SERVING THE SIX-COUNTY … · life-giving sap from the tree onto which the ... along featuring...
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WWW.EPISCOPALNEWS.COM SERVING THE SIX-COUNTY DIOCESE OF LOS ANGELES AUGUST 30, 2015 THE Episcopal News Weekly Scan to subscribe to The Episcopal News A lthough a never-built freeway off- ramp presented a detour for further development of diocesan property in Rancho Cucamonga, all roads — happily — have led the mission congregation of St. Clare of Assisi home to its original sponsoring par- ish, St. Mark’s, Upland. The two congregations celebrated this homecoming with Sunday Eucharist on Aug. 16, with Bishop Diocesan J. Jon Bruno pre- siding. The liturgy was followed by a festive ice-cream social — well timed with mid-day temperatures soaring to 106 degrees. “This is a warm day in several respects, and especially in terms of the true friendship be- tween the people gathered here to continue a new chapter of their faith journey together,” Bruno said of the congregation, where St. Clare’s members now worship as parishioners of St. Mark’s. “It has been a joyful experience blend- ing the ministries of St. Clare’s, Rancho Cu- camonga, and St. Mark’s, Upland,” said Canon Gisele Tackoor, retiring bishop’s war- den of St. Clare’s, where Sunday attendance had averaged 40-50 persons. “To witness the Holy Spirit at work is quite amazing. “I feel that we are going to be a blessing to St. Mark’s, and St. Mark’s will be a blessing to us,” Tackoor said. “On behalf of St. Clare’s, we thank Bishop Bruno, the L.A. Diocese, Deanery 6, the re- tired Episcopal clergy living at Pilgrim Place, and all the other clergy within the diocese who were instrumental in the transition,” Tackoor said, adding her appreciation for the Upland clergy and parishioners: “St. Mark’s has been very warm and welcoming.” “It is a great pleasure to welcome the peo- ple of St. Clare’s,” said the Rev. Keith Yama- moto, rector of St. Mark’s. “We’re happy to have them join us and multiply the possibili- ties for ministry from St. Mark’s, including in the community of Rancho Cucamonga. Their enthusiasm and energy is greatly appreciated as we learn from one another and look for ways to collaborate and partner and welcome them as new members of St. Mark’s. With their heart for the gospel, we’re all on the same page.” ? —From Episcopal News staff reports. For more about the two congregations, see The Episcopal News Late Summer 2015 issue, available online at www.episcopalnews.com. J ust after marking his first month in office as 27th presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, Michael Curry will be an honored guest preacher and speaker for the 120th annual meet- ing of the Diocese of Los Angeles, which during its Dec. 4 - 5 proceedings in Ontario will also welcome biblical scholar and au- thor Renita Weems to de- liver the biennial Margaret Parker memorial lecture. “What a great honor and privilege to welcome both our new presiding bishop and Dr. Renita Weems to our upcoming annual meeting of Dioce- san Convention,” said Bishop J. Jon Bruno in announcing their participation. “Bishop Cur- ry and Dr. Weems will break open the scrip- ture in powerful and insightful ways, and I am greatly looking forward to their presence with us.” Curry, who on Nov. 1 will begin his 9-year term as the Episcopal Church’s presiding bishop, was so elected on June 27 while Gen- eral Convention met in Salt Lake City. He has served since 2000 as bishop of the Diocese of North Carolina. Renita Weems is an ordained elder in the African Methodist Church and a former fac- ulty member at Vanderbilt University and vis- iting professor at Spelman College. She has published several books on women’s spiritu- ality and wholeness, and is a regular colum- nist for Beliefnet.com, where she writes on politics and faith. She blogs at Somethingwith in.com on a wide range of issues. For more about both speakers and Bishop Curry’s recent election as presiding bishop, see The Episcopal News Late Summer 2015 issue, available online at www.episcopalnews. com. ? Convention to welcome Bishop Curry, author Renita Weems Michael Curry Renita Weems St. Clare’s, Rancho Cucamonga, and St. Mark’s, Upland, unite as one parish Bishop Jon Bruno addresses members St. Mark’s Church, Upland, and St. Clare’s Church, Rancho Cucamonga, at an Aug. 16 homecoming event celebrating their union into one congregation. ERIC MITTWER
Transcript of SERVING THE SIX-COUNTY … · life-giving sap from the tree onto which the ... along featuring...
WWW.EPISCOPALNEWS.COM SERVING THE SIX-COUNTY DIOCESE OF LOS ANGELES AUGUST 30, 2015
THE
Episcopal News Weekly Scan to subscribe to
The Episcopal News
Although a never-built freeway off-ramp presented a detour for further development of diocesan property in
Rancho Cucamonga, all roads — happily — have led the mission congregation of St. Clare of Assisi home to its original sponsoring par-ish, St. Mark’s, Upland.
The two congregations celebrated this homecoming with Sunday Eucharist on Aug. 16, with Bishop Diocesan J. Jon Bruno pre-siding. The liturgy was followed by a festive ice-cream social — well timed with mid-day temperatures soaring to 106 degrees.
“This is a warm day in several respects, and especially in terms of the true friendship be-tween the people gathered here to continue a new chapter of their faith journey together,” Bruno said of the congregation, where St. Clare’s members now worship as parishioners of St. Mark’s.
“It has been a joyful experience blend-ing the ministries of St. Clare’s, Rancho Cu-camonga, and St. Mark’s, Upland,” said Canon Gisele Tackoor, retiring bishop’s war-den of St. Clare’s, where Sunday attendance had averaged 40-50 persons. “To witness the Holy Spirit at work is quite amazing.
“I feel that we are going to be a blessing to St. Mark’s, and St. Mark’s will be a blessing to us,” Tackoor said.
“On behalf of St. Clare’s, we thank Bishop Bruno, the L.A. Diocese, Deanery 6, the re-tired Episcopal clergy living at Pilgrim Place, and all the other clergy within the diocese who were instrumental in the transition,” Tackoor said, adding her appreciation for the Upland clergy and parishioners: “St. Mark’s has been very warm and welcoming.”
“It is a great pleasure to welcome the peo-ple of St. Clare’s,” said the Rev. Keith Yama-moto, rector of St. Mark’s. “We’re happy to have them join us and multiply the possibili-ties for ministry from St. Mark’s, including in the community of Rancho Cucamonga. Their enthusiasm and energy is greatly appreciated as we learn from one another and look for ways to collaborate and partner and welcome them as new members of St. Mark’s. With their heart for the gospel, we’re all on the same page.” ?
—From Episcopal News staff reports. For more about the two congregations, see The Episcopal News Late Summer 2015 issue, available online at www.episcopalnews.com.
Just after marking his first month in office as 27th presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, Michael Curry will be an honored
guest preacher and speaker for the 120th annual meet-ing of the Diocese of Los Angeles, which during its Dec. 4 - 5 proceedings in Ontario will also welcome biblical scholar and au-thor Renita Weems to de-liver the biennial Margaret Parker memorial lecture.
“What a great honor and privilege to welcome both our new presiding bishop and Dr. Renita Weems to our upcoming annual meeting of Dioce-san Convention,” said Bishop J. Jon Bruno in announcing their participation. “Bishop Cur-ry and Dr. Weems will break open the scrip-ture in powerful and insightful ways, and I am greatly looking forward to their presence with us.”
Curry, who on Nov. 1 will begin his 9-year term as the Episcopal Church’s presiding bishop, was so elected on June 27 while Gen-eral Convention met in Salt Lake City. He has served since 2000 as bishop of the Diocese of North Carolina.
Renita Weems is an ordained elder in the African Methodist Church and a former fac-ulty member at Vanderbilt University and vis-iting professor at Spelman College. She has published several books on women’s spiritu-ality and wholeness, and is a regular colum-nist for Beliefnet.com, where she writes on politics and faith. She blogs at Somethingwith in.com on a wide range of issues.
For more about both speakers and Bishop Curry’s recent election as presiding bishop, see The Episcopal News Late Summer 2015 issue, available online at www.episcopalnews.com. ?
Convention to welcome Bishop Curry, author Renita Weems
Michael Curry
Renita Weems
St. Clare’s, Rancho Cucamonga, and St. Mark’s, Upland, unite as one parish
Bishop Jon Bruno addresses members St. Mark’s Church, Upland, and St. Clare’s Church, Rancho Cucamonga, at an Aug. 16 homecoming event celebrating their union into one congregation.
ERIC
MIT
TWER
I grew up in Orange County, New York, where there were a lot of apple orchards. That fact lent itself well to the teaching of
science, especially when it came to studying plants and trees, and how one could actually graft the living branch of one kind of apple tree onto the branch of a different kind of apple tree. One would do that by carefully splicing, at an angle, each of the branches and then taping them together, so that the new branch would eventually become part of the branch onto which it was grafted.
What was fascinating to me was that the branch that was grafted would continue to produce the kind of apples it originally pro-duced, while the rest of the tree produced its own fruit. It is possible to have one tree pro-duce five or six different kinds of apples!
So I love it that the author of today’s collect uses a verb that bears great meaning. Graft in our hearts the love of your name. Not “give us more of your love, God,” or “help us to love better”; but graft in our hearts the love of your name.
This suggests to me three things. First, my heart has to be open to receiv-ing love. Some of us seem to almost be born with open hearts, while others of us have to have our hearts bro-ken, or spliced, in order for God’s love to begin to seep in. I know that sometimes it is when I feel most vulner-able and broken that I be-come aware of being a part of something very much larger and stronger than myself.
Second, while I have the power to love, even of my
own accord, it is God’s love that nour-ishes the whole tree — one could even say, all of human-kind. A branch that is cut off from one tree must find a new home by being spliced onto another whence it can continue to be nurtured and grow. If the life-giving sap from the tree onto which the branch is grafted doesn’t manage to get to and through the branch, that branch dies. What a wonderful image to have; that it is God’s love flowing through us that nurtures and brings to fruition our own!
And third, the grafting metaphor al-lows and encourages the individuality, even uniqueness of our fruit-bearing. We soak up and are nourished by God’s love, having been grafted onto the tree of life. Yet we don’t all produce the exact same kind of fruit. There are many different kinds of apples: Red Deli-cious, Granny Smith, MacIntosh ... and then there are pears, oranges — you get the pic-ture! The author and giver of all good things has created a universe with infinite variety, grounded in and nourished by God’s own eternal love. Our job, in part, is to make manifest the fruit of good works. ?
Grafting our hearts to the tree of life
F R O M T H E B I S H O P S
— SUNDAY, AUGUST 30 —3 p.m. Jouyssance Early Music Ensemble Sing-along featuring works of Tomás Luis de Victoria St. Bede’s Episcopal Church 3590 Grand View Blvd., Mar Vista (Los Angeles) Information: 213.533.9922Reservations: www.jouyssance.org
— SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 —9 a.m. Stillpoint: ‘A Seasoned Call - A Retreat for Spiritual Directors and Soul Care Workers’ Ascension Lutheran Church 1600 E. Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks Information/Registraton: www.stillpointca.org
— SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 —4 - 6 p.m. Open House/ Dedication of Renovated Classrooms and Kelly Watson Reading Garden The Gooden School 192 North Baldwin Avenue, Sierra Madre Information: 626.355.2410
7 p.m. Concert for Syrian and Iraqi Refugee Children with Alice Burla, pianist Saint Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church 3233 Pacific View Drive, Corona del Mar Information: 949.644.0463
— WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 —10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Faith Leaders’ Health Summit H.O.P.E.’s House Christian Ministries 10654 Balboa Blvd. Granada Hills Information/Registration: 323.643.1135 or www.HealthySoCal.org/flhs2
— SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 —7 p.m. Chorus Profectus in Concert Church of the Transfiguration 1881 S. First Street, Arcadia Information: 626.445.3340
— SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 —4 p.m. ‘Voices in Bronze’ Solo Handbell Recital St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church 6201 E. Willow Sreet, Long Beach Information: 562. 420.1311
More listings are at www.ladiocese.org. Select “Calendar” on the navigation bar.
JANE
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OTO
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Late Summer 2015 issue of The Episcopal News is online Check out the Late Summer
2015 issue of The Episcopal News magazine for reports on the recent meeting of General Convention, the upcoming Diocesan Convention, news of the diocesan community and more.
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