By the Rev. Antonio Gallardo
Annyeonghaseyo sa ram de ni hao jén Kumusta po kayo?
Saludos buena gente Greetings good people
I am grateful for your trust in electing me as your next bishop.
I promise to do my very best to be a faithful pastor, and a wise steward of the resources that God has given us.
I am grateful to all the people who made this moment possible:
To God our creator, for forming us and for bringing us together in this diocese.
To Jesus Christ, our teacher and the best example of a life lived with a purpose and fully trusting in God.
To the Spirit of God who moves our being and grant us the wisdom to make possible God’s vision for us.
To my parents, and to my teachers and mentors, who provided me the support to live my very best life.
To Jon Feuss and Hartshorn Murphy for nominating me, to the search and transition committees for taking us to this point with grace and compassion, and to my caring shepherds Heyden Santiago and Jeff Thornberg.
To Melissa and Monica, for their willingness to say yes and being companions in this journey.
To all the people who sustained us in prayer.
To Bishop Taylor for his leadership, and for leaving us a Diocese ready for whatever is next.
To all of you, the good and faithful people of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles.
Please join me in giving all who made this moment possible a round of applause.
Until the position starts officially until May, I would like to continue to be very present to the people of St. Luke’s / San Lucas in Long Beach, while gearing up to hit the ground running in May, to start learning as much as I can from Bishop Taylor before he goes on sabbatical.
I have heard your desires to be united with a common purpose, to share the Good news in Christ with many more people, to be an element of resistance and a source of hope in the country and the world that we live in, and to find ways to finance the great work we do, among other things.
I have heard your desires and your concerns, and I want to remind us of the advice the Apostle Paul shared with Timothy, who felt discouraged and overwhelmed, who was trying to do his work in a church that was under pressure, with false teachers rising.
Timothy is tired, anxious, perhaps shaken by fear and uncertainty.
And in that moment, Paul gives him one command, just one anchor to hold onto, and he tells him: “Remember Jesus Christ.”
Remembering Jesus Christ is more than a mental recall. It’s keeping Christ at the center of our heart, hope, identity, and purpose.
Let’s grow together in Christ and make of him our anchor in this next stretch in our journey here at EDLA. Amen