One Body & One Spirit

Annual Appeal

Contribute to the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles’ One Body & One Spirit Annual Appeal.

Until further notice, all donations to the Annual Appeal will be used to help institutions and individuals most affected by the wildfires.

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January 17, 2025

(From left) Archway after fire destroyed St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Altadena, also pictured before the blaze; chancel of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, Pacific Palisades, where sanctuary withstood fire but rectories and school buildings were lost.

Fire relief grants now available from diocesan Appeal fund; donations exceed $172,000 to date

Application form online here; donation link here; impacted parishes also offer donation portals (please scroll down for links)

Individuals and institutions hard hit by current wildfires may now request grants of up to $3,000 each from the diocesan One Body & One Spirit Appeal fund, drawing from the $172,886 raised to date. A concise application form is here.

Encouraging those in need to apply immediately for Appeal grants, Bishop John Harvey Taylor also invites donors to continue giving, thanking those who have contributed.

“Friends all over The Episcopal Church, and in every corner of the diocese, have responded with love and generosity, enabling us to make funds available to hardest hit institutions and individuals,” Bishop Taylor notes.

“I invite you to join Kathy and me in continuing to give as much as you can. You will be making a difference in hundreds of our siblings’ lives. If you aren’t sure everyone in your mission or parish family is receiving these emails, please forward this one!”

Appeal grant applications will be reviewed weekly by a panel representing diocesan fiduciary bodies, and funds will be disbursed promptly upon approval.

The diocesan Appeal — launched as an emergency fund during the Covid pandemic — has a proven record of routing contributions directly to help congregations and institutions meet unbudgeted expenses. “Every dollar received goes right back out the door in the form of a grant,” Bishop Taylor emphasizes.

Detailed accounting procedures are in place in the diocesan Finance Office to assure that gifts are credited to the restricted purpose for which they are given, with diocesan Appeal funds recorded separately from contributions to Episcopal Relief & Development (ERD), and donation acknowledgement letters sent promptly.

While gifts to the diocesan Appeal will go directly to individuals and Episcopal institutions in need, donations to ERD will come back to the region in the form of grants to wider communities and groups — generally beyond the Episcopal Church — identified to be in need. Meanwhile, the diocese has received a $20,000 emergency grant from ERD.

In addition, local congregations in devastated areas have launched their own emergency giving portals, to which generous giving also is encouraged.

St. Mark’s, Altadena — where scores of parishioners have lost homes and the parish church and school buildings — has opened a giving portal here.
St. Matthew’s Church — where an estimated 75% of parishioners have lost their homes, and parish school buildings and rectories have burned — has launched the Palisades Fire Pastoral Fund. Link is here.
Pasadena’s St. Barnabas Church — where parish families and numerous neighbors have lost homes – has established the ‘DENA Strong fund to which gifts may be made here.
Pasadena’s All Saints Church — where some 80 families have lost homes – is receiving relief donations here.
Church of Our Saviour, San Gabriel — where several parishioner homes and a sober living ministry were lost — is accepting donations on their website here (click “Give Now”).

Please join the 618 donors who, to date, have raised $172,886 in 620 gifts to the 2022-25 One Body & One Spirit Annual Appeal.

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

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