bonking,” which I inferred to mean some kind of crazy fatigue that she was aware of and I was not.

As it turns out “bonking” or “hitting the wall” is a real thing. It is the onset of sudden fatigue caused by a loss of glycogen. I sat down, she handed me a cliff bar, and I ate about half of it along with some long sips of water. A few minutes later I was fine. In fact, we ate that last three-fourths of a mile for a midmorning snack. The summit was as amazing as promised with cool winds and breathtaking views.

Being in ministry is a lot like summiting a peak. It’s a process and a journey. It’s something we sign up for and embark on with the best preparation we can have. It’s something that we do with others and, like my experience on Snowdon, it can wear us out. This is normal. Strength and energy comes and goes. We need periods of rest and quiet.

We need time to refuel and re-energize. As I was beginning to “bonk” I felt a sense of shame. I wondered what was wrong with me and why I couldn’t just keep going. I looked at Isabella and she was fine. How come I wasn’t? I tried to push through and then I stopped. What Isabella did was normalize it for me, give me some fuel, and sit with me while I rested.

We can do the same for each other: normalize the fatigue, share the fuel for ministry that we have with each other, and be with each other in those periods of rest. Doing this for each other helps neutralize any shame we might be experiencing as well as any sense of competition with each other we may be indulging.

In the end, our vocational lives are most healthy and vibrant when we are in good relationship with each other, which necessarily means being able to share our vulnerabilities with each other and receive the support that is waiting to be offered.

These are my reflections on the eve of Lent, a time that is guaranteed to wear out anyone in active ministry. Be gentle with yourselves, reach out to one another (and to me!), and enjoy the journey with fellow pilgrims on the way.

A blessed Lent to all!

Melissa+
______________________________________________________________________________

February 2019

From Bishop Diocesan John Taylor 

 Joining the List

______________________________________________________________________________

October 2018

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Expectations

Greetings, dear colleagues!

I sit down to write this note to you on the morning after Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s harrowing testimony. I will confess that I am still reeling from watching the hearing and how it all played out. I am still reeling from the fact that a victim is being prosecuted. I am still reeling from the dehumanization she has experienced.

I am still reeling from the undeniable and incontrovertible evidence this testimony and the whole hearing has provided us of how far this country’s leadership has fallen and how openly, indeed publicly, sexual abuse of women has been given the rubber stamp of approval by our current president.

Meanwhile, while we are all focused on this hearing, ICE detained 150 good people in Southern California, which is yet another example of the horrific policies put into place by the current president.

Given everything that is happening in our world, how do we continue our vocational tasks of preaching, teaching, and living the good news?

How do we find the energy for it?

For me, it has come through reflection upon a question a colleague posed to me. A couple of Sundays ago, I had the opportunity to do a parish visit, sit with the vestry of the church, and talk about mission in ministry in their particular context. During this meeting, their rector asked me a question that caught me up short for a moment. It was a simple, articulate, and profound question. It was an articulation of something I have wondered during all my years of priesthood but have never been able to put words to, at least not this way. The rector asked what our bishops expect of us, the clergy.

I went back to Echo Park and told Bishop Taylor about this question, how it had struck me, and how I answered the question. Together, he and I put some more thinking behind what is expected of us, and by “us” I mean all of us, including the bishops.

Here’s what we came up with:

Curiosity
In a cultural context that dehumanizes and renders invisible those that it deems “other,” one of the most profoundly easy and highly impactful things we can do is to be curious about the people we meet. We can learn their stories, get to know them, and listen to what they have to teach us. Our curiosity and interest in others helps them to feel seen and heard, and it fosters a sense of safety in community’

Joy
An underrated charism in our church, joy is infectious. It is almost impossible not to feel it when you encounter someone who has this infectious joy. Joy for me has been an on again/off again experience, but more and more, in the light of what is happening in our world, I am doing my best to lean into it. Our lives are resurrection narratives and that is something we can be joyful about. We have Jesus and that is where our joy is found.

Talk less and listen more
We clergy are in the business of talking. We pray, we preach, we provide leadership for our people. We certainly value listening as an essential part of our vocation, but it’s easier said than done. Simply listening, without jumping in to share our own story or make a connection with an experience we have had, is one way we can really see the people with whom we minister. Listening to someone is receiving them.

Do the opposite
In a context and time in history which is increasingly polarized, binary, either/or, impatient, anxious, suspicious, and volatile, go and do the opposite.

We have the opportunity to bring in the gray areas, to see the both/and, to adopt radical calm, and to believe what people tell us. Whatever we can do that is the opposite of what is happening around us will be transformative. Of course, this goes back to our baptismal promise to seek justice and peace among all people, and to respect the dignity of every human being. Whatever we can do to live into this promise, one relationship at a time, will make a difference.

Love one another as God has loved us
Our collegial relationships are among the most important relationships we have beyond our families. Let us love each other as God has loved us. A safe community of holy love and grace is what God wants for us. Let us be that for one another.

Thank you, dear colleagues, for the ministries you do, for the love you share, and for saying yes to God’s call to bring hope to the world during this time. It is an honor to be doing ministry with you!

Blessings,

Melissa+

______________________________________________________________________________

July 2018

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

Where the spirit moves us

Dear Friends in Christ,

As I write this article to you, I’m preparing to head to General Convention on Sunday, July 1.

I arrive early as I have responsibilities to attend to as Secretary to the House of Bishops. We will be talking about and voting on a wide variety of subjects – some of which many of you are passionate about.

It will be about two weeks of intensive work, which is designed to point us as a Church in the direction that the Spirit moves us.

I am never good at predicting the outcome of elections to offices or of the fate of various resolutions, yet one thing I do know: much work will be done, many conversations will be had (some heated) – and all this set in the context of prayer and the Eucharist.

In addition to preparing for General Convention I have been working on finance and stewardship work, and am most grateful to Lorenzo Lebrija for his help and work on the Stewardship event we held last weekend. Thanks also to Chris Tumilty, who used his expertise to allow us for the first time to go “live” to you – with the plenary and all workshops live-streamed.

We hope to do more of this, so that the diocese can meet YOU where YOU are — not just at Echo Park. Videos of the plenary and workshops will be available for your viewing here.

The work was designed to help congregations with planned giving, narrative budgeting, utilizing TENS (The Episcopal Network on Stewardship), utilizing Holy Currencies, etc.

Speaking of TENS, if you want to use the materials, the Diocese has purchased access for you. The login ID is: Mark; the password is: 10:21. The work we are doing in Finance and the work of the Stewardship Conference was and is to equip you and all of us for the work God is giving us to do.

While I am personally preoccupied at the moment with General Convention preparations, and in the midst of work in Finance and just through with our Stewardship Conference, I’m most grateful to our Bishop Diocesan John Taylor and the men and women, lay and ordained, who are working tirelessly to bring attention to and end the separation of children from their parents at the border.

From demonstrations to protests to phone calls to letter writing–something has to change. The evil – and I use the word evil — separation of children from their families is one of the most depraved acts we as a nation can commit against a human family. Families must be reunited again – now. I keep thinking about the Holy Family – fleeing to Egypt. What if Jesus had been separated from his parents at that border?

Friends in Christ, we need to band together as the Episcopal Branch of the Jesus movement to not only move in the way the Spirit is leading us through the work of our General Convention, and through the way we utilize our gifts of time, talent and treasure, but most importantly through the way we shed light into the darkness that sometimes overtakes our world.

We must continue to advocate for those who have no voice or whose voices are being silenced. That is Jesus-work for us all. May we continue to do so, speaking out, using our resources, advocating for, loving, caring and protecting ALL whom God brings to us.

Blessings,

+Diane

_____________________________________________________________________

June 2018

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

The truth of our vocation

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to you after a wonderful meeting with those who will be ordained on June 2 at St. John’s Cathedral. I came to my scheduled time with them with no agenda.

As we talked, a few questions began to emerge. Among the things they asked were the usual questions about when to wear or not wear their collars, when to call the bishop, and all the other things you may remember having questions about when you were newly ordained.

As the conversation continued, the questions moved from the practical to the personal and theological. One of the ordinands asked me something like this: “What lies do the newly ordained tell themselves and how can we stay true to the truth?”

I was struck by the honesty of this question and how important it is for us to stay true to the truth of our vocations. What are the lies we tell ourselves? What is the truth of our vocation that we need to keep in focus?

For each of us, the answers to these questions may be different but I imagine there is a similar theme. The lies we tell ourselves are most likely rooted in ego and insecurity, arrogance and fear. The truth of our vocation is rooted in love, humility, faithfulness, and hope. That part of the question is not so tricky to identify. Staying true to the truth is a more difficult task.

How do you avoid the lies of ego and insecurity, arrogance and fear, and stay rooted in love, humility, faithfulness, and hope? What does that mean for you?

For me it has something to do with remembering what a privilege it is to be called into a vocation where our work is to love others as Christ has loved us as well as the fact that while we will always have lots of tasks, what matters most in our ordained ministry is who we are. Our presence is our primary strength as leaders. Everything else will take care of itself when our presence is rooted in love, humility, faithfulness, and hope.

Please pray for those being ordained on June 2, as well as for all of our colleagues in this sacred work into which we have been called.

Know that you are held in prayer by Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce, the whole diocesan staff, and me. My prayer for us all is that our work may be rooted in God’s love, humility, faithfulness, and hope!

Blessings,

Melissa+

March 2020

From Bishop John Harvey Taylor

My colleagues in Christ:

More than a year ago, Bishop Bruce invited Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to speak at our annual Bishop’s Dinner this November. As you know, it’s a fundraiser, with proceeds set aside for our missions and ministry centers. As in 2019, we’ll use the money this year to enable as many missions as possible to participate in Jaime Edwards-Acton and Betsy Densmore’s Social Enterprise Academy, learning how to leverage their resources for the sake of God’s people and the sustainability of the church.

Just think about it. The greatest preacher of our time, in Los Angeles, just a few days after the presidential election, offering the inspiration of Christ’s way of love.

Then Canon McCarthy had an idea. Why don’t we ask Bishop Curry to offer his sure-to-be-stirring address twice, at each end of the diocese? I pitched it to him in a few weeks ago in Detroit, at Bishop Bonnie Perry’s ordination and consecration, and he graciously assented.

So my colleagues, this is a “save the date” notice to keep in mind as you plan your own 2020-21 schedules. The Bishop’s Dinner del norte will be on Friday, November 6, 2020 at California Lutheran University. La cena del sur will be on Saturday, November 7, 2020 in the White House East Room replica of the Nixon library in Yorba Linda.

Please mark your calendars, and spread the word. More details to come, including about additional special guests. My spouse Canon Kathy O’Connor, again serving as volunteer dinner coordinator, is looking for dinner sponsors as well as volunteers for organizing committees for both dinners. Please write her at koconnor@ladiocese.org. We promise to keep the tickets as affordable as possible. Thank you for understanding the vital importance of raising these funds for our institutions on the front lines of mission and ministry.

Yours in Christ’s love,

+John

July 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

July – a way of rest

July is always that month when I can kinda-sorta-breathe. Is it that way for you too?

Starting with Easter I feel as though I’m on a dead run to July. June is always the worst — it’s a whirlwind for me; graduations, ordinations, consecrations, birthdays. Maybe June was and is a whirlwind for you too.

Now it’s July — June gloom is behind us (hopefully) and we look forward to sunny days and a more reasonable pace of work. Maybe you’ve scheduled all or part of your vacation for July. Many clergy do.

We as clergy tend to over-function. We do so at times out of necessity, especially when we are the only clergy person caring for a congregation. We do so out of our own insecurity, as if people might think we are slacking off if we actually take time apart to rest, reflect and pray.

We do so because there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done, someone to be visited, something to fix, more meetings to schedule. God knows I eat over-functioning for breakfast! Yet I know I’m not called to stay in that place. It is not healthy for my body, mind or spirit, and it is not healthy for you either.

I want to invite you to continue to walk with me on the Way of Love. During the month of July — and heck, let’s throw August in there as well — I invite you to move into a bit of REST. It doesn’t mean we completely stop working (unless, of course, you are on vacation!). It does mean taking some time to think about, pray about, work on that aspect of the Way of Love which our Presiding Bishop calls rest.

From https://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/documents/way_of_love_introduction.pdf:

REST: Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  – John 14:27

Blessed are you, O Lord … giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent.  – Book of Common Prayer, 113

From the beginning of creation, God has established the sacred pattern of going and returning, labor and rest. Especially today, God invites us to dedicate time for restoration and wholeness – within our bodies, minds, and souls, and within our communities and institutions. By resting we place our trust in God, the primary actor who brings all things to their fullness.

For Reflection and Discernment

• What practices restore your body, mind, and soul?
• How will you observe rest and renewal on a regular basis?
• With whom will you commit to create and maintain a regular practice of rest?

Use this quieter time we live in right now to honor your body, mind and spirit — and drink in God’s love and grace.

Blessings and love to you all,
+Diane

_______________________________________________________________________________________

June 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Knowing Your Rest Points

“Know your rest points,” was the sage advice I received from a choreographer I worked with about 20 years ago when I was dancing to make a living. We were learning a particularly challenging piece and she told us to pace ourselves; to look at the piece as a whole and find those moments when we could rest. Even though we were still moving, there were less intense moments that, with intention and focus, could provide us with enough respite to restore us for what was ahead.

This idea of rest points stuck with me through my discernment, seminary, and into my priestly vocation. Vacation is a great time for rest, of course, as are our days off. There are times and seasons of rest as well as moments of rest in each day. The key to finding this rest is to be intentional about it. We can take a look at the pacing of each day, or week, or month, or year, and find those moments when we can take a break and a breath, reconnecting to ourselves and to God.

It’s always seemed a bit of a puzzle to me why clergy, myself included, work hard and so often resist taking the rest we need. Is it the infamous “fear of missing out”? Or is it because somewhere inside of us we still feel like we need to earn our salvation? Is it because we fear Jesus (or our people) will loves us less if we take some time to rest? I have never come up with a good answer for this in myself. Maybe you have and can share it with me!

What I do know is that Jesus will not love us less if we take time to rest. Jesus will not love us less if we spend some time doing whatever provides our hearts and souls with the respite that will restore us for the work we are called to do in the more intense times in our day, week, month, or year. In the end, aren’t we all going for the long game, which is a life of meaningful work and deep connection with God and those whom God loves? The way I know how to do this is by pacing myself, knowing when I can rest, knowing when I need to push through, and remembering that everything we do is for the sake of God’s love.

Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce and I, along with Canon Satorius and the Formations and Transitions team, have been thinking of ways that we can offer moments of rest for the clergy community as well. We began with clergy conference, which was a different kind of clergy conference than we have had in previous years. Rather than listening to a speaker, which can feel exhausting in the Easter season after a full year, we opted for a conference that felt more like a retreat. It was our first draft, so to speak, and next year we will fine-tune it.

Additionally, we are experimenting with two other points during the year where rest, restoration, and learning can be offered. The first will be on November 1, when the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary, will offer a retreat day for clergy held at St. Paul’s Commons (the Cathedral Center). More details on this event will come soon, but in the meantime please check out Dean Douglas’ biography. I also encourage you to check out some of her writing, including her groundbreaking book Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective.

Second, in the spring, we will offer a retreat day prior to Lent in collaboration with Stillpoint. What that day looks like has yet to be planned but we will have information out as soon as we are able.

Until then, I pray you have a blessed and restorative summer! If we can be of service to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

Melissa

______________________________________________________________________________

May 2019

From Bishop Diocesan John Harvey Taylor

May 2, 2019 – Feast of St. Athanasius

St. Paul’s Commons
is the new name for
our diocesan HQ in Echo Park

______________________________________________________________________________

April 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce:

About Lambeth

Dear Friends in Christ:

In mid-March Bishop Taylor and I spent four long, intense days with our fellow Bishops at Kanuga in North Carolina. You have already seen the letter from us and our spouses regarding the controversy surrounding Lambeth 2020.

Leaving Bishop Mary Glasspool’s beloved Becki off the guest list was shocking and painful – especially for those of us who have experienced their powerful and loving ministry among us. The response of the House of Bishops (HOB) as well as your bishops here was undertaken prayerfully. Mary herself gave a moving account of what transpired in the weeks leading up to our gathering at the HOB.

The work of the HOB in this triennium is centered on The Way of Love. For those of you who haven’t reviewed the materials for The Way of Love a good place to begin is here.

We had the privilege of hearing from Bishop Vashti McKenzie (AME Bishop, Texas) as well as Bishop Ric Thorpe (Bishop of Islington) on Evangelism as it relates to the Way of Love.

Bishop McKenzie is the Bishop in charge of all the AME churches in the State of Texas. She talked about the fact that many people practice “CHURCHianity” rather than “CHRISTianity”.

She asked the question, “Is it possible that we are more in love with Church than we are with Jesus Christ?” It is so easy to get caught up in the mechanics of Church that we forget the reason we are here and what we are called to do. While we need the institution, we also need to be open to the movement of the Holy Spirit.

Bishop Ric Thorpe has been Bishop of Islington, a suffragan bishopric in the Diocese of London with special attention to the ministry of church planting, since September 2015. He is responsible for the London diocese’s goal of creating 100 New Worshipping Communities by 2020 and is also working nationally to support other dioceses to plant new churches and revitalize existing ones. Before being appointed to Islington, Bishop Ric was the Bishop of London’s adviser for Church Planting and the rector of St. Paul’s Shadwell.

Bishop Thorpe offered that the Way of Love re-centers us on what really matters. He shared that the decade of Evangelism in England didn’t produce much fruit in terms of the programs and projects that it did — EXCEPT for Alpha and for a renewed passion for the poor and the marginalized.

Reflecting on his work turning around St. Paul’s, he told us that St. Paul’s had 12 people left in it and was going to be closed. The Bishop of London asked Bishop Thorpe and a team to revitalize it — 95 people came with him to revitalize. The neighborhood is 45% Muslim, 45% secular young professionals, 10% aging cockney. The congregation grew! Check out their website here.

Bishop Thorpe draws his tradition from Gregory the Great — a vision for the re-visioning of a community and re-evangelizing of the nation. Augustine similarly worked with the powers that be to plant churches. Bishop Thorpe then looked to the Celtic saints and found Cuthbert who worked by coming alongside a community, developing a church outside the city limits and offering hospitality. The Celtic way is all about relationships.

Both Bishop McKenzie and Bishop Thorpe agreed that if we want to see the church revitalized and become a church that is full of the love of God in Christ and is following The Way of Love it starts with prayer. Here we are, back to where we started. The bishops spent time and prayed as we dealt with the harsh reality of Lambeth 2020. It all starts with prayer, and it all must end with prayer.

Please know I pray for you all daily. I pray for our Church. I pray for our nation. I pray for our world. May all we do be begin and end in prayer.

+Diane

March 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Summiting Together

Dear Friends:

Mount Snowdon is the highest mountain peak in Wales and the highest peak in all of the United Kingdom outside of the Scottish Highlands. This 3,560-foot peak seems small for us here in California where snow falls generally occur at 4,500 feet and above. However, each mountain has its own personality, its own treachery, and Snowdon is no different.

I visited Wales in 2005 and, with my friend Isabella, decided to take a day to make the climb. I was barely 30 and still had that feeling of invincibility when we embarked that July morning. We decided to take the longest and busiest route to the top because we had been warned by so many locals to be careful of sudden weather changes and the danger such changes would bring us along the less traversed and more narrow paths. As I recall, it is a five-mile hike to the top so, after a good and fortifying breakfast, we started our ascent early that morning.

The hike up to the peak was beautiful. We encountered many fellow pilgrims, shook our figurative fists at those who zoomed past us on the train to the top, and enjoyed every moment of it. Almost. When we were about three-fourths of a mile from summiting the strangest thing happened. I got tired. Really tired. My legs felt heavy. Every step was a monumental effort. I kept pushing myself until finally I couldn’t do it any longer. I told Isabella what I was experiencing and she, being older and much wiser, said, “Oh, you are bonking,” which I inferred to mean some kind of crazy fatigue that she was aware of and I was not.

As it turns out “bonking” or “hitting the wall” is a real thing. It is the onset of sudden fatigue caused by a loss of glycogen. I sat down, she handed me a cliff bar, and I ate about half of it along with some long sips of water. A few minutes later I was fine. In fact, we ate that last three-fourths of a mile for a midmorning snack. The summit was as amazing as promised with cool winds and breathtaking views.

Being in ministry is a lot like summiting a peak. It’s a process and a journey. It’s something we sign up for and embark on with the best preparation we can have. It’s something that we do with others and, like my experience on Snowdon, it can wear us out. This is normal. Strength and energy comes and goes. We need periods of rest and quiet.

We need time to refuel and re-energize. As I was beginning to “bonk” I felt a sense of shame. I wondered what was wrong with me and why I couldn’t just keep going. I looked at Isabella and she was fine. How come I wasn’t? I tried to push through and then I stopped. What Isabella did was normalize it for me, give me some fuel, and sit with me while I rested.

We can do the same for each other: normalize the fatigue, share the fuel for ministry that we have with each other, and be with each other in those periods of rest. Doing this for each other helps neutralize any shame we might be experiencing as well as any sense of competition with each other we may be indulging.

In the end, our vocational lives are most healthy and vibrant when we are in good relationship with each other, which necessarily means being able to share our vulnerabilities with each other and receive the support that is waiting to be offered.

These are my reflections on the eve of Lent, a time that is guaranteed to wear out anyone in active ministry. Be gentle with yourselves, reach out to one another (and to me!), and enjoy the journey with fellow pilgrims on the way.

A blessed Lent to all!

Melissa+
______________________________________________________________________________

February 2019

From Bishop Diocesan John Taylor 

 Joining the List

______________________________________________________________________________

October 2018

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Expectations

Greetings, dear colleagues!

I sit down to write this note to you on the morning after Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s harrowing testimony. I will confess that I am still reeling from watching the hearing and how it all played out. I am still reeling from the fact that a victim is being prosecuted. I am still reeling from the dehumanization she has experienced.

I am still reeling from the undeniable and incontrovertible evidence this testimony and the whole hearing has provided us of how far this country’s leadership has fallen and how openly, indeed publicly, sexual abuse of women has been given the rubber stamp of approval by our current president.

Meanwhile, while we are all focused on this hearing, ICE detained 150 good people in Southern California, which is yet another example of the horrific policies put into place by the current president.

Given everything that is happening in our world, how do we continue our vocational tasks of preaching, teaching, and living the good news?

How do we find the energy for it?

For me, it has come through reflection upon a question a colleague posed to me. A couple of Sundays ago, I had the opportunity to do a parish visit, sit with the vestry of the church, and talk about mission in ministry in their particular context. During this meeting, their rector asked me a question that caught me up short for a moment. It was a simple, articulate, and profound question. It was an articulation of something I have wondered during all my years of priesthood but have never been able to put words to, at least not this way. The rector asked what our bishops expect of us, the clergy.

I went back to Echo Park and told Bishop Taylor about this question, how it had struck me, and how I answered the question. Together, he and I put some more thinking behind what is expected of us, and by “us” I mean all of us, including the bishops.

Here’s what we came up with:

Curiosity
In a cultural context that dehumanizes and renders invisible those that it deems “other,” one of the most profoundly easy and highly impactful things we can do is to be curious about the people we meet. We can learn their stories, get to know them, and listen to what they have to teach us. Our curiosity and interest in others helps them to feel seen and heard, and it fosters a sense of safety in community’

Joy
An underrated charism in our church, joy is infectious. It is almost impossible not to feel it when you encounter someone who has this infectious joy. Joy for me has been an on again/off again experience, but more and more, in the light of what is happening in our world, I am doing my best to lean into it. Our lives are resurrection narratives and that is something we can be joyful about. We have Jesus and that is where our joy is found.

Talk less and listen more
We clergy are in the business of talking. We pray, we preach, we provide leadership for our people. We certainly value listening as an essential part of our vocation, but it’s easier said than done. Simply listening, without jumping in to share our own story or make a connection with an experience we have had, is one way we can really see the people with whom we minister. Listening to someone is receiving them.

Do the opposite
In a context and time in history which is increasingly polarized, binary, either/or, impatient, anxious, suspicious, and volatile, go and do the opposite.

We have the opportunity to bring in the gray areas, to see the both/and, to adopt radical calm, and to believe what people tell us. Whatever we can do that is the opposite of what is happening around us will be transformative. Of course, this goes back to our baptismal promise to seek justice and peace among all people, and to respect the dignity of every human being. Whatever we can do to live into this promise, one relationship at a time, will make a difference.

Love one another as God has loved us
Our collegial relationships are among the most important relationships we have beyond our families. Let us love each other as God has loved us. A safe community of holy love and grace is what God wants for us. Let us be that for one another.

Thank you, dear colleagues, for the ministries you do, for the love you share, and for saying yes to God’s call to bring hope to the world during this time. It is an honor to be doing ministry with you!

Blessings,

Melissa+

______________________________________________________________________________

July 2018

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

Where the spirit moves us

Dear Friends in Christ,

As I write this article to you, I’m preparing to head to General Convention on Sunday, July 1.

I arrive early as I have responsibilities to attend to as Secretary to the House of Bishops. We will be talking about and voting on a wide variety of subjects – some of which many of you are passionate about.

It will be about two weeks of intensive work, which is designed to point us as a Church in the direction that the Spirit moves us.

I am never good at predicting the outcome of elections to offices or of the fate of various resolutions, yet one thing I do know: much work will be done, many conversations will be had (some heated) – and all this set in the context of prayer and the Eucharist.

In addition to preparing for General Convention I have been working on finance and stewardship work, and am most grateful to Lorenzo Lebrija for his help and work on the Stewardship event we held last weekend. Thanks also to Chris Tumilty, who used his expertise to allow us for the first time to go “live” to you – with the plenary and all workshops live-streamed.

We hope to do more of this, so that the diocese can meet YOU where YOU are — not just at Echo Park. Videos of the plenary and workshops will be available for your viewing here.

The work was designed to help congregations with planned giving, narrative budgeting, utilizing TENS (The Episcopal Network on Stewardship), utilizing Holy Currencies, etc.

Speaking of TENS, if you want to use the materials, the Diocese has purchased access for you. The login ID is: Mark; the password is: 10:21. The work we are doing in Finance and the work of the Stewardship Conference was and is to equip you and all of us for the work God is giving us to do.

While I am personally preoccupied at the moment with General Convention preparations, and in the midst of work in Finance and just through with our Stewardship Conference, I’m most grateful to our Bishop Diocesan John Taylor and the men and women, lay and ordained, who are working tirelessly to bring attention to and end the separation of children from their parents at the border.

From demonstrations to protests to phone calls to letter writing–something has to change. The evil – and I use the word evil — separation of children from their families is one of the most depraved acts we as a nation can commit against a human family. Families must be reunited again – now. I keep thinking about the Holy Family – fleeing to Egypt. What if Jesus had been separated from his parents at that border?

Friends in Christ, we need to band together as the Episcopal Branch of the Jesus movement to not only move in the way the Spirit is leading us through the work of our General Convention, and through the way we utilize our gifts of time, talent and treasure, but most importantly through the way we shed light into the darkness that sometimes overtakes our world.

We must continue to advocate for those who have no voice or whose voices are being silenced. That is Jesus-work for us all. May we continue to do so, speaking out, using our resources, advocating for, loving, caring and protecting ALL whom God brings to us.

Blessings,

+Diane

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June 2018

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

The truth of our vocation

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to you after a wonderful meeting with those who will be ordained on June 2 at St. John’s Cathedral. I came to my scheduled time with them with no agenda.

As we talked, a few questions began to emerge. Among the things they asked were the usual questions about when to wear or not wear their collars, when to call the bishop, and all the other things you may remember having questions about when you were newly ordained.

As the conversation continued, the questions moved from the practical to the personal and theological. One of the ordinands asked me something like this: “What lies do the newly ordained tell themselves and how can we stay true to the truth?”

I was struck by the honesty of this question and how important it is for us to stay true to the truth of our vocations. What are the lies we tell ourselves? What is the truth of our vocation that we need to keep in focus?

For each of us, the answers to these questions may be different but I imagine there is a similar theme. The lies we tell ourselves are most likely rooted in ego and insecurity, arrogance and fear. The truth of our vocation is rooted in love, humility, faithfulness, and hope. That part of the question is not so tricky to identify. Staying true to the truth is a more difficult task.

How do you avoid the lies of ego and insecurity, arrogance and fear, and stay rooted in love, humility, faithfulness, and hope? What does that mean for you?

For me it has something to do with remembering what a privilege it is to be called into a vocation where our work is to love others as Christ has loved us as well as the fact that while we will always have lots of tasks, what matters most in our ordained ministry is who we are. Our presence is our primary strength as leaders. Everything else will take care of itself when our presence is rooted in love, humility, faithfulness, and hope.

Please pray for those being ordained on June 2, as well as for all of our colleagues in this sacred work into which we have been called.

Know that you are held in prayer by Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce, the whole diocesan staff, and me. My prayer for us all is that our work may be rooted in God’s love, humility, faithfulness, and hope!

Blessings,

Melissa+

March 2020

From Bishop John Harvey Taylor

My colleagues in Christ:

More than a year ago, Bishop Bruce invited Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to speak at our annual Bishop’s Dinner this November. As you know, it’s a fundraiser, with proceeds set aside for our missions and ministry centers. As in 2019, we’ll use the money this year to enable as many missions as possible to participate in Jaime Edwards-Acton and Betsy Densmore’s Social Enterprise Academy, learning how to leverage their resources for the sake of God’s people and the sustainability of the church.

Just think about it. The greatest preacher of our time, in Los Angeles, just a few days after the presidential election, offering the inspiration of Christ’s way of love.

Then Canon McCarthy had an idea. Why don’t we ask Bishop Curry to offer his sure-to-be-stirring address twice, at each end of the diocese? I pitched it to him in a few weeks ago in Detroit, at Bishop Bonnie Perry’s ordination and consecration, and he graciously assented.

So my colleagues, this is a “save the date” notice to keep in mind as you plan your own 2020-21 schedules. The Bishop’s Dinner del norte will be on Friday, November 6, 2020 at California Lutheran University. La cena del sur will be on Saturday, November 7, 2020 in the White House East Room replica of the Nixon library in Yorba Linda.

Please mark your calendars, and spread the word. More details to come, including about additional special guests. My spouse Canon Kathy O’Connor, again serving as volunteer dinner coordinator, is looking for dinner sponsors as well as volunteers for organizing committees for both dinners. Please write her at koconnor@ladiocese.org. We promise to keep the tickets as affordable as possible. Thank you for understanding the vital importance of raising these funds for our institutions on the front lines of mission and ministry.

Yours in Christ’s love,

+John

July 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

July – a way of rest

July is always that month when I can kinda-sorta-breathe. Is it that way for you too?

Starting with Easter I feel as though I’m on a dead run to July. June is always the worst — it’s a whirlwind for me; graduations, ordinations, consecrations, birthdays. Maybe June was and is a whirlwind for you too.

Now it’s July — June gloom is behind us (hopefully) and we look forward to sunny days and a more reasonable pace of work. Maybe you’ve scheduled all or part of your vacation for July. Many clergy do.

We as clergy tend to over-function. We do so at times out of necessity, especially when we are the only clergy person caring for a congregation. We do so out of our own insecurity, as if people might think we are slacking off if we actually take time apart to rest, reflect and pray.

We do so because there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done, someone to be visited, something to fix, more meetings to schedule. God knows I eat over-functioning for breakfast! Yet I know I’m not called to stay in that place. It is not healthy for my body, mind or spirit, and it is not healthy for you either.

I want to invite you to continue to walk with me on the Way of Love. During the month of July — and heck, let’s throw August in there as well — I invite you to move into a bit of REST. It doesn’t mean we completely stop working (unless, of course, you are on vacation!). It does mean taking some time to think about, pray about, work on that aspect of the Way of Love which our Presiding Bishop calls rest.

From https://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/documents/way_of_love_introduction.pdf:

REST: Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  – John 14:27

Blessed are you, O Lord … giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent.  – Book of Common Prayer, 113

From the beginning of creation, God has established the sacred pattern of going and returning, labor and rest. Especially today, God invites us to dedicate time for restoration and wholeness – within our bodies, minds, and souls, and within our communities and institutions. By resting we place our trust in God, the primary actor who brings all things to their fullness.

For Reflection and Discernment

• What practices restore your body, mind, and soul?
• How will you observe rest and renewal on a regular basis?
• With whom will you commit to create and maintain a regular practice of rest?

Use this quieter time we live in right now to honor your body, mind and spirit — and drink in God’s love and grace.

Blessings and love to you all,
+Diane

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June 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Knowing Your Rest Points

“Know your rest points,” was the sage advice I received from a choreographer I worked with about 20 years ago when I was dancing to make a living. We were learning a particularly challenging piece and she told us to pace ourselves; to look at the piece as a whole and find those moments when we could rest. Even though we were still moving, there were less intense moments that, with intention and focus, could provide us with enough respite to restore us for what was ahead.

This idea of rest points stuck with me through my discernment, seminary, and into my priestly vocation. Vacation is a great time for rest, of course, as are our days off. There are times and seasons of rest as well as moments of rest in each day. The key to finding this rest is to be intentional about it. We can take a look at the pacing of each day, or week, or month, or year, and find those moments when we can take a break and a breath, reconnecting to ourselves and to God.

It’s always seemed a bit of a puzzle to me why clergy, myself included, work hard and so often resist taking the rest we need. Is it the infamous “fear of missing out”? Or is it because somewhere inside of us we still feel like we need to earn our salvation? Is it because we fear Jesus (or our people) will loves us less if we take some time to rest? I have never come up with a good answer for this in myself. Maybe you have and can share it with me!

What I do know is that Jesus will not love us less if we take time to rest. Jesus will not love us less if we spend some time doing whatever provides our hearts and souls with the respite that will restore us for the work we are called to do in the more intense times in our day, week, month, or year. In the end, aren’t we all going for the long game, which is a life of meaningful work and deep connection with God and those whom God loves? The way I know how to do this is by pacing myself, knowing when I can rest, knowing when I need to push through, and remembering that everything we do is for the sake of God’s love.

Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce and I, along with Canon Satorius and the Formations and Transitions team, have been thinking of ways that we can offer moments of rest for the clergy community as well. We began with clergy conference, which was a different kind of clergy conference than we have had in previous years. Rather than listening to a speaker, which can feel exhausting in the Easter season after a full year, we opted for a conference that felt more like a retreat. It was our first draft, so to speak, and next year we will fine-tune it.

Additionally, we are experimenting with two other points during the year where rest, restoration, and learning can be offered. The first will be on November 1, when the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary, will offer a retreat day for clergy held at St. Paul’s Commons (the Cathedral Center). More details on this event will come soon, but in the meantime please check out Dean Douglas’ biography. I also encourage you to check out some of her writing, including her groundbreaking book Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective.

Second, in the spring, we will offer a retreat day prior to Lent in collaboration with Stillpoint. What that day looks like has yet to be planned but we will have information out as soon as we are able.

Until then, I pray you have a blessed and restorative summer! If we can be of service to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

Melissa

______________________________________________________________________________

May 2019

From Bishop Diocesan John Harvey Taylor

May 2, 2019 – Feast of St. Athanasius

St. Paul’s Commons
is the new name for
our diocesan HQ in Echo Park

______________________________________________________________________________

April 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce:

About Lambeth

Dear Friends in Christ:

In mid-March Bishop Taylor and I spent four long, intense days with our fellow Bishops at Kanuga in North Carolina. You have already seen the letter from us and our spouses regarding the controversy surrounding Lambeth 2020.

Leaving Bishop Mary Glasspool’s beloved Becki off the guest list was shocking and painful – especially for those of us who have experienced their powerful and loving ministry among us. The response of the House of Bishops (HOB) as well as your bishops here was undertaken prayerfully. Mary herself gave a moving account of what transpired in the weeks leading up to our gathering at the HOB.

The work of the HOB in this triennium is centered on The Way of Love. For those of you who haven’t reviewed the materials for The Way of Love a good place to begin is here.

We had the privilege of hearing from Bishop Vashti McKenzie (AME Bishop, Texas) as well as Bishop Ric Thorpe (Bishop of Islington) on Evangelism as it relates to the Way of Love.

Bishop McKenzie is the Bishop in charge of all the AME churches in the State of Texas. She talked about the fact that many people practice “CHURCHianity” rather than “CHRISTianity”.

She asked the question, “Is it possible that we are more in love with Church than we are with Jesus Christ?” It is so easy to get caught up in the mechanics of Church that we forget the reason we are here and what we are called to do. While we need the institution, we also need to be open to the movement of the Holy Spirit.

Bishop Ric Thorpe has been Bishop of Islington, a suffragan bishopric in the Diocese of London with special attention to the ministry of church planting, since September 2015. He is responsible for the London diocese’s goal of creating 100 New Worshipping Communities by 2020 and is also working nationally to support other dioceses to plant new churches and revitalize existing ones. Before being appointed to Islington, Bishop Ric was the Bishop of London’s adviser for Church Planting and the rector of St. Paul’s Shadwell.

Bishop Thorpe offered that the Way of Love re-centers us on what really matters. He shared that the decade of Evangelism in England didn’t produce much fruit in terms of the programs and projects that it did — EXCEPT for Alpha and for a renewed passion for the poor and the marginalized.

Reflecting on his work turning around St. Paul’s, he told us that St. Paul’s had 12 people left in it and was going to be closed. The Bishop of London asked Bishop Thorpe and a team to revitalize it — 95 people came with him to revitalize. The neighborhood is 45% Muslim, 45% secular young professionals, 10% aging cockney. The congregation grew! Check out their website here.

Bishop Thorpe draws his tradition from Gregory the Great — a vision for the re-visioning of a community and re-evangelizing of the nation. Augustine similarly worked with the powers that be to plant churches. Bishop Thorpe then looked to the Celtic saints and found Cuthbert who worked by coming alongside a community, developing a church outside the city limits and offering hospitality. The Celtic way is all about relationships.

Both Bishop McKenzie and Bishop Thorpe agreed that if we want to see the church revitalized and become a church that is full of the love of God in Christ and is following The Way of Love it starts with prayer. Here we are, back to where we started. The bishops spent time and prayed as we dealt with the harsh reality of Lambeth 2020. It all starts with prayer, and it all must end with prayer.

Please know I pray for you all daily. I pray for our Church. I pray for our nation. I pray for our world. May all we do be begin and end in prayer.

+Diane

March 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Summiting Together

Dear Friends:

Mount Snowdon is the highest mountain peak in Wales and the highest peak in all of the United Kingdom outside of the Scottish Highlands. This 3,560-foot peak seems small for us here in California where snow falls generally occur at 4,500 feet and above. However, each mountain has its own personality, its own treachery, and Snowdon is no different.

I visited Wales in 2005 and, with my friend Isabella, decided to take a day to make the climb. I was barely 30 and still had that feeling of invincibility when we embarked that July morning. We decided to take the longest and busiest route to the top because we had been warned by so many locals to be careful of sudden weather changes and the danger such changes would bring us along the less traversed and more narrow paths. As I recall, it is a five-mile hike to the top so, after a good and fortifying breakfast, we started our ascent early that morning.

The hike up to the peak was beautiful. We encountered many fellow pilgrims, shook our figurative fists at those who zoomed past us on the train to the top, and enjoyed every moment of it. Almost. When we were about three-fourths of a mile from summiting the strangest thing happened. I got tired. Really tired. My legs felt heavy. Every step was a monumental effort. I kept pushing myself until finally I couldn’t do it any longer. I told Isabella what I was experiencing and she, being older and much wiser, said, “Oh, you are bonking,” which I inferred to mean some kind of crazy fatigue that she was aware of and I was not.

As it turns out “bonking” or “hitting the wall” is a real thing. It is the onset of sudden fatigue caused by a loss of glycogen. I sat down, she handed me a cliff bar, and I ate about half of it along with some long sips of water. A few minutes later I was fine. In fact, we ate that last three-fourths of a mile for a midmorning snack. The summit was as amazing as promised with cool winds and breathtaking views.

Being in ministry is a lot like summiting a peak. It’s a process and a journey. It’s something we sign up for and embark on with the best preparation we can have. It’s something that we do with others and, like my experience on Snowdon, it can wear us out. This is normal. Strength and energy comes and goes. We need periods of rest and quiet.

We need time to refuel and re-energize. As I was beginning to “bonk” I felt a sense of shame. I wondered what was wrong with me and why I couldn’t just keep going. I looked at Isabella and she was fine. How come I wasn’t? I tried to push through and then I stopped. What Isabella did was normalize it for me, give me some fuel, and sit with me while I rested.

We can do the same for each other: normalize the fatigue, share the fuel for ministry that we have with each other, and be with each other in those periods of rest. Doing this for each other helps neutralize any shame we might be experiencing as well as any sense of competition with each other we may be indulging.

In the end, our vocational lives are most healthy and vibrant when we are in good relationship with each other, which necessarily means being able to share our vulnerabilities with each other and receive the support that is waiting to be offered.

These are my reflections on the eve of Lent, a time that is guaranteed to wear out anyone in active ministry. Be gentle with yourselves, reach out to one another (and to me!), and enjoy the journey with fellow pilgrims on the way.

A blessed Lent to all!

Melissa+
______________________________________________________________________________

February 2019

From Bishop Diocesan John Taylor 

 Joining the List

______________________________________________________________________________

October 2018

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Expectations

Greetings, dear colleagues!

I sit down to write this note to you on the morning after Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s harrowing testimony. I will confess that I am still reeling from watching the hearing and how it all played out. I am still reeling from the fact that a victim is being prosecuted. I am still reeling from the dehumanization she has experienced.

I am still reeling from the undeniable and incontrovertible evidence this testimony and the whole hearing has provided us of how far this country’s leadership has fallen and how openly, indeed publicly, sexual abuse of women has been given the rubber stamp of approval by our current president.

Meanwhile, while we are all focused on this hearing, ICE detained 150 good people in Southern California, which is yet another example of the horrific policies put into place by the current president.

Given everything that is happening in our world, how do we continue our vocational tasks of preaching, teaching, and living the good news?

How do we find the energy for it?

For me, it has come through reflection upon a question a colleague posed to me. A couple of Sundays ago, I had the opportunity to do a parish visit, sit with the vestry of the church, and talk about mission in ministry in their particular context. During this meeting, their rector asked me a question that caught me up short for a moment. It was a simple, articulate, and profound question. It was an articulation of something I have wondered during all my years of priesthood but have never been able to put words to, at least not this way. The rector asked what our bishops expect of us, the clergy.

I went back to Echo Park and told Bishop Taylor about this question, how it had struck me, and how I answered the question. Together, he and I put some more thinking behind what is expected of us, and by “us” I mean all of us, including the bishops.

Here’s what we came up with:

Curiosity
In a cultural context that dehumanizes and renders invisible those that it deems “other,” one of the most profoundly easy and highly impactful things we can do is to be curious about the people we meet. We can learn their stories, get to know them, and listen to what they have to teach us. Our curiosity and interest in others helps them to feel seen and heard, and it fosters a sense of safety in community’

Joy
An underrated charism in our church, joy is infectious. It is almost impossible not to feel it when you encounter someone who has this infectious joy. Joy for me has been an on again/off again experience, but more and more, in the light of what is happening in our world, I am doing my best to lean into it. Our lives are resurrection narratives and that is something we can be joyful about. We have Jesus and that is where our joy is found.

Talk less and listen more
We clergy are in the business of talking. We pray, we preach, we provide leadership for our people. We certainly value listening as an essential part of our vocation, but it’s easier said than done. Simply listening, without jumping in to share our own story or make a connection with an experience we have had, is one way we can really see the people with whom we minister. Listening to someone is receiving them.

Do the opposite
In a context and time in history which is increasingly polarized, binary, either/or, impatient, anxious, suspicious, and volatile, go and do the opposite.

We have the opportunity to bring in the gray areas, to see the both/and, to adopt radical calm, and to believe what people tell us. Whatever we can do that is the opposite of what is happening around us will be transformative. Of course, this goes back to our baptismal promise to seek justice and peace among all people, and to respect the dignity of every human being. Whatever we can do to live into this promise, one relationship at a time, will make a difference.

Love one another as God has loved us
Our collegial relationships are among the most important relationships we have beyond our families. Let us love each other as God has loved us. A safe community of holy love and grace is what God wants for us. Let us be that for one another.

Thank you, dear colleagues, for the ministries you do, for the love you share, and for saying yes to God’s call to bring hope to the world during this time. It is an honor to be doing ministry with you!

Blessings,

Melissa+

______________________________________________________________________________

July 2018

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

Where the spirit moves us

Dear Friends in Christ,

As I write this article to you, I’m preparing to head to General Convention on Sunday, July 1.

I arrive early as I have responsibilities to attend to as Secretary to the House of Bishops. We will be talking about and voting on a wide variety of subjects – some of which many of you are passionate about.

It will be about two weeks of intensive work, which is designed to point us as a Church in the direction that the Spirit moves us.

I am never good at predicting the outcome of elections to offices or of the fate of various resolutions, yet one thing I do know: much work will be done, many conversations will be had (some heated) – and all this set in the context of prayer and the Eucharist.

In addition to preparing for General Convention I have been working on finance and stewardship work, and am most grateful to Lorenzo Lebrija for his help and work on the Stewardship event we held last weekend. Thanks also to Chris Tumilty, who used his expertise to allow us for the first time to go “live” to you – with the plenary and all workshops live-streamed.

We hope to do more of this, so that the diocese can meet YOU where YOU are — not just at Echo Park. Videos of the plenary and workshops will be available for your viewing here.

The work was designed to help congregations with planned giving, narrative budgeting, utilizing TENS (The Episcopal Network on Stewardship), utilizing Holy Currencies, etc.

Speaking of TENS, if you want to use the materials, the Diocese has purchased access for you. The login ID is: Mark; the password is: 10:21. The work we are doing in Finance and the work of the Stewardship Conference was and is to equip you and all of us for the work God is giving us to do.

While I am personally preoccupied at the moment with General Convention preparations, and in the midst of work in Finance and just through with our Stewardship Conference, I’m most grateful to our Bishop Diocesan John Taylor and the men and women, lay and ordained, who are working tirelessly to bring attention to and end the separation of children from their parents at the border.

From demonstrations to protests to phone calls to letter writing–something has to change. The evil – and I use the word evil — separation of children from their families is one of the most depraved acts we as a nation can commit against a human family. Families must be reunited again – now. I keep thinking about the Holy Family – fleeing to Egypt. What if Jesus had been separated from his parents at that border?

Friends in Christ, we need to band together as the Episcopal Branch of the Jesus movement to not only move in the way the Spirit is leading us through the work of our General Convention, and through the way we utilize our gifts of time, talent and treasure, but most importantly through the way we shed light into the darkness that sometimes overtakes our world.

We must continue to advocate for those who have no voice or whose voices are being silenced. That is Jesus-work for us all. May we continue to do so, speaking out, using our resources, advocating for, loving, caring and protecting ALL whom God brings to us.

Blessings,

+Diane

_____________________________________________________________________

June 2018

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

The truth of our vocation

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to you after a wonderful meeting with those who will be ordained on June 2 at St. John’s Cathedral. I came to my scheduled time with them with no agenda.

As we talked, a few questions began to emerge. Among the things they asked were the usual questions about when to wear or not wear their collars, when to call the bishop, and all the other things you may remember having questions about when you were newly ordained.

As the conversation continued, the questions moved from the practical to the personal and theological. One of the ordinands asked me something like this: “What lies do the newly ordained tell themselves and how can we stay true to the truth?”

I was struck by the honesty of this question and how important it is for us to stay true to the truth of our vocations. What are the lies we tell ourselves? What is the truth of our vocation that we need to keep in focus?

For each of us, the answers to these questions may be different but I imagine there is a similar theme. The lies we tell ourselves are most likely rooted in ego and insecurity, arrogance and fear. The truth of our vocation is rooted in love, humility, faithfulness, and hope. That part of the question is not so tricky to identify. Staying true to the truth is a more difficult task.

How do you avoid the lies of ego and insecurity, arrogance and fear, and stay rooted in love, humility, faithfulness, and hope? What does that mean for you?

For me it has something to do with remembering what a privilege it is to be called into a vocation where our work is to love others as Christ has loved us as well as the fact that while we will always have lots of tasks, what matters most in our ordained ministry is who we are. Our presence is our primary strength as leaders. Everything else will take care of itself when our presence is rooted in love, humility, faithfulness, and hope.

Please pray for those being ordained on June 2, as well as for all of our colleagues in this sacred work into which we have been called.

Know that you are held in prayer by Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce, the whole diocesan staff, and me. My prayer for us all is that our work may be rooted in God’s love, humility, faithfulness, and hope!

Blessings,

Melissa+

March 2020

From Bishop John Harvey Taylor

My colleagues in Christ:

More than a year ago, Bishop Bruce invited Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to speak at our annual Bishop’s Dinner this November. As you know, it’s a fundraiser, with proceeds set aside for our missions and ministry centers. As in 2019, we’ll use the money this year to enable as many missions as possible to participate in Jaime Edwards-Acton and Betsy Densmore’s Social Enterprise Academy, learning how to leverage their resources for the sake of God’s people and the sustainability of the church.

Just think about it. The greatest preacher of our time, in Los Angeles, just a few days after the presidential election, offering the inspiration of Christ’s way of love.

Then Canon McCarthy had an idea. Why don’t we ask Bishop Curry to offer his sure-to-be-stirring address twice, at each end of the diocese? I pitched it to him in a few weeks ago in Detroit, at Bishop Bonnie Perry’s ordination and consecration, and he graciously assented.

So my colleagues, this is a “save the date” notice to keep in mind as you plan your own 2020-21 schedules. The Bishop’s Dinner del norte will be on Friday, November 6, 2020 at California Lutheran University. La cena del sur will be on Saturday, November 7, 2020 in the White House East Room replica of the Nixon library in Yorba Linda.

Please mark your calendars, and spread the word. More details to come, including about additional special guests. My spouse Canon Kathy O’Connor, again serving as volunteer dinner coordinator, is looking for dinner sponsors as well as volunteers for organizing committees for both dinners. Please write her at koconnor@ladiocese.org. We promise to keep the tickets as affordable as possible. Thank you for understanding the vital importance of raising these funds for our institutions on the front lines of mission and ministry.

Yours in Christ’s love,

+John

July 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

July – a way of rest

July is always that month when I can kinda-sorta-breathe. Is it that way for you too?

Starting with Easter I feel as though I’m on a dead run to July. June is always the worst — it’s a whirlwind for me; graduations, ordinations, consecrations, birthdays. Maybe June was and is a whirlwind for you too.

Now it’s July — June gloom is behind us (hopefully) and we look forward to sunny days and a more reasonable pace of work. Maybe you’ve scheduled all or part of your vacation for July. Many clergy do.

We as clergy tend to over-function. We do so at times out of necessity, especially when we are the only clergy person caring for a congregation. We do so out of our own insecurity, as if people might think we are slacking off if we actually take time apart to rest, reflect and pray.

We do so because there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done, someone to be visited, something to fix, more meetings to schedule. God knows I eat over-functioning for breakfast! Yet I know I’m not called to stay in that place. It is not healthy for my body, mind or spirit, and it is not healthy for you either.

I want to invite you to continue to walk with me on the Way of Love. During the month of July — and heck, let’s throw August in there as well — I invite you to move into a bit of REST. It doesn’t mean we completely stop working (unless, of course, you are on vacation!). It does mean taking some time to think about, pray about, work on that aspect of the Way of Love which our Presiding Bishop calls rest.

From https://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/documents/way_of_love_introduction.pdf:

REST: Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  – John 14:27

Blessed are you, O Lord … giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent.  – Book of Common Prayer, 113

From the beginning of creation, God has established the sacred pattern of going and returning, labor and rest. Especially today, God invites us to dedicate time for restoration and wholeness – within our bodies, minds, and souls, and within our communities and institutions. By resting we place our trust in God, the primary actor who brings all things to their fullness.

For Reflection and Discernment

• What practices restore your body, mind, and soul?
• How will you observe rest and renewal on a regular basis?
• With whom will you commit to create and maintain a regular practice of rest?

Use this quieter time we live in right now to honor your body, mind and spirit — and drink in God’s love and grace.

Blessings and love to you all,
+Diane

_______________________________________________________________________________________

June 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Knowing Your Rest Points

“Know your rest points,” was the sage advice I received from a choreographer I worked with about 20 years ago when I was dancing to make a living. We were learning a particularly challenging piece and she told us to pace ourselves; to look at the piece as a whole and find those moments when we could rest. Even though we were still moving, there were less intense moments that, with intention and focus, could provide us with enough respite to restore us for what was ahead.

This idea of rest points stuck with me through my discernment, seminary, and into my priestly vocation. Vacation is a great time for rest, of course, as are our days off. There are times and seasons of rest as well as moments of rest in each day. The key to finding this rest is to be intentional about it. We can take a look at the pacing of each day, or week, or month, or year, and find those moments when we can take a break and a breath, reconnecting to ourselves and to God.

It’s always seemed a bit of a puzzle to me why clergy, myself included, work hard and so often resist taking the rest we need. Is it the infamous “fear of missing out”? Or is it because somewhere inside of us we still feel like we need to earn our salvation? Is it because we fear Jesus (or our people) will loves us less if we take some time to rest? I have never come up with a good answer for this in myself. Maybe you have and can share it with me!

What I do know is that Jesus will not love us less if we take time to rest. Jesus will not love us less if we spend some time doing whatever provides our hearts and souls with the respite that will restore us for the work we are called to do in the more intense times in our day, week, month, or year. In the end, aren’t we all going for the long game, which is a life of meaningful work and deep connection with God and those whom God loves? The way I know how to do this is by pacing myself, knowing when I can rest, knowing when I need to push through, and remembering that everything we do is for the sake of God’s love.

Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce and I, along with Canon Satorius and the Formations and Transitions team, have been thinking of ways that we can offer moments of rest for the clergy community as well. We began with clergy conference, which was a different kind of clergy conference than we have had in previous years. Rather than listening to a speaker, which can feel exhausting in the Easter season after a full year, we opted for a conference that felt more like a retreat. It was our first draft, so to speak, and next year we will fine-tune it.

Additionally, we are experimenting with two other points during the year where rest, restoration, and learning can be offered. The first will be on November 1, when the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary, will offer a retreat day for clergy held at St. Paul’s Commons (the Cathedral Center). More details on this event will come soon, but in the meantime please check out Dean Douglas’ biography. I also encourage you to check out some of her writing, including her groundbreaking book Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective.

Second, in the spring, we will offer a retreat day prior to Lent in collaboration with Stillpoint. What that day looks like has yet to be planned but we will have information out as soon as we are able.

Until then, I pray you have a blessed and restorative summer! If we can be of service to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

Melissa

______________________________________________________________________________

May 2019

From Bishop Diocesan John Harvey Taylor

May 2, 2019 – Feast of St. Athanasius

St. Paul’s Commons
is the new name for
our diocesan HQ in Echo Park

______________________________________________________________________________

April 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce:

About Lambeth

Dear Friends in Christ:

In mid-March Bishop Taylor and I spent four long, intense days with our fellow Bishops at Kanuga in North Carolina. You have already seen the letter from us and our spouses regarding the controversy surrounding Lambeth 2020.

Leaving Bishop Mary Glasspool’s beloved Becki off the guest list was shocking and painful – especially for those of us who have experienced their powerful and loving ministry among us. The response of the House of Bishops (HOB) as well as your bishops here was undertaken prayerfully. Mary herself gave a moving account of what transpired in the weeks leading up to our gathering at the HOB.

The work of the HOB in this triennium is centered on The Way of Love. For those of you who haven’t reviewed the materials for The Way of Love a good place to begin is here.

We had the privilege of hearing from Bishop Vashti McKenzie (AME Bishop, Texas) as well as Bishop Ric Thorpe (Bishop of Islington) on Evangelism as it relates to the Way of Love.

Bishop McKenzie is the Bishop in charge of all the AME churches in the State of Texas. She talked about the fact that many people practice “CHURCHianity” rather than “CHRISTianity”.

She asked the question, “Is it possible that we are more in love with Church than we are with Jesus Christ?” It is so easy to get caught up in the mechanics of Church that we forget the reason we are here and what we are called to do. While we need the institution, we also need to be open to the movement of the Holy Spirit.

Bishop Ric Thorpe has been Bishop of Islington, a suffragan bishopric in the Diocese of London with special attention to the ministry of church planting, since September 2015. He is responsible for the London diocese’s goal of creating 100 New Worshipping Communities by 2020 and is also working nationally to support other dioceses to plant new churches and revitalize existing ones. Before being appointed to Islington, Bishop Ric was the Bishop of London’s adviser for Church Planting and the rector of St. Paul’s Shadwell.

Bishop Thorpe offered that the Way of Love re-centers us on what really matters. He shared that the decade of Evangelism in England didn’t produce much fruit in terms of the programs and projects that it did — EXCEPT for Alpha and for a renewed passion for the poor and the marginalized.

Reflecting on his work turning around St. Paul’s, he told us that St. Paul’s had 12 people left in it and was going to be closed. The Bishop of London asked Bishop Thorpe and a team to revitalize it — 95 people came with him to revitalize. The neighborhood is 45% Muslim, 45% secular young professionals, 10% aging cockney. The congregation grew! Check out their website here.

Bishop Thorpe draws his tradition from Gregory the Great — a vision for the re-visioning of a community and re-evangelizing of the nation. Augustine similarly worked with the powers that be to plant churches. Bishop Thorpe then looked to the Celtic saints and found Cuthbert who worked by coming alongside a community, developing a church outside the city limits and offering hospitality. The Celtic way is all about relationships.

Both Bishop McKenzie and Bishop Thorpe agreed that if we want to see the church revitalized and become a church that is full of the love of God in Christ and is following The Way of Love it starts with prayer. Here we are, back to where we started. The bishops spent time and prayed as we dealt with the harsh reality of Lambeth 2020. It all starts with prayer, and it all must end with prayer.

Please know I pray for you all daily. I pray for our Church. I pray for our nation. I pray for our world. May all we do be begin and end in prayer.

+Diane

March 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Summiting Together

Dear Friends:

Mount Snowdon is the highest mountain peak in Wales and the highest peak in all of the United Kingdom outside of the Scottish Highlands. This 3,560-foot peak seems small for us here in California where snow falls generally occur at 4,500 feet and above. However, each mountain has its own personality, its own treachery, and Snowdon is no different.

I visited Wales in 2005 and, with my friend Isabella, decided to take a day to make the climb. I was barely 30 and still had that feeling of invincibility when we embarked that July morning. We decided to take the longest and busiest route to the top because we had been warned by so many locals to be careful of sudden weather changes and the danger such changes would bring us along the less traversed and more narrow paths. As I recall, it is a five-mile hike to the top so, after a good and fortifying breakfast, we started our ascent early that morning.

The hike up to the peak was beautiful. We encountered many fellow pilgrims, shook our figurative fists at those who zoomed past us on the train to the top, and enjoyed every moment of it. Almost. When we were about three-fourths of a mile from summiting the strangest thing happened. I got tired. Really tired. My legs felt heavy. Every step was a monumental effort. I kept pushing myself until finally I couldn’t do it any longer. I told Isabella what I was experiencing and she, being older and much wiser, said, “Oh, you are bonking,” which I inferred to mean some kind of crazy fatigue that she was aware of and I was not.

As it turns out “bonking” or “hitting the wall” is a real thing. It is the onset of sudden fatigue caused by a loss of glycogen. I sat down, she handed me a cliff bar, and I ate about half of it along with some long sips of water. A few minutes later I was fine. In fact, we ate that last three-fourths of a mile for a midmorning snack. The summit was as amazing as promised with cool winds and breathtaking views.

Being in ministry is a lot like summiting a peak. It’s a process and a journey. It’s something we sign up for and embark on with the best preparation we can have. It’s something that we do with others and, like my experience on Snowdon, it can wear us out. This is normal. Strength and energy comes and goes. We need periods of rest and quiet.

We need time to refuel and re-energize. As I was beginning to “bonk” I felt a sense of shame. I wondered what was wrong with me and why I couldn’t just keep going. I looked at Isabella and she was fine. How come I wasn’t? I tried to push through and then I stopped. What Isabella did was normalize it for me, give me some fuel, and sit with me while I rested.

We can do the same for each other: normalize the fatigue, share the fuel for ministry that we have with each other, and be with each other in those periods of rest. Doing this for each other helps neutralize any shame we might be experiencing as well as any sense of competition with each other we may be indulging.

In the end, our vocational lives are most healthy and vibrant when we are in good relationship with each other, which necessarily means being able to share our vulnerabilities with each other and receive the support that is waiting to be offered.

These are my reflections on the eve of Lent, a time that is guaranteed to wear out anyone in active ministry. Be gentle with yourselves, reach out to one another (and to me!), and enjoy the journey with fellow pilgrims on the way.

A blessed Lent to all!

Melissa+
______________________________________________________________________________

February 2019

From Bishop Diocesan John Taylor 

 Joining the List

______________________________________________________________________________

October 2018

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Expectations

Greetings, dear colleagues!

I sit down to write this note to you on the morning after Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s harrowing testimony. I will confess that I am still reeling from watching the hearing and how it all played out. I am still reeling from the fact that a victim is being prosecuted. I am still reeling from the dehumanization she has experienced.

I am still reeling from the undeniable and incontrovertible evidence this testimony and the whole hearing has provided us of how far this country’s leadership has fallen and how openly, indeed publicly, sexual abuse of women has been given the rubber stamp of approval by our current president.

Meanwhile, while we are all focused on this hearing, ICE detained 150 good people in Southern California, which is yet another example of the horrific policies put into place by the current president.

Given everything that is happening in our world, how do we continue our vocational tasks of preaching, teaching, and living the good news?

How do we find the energy for it?

For me, it has come through reflection upon a question a colleague posed to me. A couple of Sundays ago, I had the opportunity to do a parish visit, sit with the vestry of the church, and talk about mission in ministry in their particular context. During this meeting, their rector asked me a question that caught me up short for a moment. It was a simple, articulate, and profound question. It was an articulation of something I have wondered during all my years of priesthood but have never been able to put words to, at least not this way. The rector asked what our bishops expect of us, the clergy.

I went back to Echo Park and told Bishop Taylor about this question, how it had struck me, and how I answered the question. Together, he and I put some more thinking behind what is expected of us, and by “us” I mean all of us, including the bishops.

Here’s what we came up with:

Curiosity
In a cultural context that dehumanizes and renders invisible those that it deems “other,” one of the most profoundly easy and highly impactful things we can do is to be curious about the people we meet. We can learn their stories, get to know them, and listen to what they have to teach us. Our curiosity and interest in others helps them to feel seen and heard, and it fosters a sense of safety in community’

Joy
An underrated charism in our church, joy is infectious. It is almost impossible not to feel it when you encounter someone who has this infectious joy. Joy for me has been an on again/off again experience, but more and more, in the light of what is happening in our world, I am doing my best to lean into it. Our lives are resurrection narratives and that is something we can be joyful about. We have Jesus and that is where our joy is found.

Talk less and listen more
We clergy are in the business of talking. We pray, we preach, we provide leadership for our people. We certainly value listening as an essential part of our vocation, but it’s easier said than done. Simply listening, without jumping in to share our own story or make a connection with an experience we have had, is one way we can really see the people with whom we minister. Listening to someone is receiving them.

Do the opposite
In a context and time in history which is increasingly polarized, binary, either/or, impatient, anxious, suspicious, and volatile, go and do the opposite.

We have the opportunity to bring in the gray areas, to see the both/and, to adopt radical calm, and to believe what people tell us. Whatever we can do that is the opposite of what is happening around us will be transformative. Of course, this goes back to our baptismal promise to seek justice and peace among all people, and to respect the dignity of every human being. Whatever we can do to live into this promise, one relationship at a time, will make a difference.

Love one another as God has loved us
Our collegial relationships are among the most important relationships we have beyond our families. Let us love each other as God has loved us. A safe community of holy love and grace is what God wants for us. Let us be that for one another.

Thank you, dear colleagues, for the ministries you do, for the love you share, and for saying yes to God’s call to bring hope to the world during this time. It is an honor to be doing ministry with you!

Blessings,

Melissa+

______________________________________________________________________________

July 2018

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

Where the spirit moves us

Dear Friends in Christ,

As I write this article to you, I’m preparing to head to General Convention on Sunday, July 1.

I arrive early as I have responsibilities to attend to as Secretary to the House of Bishops. We will be talking about and voting on a wide variety of subjects – some of which many of you are passionate about.

It will be about two weeks of intensive work, which is designed to point us as a Church in the direction that the Spirit moves us.

I am never good at predicting the outcome of elections to offices or of the fate of various resolutions, yet one thing I do know: much work will be done, many conversations will be had (some heated) – and all this set in the context of prayer and the Eucharist.

In addition to preparing for General Convention I have been working on finance and stewardship work, and am most grateful to Lorenzo Lebrija for his help and work on the Stewardship event we held last weekend. Thanks also to Chris Tumilty, who used his expertise to allow us for the first time to go “live” to you – with the plenary and all workshops live-streamed.

We hope to do more of this, so that the diocese can meet YOU where YOU are — not just at Echo Park. Videos of the plenary and workshops will be available for your viewing here.

The work was designed to help congregations with planned giving, narrative budgeting, utilizing TENS (The Episcopal Network on Stewardship), utilizing Holy Currencies, etc.

Speaking of TENS, if you want to use the materials, the Diocese has purchased access for you. The login ID is: Mark; the password is: 10:21. The work we are doing in Finance and the work of the Stewardship Conference was and is to equip you and all of us for the work God is giving us to do.

While I am personally preoccupied at the moment with General Convention preparations, and in the midst of work in Finance and just through with our Stewardship Conference, I’m most grateful to our Bishop Diocesan John Taylor and the men and women, lay and ordained, who are working tirelessly to bring attention to and end the separation of children from their parents at the border.

From demonstrations to protests to phone calls to letter writing–something has to change. The evil – and I use the word evil — separation of children from their families is one of the most depraved acts we as a nation can commit against a human family. Families must be reunited again – now. I keep thinking about the Holy Family – fleeing to Egypt. What if Jesus had been separated from his parents at that border?

Friends in Christ, we need to band together as the Episcopal Branch of the Jesus movement to not only move in the way the Spirit is leading us through the work of our General Convention, and through the way we utilize our gifts of time, talent and treasure, but most importantly through the way we shed light into the darkness that sometimes overtakes our world.

We must continue to advocate for those who have no voice or whose voices are being silenced. That is Jesus-work for us all. May we continue to do so, speaking out, using our resources, advocating for, loving, caring and protecting ALL whom God brings to us.

Blessings,

+Diane

_____________________________________________________________________

June 2018

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

The truth of our vocation

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to you after a wonderful meeting with those who will be ordained on June 2 at St. John’s Cathedral. I came to my scheduled time with them with no agenda.

As we talked, a few questions began to emerge. Among the things they asked were the usual questions about when to wear or not wear their collars, when to call the bishop, and all the other things you may remember having questions about when you were newly ordained.

As the conversation continued, the questions moved from the practical to the personal and theological. One of the ordinands asked me something like this: “What lies do the newly ordained tell themselves and how can we stay true to the truth?”

I was struck by the honesty of this question and how important it is for us to stay true to the truth of our vocations. What are the lies we tell ourselves? What is the truth of our vocation that we need to keep in focus?

For each of us, the answers to these questions may be different but I imagine there is a similar theme. The lies we tell ourselves are most likely rooted in ego and insecurity, arrogance and fear. The truth of our vocation is rooted in love, humility, faithfulness, and hope. That part of the question is not so tricky to identify. Staying true to the truth is a more difficult task.

How do you avoid the lies of ego and insecurity, arrogance and fear, and stay rooted in love, humility, faithfulness, and hope? What does that mean for you?

For me it has something to do with remembering what a privilege it is to be called into a vocation where our work is to love others as Christ has loved us as well as the fact that while we will always have lots of tasks, what matters most in our ordained ministry is who we are. Our presence is our primary strength as leaders. Everything else will take care of itself when our presence is rooted in love, humility, faithfulness, and hope.

Please pray for those being ordained on June 2, as well as for all of our colleagues in this sacred work into which we have been called.

Know that you are held in prayer by Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce, the whole diocesan staff, and me. My prayer for us all is that our work may be rooted in God’s love, humility, faithfulness, and hope!

Blessings,

Melissa+

March 2020

From Bishop John Harvey Taylor

My colleagues in Christ:

More than a year ago, Bishop Bruce invited Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to speak at our annual Bishop’s Dinner this November. As you know, it’s a fundraiser, with proceeds set aside for our missions and ministry centers. As in 2019, we’ll use the money this year to enable as many missions as possible to participate in Jaime Edwards-Acton and Betsy Densmore’s Social Enterprise Academy, learning how to leverage their resources for the sake of God’s people and the sustainability of the church.

Just think about it. The greatest preacher of our time, in Los Angeles, just a few days after the presidential election, offering the inspiration of Christ’s way of love.

Then Canon McCarthy had an idea. Why don’t we ask Bishop Curry to offer his sure-to-be-stirring address twice, at each end of the diocese? I pitched it to him in a few weeks ago in Detroit, at Bishop Bonnie Perry’s ordination and consecration, and he graciously assented.

So my colleagues, this is a “save the date” notice to keep in mind as you plan your own 2020-21 schedules. The Bishop’s Dinner del norte will be on Friday, November 6, 2020 at California Lutheran University. La cena del sur will be on Saturday, November 7, 2020 in the White House East Room replica of the Nixon library in Yorba Linda.

Please mark your calendars, and spread the word. More details to come, including about additional special guests. My spouse Canon Kathy O’Connor, again serving as volunteer dinner coordinator, is looking for dinner sponsors as well as volunteers for organizing committees for both dinners. Please write her at koconnor@ladiocese.org. We promise to keep the tickets as affordable as possible. Thank you for understanding the vital importance of raising these funds for our institutions on the front lines of mission and ministry.

Yours in Christ’s love,

+John

July 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

July – a way of rest

July is always that month when I can kinda-sorta-breathe. Is it that way for you too?

Starting with Easter I feel as though I’m on a dead run to July. June is always the worst — it’s a whirlwind for me; graduations, ordinations, consecrations, birthdays. Maybe June was and is a whirlwind for you too.

Now it’s July — June gloom is behind us (hopefully) and we look forward to sunny days and a more reasonable pace of work. Maybe you’ve scheduled all or part of your vacation for July. Many clergy do.

We as clergy tend to over-function. We do so at times out of necessity, especially when we are the only clergy person caring for a congregation. We do so out of our own insecurity, as if people might think we are slacking off if we actually take time apart to rest, reflect and pray.

We do so because there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done, someone to be visited, something to fix, more meetings to schedule. God knows I eat over-functioning for breakfast! Yet I know I’m not called to stay in that place. It is not healthy for my body, mind or spirit, and it is not healthy for you either.

I want to invite you to continue to walk with me on the Way of Love. During the month of July — and heck, let’s throw August in there as well — I invite you to move into a bit of REST. It doesn’t mean we completely stop working (unless, of course, you are on vacation!). It does mean taking some time to think about, pray about, work on that aspect of the Way of Love which our Presiding Bishop calls rest.

From https://www.episcopalchurch.org/files/documents/way_of_love_introduction.pdf:

REST: Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  – John 14:27

Blessed are you, O Lord … giving rest to the weary, renewing the strength of those who are spent.  – Book of Common Prayer, 113

From the beginning of creation, God has established the sacred pattern of going and returning, labor and rest. Especially today, God invites us to dedicate time for restoration and wholeness – within our bodies, minds, and souls, and within our communities and institutions. By resting we place our trust in God, the primary actor who brings all things to their fullness.

For Reflection and Discernment

• What practices restore your body, mind, and soul?
• How will you observe rest and renewal on a regular basis?
• With whom will you commit to create and maintain a regular practice of rest?

Use this quieter time we live in right now to honor your body, mind and spirit — and drink in God’s love and grace.

Blessings and love to you all,
+Diane

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June 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Knowing Your Rest Points

“Know your rest points,” was the sage advice I received from a choreographer I worked with about 20 years ago when I was dancing to make a living. We were learning a particularly challenging piece and she told us to pace ourselves; to look at the piece as a whole and find those moments when we could rest. Even though we were still moving, there were less intense moments that, with intention and focus, could provide us with enough respite to restore us for what was ahead.

This idea of rest points stuck with me through my discernment, seminary, and into my priestly vocation. Vacation is a great time for rest, of course, as are our days off. There are times and seasons of rest as well as moments of rest in each day. The key to finding this rest is to be intentional about it. We can take a look at the pacing of each day, or week, or month, or year, and find those moments when we can take a break and a breath, reconnecting to ourselves and to God.

It’s always seemed a bit of a puzzle to me why clergy, myself included, work hard and so often resist taking the rest we need. Is it the infamous “fear of missing out”? Or is it because somewhere inside of us we still feel like we need to earn our salvation? Is it because we fear Jesus (or our people) will loves us less if we take some time to rest? I have never come up with a good answer for this in myself. Maybe you have and can share it with me!

What I do know is that Jesus will not love us less if we take time to rest. Jesus will not love us less if we spend some time doing whatever provides our hearts and souls with the respite that will restore us for the work we are called to do in the more intense times in our day, week, month, or year. In the end, aren’t we all going for the long game, which is a life of meaningful work and deep connection with God and those whom God loves? The way I know how to do this is by pacing myself, knowing when I can rest, knowing when I need to push through, and remembering that everything we do is for the sake of God’s love.

Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce and I, along with Canon Satorius and the Formations and Transitions team, have been thinking of ways that we can offer moments of rest for the clergy community as well. We began with clergy conference, which was a different kind of clergy conference than we have had in previous years. Rather than listening to a speaker, which can feel exhausting in the Easter season after a full year, we opted for a conference that felt more like a retreat. It was our first draft, so to speak, and next year we will fine-tune it.

Additionally, we are experimenting with two other points during the year where rest, restoration, and learning can be offered. The first will be on November 1, when the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary, will offer a retreat day for clergy held at St. Paul’s Commons (the Cathedral Center). More details on this event will come soon, but in the meantime please check out Dean Douglas’ biography. I also encourage you to check out some of her writing, including her groundbreaking book Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective.

Second, in the spring, we will offer a retreat day prior to Lent in collaboration with Stillpoint. What that day looks like has yet to be planned but we will have information out as soon as we are able.

Until then, I pray you have a blessed and restorative summer! If we can be of service to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

Melissa

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May 2019

From Bishop Diocesan John Harvey Taylor

May 2, 2019 – Feast of St. Athanasius

St. Paul’s Commons
is the new name for
our diocesan HQ in Echo Park

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April 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce:

About Lambeth

Dear Friends in Christ:

In mid-March Bishop Taylor and I spent four long, intense days with our fellow Bishops at Kanuga in North Carolina. You have already seen the letter from us and our spouses regarding the controversy surrounding Lambeth 2020.

Leaving Bishop Mary Glasspool’s beloved Becki off the guest list was shocking and painful – especially for those of us who have experienced their powerful and loving ministry among us. The response of the House of Bishops (HOB) as well as your bishops here was undertaken prayerfully. Mary herself gave a moving account of what transpired in the weeks leading up to our gathering at the HOB.

The work of the HOB in this triennium is centered on The Way of Love. For those of you who haven’t reviewed the materials for The Way of Love a good place to begin is here.

We had the privilege of hearing from Bishop Vashti McKenzie (AME Bishop, Texas) as well as Bishop Ric Thorpe (Bishop of Islington) on Evangelism as it relates to the Way of Love.

Bishop McKenzie is the Bishop in charge of all the AME churches in the State of Texas. She talked about the fact that many people practice “CHURCHianity” rather than “CHRISTianity”.

She asked the question, “Is it possible that we are more in love with Church than we are with Jesus Christ?” It is so easy to get caught up in the mechanics of Church that we forget the reason we are here and what we are called to do. While we need the institution, we also need to be open to the movement of the Holy Spirit.

Bishop Ric Thorpe has been Bishop of Islington, a suffragan bishopric in the Diocese of London with special attention to the ministry of church planting, since September 2015. He is responsible for the London diocese’s goal of creating 100 New Worshipping Communities by 2020 and is also working nationally to support other dioceses to plant new churches and revitalize existing ones. Before being appointed to Islington, Bishop Ric was the Bishop of London’s adviser for Church Planting and the rector of St. Paul’s Shadwell.

Bishop Thorpe offered that the Way of Love re-centers us on what really matters. He shared that the decade of Evangelism in England didn’t produce much fruit in terms of the programs and projects that it did — EXCEPT for Alpha and for a renewed passion for the poor and the marginalized.

Reflecting on his work turning around St. Paul’s, he told us that St. Paul’s had 12 people left in it and was going to be closed. The Bishop of London asked Bishop Thorpe and a team to revitalize it — 95 people came with him to revitalize. The neighborhood is 45% Muslim, 45% secular young professionals, 10% aging cockney. The congregation grew! Check out their website here.

Bishop Thorpe draws his tradition from Gregory the Great — a vision for the re-visioning of a community and re-evangelizing of the nation. Augustine similarly worked with the powers that be to plant churches. Bishop Thorpe then looked to the Celtic saints and found Cuthbert who worked by coming alongside a community, developing a church outside the city limits and offering hospitality. The Celtic way is all about relationships.

Both Bishop McKenzie and Bishop Thorpe agreed that if we want to see the church revitalized and become a church that is full of the love of God in Christ and is following The Way of Love it starts with prayer. Here we are, back to where we started. The bishops spent time and prayed as we dealt with the harsh reality of Lambeth 2020. It all starts with prayer, and it all must end with prayer.

Please know I pray for you all daily. I pray for our Church. I pray for our nation. I pray for our world. May all we do be begin and end in prayer.

+Diane

March 2019

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Summiting Together

Dear Friends:

Mount Snowdon is the highest mountain peak in Wales and the highest peak in all of the United Kingdom outside of the Scottish Highlands. This 3,560-foot peak seems small for us here in California where snow falls generally occur at 4,500 feet and above. However, each mountain has its own personality, its own treachery, and Snowdon is no different.

I visited Wales in 2005 and, with my friend Isabella, decided to take a day to make the climb. I was barely 30 and still had that feeling of invincibility when we embarked that July morning. We decided to take the longest and busiest route to the top because we had been warned by so many locals to be careful of sudden weather changes and the danger such changes would bring us along the less traversed and more narrow paths. As I recall, it is a five-mile hike to the top so, after a good and fortifying breakfast, we started our ascent early that morning.

The hike up to the peak was beautiful. We encountered many fellow pilgrims, shook our figurative fists at those who zoomed past us on the train to the top, and enjoyed every moment of it. Almost. When we were about three-fourths of a mile from summiting the strangest thing happened. I got tired. Really tired. My legs felt heavy. Every step was a monumental effort. I kept pushing myself until finally I couldn’t do it any longer. I told Isabella what I was experiencing and she, being older and much wiser, said, “Oh, you are bonking,” which I inferred to mean some kind of crazy fatigue that she was aware of and I was not.

As it turns out “bonking” or “hitting the wall” is a real thing. It is the onset of sudden fatigue caused by a loss of glycogen. I sat down, she handed me a cliff bar, and I ate about half of it along with some long sips of water. A few minutes later I was fine. In fact, we ate that last three-fourths of a mile for a midmorning snack. The summit was as amazing as promised with cool winds and breathtaking views.

Being in ministry is a lot like summiting a peak. It’s a process and a journey. It’s something we sign up for and embark on with the best preparation we can have. It’s something that we do with others and, like my experience on Snowdon, it can wear us out. This is normal. Strength and energy comes and goes. We need periods of rest and quiet.

We need time to refuel and re-energize. As I was beginning to “bonk” I felt a sense of shame. I wondered what was wrong with me and why I couldn’t just keep going. I looked at Isabella and she was fine. How come I wasn’t? I tried to push through and then I stopped. What Isabella did was normalize it for me, give me some fuel, and sit with me while I rested.

We can do the same for each other: normalize the fatigue, share the fuel for ministry that we have with each other, and be with each other in those periods of rest. Doing this for each other helps neutralize any shame we might be experiencing as well as any sense of competition with each other we may be indulging.

In the end, our vocational lives are most healthy and vibrant when we are in good relationship with each other, which necessarily means being able to share our vulnerabilities with each other and receive the support that is waiting to be offered.

These are my reflections on the eve of Lent, a time that is guaranteed to wear out anyone in active ministry. Be gentle with yourselves, reach out to one another (and to me!), and enjoy the journey with fellow pilgrims on the way.

A blessed Lent to all!

Melissa+
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February 2019

From Bishop Diocesan John Taylor 

 Joining the List

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October 2018

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

Expectations

Greetings, dear colleagues!

I sit down to write this note to you on the morning after Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s harrowing testimony. I will confess that I am still reeling from watching the hearing and how it all played out. I am still reeling from the fact that a victim is being prosecuted. I am still reeling from the dehumanization she has experienced.

I am still reeling from the undeniable and incontrovertible evidence this testimony and the whole hearing has provided us of how far this country’s leadership has fallen and how openly, indeed publicly, sexual abuse of women has been given the rubber stamp of approval by our current president.

Meanwhile, while we are all focused on this hearing, ICE detained 150 good people in Southern California, which is yet another example of the horrific policies put into place by the current president.

Given everything that is happening in our world, how do we continue our vocational tasks of preaching, teaching, and living the good news?

How do we find the energy for it?

For me, it has come through reflection upon a question a colleague posed to me. A couple of Sundays ago, I had the opportunity to do a parish visit, sit with the vestry of the church, and talk about mission in ministry in their particular context. During this meeting, their rector asked me a question that caught me up short for a moment. It was a simple, articulate, and profound question. It was an articulation of something I have wondered during all my years of priesthood but have never been able to put words to, at least not this way. The rector asked what our bishops expect of us, the clergy.

I went back to Echo Park and told Bishop Taylor about this question, how it had struck me, and how I answered the question. Together, he and I put some more thinking behind what is expected of us, and by “us” I mean all of us, including the bishops.

Here’s what we came up with:

Curiosity
In a cultural context that dehumanizes and renders invisible those that it deems “other,” one of the most profoundly easy and highly impactful things we can do is to be curious about the people we meet. We can learn their stories, get to know them, and listen to what they have to teach us. Our curiosity and interest in others helps them to feel seen and heard, and it fosters a sense of safety in community’

Joy
An underrated charism in our church, joy is infectious. It is almost impossible not to feel it when you encounter someone who has this infectious joy. Joy for me has been an on again/off again experience, but more and more, in the light of what is happening in our world, I am doing my best to lean into it. Our lives are resurrection narratives and that is something we can be joyful about. We have Jesus and that is where our joy is found.

Talk less and listen more
We clergy are in the business of talking. We pray, we preach, we provide leadership for our people. We certainly value listening as an essential part of our vocation, but it’s easier said than done. Simply listening, without jumping in to share our own story or make a connection with an experience we have had, is one way we can really see the people with whom we minister. Listening to someone is receiving them.

Do the opposite
In a context and time in history which is increasingly polarized, binary, either/or, impatient, anxious, suspicious, and volatile, go and do the opposite.

We have the opportunity to bring in the gray areas, to see the both/and, to adopt radical calm, and to believe what people tell us. Whatever we can do that is the opposite of what is happening around us will be transformative. Of course, this goes back to our baptismal promise to seek justice and peace among all people, and to respect the dignity of every human being. Whatever we can do to live into this promise, one relationship at a time, will make a difference.

Love one another as God has loved us
Our collegial relationships are among the most important relationships we have beyond our families. Let us love each other as God has loved us. A safe community of holy love and grace is what God wants for us. Let us be that for one another.

Thank you, dear colleagues, for the ministries you do, for the love you share, and for saying yes to God’s call to bring hope to the world during this time. It is an honor to be doing ministry with you!

Blessings,

Melissa+

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July 2018

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

Where the spirit moves us

Dear Friends in Christ,

As I write this article to you, I’m preparing to head to General Convention on Sunday, July 1.

I arrive early as I have responsibilities to attend to as Secretary to the House of Bishops. We will be talking about and voting on a wide variety of subjects – some of which many of you are passionate about.

It will be about two weeks of intensive work, which is designed to point us as a Church in the direction that the Spirit moves us.

I am never good at predicting the outcome of elections to offices or of the fate of various resolutions, yet one thing I do know: much work will be done, many conversations will be had (some heated) – and all this set in the context of prayer and the Eucharist.

In addition to preparing for General Convention I have been working on finance and stewardship work, and am most grateful to Lorenzo Lebrija for his help and work on the Stewardship event we held last weekend. Thanks also to Chris Tumilty, who used his expertise to allow us for the first time to go “live” to you – with the plenary and all workshops live-streamed.

We hope to do more of this, so that the diocese can meet YOU where YOU are — not just at Echo Park. Videos of the plenary and workshops will be available for your viewing here.

The work was designed to help congregations with planned giving, narrative budgeting, utilizing TENS (The Episcopal Network on Stewardship), utilizing Holy Currencies, etc.

Speaking of TENS, if you want to use the materials, the Diocese has purchased access for you. The login ID is: Mark; the password is: 10:21. The work we are doing in Finance and the work of the Stewardship Conference was and is to equip you and all of us for the work God is giving us to do.

While I am personally preoccupied at the moment with General Convention preparations, and in the midst of work in Finance and just through with our Stewardship Conference, I’m most grateful to our Bishop Diocesan John Taylor and the men and women, lay and ordained, who are working tirelessly to bring attention to and end the separation of children from their parents at the border.

From demonstrations to protests to phone calls to letter writing–something has to change. The evil – and I use the word evil — separation of children from their families is one of the most depraved acts we as a nation can commit against a human family. Families must be reunited again – now. I keep thinking about the Holy Family – fleeing to Egypt. What if Jesus had been separated from his parents at that border?

Friends in Christ, we need to band together as the Episcopal Branch of the Jesus movement to not only move in the way the Spirit is leading us through the work of our General Convention, and through the way we utilize our gifts of time, talent and treasure, but most importantly through the way we shed light into the darkness that sometimes overtakes our world.

We must continue to advocate for those who have no voice or whose voices are being silenced. That is Jesus-work for us all. May we continue to do so, speaking out, using our resources, advocating for, loving, caring and protecting ALL whom God brings to us.

Blessings,

+Diane

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June 2018

From Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy

The truth of our vocation

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to you after a wonderful meeting with those who will be ordained on June 2 at St. John’s Cathedral. I came to my scheduled time with them with no agenda.

As we talked, a few questions began to emerge. Among the things they asked were the usual questions about when to wear or not wear their collars, when to call the bishop, and all the other things you may remember having questions about when you were newly ordained.

As the conversation continued, the questions moved from the practical to the personal and theological. One of the ordinands asked me something like this: “What lies do the newly ordained tell themselves and how can we stay true to the truth?”

I was struck by the honesty of this question and how important it is for us to stay true to the truth of our vocations. What are the lies we tell ourselves? What is the truth of our vocation that we need to keep in focus?

For each of us, the answers to these questions may be different but I imagine there is a similar theme. The lies we tell ourselves are most likely rooted in ego and insecurity, arrogance and fear. The truth of our vocation is rooted in love, humility, faithfulness, and hope. That part of the question is not so tricky to identify. Staying true to the truth is a more difficult task.

How do you avoid the lies of ego and insecurity, arrogance and fear, and stay rooted in love, humility, faithfulness, and hope? What does that mean for you?

For me it has something to do with remembering what a privilege it is to be called into a vocation where our work is to love others as Christ has loved us as well as the fact that while we will always have lots of tasks, what matters most in our ordained ministry is who we are. Our presence is our primary strength as leaders. Everything else will take care of itself when our presence is rooted in love, humility, faithfulness, and hope.

Please pray for those being ordained on June 2, as well as for all of our colleagues in this sacred work into which we have been called.

Know that you are held in prayer by Bishop Taylor, Bishop Bruce, the whole diocesan staff, and me. My prayer for us all is that our work may be rooted in God’s love, humility, faithfulness, and hope!

Blessings,

Melissa+

March 2020

From Bishop John Harvey Taylor

My colleagues in Christ:

More than a year ago, Bishop Bruce invited Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to speak at our annual Bishop’s Dinner this November. As you know, it’s a fundraiser, with proceeds set aside for our missions and ministry centers. As in 2019, we’ll use the money this year to enable as many missions as possible to participate in Jaime Edwards-Acton and Betsy Densmore’s Social Enterprise Academy, learning how to leverage their resources for the sake of God’s people and the sustainability of the church.

Just think about it. The greatest preacher of our time, in Los Angeles, just a few days after the presidential election, offering the inspiration of Christ’s way of love.

Then Canon McCarthy had an idea. Why don’t we ask Bishop Curry to offer his sure-to-be-stirring address twice, at each end of the diocese? I pitched it to him in a few weeks ago in Detroit, at Bishop Bonnie Perry’s ordination and consecration, and he graciously assented.

So my colleagues, this is a “save the date” notice to keep in mind as you plan your own 2020-21 schedules. The Bishop’s Dinner del norte will be on Friday, November 6, 2020 at California Lutheran University. La cena del sur will be on Saturday, November 7, 2020 in the White House East Room replica of the Nixon library in Yorba Linda.

Please mark your calendars, and spread the word. More details to come, including about additional special guests. My spouse Canon Kathy O’Connor, again serving as volunteer dinner coordinator, is looking for dinner sponsors as well as volunteers for organizing committees for both dinners. Please write her at koconnor@ladiocese.org. We promise to keep the tickets as affordable as possible. Thank you for understanding the vital importance of raising these funds for our institutions on the front lines of mission and ministry.

Yours in Christ’s love,

+John

July 2019

From Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce

July – a way of rest

July is always that month when I can kinda-sorta-breathe. Is it that way for you too?