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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March 20, 2025

Church homes away from home (photos, from left): Parishioners of St. Mark’s, Altadena — whose church was destroyed in the Eaton fire — worship on recent Sunday at St. Barnabas, Eagle Rock, which provides its sanctuary each week. In Santa Monica, St. Augustine by-the-Sea Church welcomes members of St. Matthew’s, Pacific Palisades, to recent Sunday service. The two Westside congregations plan to worship together until the Palisades church re-opens. [Episcopal News photos by Bob Williams]

Diocesan fire-relief grants total $264,800 for displaced, jobless; gifts near $620,000; new applications invited

Application form online here; donation link here; impacted parishes also offer donation portals on the diocesan appeal page.

Those hardest hit by the Eaton and Palisades fires – including families and seniors along with domestic workers and others who have lost employment – are receiving relief grants of up to $3,000 each through the diocesan One Body & One Spirit Appeal.

With the support of 1,154 generous donors to date, the Appeal has raised $619,466 from which a total of $264,800 has been allocated in 93 fire-relief grants so far.

Bishop John Harvey Taylor encourages those in need to apply immediately for Appeal grants, and thanks all who have donated to the fund. A concise application form is here.

“Once again, on behalf of all in the diocese, and all who have received grants, I thank our hundreds of generous contributors from all over the diocese and all over the church,” Bishop Taylor said. “In the days and weeks ahead, I know the special committee will be thinking about the best use of these funds in the current season of the crisis, perhaps by recommending larger grants to the institutions most affected.”

Appeal grant applications are reviewed weekly by a panel representing diocesan fiduciary bodies, and funds will continue to 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 reiterates.

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 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 40 homes of parishioners burned along with historic church and school buildings — has 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 four 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 72 families and individuals have lost homes – is receiving relief donations here.
Church of Our Saviour, San Gabriel — where four homes of parishioners were lost along with a sober-living facility — is accepting donations on their website here (click “Give Now”).

Please join the 1,154 donors who, to date, have raised $619,466 raised in 1,107 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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