WWW.EPISCOPALNEWS.COM SERVING THE SIX-COUNTY DIOCESE OF LOS ANGELES DECEMBER 13, 2015

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Convention responds to property issues, shootings in San BernardinoTies to dioceses of Cuernavaca, Jerusalem affirmed

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Meeting at the Ontario Convention Center Dec. 4 - 5, the 120th con-vention of the Episcopal Diocese of

Los Angeles heard keynote talks by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and author and theo-logian Renita Weems, and Bishop Jon Bru-no’s convention address calling the diocese forward from recent property-related issues while strengthening mission, refugee relief, and gun violence prevention.

Responding to the Dec. 2 mass shootings in San Bernardino, located 24 miles east of On-tario, Bruno and Curry visited the disaster site to offer prayer and a pastoral video message.

Convention also began the process of saying farewell to Bishop Suffragan Mary Glasspool, who on April 1 will begin a new ministry as bishop assistant in the Diocese of New York.

Lay delegates and clergy approved a reso-lution establishing a companion diocese re-lationship with the Anglican Church in Cu-ernavaca, Mexico, and a second resolution extending a longstanding relationship with the Diocese of Jerusalem.

Delegates also debated a set of resolutions filed in response to property issues in the diocese, finally voting to table resolutions regarding real estate held by the Bishop as a Corporation Sole. A resolution calling for au-dits of Corp Sole was withdrawn after Bishop

Bruno announced that audits that have been rendered yearly would be made available.

Three more resolutions came to the floor in response to Bishop Bruno’s official address. The first pledged the diocese’s support for ref-ugees entering the Southern California area. The second called for the diocese to engage in gun violence prevention measures, and to confer with the Ontario Convention Center concerning a scheduled gun show there in 2016. The third honored and thanked Bishop Glasspool for her ministry in the diocese. All

three resolutions passed overwhelminglyThe convention considered several pro-

posed changes to the constitution and canons of the diocese, also relating to property issues, eventually referring the matters to a commit-tee for further study.

A list of officers elected at convention is on page 2. Full coverage will follow in the Win-ter 2016 issue of the Episcopal News maga-zine, due out later in December. ?

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Diocesan Convention heard two dynamic keynote speakers — Presiding Bishop Michael Curry (above left), and author and theologian Renita Weems. Below: On Friday evening, Bishops Jon Bruno, Michael Curry, Catherine Roskam, Diane Jardine Bruce and Mary Glasspool (just off camera), along with delegates including Susan Russell (at left) of All Saints, Pasadena, join a rally to pledge efforts against gun violence.

Regardless of whether your church community uses the color purple for the season of Advent, or Sarum blue

(according to the traditional Customary of Salisbury Cathedral in England), the Third Sunday of Advent is marked by a pink candle. The pink or rose color is meant to contrast with the darker purple (or blue) as a means of signifying a break, or lightening up in this season of preparation, which, within recent memory, also had a far more solemn, even repentant tone.

The lightening up of this Third Sunday of Advent is also reflected in another traditional nickname for the day: Gaudete Sunday. The word gaudete is Latin for “Rejoice!” — and was the first word (incipit) of the Introit (the opening act of worship; really, the proces-sion). So we hear today the joyful words of the Apostle Paul to his beloved Philippians: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice!

Yet another nickname for this Third Sun-day in Advent is Stir-up Sunday, from the opening words of today’s collect: Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come

among us! This gets us ready (if we aren’t al-ready!) for the shock-ing words of today’s Gospel from Luke, in which John the Bap-tist storms around the desert screaming at the people who have come out to be baptized by him: You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repen-

tance. The best face I can put on the Gospel lesson is that it articulates a bibli-cal form of “tough love.”

Wherever you are in your life’s jour-

ney, however you might hear this mixture of messages, wherever you might need God’s touch today, know that God is coming and God is already here. We are to rejoice, and not take our identities as children of God for granted. We are to understand our need for God, and know that God counts on us, too. Perhaps the complexity of messages today can best be expressed in the words of St. Au-gustine: Without God, we cannot. Without us, God will not.

Happy Third Sunday of Advent! ?

The Pink CandleF R O M T H E B I S H O P S

— SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13 —4:30 p.m. Advent Procession: Lessons & Carols St. James’ Episcopal Church 3903 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles 90010Information: 213.388.3015 or saintjamesla.org

4:30 - 5:45 p.m. Living Nativity Saint James’ Episcopal Church 1325 Monterey Road, South Pasadena Information: 626.799.9194 / www.sjcsp.org

5 p.m. Christmas Carol Sing-Along & Potluck St. Mary’s Episcopal Church 428 Park Avenue, Laguna Beach 92651 Information: 949.494.3542

5 p.m. Advent Evening Service All Saints Church 132 N. Euclid Avenue, Pasadena Information: Melissa Hayes, 626.583.2725

5:30 p.m. Advent Procession of Lesson & Carols St. Mark’s Episcopal Church 330 E. 16th Street, Upland 91784 Information: 909.920.5565

6 p.m. Contemplative ChristmasChurch of the Messiah614 N Bush Street, Santa Ana 92701Information: 714.543.9389

6 p.m. Sacramentum / Advent Lessons & Carols St. James’ Episcopal Church 1325 Monterey Road, South Pasadena Information: 626.799.9194 or www.sjcsp.org

6:30 p.m. Gun Violence Prevention Vigil All Saints Church 132 N. Euclid Avenue, Pasadena Information: Sandy Padgett, 818.495.8206

— SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19 —5 p.m. Advent Festival of Lessons & Carols St. Thomas the Apostle Church 7501 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood

— SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20 —4 p.m. Festival of Lesson and Carols St. Ambrose Episcopal Church 830 W. Bonita Avenue, Claremont Information: 909.626.7170

4 p.m. Canticle of Joy Christmas Concert St. George’s Episcopal Church 23802 Avenida de la Carlota, Laguna Hills Information: 949.290.5895 / stgeorgesparish.org

4:30 p.m. The Joyful Sounds of Christmas Grace Episcopal Church 555 E. Mountain View Avenue, Glendora Information: 626.335.3171

For more listings of Advent and Christmas events, concerts and services, visit www.ladiocese.org and select “Calendar” on the navigation bar.

A R O U N D T H E D I O C E S E

By Mary D. Glasspool

Episcopal News WeeklyEditor: Janet Kawamoto, editor@ladiocese.org Advertising: Bob Williams, media@ladiocese.org

THE VOLUME 4, NUMBER 50

Director, Canterbury IrvineLouise Stover

Director, Canterbury USCCanon Patsy Brierley

Director, Canterbury WestwoodJohn Hirning

Commission on Ministry — ClergyThe Rev. Jenifer Chatfield

Commission on Ministry — LayJonathan Burke

Corporation of the Diocese — ClergyThe Rev. Lester Mackenzie

Diocesan Council — ClergyThe Rev. Mary Trainor

Diocesan Council — LayCanon Roger Leachman

Corporation of the Diocese — LayRavi VermaMaida Hastings

Diocesan Investment TrustSusan Humphreville

HillsidesThe Rev. Canon Ed Sniecienski

Holy Family ServicesDeno Kidde

Secretary of ConventionCanon Janet Wylie

Standing Committee — ClergyThe Rev. Michael Archer

Standing Committee — LayJulie Dean Larsen

Results of Elections The following clergy and laypersons were elected to diocesan offices at convention.

Wherever you might need God’s

touch today, know that God is

coming and God is already here.