November 2, 2023 | VOLUME 35, ISSUE 41

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All Saints' Day observed

November 5, 2023

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Revelation 7:9-17

Psalm 34:1-10, 22

1 John 3:1-3

Matthew 5:1-12

Preacher: The Reverend Argola Haynes

Sunday, November 5: All Saints Sunday celebration

Sunday, November 5, 4:00 PM: Choral Evensong for the Feast of All Saints in Sanctuary

Monday, November 6, 6:45 PM: Sisters of Bede Meeting in Luther Hall (Hybrid)

Sunday, November 12, 1:30 PM-- Grassroots Neighbors at Holy Nativity

Bible and Breakfast

Tuesdays | 9:30 AM

Luther Hall & Zoom

Dinner Church with Eucharist

Wednesdays | 6:30 PM

Luther Hall

This coming Sunday, November 5, is our celebration of All Saints’ Day. This day provides us with the opportunity to commemorate our loved ones who have passed on. All parishioners, at both services, are invited to bring photos of their departed loved ones for our Altar of Remembrance. Participants will also be able to light a candle in the name(s) of their loved one(s).

The services will include a reading of the necrology, which is a list of the departed over the past year. If there is someone you would like to place on this list, please email Jerry Hornof (jerryhornof@gmail.com) prior to the service on Sunday with the loved one’s name and date of death.

We request that your Stewardship pledges be submitted by this Sunday as well, giving Rev. Golie Haynes the honor of blessing them. For additional information, please see letter below or click here for the link to the stewardship section of the St. Bede's website.

Please note that there will be a hosted luncheon following the 10 AM service. All are invited!

CHORAL EVENSONG for the FEAST OF ALL SAINTS'

The St. Bede’s Choir will perform a Choral Evensong for the Feast of All Saints’ at 4:00 PM in the Sanctuary. The performance will feature the music of John Rutter and Sir Charles Villiers Stanford. All, including family, friends and strangers, are invited to this as well!

By Kathy Russell

Those who know me know that I love traveling in England (and Wales and Scotland).  In my younger days, I used to travel by myself.  I would find a base in London and take day trips by train to interesting locations all over the country.  When planning these trips, one of the criteria was whether there was a cathedral or other large church that had a daily Evensong service.  Following these guidelines, I have visited Durham in the North, Chichester in the South, Salisbury in the West, and Canterbury in the East.  In the middle, there is London (Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral), Windsor (St. George’s Chapel in the castle), and several colleges in Oxford and Cambridge (King’s College among them).

What is it about the Evensong service that makes it so appealing to me that I seek it out on my travels?  First off, it is soaked with English heritage.  It’s a service that has existed since the Reformation and takes place in beautiful buildings which, for the most part, predate the Reformation.  Second, the music is absolutely top-notch.  These churches are associated with choir schools and some of them, like the choir of King’s College, Cambridge, are world famous. 

In addition, the service is designed to be a calming end-of-the day experience, away from the business of the rest of our lives.  As a traveler, I welcome the opportunity to take a deep breath.  I make a special effort to queue well before the service to try to get a seat in the choir stalls.  Being right next to or behind the choir adds something special.

What exactly is Evensong?  At the time of the Reformation, when the Church of England was formed, the old monastic hours were eliminated.  Some were combined and reconfigured to form new services for the new Church.  Evensong was a combination of Vespers and Compline.  The service is almost entirely music, with the choir singing most if not all the parts.  There may or may not be congregational hymns.  The spoken version of this service is Evening Prayer.

The order of service for Evensong varies a bit from place to place but contains the same elements pretty much everywhere.  These elements are described in this article from the Cathedral Music Trust, www.cathedralmusictrust.org.uk/CMT/CMT/Discover/Evensong-Unwrapped.aspx

So that brings us to the United States and St. Bede’s Episcopal Church in particular.  We do not have a daily Evensong service, but we offer about three such services every year.  We do not have a centuries-old building, but the remodeling of the church has created a space that is intimate and welcoming.  Our choir is not world-famous.  I like to think of it as small but mighty.  The service includes most of the elements of the Church of England service, but it is tweaked a bit in accordance with the Episcopal Church’s Book of Common Prayer. And our service matches the services across the pond when it comes to a sense of calm–a chance to take a deep breath before the busyness of the coming week.

I and the other members of the St. Bede’s choir invite you to join us on Sunday, Nov. 5, at 4 p.m. for our Fall Evensong.

We want to express a warm welcome and much appreciation to Lana Spraker, who just volunteered to become a Sacristan on the St. Bede’s Altar Guild. Being a member of the Altar Guild is a true calling and a devotion to the greater glory of God. To care for the sacred vessels, the bread and the wine, the delicate linens and hangings, the candles and flowers is a true ministry. In preparing our Sanctuary with loving reverence, we seek to help our congregation worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Under the tutelage of Janet Hartley and Ina Klem, Lana will begin her service by helping to lovingly launder and care for our communion linens. Thank you, Lana, and know that we receive you with open arms and look forward to your magic touch, as demonstrated in the photo above.

In the photo above, taken on October 25, Rev. Jennifer discusses L.A.‘s Inside Safe program for the city’s unhoused residents at Mayor Karen Bass’ interfaith breakfast hosted by Temple Isaiah.

Many of us know parishioner Carl Townsend as our quintessential brew meister and award-winning forester whose family won the title of “Tree Farm of the Year” in Washington state earlier this year. Carl has transferred those farming skills into growing his own pumpkins, and then carving them for All Hallows’ Eve. A labor of love, the carved pumpkins shown above are Frankenstein’s monster, the planet Mars, the Perseverance rover and the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter. We can’t wait to see what’s next!

FOOD, FAITH, FELLOWSHIP

On Wednesday, October 11, Reverend Jennifer hosted our first Dinner Church at St. Bede’s. It was a unique and lovely worship experience that combined a simple communion service, meaningful conversation, and spiritual reflection with a shared meal. The gathering felt like a loving family where some people shared about personal struggles where they ended up encountering the presence of God. The response was one of empathy, wonderment and support.

Our Dinner Church is open to all (including friends and dogs, as you see in the photo above) and offers a chance to closely connect with others and be spiritually fed while enjoying a tasty meal. Some people brought comfort food to share but this is not at all required. The only requirement is to come hungry for food, faith, and fellowship! Dinner Church will be taking place on Wednesday evenings at St. Bede’s through November 22, and we hope you will be inspired to join us! 

The St. Bede's Mission Committee would like to announce its fall/holiday project--and it's all about shoes! We will be collecting new and gently-used shoes -- and cash to acquire more shoes. Our advisors at the Salvation Army, where we will donate the shoes (their Santa Monica site sponsors a monthly service day, much like Neighbors 4 Neighbors used to do), have the following asks/advice:

The greatest need is for adult shoes. (Another notable need is for long/big sizes for men.) 

The shoes can be sneakers, hiking boots, and walking shoes-- as long as they are "comfortable for everyday wear." 

We will have a box in the Narthex to collect the shoes for folks who want to shop in stores --or shop their closet.

Please stay tuned for more details! Questions? Please ask any member of the Mission Committee.

VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED!

November 12 | 2:00 PM

Grass Roots Neighbors is a volunteer community organization. They meet the immediate needs of our neighbors experiencing food and housing insecurity. GRN mobilizes to fill the gaps in existing services by providing assistance with love and respect. The organization's vision is to be a community effectively involved in ending poverty. ​

Among their outreach programs, GNR cooks and delivers a hot meal every Sunday to various encampments on the Westside. Once a month, St. Bede's with Holy Nativity assists GNR with preparing and providing meals. There are now four different volunteer time slots:

• 2 - 4 PM (mostly chopping of fruits and veggies)
• 4 - 6 PM (mainly packaging food)
• 6 - 8:30 PM (loading and distributing the food)
• 7:30 - 10:30 PM (distributing food in Venice by bike)

GNR utilizes the kitchen facilities at Holy Nativity Episcopal Church.

Visit the St. Bede's website and at the top of every page, look for the "Donate" button. When you click on the "Donate" button, you will be transported to St. Bede's Vanco eGiving and Payment Process Site.

Vanco is an industry leader in online payments. More than 40,000 churches, faith-based groups, nonprofits, schools, and educational organizations trust Vanco to securely complete transactions every day. Vanco complies with PCI Level 1 standards, the highest security standard in the payment processing industry.

You are invited to set up one-time or recurring gifts using credit, debit, or bank transfer on Vanco's secure payment processing platform. Giving online through the Vanco site saves time and the hassle of remembering to bring your offering. In addition, you decrease the expense incurred by St. Bede’s from handling and processing checks and cash.

Episcopal churches offer interfaith mourning, learning events as Gaza war continues

By Pat McCaughan

Episcopalians in Claremont and Pasadena joined interfaith partners last weekend in vigil and for conversation and support in response to the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, triggered by an Oct. 7 Hamas attack on an Israeli kibbutz.

About 80 participants gathered Sunday Nov. 5 at St. Ambrose Church in Claremont, amid the haunting lilt of a flute and powerful drumbeat, to mourn the loss of life. The vigil replaced an annual walk sponsored by the Inland Valley Interfaith Working Group for Middle East Peace, because “people are still in shock, traumatized by what’s happened and they aren’t ready to process it, to connect,” said the Rev. Jessie Smith, St. Ambrose’s rector.

Prayers and periods of silent meditation were offered both outside and inside the church, she said. “Liturgical dancers guided us through that time and led the congregation inside where they were able to light a candle symbolizing the hopes that exists among us all.”

“We prayed out of grief and mourning for those who died and, in the spirit of accountability, to ask the question, what is our own part to examine …in working for peace and the role of peace and violence in the world.” A third part was moving toward hope for future peace, followed by a chili dinner, she added.

For Tahil Sharma, the vigil “was the first opportunity I’ve had [since the start of the war] to reflect on the loss of life, the escalation of violence, and the role of interfaith cooperation. Our silence was painful, and sorrowful, and mirrored the uncertainty of any positive outcomes.

READ MORE HERE

V. Gene Robinson is applauded after his investiture as The Episcopal Church’s bishop of New Hampshire on Sunday, March 7, 2004, at St. Paul’s Church in Concord, New Hampshire. Photo: Lee Marriner/AP Photo

Gene Robinson reflects on the 20th anniversary of his consecration as the church’s first gay bishop

By Melodie Woerman

In the coming months, the Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, the retired bishop of New Hampshire and the first openly gay bishop in The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion, will mark the 20th anniversary of his consecration as a bishop on Nov. 2, and the 50th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood on Dec. 15.

His episcopal anniversary already has been celebrated with two events – Sewanee: The University of the South, from which he received undergraduate degrees in American studies and history in 1969, awarded him an honorary doctorate on Oct. 6; and an anniversary celebration service took place at St. Thomas’ Parish in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 8.

In an interview in early October with Episcopal News Service as Robinson was approaching both events, he said he had asked those speaking to emphasize “how brave and how courageous the Diocese of New Hampshire and The Episcopal Church as a whole were, because it’s hard to remember how controversial this was in 2003, and how much the acceptance of LGBTQ people has grown in 20 years.”

Robinson is bishop-in-residence at St. Thomas’, which in September announced the creation of an endowment fund for community outreach in his honor. He also is part of the worship team at Washington National Cathedral, where he occasionally preaches and celebrates.

The New Hampshire diocesan convention’s election of Robinson as bishop coadjutor on June 7, 2003, and the 74th General Convention’s consent on Aug. 6, set off protests within The Episcopal Church and worldwide by those who opposed his ordination because of his sexuality.

READ MORE HERE

The Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations Director Rebecca Linder Blachly moderates a webinar on solitary confinement on Oct. 30 with speakers Laura Markle Downton and Johnny Perez from the National Religious Campaign Against Torture. Perez experienced three years in solitary confinement while he was incarcerated. Photo: Screenshot

Episcopalians are urged to learn more about and work to end solitary confinement

By Melodie Woerman

The Episcopal Church’s Washington, D.C.-based Office of Government Relations is encouraging Episcopalians to support proposed federal legislation that would end solitary confinement in prisons, jails and other detention settings with limited exceptions, including a four-hour maximum for emergency de-escalation.

The Office of Government Relations hosted a webinar on solitary confinement moderated by director Rebecca Linder Blachly on Oct. 30. It featured two people with the National Religious Campaign Against Torture – Laura Markle Downton, the director of faith and community engagement; and Johnny Perez, director of the organization’s U.S. Prisons Program, who experienced three years in solitary confinement while he was incarcerated.

Downton said The Episcopal Church was one of the founding members of her organization, which was created in 2006 and aims to end torture, which includes the use of solitary confinement, in United States policies, practices and culture.

In 2018 the 79th General Convention adopted a resolution that reaffirmed the church’s condemnation of torture and condemned the use of prolonged solitary confinement anywhere in the world. It also urged Episcopalians to call for the end of such confinement.

Perez called solitary confinement “a prison inside a prison” and said at any given time in the United States more than 120,000 people are in solitary confinement, with most of them held in state prisons and county jails. Some also are in federal prisons and detention facilities. About 80% of those held in solitary confinement are people of color.

READ MORE HERE

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