Hospitality and flexibility are the hallmarks of Blessed Sacrament these days. Vestry members are proud of their outreach ministries as well as the open, affirming values the parish proclaims. Two vestry members have been part of the church for 40 years, two others just for the last five. Beverly Cardwell is joyously leaning into her first term as bishop’s warden. Junior warden Karin Laufer, a retired mental health professional, discovered Blessed Sacrament when she and her wife enrolled their son, Alex, in the preschool. Before long the Rev. Barrett Van Buren, the cheerful, devoted rector, had baptized him. A family had found their church home for good.
Tom Johnson, the deputy junior warden, has taken a particular interest in making sure everything runs smoothly in the apartment complex and preschool. He told us a story about one of the at-risk residents who arrived to move into their new apartment. When Tom told said that, as a permanent supportive unit, it would include furniture and housewares, the resident was struck speechless. Tom still tears up telling the story.
My collaborator for many years in all things Blessed Sacrament, former senior warden and Anaheim Angels trainer Ned Bergert, graciously served as my chaplain as we made our way from the joyous procession of the palms to the depths of St. Matthew’s’ passion narrative. For my final episcopal visit before retirement, ECC director Tracie Donaldson and her colleagues organized the children to offer three songs. Each handed me a red rose, and the six classes each presented a colorfully illustrated thank you card. The Rev. Dominique Nicolette Piper, deacon of the mass, was aboard with her and Chris’s delightful twin sons, who provided moral support as their father ran the sound system and video feeds. All the joy softened some of the sting of our Lord’s passion. But now comes Holy Week.
