[The Episcopal News] Urging the Diocese of Los Angeles and the wider Episcopal Church to insist that “all otherwise law abiding, undocumented workers should be regularized,” Diocesan Council, meeting July 10, adopted a resolution calling for comprehensive federal immigration reform, a measure inspired by Bishop John Harvey Taylor’s remarks during Council’s June 12 meeting.
The resolution, submitted by the Very Rev. Canon Gary Hall, now goes to Diocesan Convention Nov. 7-8 seeking referral to the Executive Council of The Episcopal Church, and ultimately to the church’s 82nd General Convention, planned for 2027 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Taylor, addressing Council members, noted “the extremist position that some take that makes oneself a criminal by being in violation of the immigration laws and regulations. That is a zero-sum approach, that everyone who has violated the immigration laws is a criminal,” a distinction that has muddled the immigration debate for decades, he said.
“Any number of people on both sides of the aisle have long acknowledged that there’s a distinction between being in violation of the immigration laws and being a criminal.”
In approving the resolution, Council acknowledged “that yes, many of these folks, if not all of them, are in technical violation of the immigration laws, but they are otherwise not criminals.”
The resolution calls upon congregations and all Episcopalians to study “in order to move beyond harsh, zero-sum positions that break the backs and hearts of those who take care of our homes, work in the businesses we patronize and care for our parents and grandparents in nursing homes and board and cares, and … that we make common cause with ecumenical and interfaith organizations in our communities.”
Taylor opened the Council meeting with prayers for continued restoration and rebuilding, six months after deadly wildfires destroyed more than a thousand buildings, including Episcopal church structures in Altadena and Pacific Palisades.
“Give us strength to rebuild what may be restored where sorrow still smolders,” Taylor said, quoting a prayer written by the Rev. KC Robertson who, along with other St. Matthew’s, Pacific Palisades, clergy, lost her home. “Kindle hope where ruins still remain … May we find joy in the cracks and laughter in the dust and like a phoenix rising from ashes, may we too rise transformed.”
Robertson, also co-chair of the Bishop’s Search Committee, said a slate of candidates will be presented to the diocese in September. They will meet with the diocese in October, prior to the November election. “We have a really beautiful microcosm of The Episcopal Church,” representing diversity in gender, sexuality, nationality, and geography, she said.
Canon Andy Tomat reported an overall positive financial picture through May, noting that about $900,000 has been raised through emergency and other appeals.
Finances: fundraising up; expenses minimized
Tomat reported that overall, “diocesan operations are tracking well to plan through May by minimizing discretionary expenses and deferring St. Paul’s Commons capital improvements. However, most of the bishop search and election expenses haven’t been incurred yet.
“Because of this, needed draws from the Corporation of the Diocese and from Corp Sole-controlled funds have been $243,578 less than planned so far this year.”
Assessment payments continue to track closely to budget. In addition, past-due Mission Share Fund payments from current and prior years continued to be reduced by $49,791 in May. “Our thanks for the continued support from the churches most affected by the fires, and all other churches, for their support of the work of the diocese through timely assessment payments,” Tomat said. “Additionally, I recently met with a parish whose vestry and finance committee has made a commitment to pay all their past due assessments including from prior years by year’s end.”
Council approved recommendations by the Assessment Review Committee to grant temporary relief to two churches struggling to meet the mandatory 12% MSF assessments. One church is giving at 10% level this year and is being referred to the Requiem or Renaissance Program to aid their future discernment. The other is giving at a 10.6% level this year with commitments to increase to the required 12% in 2026. The parishes were not identified.
Tomat offered thanks for “the generosity of our members in supporting the work of the diocese through special fundraising appeals” amounting to about $944,000 through May, including:
- $46,789 in donations, added to the diocesan endowment
- $727,705, for the fire appeal
- $3,319, for the 2025 annual appeal
- $166,622, for the IRIS emergency appeal
Reports of mission
Episcopal Church Women. Places are still available for the September 26-28, 2025, Province VIII ECW retreat at the Shoshone Bannock Reservation in Fort Hall, Idaho, according to Diocesan ECW President Christine Budzowski.
“This is an opportunity to immerse yourself and get first-hand knowledge about issues affecting our Indigenous siblings, including the Doctrine of Discovery, the boarding schools, and … increasing awareness of the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women,” she said. More information is here.
Bishop’s Commission on Climate Change: ‘Sun Day’ & ‘Polluters Pay’
The Rev. Tim Hartley, reporting about the July 8 meeting of the Bishop’s Commission on Climate Change, said applicants are being interviewed for the proposed position of missioner for disaster recovery and resilience.
Plans are underway for diocesan participation in the Sept. 21, 2025, Third Act “Sun Day” as a National Day of Action to celebrate clean energy and to advocate for a transition away from fossil fuels and to promote “Polluters Pay” legislation requiring companies, particularly those in the fossil fuel industry, to pay for the costs associated with climate change and environmental damage caused by their pollution. These proposals aim to shift the financial burden of addressing climate change away from taxpayers and communities to the entities most responsible for causing it.
“The commission is exploring ways to integrate creation care into diocesan worship life” during the Sept. 4 through Oct. 1, 2025, Season of Creation, including a possible virtual conference and educational resources. “Mark your calendars for a Sept. 9 online town hall to connect liaisons for churches and to kick off the Season of Creation,” Hartley said. The commission meets next at 5 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 12.
Diocesan Convention: deadlines approaching
Proposed amendments to Diocesan Constitution and Canons are due July 30, 2025, 100 days before the November 7-8 convention, according to Council Secretary Samantha Wylie. Similarly, proposed resolutions for consideration by Convention are due Aug. 29, 2025, or 70 days before Convention. Forms for submitting resolutions or amendments, nominations for elective offices and other information are available on the convention page here. There is still time to register church delegates.
Bishop Taylor to host Taiwanese ‘reciprocal’ visit
A Taiwanese delegation is visiting Los Angeles July 25-Aug. 4, led by Taiwan Bishop Lennon Chang, “a great evangelist and missionary,” Taylor reported. “This is a reciprocal visit from one some colleagues and I made to the Diocese of Taiwan last fall. They’ll be working, first of all, with our Chinese language-speaking congregations in Monterey Park and Hacienda Heights.”
The delegation will also visit The Church of Our Saviour, St. John’s Cathedral and Camp Stevens. St. Paul’s Commons will host a 9:30 a.m. July 30, 2025, meeting with the Taiwanese delegation to explore ministry opportunities in Taiwan, “a wonderful place to visit and to serve,” Taylor said.
“The churches in the Diocese of Taiwan are just like churches here,” Taylor added. “They’re abundant places of broad Anglican expression, community outreach, fellowship, mutual familial support. People from the United States who have the opportunity to serve in Taiwan, whether they’re Mandarin speakers or not, say how much they have enjoyed their time.
“For those who may be looking for a language other than English used in one of our churches, which we say is sort of an informal requirement for ordained ministry in the Diocese of L.A., Mandarin might be a choice people haven’t thought of before.
“We just want people to have the opportunity to get to know Bishop Lennon and his colleagues, to talk about what the Holy Spirit might be tugging on them to do. Taiwan is going to be at the center of geopolitical stress for the next three or four or five years, or maybe longer,” Taylor said,
“This is a way to deepen bonds with Episcopalians there, as well as to make folks from the Chinese diaspora feel a little bit more seen in our communities and neighborhoods, when they’re likely to be scapegoated for what’s happening internationally.”
Diocesan Council is on hiatus in August. The Council meets next online at 4 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025.