January 24, The Third Sunday after Epiphany

 Daily Scripture Readings;  bookofcommonprayer.net/daily_office.php

See the different options.  There is full morning and evening prayer.  There is also the option of the readings only.  There is also an app for receiving the daily readings by email, or on a mobile device

 Sunday Scripture Readings:  bookofcommonprayer.net/lectionary.php

Set it for 1979 Contemporary, and the Bible version used in Church is Revised Standard

Anglican Rosary:  Will NOT meet Saturday, January 24,  9:00 a.m

Kelly Brant and Briony James will meet to recite the Anglican Rosary on Friday January 23 at 3:00 p.m.   Anyone is welcome to join. 

 Emmaus Road

Emmaus Road takes a break and Will NOT Meet Mondays January 26 and February 1  It will resume its reading of Marilynne Robinson’s book, The Giveness of Things, on Monday, February 7.  , in the Parish Hall Living Room.  Anyone is welcome to join in.  The book is readily available at Vroman’s in Pasadena.  For Monday February 7,  we will read chapter 4,  “Servanthood.”

Annual Parish Meeting for 2016

Sunday, January 24, 2016

 One Liturgy at 9:30 a.m.

Annual Meeting Follows in the Parish Hall

Potluck Lunch Follows the Annual Meeting.

How Episcopal Parishes are organized and function

Moving toward the Annual Parish Meeting, this is a good time to review how Episcopal Parishes operate.

 The Organization of Episcopal Parishes

             The organization of an Episcopal parish works like this.  The organization rests on two supports.  One is the Office of the Rector, and the other is the Office of the Vestry.  What matters is the office itself, not who holds it. 

 The Office of the Rector

 Is responsible for and in charge of, the entire parish program and the use of the parish facilities.  Episcopal Canon Law refers to this as “having charge over the spiritual life of the parish.”  Canon Law imposes a number of things on the office of Rector, more than one person can really do.  For example the spiritual formation of children is imposed on the Rector, but so is the conduct of the Liturgy.  Since it’s not possible to be in two places at once, tasks imposed on the office of Rector must to be delegated and shared among the congregation. 

 The Office of the Vestry

 Is responsible for and in charge of the parish finances and what Episcopal Canon Law calls, “The parish’s corporate relationships to the world.”  The authority of both of these offices is independent of the other, and to a large degree independent of the parish with the exception of Vestry members being elected.  These two offices rest upon the governance structure of the entire Episcopal Church.

 A Collaborative Enterprise

             Of course everything works better when these independent offices and the congregation itself it work together.  At Church of the Angels, we operate in a collaborative manner with a high degree of trust in one another.  This collaborative culture makes possible the involvement of everyone and for new ideas to come forward and be tried. 

 What the Vestry does

             I like to say that “The Vestry cares for the infrastructure upon which the life of faith is lived.”  The Vestry takes care of the finances.  The Vestry and Rector collaborate on keeping the parish community involved and healthy with programs and events whose ultimate purpose is, as we say in our vision statement, Nourish Christ’s people from the riches of his grace and strengthen them to glorify God in this life and in the life to come.  This rests on a lot of mundane stuff ya gotta do, housework and the like.  It’s not very sexy most of the time.  The Vestry meets the Third Saturday of each month at 8:30 a.m. in the Parish Hall Living Room.  Any parishioner is welcome to attend.  Also the names of the Vestry members are published in the bulletin insert.  Please feel free to speak to any of them about your concerns or ideas. 

 How the Vestry is chosen

             In the Episcopal Church, the overwhelming majority of parishes elect Vestry members by acclamation that is, the Annual Meeting is asked to vote for a slate of candidates.  Large congregations may have a nominating committee to solicit candidates.  At COA the Vestry has traditionally functioned as the nominating committee and this goes back decades prior to my being Rector.  We seek to find people who can bring specific gifts and talents that we feel we need at particular times of the parish’s life.  For example, in the years we were doing the restoration of the Church, we sought people for the Vestry who had specific experience and expertise in engineering and construction.  We seek to maintain a balance of age, gender, recent, and long time members. 

 Officers of the Vestry

             The Vestry has officers as part of its structure.  These officers are:  The Parish Wardens, the Secretary, and the Treasurer.  The Secretary and Treasurer can be ex-officio or members of the Vestry.  Ken Ryan  is the Secretary and Leigh Torgerson is Treasurer and are  ex-officio. 

 The Parish Wardens.

             The task of the Wardens is to look after the Rector.  They look after the Rector’s well being.  They also serve to keep the Rector on that specifically Anglican trait called The Via Media, the middle way.  So should the Rector get it into his head to 1.  Jump off the Colorado Street Bridge, or 2, propose that the congregation pack up and move to Guyana to await the Second Coming on the next asteroid, the Wardens help him regain his equilibrium.

 Annual Parish Meeting Potluck Lunch:  Sign Ups So Far

 Following the Annual Parish Meeting we will remain for a potluck lunch.  Please make a dish that can feed 5-7 people

Fr. Bob’s Annual Long Retreat

On Monday, January 25, Fr. Bob will leave for his Annual Long Retreat.  This is a spiritual practice he adopted from the Jesuits and has done all the years he’s been ordained.  The retreat covers four areas:  God’s overall purpose in creation and salvation history, Sin and sinfulness personal and corporate, the life of Christ as paradigm for human choice, the Passion, and the Resurrection.  The 8 day retreat is a shortened version of the 30 day retreat that Jesuit’s make when they first enter the order, and again when they complete their training.  The 8 day retreat is a an annual exercise of reflection on, and renewal of, one’s core commitments.  There is only one other priest in the Diocese of Los Angeles who makes this kind of retreat each year:  Fr. Ed Bacon, Rector of our neighboring parish, All Saints.  Fr. Bob will return February 2. 

Guest Celebrant and Preacher Sunday January 31

We welcome, and in real sense, welcome back Chitra Rao, now The Rev. Chitra Rao to celebrate and preach on Sunday January 31 while Fr. Bob is away on his Annual Long Retreat.  Chitra spent a year with us as a Ministry Study Year Intern in 2013-2014.  She was ordained deacon in January and priest in June of 2015.  Chitra continues her work as a chaplain in the Oncology Ward at UCLA Medical Center and assists on Sundays at Church of Our Savior in San Gabriel.  We look forward to having her with us. 

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Level 3 ages 9-12

Epiphany 3

The History of the Kingdom of God: Plan of God

2000 Years

 Sacred history, the combined work of God and of humanity, is presented to the children as three defining moments: Creation of the world, Redemption by the life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus, to its culmination in the Parousia, when God will be all in all.  The work of 2000 years aids in helping the children think about the period of Redemption.  The emphasis for Christianity is that everything begins through Christ’s Church and, with God’s power, it continues to grow in all people through the sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist until Christ returns.  The image for the younger children is apparent with the spreading of light as each child receives their candle at Baptism.  

For the Level III child, this work is a visual aid of all the different kinds of people, from Greek and Roman, to Elizabethan and current day, who have contributed and continue to contribute to the plan of God through their work and life since the time of the Resurrection, 2000 years ago.  In context of the whole sacred history, 2000 years isn’t really a long time.  We take the time to reflect on so many people who have received the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the Sacraments, especially at Baptism and the Eucharist.  We also think about those who contributed and those who continue to contribute to the spreading of the light since the Resurrection.  We wonder how we can spread more light.  

The Level III child knows what it means to record their contribution on the blank page of the sacred history.  If you need a little guidance with your own recording, please ask.  We encourage choosing wisely, following the guidelines of righteousness and faithfulness.  The ink is permanent, and there is no eraser on the end of the writing implement.   

 Ms. Georgie

Music with the Angels  January 31, 4 p.m.

Oboe Quartet featuring Catherine Del Russo, oboe; Marina Manukian, violin; Karie Prescott, viola; and Paula Hochhalter, cello.

Music by Mozart, Piazzolla, Britten and more! Suggested donation is $15.00.

Find more information at Deliziaquartet.com.

Lent?  Did someone mention Lent? 

 Lent begins with Ash Wednesday:  February 10.

 The day before is Shrove Tuesday, February 9. 

 So Mark on Your Calendar:

Shrove Tuesday Dinner:  Tuesday, February 9 6:00 p.m.

Ash Wednesday Liturgy:  Wednesday February 10, 7:00 p.m.

Imposition of Ashes & Holy Eucharist

Shrove Tuesday Dinner  Tuesday February 9,  6:00 p.m.

This year we’re in a sense changing locations for our Shrove Tuesday dinner.  For the last several years, while the location of the dinner itself was in the Parish Hall, the food came from “South of the Border,” as we had Mexican Pancakes, build your own Tostadas. 

 This year, while still being in the Parish Hall we move to two places: Northern Europe and New Orleans.   Parishioner Briony James will head up the making of pancakes:  Swedish, Appalachian, and the ordinary variety.  That’s the Northern Europe part.  From New Orleans, she will prepare what she calls, “A Mean Gumbo.”

 So don’t miss it.  Plan to come.  A sign up sheet will be outside Church the next three Sundays.