You meet the most amazing people around St. Paul’s Commons, Echo Park in the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, including Archbishop Hovnan Derderian of the Armenian Apostolic Church, for a conversation about ecumenical unity (plus a peek at his spot in the group photo from the 2008 Lambeth conference) … Hedab Terifi, the first woman chair of both the Muslim Public Affairs Council and the Islamic Center of Southern California, and Canon Bob Williams, my partners in planning a Christian-Muslim dialog on addiction under the auspices of the Clinton Foundation, which has been meeting monthly at St. Paul’s Commons … the Rev. Canon Mark Hallahan, who visited me to talk about the next season of his vocation, and Sherry Purcell, president and principal executive officer of the Immaculate Heart Community, who have many friends in common thanks to their many years of social justice ministry … the Rev. Peace Kwikiriza of the Anglican Diocese of West Ankole in Uganda; Peace is is a member of Prince of Peace Episcopal Church in Woodland Hills … for a rich conversation about Bloy House, The Episcopal Theological School at Los Angeles, the Rev. Canon Melissa McCarthy, Dean Linda Tolin Allport, president the Very Rev. Gary Hall, and board member Eric Miller … former diocesan colleagues the Revs. Charles and Sarah Belknap, now living in British Columbia … and Roberto Gamez, senior warden of Trinity Episcopal Church in Los Angeles, and fellow lay leaders, for a meeting with the Rev. Canon Thomas Quijada-Discavage and me.
