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Sixth Sunday of Easter
Sunday, May 22, 2022
SCRIPTURE READINGS
Acts 16:9-15
Psalm 67
Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5
John 14:23-29
Preacher: The Reverend Ryan D. Newman
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Saturday, May 21
Neighbors 4 Neighbors
10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
St. Bede's Campus
Sunday, May 22
Grass Roots Neighbors
1:30 PM & 5:00 PM
Holy Nativity Episcopal Church
SIGN UP HERE TO VOLUNTEER
Sunday, May 22
Festive Eastertide Evensong
6:00 PM
Sanctuary & Watch Online
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Bible and Breakfast
Tuesdays | 9:30 AM
Luther Hall & Zoom
Midweek Eucharist
Tuesdays | 6:00 PM
Sanctuary & Watch Online
Evening Prayer
Wednesday | 7:00 PM
Luther Hall & Zoom
Education Forum
Wednesday | 7:30 PM
Luther Hall & Zoom
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St. Bede’s join in honoring the Rev. Canon James Newman who retired in 2021 after 31 years as St. Bede's rector, with the first-ever NYA annual scholarship to be presented in his name. The award was received by NYA alumna Jessica Mejia who is majoring in nursing at Mount St. Mary’s University, Los Angeles. | |
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Last Saturday, May 14, the Neighborhood Youth Association welcomed tables full of guests (and folks at home who were live-streaming) to its 39th Scholarship Benefit. St. Bede’s was well-represented at the event, which took place at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Pacific Palisades.
Six graduating high school seniors and 15 college undergrads were honored with scholarships, and several donors and volunteers were also acknowledged. Among them: St. Bede’s, which helped establish a scholarship fund in the name of the Rev. Canon James Newman—who was in attendance. This is the fourth scholarship associated with a member of the St. Bede's Family, the others being Joan Reitzel, Ruth Nicastro, and Bonnie Dawson.
Janet Hartley, Susan Holder, Carl Townsend, Jerry Hornof, Karen Scharre, Kimberly Bouzguenda, Penny Jennings (who served as staff photographer!), and Mike Mullins were also at St. Matthew’s to celebrate Father Jim, St. Bede’s, and the students.
The NYA Scholarship Benefit is always an amazing event—an opportunity to hear how the honored students, many of them the first in their families to attend college, loaded up their schedules with AP classes, worked at various jobs, and took care of younger siblings.
They had to deal with nonstop deadlines, they participated in multiple school clubs, they established clubs, and they participated in sports and dance organizations. Some helped run NYA summer camps. “I have no idea when they find to sleep,” site director Sonia Hernandez told the audience.
And she reminded us that graduating from high school and going to college was not a given for these students, that the award recipients had to work extra hard to get the resources they needed. They learned to overcome obstacles and stayed positive and acquired a sense of independence, Sonia said, adding: “It is an uphill battle that I am entirely confident that this group of students is prepared for.”
This crop of graduating seniors will attend schools ranging from UCLA to Williams. NYA and its volunteers and donors, one of the seniors explained, allowed them “to dream big.”
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We want to grow the congregation of St. Bede’s, but we do not know where to begin.
We want to see more young people and families again in our congregation.
We want to be the church from those in the surrounding neighborhood.
How often have you heard these statements spoken at St. Bede’s in the last couple of years? For St. Bede’s to THRIVE rather than just survive, we must be intentional about our ministries of evangelism, hospitality, and belonging. We have to INVITE, WELCOME, and CONNECT others to St. Bede’s.
Invite Welcome Connect is a ministry of transformation that equips and empowers individuals and congregations to cultivate intentional practices of evangelism, hospitality, and belonging. Rooted in the Gospel directive to “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19), this ministry provides a practical theological framework and comprehensive process for engaging communities of faith to move from a maintenance culture to a gospel driven mission culture.
Designed to accommodate congregations of all sizes, Invite Welcome Connect crosses all social and economic boundaries and explores the ways creativity and relational ministry go hand in hand in effecting cultural change. Invite Welcome Connect relies on the collaborative creativity of clergy and laity who choose to actively and intentionally embody the principles of hospitality, making this method adaptable to any parish, age group, or location.
During Tuesday evenings in June (7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th), Rev. Ryan will facilitate an Invite Welcome Connect Exploratory Study Club. The four-week gathering will introduce the St. Bede’s community to the Invite Welcome Connect Ministry. After the four-week study club, participants will have an option to become founding members of the Invite Welcome Connect Steering Committee at St. Bede’s. If you participate in the IWC Exploratory Study Club, you are only committing to join us for four weeks to learn and explore the Invite Welcome Connect Ministry.
The IWC Exploratory Study Club will meet Tuesdays in June from 6:45 PM until 8:15 PM in Luther Hall. Ideally, this study is best in-person. Thus, our goal is to host the IWC Exploratory Study Club entirely in person, but we might need to amend the format to a hybrid format based on the group and COVID protocols. Participants will be asked to do some reading and review other resources between sessions. Attendance at all four sessions is essential.
We invite you to view the brief video below to learn more about INVITE WELCOME CONNECT. If you are interested in participating in the IWC Exploratory Study Club, please register here. The registration deadline is June 5th.
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INVITE WELCOME CONNECT TESTIMONIAL
A Texas native and lifelong Episcopalian who was very active in her church and diocesan ministries made the difficult decision to move across the country for a job promotion. So what did this smart, professional, early-50s woman do right after she moved into her new home? She began visiting all the Episcopal churches in her area. As she lamented to her friend, Mary Foster Parmer, author of Invite Welcome Connect: Stories and Tools to Transform Your Church, “In every single church I’ve attended, it’s as it they don’t even see me. No one sees me!” She had signed guest registers and written her name on welcome cards for newcomers. The only follow-up she received was a form letter with a pledge card. But she kept trying. She finally found a church home a good distance from where she lived, and later wrote of her experience:
“While chatting with a greeter, I was invited by him to the upcoming newcomer dinner simply because ‘It’s important to meet people in a new city so you won’t be lost.’ Relationship versus membership. During that dinner the vicar used the same metaphor in describing what every individual should expect in his or her parish life— a relationship.
One week later, a six-year-old helped me write my name tag. Advent found me still visiting. During the peace, as they did with each other, I was also greeted by name. At Christmas, deeply grateful for God’s comfort and care during my journey, I dropped a check in the plate. When the church sent a letter blessing my giving for its use in helping the Body of Christ, they tugged at my heart because they told me what was important to theirs…
With that blessing I transferred my membership and started a new relationship. How many forms? Just the sign-in at the newcomer dinner. After all, they already knew me.”
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Some text for the article courtesy of https://www.invitewelcomeconnect.com/
Testimonial Source: https://www.saint-tims.org/invite-welcome-connect.html
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RECTOR SEARCH COMMITTEE UPDATE | |
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Thanks to all those who agreed to be interviewed for the St. Bede's video! We are looking forward to sharing it with the congregation once post-production is complete!
After meeting with the Diocese, there are still a few details that the Search Committee needs to finish up before we are ready to publicize the position, but we continue to move forward. For what it's worth, Canon Tom believes we are making good progress and that our portfolio should spark interest!
Tom Elliott
Search Committee Co-Chair
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Vestry Meeting Minutes are available on the St. Bede's Website on the HUB PAGE. The HUB page also has many quick links to "member-specific resources."
Also, starting with this issue of The Quill, there is a quick link to the Vestry Meeting Minutes at the top of The Quill. Look for the following icon.
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FESTIVE EASTERTIDE EVENSONG | |
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We invite you to experience “Festive Eastertide Evensong” on Sunday, May 22, at 6:00 PM. The service will feature Music for the Ascension and the Feast of St. Bede. Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in E-flat Major by A. Herbert Brewer. Responses by Frank Basile. Prayer of St. Bede by Richard Proulx.
Evensong is a service that includes scripture, prayer, and music. It is often the beauty of the service itself, the spoken words, and the music that is sung that strikes attendees. The Anglican church has been singing Evensong since the sixteenth century.
The word “Evensong” is a term first used in the 1549 Book of Common Prayer. It refers to the service of Evening Prayer. The service is commonly referred to as Choral Evensong because the choir prepares many segments, and the congregation joins in saying and singing other parts.
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Mar Vista Voice, a local organization dedicated to keeping our community informed and involved, has reached out to St. Bede’s about a new City of Los Angeles emergency supplemental meal program for adults 60 years and older. (The program is sponsored by the city’s Department of Aging).
Anyone who is 60 + and a resident of L.A. is eligible. To sign up, participants will need to share only their name, address, date of birth, phone number, and meal selection (participants can specify certain preferences such as low-sodium vegetarian and vegan). They can receive up to 14 meals a week, and a robocall will be made to each client the day before delivery.
Anyone who is interested can send their information to me, and I will, in turn, send it to Bitta Sharma (whom some of you may have met in connection with Neighbors for Neighbors). Bitta will put the information in a spreadsheet and turn it into the city every Tuesday. (Or you can follow the directions included on the poster).
Please don’t hesitate to reach out by email if you have questions, and I will try to get the answers.
Alice Short
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The Wednesday Education Class has resumed with a 12-part series, "The History and Archaeology of the Bible," offered by National Geographic's Great Courses series. The goal is to offer the class both in-person and online via Zoom starting at 7:30 PM.
Before each session, Evening Prayer is offered and starts at 7:00 PM.
The History and Archaeology of the Bible offers a multidimensional journey through the Bible from Genesis to the Crucifixion, seen through the lens of the latest historical and archaeological findings, and accompanied by vivid video footage of many of the sites where the stories of the Bible unfolded. Jean-Pierre Isbouts, a National Geographic contributor, eminent biblical historian, and award-winning filmmaker, offers the lectures. (The Great Courses Website)
To learn more about the video series, click here.
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VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED
May 22th | 1:30 PM & 5:00 PM
**DATE CHANGE IN MAY DUE TO MOTHER'S DAY**
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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.
GNR, Holy Nativity, and St. Bede's have created a Google Sign-Up Form to assist with monthly volunteer coordination. Please click the button below to access the volunteer sign-up form.
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Sisters Venue: Surf and Turf | |
FROM THE EPISCOPAL NEWS
A newsletter serving the Diocese of LA
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A Word to the Church: Political Violence and Christian Citizenship
My siblings in Christ:
Acts of gun violence, one of them in our own diocese, weighed on our hearts last weekend as we gathered to praise and worship the Risen Christ. In the name of our Lord, I write with three invitations to the people of God:
To continue to pray for the victims in Buffalo and Laguna Woods, for all our Black and Taiwanese siblings, for all at risk from racist and gun violence, and for the reconciliation of the shooters to the heart of God.
To count the blessing of our freedom even as we continue to perfect our politics, long distorted by the marginalization or exclusion of Blacks, women, and immigrant workers of color who work for the common good and pay taxes without representation.
To reflect on our obligations and opportunities as Christian citizens.
Much has yet to be learned about the motives of the shooter in Laguna Woods, a seeming critic of Taiwan. His act of hatred of him came close to our diocesan family. At least two priests and their families have ties to the Taiwanese Presbyterian congregation he attacked, including the pastor who courageously intervened to save lives.
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Presiding officers endorse plan to shorten General Convention to 4 days, July 8-11, and limit attendance
The 80th General Convention will now be held July 8-11 in Baltimore, Maryland, shortened from eight to four days under a recommendation from the design group charged with planning a “shorter, smaller, safer” gathering, according to a letter to the church sent May 17 by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, president of the House of Deputies.
In addition to the shortened duration, the Presiding Officers’ General Convention Design Group recommended that attendance be restricted to bishops, deputies, essential staff and volunteers and a limited media presence, with visitors generally not allowed. Dioceses would be asked to send only two alternate deputies (one lay and one clergy) and inactive bishops would be asked to stay home. There would be no exhibit hall and all church-affiliated organizations would be asked not to hold events and receptions in Baltimore during July 8-11.
“Like many of you, we continue to grieve our inability to gather as a whole church this summer,” Curry and Jennings wrote, acknowledging they endorsed the design group’s recommendations. “But even since last week, when we first made the decision to reduce the scale of the meeting, COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the United States have continued to rise steeply. Although we regret that need to make this decision, we are confident that we have chosen the right path.”
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General Convention budget committee debates funding for proposed anti-racism coalition
Questions about the financial details of a proposed new churchwide anti-racism coalition commanded much of the discussion this week at a two-day meeting of General Convention’s Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance.
Meeting in person May 18 and 19 near Baltimore – the site of the 80th General Convention in July – the members of the budgetary committee generally focused their discussion of the coalition on a few main points of concern: the $2 million in funding every three years that has been suggested for the coalition; the budgetary mechanisms that would be needed to yield that funding; the church’s methods for ensuring financial accountability, and the risk that the coalition’s work will overlap with existing church offices and programs.
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World Mission committees hear call to acknowledge and grieve colonialism
General Convention’s legislative committees on World Mission heard testimony May 16 on Resolution A017, which calls The Episcopal Church to “acknowledge and grieve” its past practices of colonialism in mission efforts around the world.
The church’s efforts toward racial reconciliation helped inspire the resolution, said Martha Gardner, a Massachusetts deputy and chair of the Standing Commission on World Mission, which proposed A017 in its 2020 Blue Book report. “We felt that in addition to doing the work in terms of the United States, we also need to look historically at our work in terms of global mission,” she testified. Noting the work of the Presiding Officers’ Working Group on Truth-Telling, Reckoning, and Healing, she added the resolution addresses what she called “a unique lane” in the church’s approach to global mission – to explore historical complicity and to examine how dioceses and congregations now undertake mission work outside the United States.
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