We are a Christian community seeking to know and unconditionally share God's unfailing love.

Weekly Newsletter

Saturday, April 27

• Wisdom trip to San Juan Capistrano at 9:45am (see below)

Sunday, April 28

• Outreach Commission Meeting at 9:45am in Sacquety Hall (see below)
• Circle of Hope Gala at 5pm at the San Gabriel Country Club (see below)

Thursday, May 2

• GHBIC Community Prayer Breakfast at 7:00am at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Atlanta (see below)

Sunday, May 5

• Assembling Necklaces for Pride between 9:15am and 1:15pm in Sacquety Hall
• EFLAGS Potluck Luncheon at 12:15pm in Sacquety Hall

Monday, May 6

• Clergy Conference begins in Riverside

Tuesday, May 7

• Grief Group at 9:30am in the Church Office
• Bible Study at 11:00am in Sacquety Hall
• Men's Group Meeting at 7:30pm in the Church Office

Wednesday, May 8

• Morning Prayer Service at 7:15 in the Chapel

Thursday, May 9

• Ascension Day Prayer Service at 9:00am in the Chapel

Sunday, May 12

• Small Change Sunday to support our Laundry Love Ministry

Tuesday, May 14

• Rector's Bible Study at 11:00am in Sacquety Hall

Wednesday, May 15

• Weekly Holy Eucharist at 7:15am in the Chapel
• Laundry Love at 5:30pm at Huntington Coin Laundry

Sunday, May 19

• Pentecost Sunday with Holy Baptisms and Commissioning of Eucharistic Visitors at both services (see below)
• Youth Group Meeting at 4:30pm in the Youth Center
• Choral Evensong and Concert at 5:00pm in the Sanctuary

Thursday, May 21

• Grief Group at 9:30am in the Church Office
• Bible Study at 11:00am in Sacquety Hall
• Men's Group Meeting at 7:30pm in the Church Office

Wednesday, May 22

• Weekly Holy Eucharist at 7:15am in the Chapel

Thursday, May 23

• Children, Youth, and Family Commission Meeting at 6:00pm over Zoom

Saturday, May 25

• Celebration of Wisdom Luncheon at 11:30am in Sacquety Hall

Monday, May 27

• Church and Preschool Closed in honor of Memorial Day

Tuesday, May 28

• Rector's Bible Study at 11:00am in Sacquety Hall

Wednesday, May 29

• Weekly Holy Eucharist at 7:15am in the Chapel
• Vestry Meeting at 6:00pm in Sacquety Hall

We have entered into the biggest phase of our pipe organ project! Our Moller console has been disconnected and has been temporarily replaced by a Rodgers electronic organ, which will carry us through the next few weeks. Our Moller console will have all of the drawknobs, pistons and toe studs replaced. The wood will be cleaned up and the design updated to current professional standards. A new digital control system, two new ranks of pipes and an assortment of new digital stops will be installed during the month of May. Much of the hardware and software is custom manufactured for us, so timelines have a way of stretching, but we are gradually making progress! Feel free to ask Fr. Bill any questions about this project. 

Celebration of Wisdom Luncheon

On Saturday, April 27th, Wisdom is going to San Juan Capistrano. Not by train, but by vans and cars. We will be meeting at the church at 9:45am on the 27th to carpool and leaving at 10:00am. 

Once in San Juan Capistrano, Wisdom will have the option of visiting the Mission, sightseeing, or shopping. Lunch will be at El Adobe at 1:00pm.

If you would like to attend, please sign up for this event at the SCRIP table or by calling the office at (714) 962-7512 so that we can make a reservation for lunch. Please let us know if you would like a ride, if you are willing to drive, or if you need a wheelchair. 

Interested in regularly helping out the greater Huntington Beach community? Our Outreach Commission is looking for new members! We will meet between services in Sacquety Hall on Sunday, April 28th after the 8:30am service (about 9:45am-10:15am). Our ongoing efforts include BCIS, Laundry Love, SHIP, and Robyne’s Nest, and outreach to teens and young adults. With so much going on in the world, teens and young adults are more vulnerable to experiencing mental health challenges in a post-pandemic world. As we all know, being part of our St. Wilfrid’s family is a win-win situation for everyone. Other ideas are welcome. Come join us! 

As one of the seven principal feast days within the Christian tradition, Pentecost Sunday holds profound significance. This feast commemorates the Holy Spirit's outpouring, as depicted in Acts 2:1-21, where diverse languages united all listeners, each understood by all. 

This Pentecost Sunday, May 19th, we invite you to join us in bringing God's word to life by joining us in reading the lesson in multiple languages. If you speak a language other than English and wish to share your gift, please reach out to the Parish Administrator, Laurie, at admin@stwilfridschurch.org.

Are you handy with a hammer? Then consider volunteering for our buildings and grounds crew. We would like to put together a list of people willing to lend a hand a couple of hours a month as needed for minor repairs around the Church. It's a great way to get involved in your community while helping to keep our campus beautiful. Click here to sign up.

We are always looking for ways to improve our campus. If you see an area that needs to be addressed, please let us know by filling out this short form. Thank you so much! 

HFS gala will honor late Bishop Bruno, Diocese of Los Angeles for support creating ‘forever families’ 

HFS Adoption and Foster Care invites the diocesan community to its annual Circle of Hope reception and dinner on Sunday, April 28, 5 - 8 p.m. at the San Gabriel Country Club, 350 E. Hermosa Drive, San Gabriel 91776.

The fundraiser event, which marks the agency’s 75th anniversary, will honor several people and organizations, including the Diocese of Los Angeles and the late Bishop J. Jon Bruno, who invited HFS - formerly known as Holy Family Services – to establish its offices at the diocese’s Cathedral Center (now St. Paul’s Commons). Diocesan Convention later voted to accept HFS as a diocesan institution. Bruno’s son and daughter-in-law, Phil Bruno and Mary Bannon Bruno, who serve on the HFS board of directors, will represent the Bruno family. Bishop John Harvey Taylor and Canon Kathy O’Connor will represent the diocese at the event. 

Other honorees include:

• The California Endowment and its retiring CEO, Robert Ross, a member of St. Mark’s Church, Altadena, who delivered the annual Margaret Parker Memorial Lecture at the 2023 meeting of Diocesan Convention;
• The Mozilo Family Foundation, which has provided HFS with essential financial support for many years.

The event will also feature an opportunity drawing and live auction. Complimentary valet parking. Tickets are $150 and may be ordered here. (Reservations are requested by April 22.)

Our Close the Gap fundraiser will return on Saturday evening, June 8, 2024. The proceeds from the evening will help us balance our budget and support our worship, outreach, and ongoing activities. Building on our auction success from last year, we encourage you to begin thinking of auction items that you might be able to donate: a hosted dinner, a basket of goodies (wine always sells!), something in your home you no longer use, or the time of your talent. The only limit is your imagination!

Donation forms are available at our SCRIP table starting today. Please stop by and take one (or more). We will be collecting the donated items approximately two weeks prior to the event. More details about the time and the dinner will be forthcoming. Meanwhile, circle the date on your calendar! You won’t want to miss it!

In a world full of division, pain, and seemingly unsolvable problems... we all desire a life full of compassion, unity, dignity, and thriving communities. No matter what faith you come from (even if you're not tied to a specific faith), we all can gather around the central idea of prayer.

Prayer acknowledges our need for humility, our desire to surrender to a higher force of goodness, and our pursuit to love each other well while honoring our differences.

At the Prayer Breakfast, you can expect an inspiring program that includes creative representations of prayer: dance and art song. We hope you'll join us for this free breakfast and are encouraged as different faith representatives give invocations.

With our many blessings we are called to reach out and help others. We have many opportunities to do so.

Please consider helping SHIP (Self-Help Interfaith Program). They need help with dinners and chaperones.

Also, any spare funds for SHIP's rent would be welcome -- feel free to call 949-575-9769 below to arrange for a Venmo or PayPal, or mail a check to the PO Box 9294, Fountain Valley, CA 92708. Questions can also be directed to the 949 number, or you’re welcome to contact Steven Nadolny at (714) 536-5172 or via email at steven@jimbocosw.com.

These opportunities were submitted by our parishioners. Please send us your service experience to share.

Please share with us at St. Wilfrid’s your experience in living God’s good news to all.

Welcoming LGBTQ+ people is ‘more than flying the Pride flag,’ program group chair tells Diocesan Council

By Pat McCaughan

In the current climate, where some 484 anti-LGBTQ+ bills are proposed across the nation and local school boards are increasingly becoming culture war battlegrounds, the Program Group on LGBTQ+ Ministry – besides serving as a resource for the diocese and wider Episcopal church – aims to focus on advocacy, training and encouraging congregations to create safe spaces for community.

“Creating safe spaces for queer people is a lot more than just flying the Pride flag and saying you’re open and affirming,” the Very Rev. Christopher Montella, program group co-chair, reported to the April 11 online meeting of Diocesan Council. “There is real meaningful work the community needs to do to make spaces that are safe and affirming for queer people, especially those who have had church and God and the Bible weaponized against them.”

Last year, he said, “many of us found ourselves in the position of showing up at a slew of school board meetings, and we learned that people need training on how to show up at those. It could be potentially dangerous for someone who’s not quite prepared to just show up at one of these meetings and have to face an angry crowd, as happened a couple of times.” 

Read more here.