But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knitted together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.

Ephesians 4:15-16

Last week, 73 people from 22 San Gabriel Presbytery churches and worshiping communities attended one or more WinterFest sessions, and 70 people from 27 San Gabriel churches and worshiping communities attended the Presbytery meeting, with about 60 people staying for the WinterFest Plenary, led by our newest pastor, Dr. Tracey Shenell. We have received positive feedback on all the sessions. What a great week! Thanks to the EEE Committee for organizing WinterFest, JPM for their excellent work on the panel “Responding to Our Unhoused Neighbors,” Tracey Shenell for her inspired leadership, Amy Marmol for her fantastic administrative support, and Northminster Presbyterian Church for being a wonderful host for Saturday.

 And, of course, thanks to all the WinterFest session leaders. We recorded the Zoom-based sessions and hope to make those available soon. Some folks provided resources that have been included in the “Resources” section of the Monday Morning Update. I will list each session, the leader(s), and whether there are resources available from the session. 

• “New Voices Panel: pastors for the next generation” was led by Candidate Veronica Ota (FirstPresbyterian Church, Altadena), Rev. Beth Putney (San Marino Community Church), Rev. Harlan Redmond (Interwoven New Worshiping Community), and Dr. Tracey Shenell (Filipino Community United Presbyterian Church, Azusa). What an inspiring and stimulating session full of ideas,challenges, and reminders of the basis of our faith!

• “We Are Here: Listening to the First Peoples of this Land” was led by Elder Mona Morales Recalde, of La Verne Heights Presbyterian Mona is a member of the Gabrieleño-Tongva San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians, an elected commissioner with the Los Angeles City/County Native American Indian Commission, and a member of our Justice Peacemaking and Mission Committee. Mona led a session last year, but even those who heard her last year were moved and inspired by her compelling presentation. Mona is able to present hard facts with enduring and hope-filled faith and grace, and reminds us that San Gabriel Presbytery is unusual in our support of our Indigenous hosts for many decades. Mona has put a variety of excellent resources on the Indigenous people,especially here in Southern California, at https://linktr.ee/GabrielenoTongva. She also helped us with a land acknowledgement that will be used at the beginning of every Presbytery meeting; the text is in the MMU “Resources” section.

• “Nuts and Bolts Legal Training for Church Leaders” was led by Rev. Kevin Haah, who is also an attorney. This session was chock-full of legal information in three key areas that impact most or all of our churches: Mandated Reporting, Exempt and Non-Exempt Employees and the MinisterialException, and the three forms of Property Tax Exemption. Kevin had a PowerPoint presentation which is included in the MMU “Resources” section.

• “Panel on Responding to Our Unhoused Neighbors” was led first by Debbie Mota (Union Station), William Shelby (Friends in Deed), and Reggie Clark (Volunteers of America Pomona), and thenLisa Hansen (Pasadena Presbyterian) and Patrick Perry (Knox Presbyterian) shared their church’s responses to their unhoused neighbors. Attendees appreciated both the expertise of the people who have dedicated their professional lives to working with folks impacted by food and/or housing insecurity, and the personal perspectives of our own siblings in the San Gabriel family. This session was a response to a survey that was given last summer, when many of our folks expressed a need for training and resources as neighbors in need approach our churches. In addition to this session, the Justice Peacemaking and Mission Committee (especially Patrick Perry, Vikki Randall, and Lisa Hansen) put together a resource list (food, clothing, shelter, healthcare, and other services)—that resource list is in the MMU “Resources” section.

• “Nuts and Bolts Financial Training for Church Leaders” was led by Renato Halili, CPA, and focused on financial statements and reporting requirements, with some discussion on the new rules on restricted and unrestricted donations, property valuation, and various questions raised by the attendees. Renato shared a very thorough Treasurer’s Manual that was developed by the PC(USA) and has been updated by Presbytery of San Jose—and yes, this is now in the MMU “Resources”section.

• “Becoming the Beloved Community: An Introduction” was led by Tracey Shenell. Even though the Presbytery meeting ended late, which compressed her time, Tracey gave the participants a taste of how the Presbytery-wide Lenten series will go. There was lively conversation and sharing, and Tracey led the session with content, compassion, and humor. The Lenten series kicks off this Saturday, February 10, 10 am-12 noon at the Presbytery Center, 9723 Garibaldi Avenue in Temple City. Everyone is welcome to come, whether or not you have registered. The Zoom-based Tuesday evening sessions begin on February 13 at 7 pm. This upcoming Saturday session is not a repeat of last Saturday, and each session builds on each other, so you will get the most out of the series if you attend every session—but if you cannot make every session, come anyway. We will be sending Zoom information soon.

And just for fun, the Education Equipping and Empowering Committee awarded $100 gift cards with Homeboy Industries to five intergenerational church teams attending WinterFest. They can be used at https://shophomeboy.com/ but better yet—go see what God is doing in downtown LA and get a great meal at Homegirl Café! Congratulations to Filipino Community United Presbyterian Church (Azusa); First Presbyterian Church, Altadena; Knox Presbyterian Church (Pasadena); San Marino Community Church; and Shepherd of the Valley (Hacienda Heights).

In our Presbytery meeting, we welcomed RE Carrie Kohler, our new Stated Clerk for Administration, commissioned Tracey Shenell to be pastor of Filipino Community United Presbyterian Church (Azusa), and welcomed back TE Tom Rennard, who has retired to Monte Vista Grove and has served in several capacities in San Gabriel Presbytery. We introduced TE Michael Roffina, who is doing a short-term fill-in at Calvary Presbyterian Church in South Pasadena, and we elected RE Melinda Forbes to the Administration and Finance Committee, Class of 2026. We installed Moderator TE Peter Tan-Gatue (Praise, Covina) and Vice Moderator RE Helen Darsie (Westminster, Pasadena), and gave thanks to outgoing PEC Moderator TE Dave Tomlinson (Retired) and new PEC Moderator RE Pat Martinez- Miller (Calvary, South Pasadena). Thanks to so many who contribute to the ministry of San Gabriel Presbytery in so many ways! In our meeting, we approved a land acknowledgement which will be read at the beginning of each San Gabriel Presbytery meeting, and I shared an adaptation of a communion liturgy for Black History Month which was written by Rev. Dr. Kelle Brown (UCC) and Rev. Amantha Barbee, a Presbyterian pastor now in Maryland. The land acknowledgement is in the MMU “Resources” section, and the communion liturgy can be found on the More Light Presbyterians website at https://mlp.org/document/black-history-month-communion-liturgy/.

In a time when conflict, dislocation, and illness seems to be flaring near and far from us, this last week was a bright spot for San Gabriel Presbytery. Thanks to all who made it happen, especially our God.

Peace

Wendy

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

Romans 8:14-17

This week, we are embarking on am ambitious season of meetings in San Gabriel Presbytery. On Wednesday evening, we begin our annual leadership training event, WinterFest, which continues on Thursday and Friday evenings. On Saturday morning, we have a brief Presbytery meeting, followed by the plenary session of WinterFest. Then, a week later, on February 10^th, we begin a Presbytery-

wide Lenten series, “Becoming the Beloved Community,” which will meet on Tuesday evenings from February 13^th-March 19^th. After a break for Holy Week and Easter, we will have a closing session on April 6^th. I strongly recommend you participate in any and all of these events. Click HERE to register for the Presbytery meeting, and/or WinterFest. And for the Lenten series, we have heard that folks are having a hard time committing to every session. We invite you to come to the first sessions if you can, and see how it feels. And though we are hoping folks will make this commitment as their Lenten practice this year (and we hope the small groups will get to know each other better each time they meet), we are no longer requiring people to attend every session.

As I think about some of our upcoming activities, they offer glimpses of life as joint heirs with Christ. As we take on the identity of being children of God, who become our family members? 

Some of our WinterFest sessions help us expand and deepen our vision of who is in Christ’s family:

• On Wednesday, we will hear from some of our younger pastoral leaders about their vision for the future The qualification for their presence on the panel? As they have connected with our presbytery, they have used terms and described ministries that have baffled us! Their visions areintriguing and enlightening as we look not at how to polish up the old way of doing church, or even get “back to normal” post-COVID, but how to look at the concerns and lifestyles of the next generation of God’s family.

• On Thursday, we can listen to an Indigenous Christian voice in Mona Morales Mona is not only a ruling elder of La Verne Heights Presbyterian Church, she is a member of the Gabrieleño-Tongva San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians and an elected commissioner with the Los Angeles City/County Native American Indian Commission. Because of the Christian church’s earlier coercion and violence against Native Americans, it is a rare gift to have in our familysomeone who has been able to hold her Indigenous identity and Christian faith together, and who is willing to invite us to journey with Christ’s Indigenous siblings in a path towards healing.

• On Friday, we can learn how to respond with compassion and respect to the children of God who are without shelter. Homeless people often turn to churches seeking a safe place to rest and have a meal, and in a recent survey we heard from many of you a need to learn how to respond when they approach We will hear from some of the key agencies in San Gabriel Valley who work with our unhoused neighbors: Union Station, Friends in Deed, and Volunteers of America in Pomona.
• On Saturday, we will begin to explore how to come to know each other better as siblings in Christ, beyond the assumptions and false controlling narratives that keep us from seeing all that we are. For the ten years I have been with this presbytery, you have expressed a desire to buildrelationships across the presbytery, and learn about the diversity of God’s creativity by learning from each other, in this little branch of God’s family tree. 
• On Thursday and Friday, we also have the opportunity to confront the fear that the world puts on After all, don’t we often react with fear when we think about financial management and legal issues? We are grateful to have experts in their field—Kevin Haah on Thursday, pastor and attorney, and Renato Halili on Friday, CPA and former controller of Forest Lawn Mortuary—who are also faithful Christians to help us live out our faith in the midst of the structures of the world.

And just for fun, the Education Equipping and Empowering Committee is offering $100 gift cards with Homeboy Industries for intergenerational church teams attending WinterFest. You can use them at https://shophomeboy.com/ but better yet—go see what God is doing in downtown LA and get a great meal at Homegirl Café!

On a more serious note, I have heard that many people are struggling these days. Several people have had clustered or lingering health problems; someone just texted me as I have been writing this column that he was out for a month due to pneumonia. I just heard about a concerning survey of pastors that reveal a rising number of pastors who are suffering from loneliness and burnout, and are considering leaving the ministry. This would be a time for people to fall into the enslaving spirit of fear, of anxiety, of exhaustion. Thank God for this family of faith, as we can be reminded that we are not alone, we are strong in Christ’s presence, and we can be inspired by our friends who are excited about their ministries. We can know the glory of Christ, and the love of God, but also a bit of the suffering he sustained for our sakes. Even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we do not fear, as we know the comforting guidance of our God.

Recently I mentioned to some folks that I have never seen so many times when God broke in to give extraordinary providence and grace as in the life of this presbytery. May we take confidence in the knowledge that God is with us, and acts for us, and works through us. I hope to see you this week.

In Christ’s love,

Wendy

Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and God’s love is perfected in us.

1 John 4:11-12

Today would be a Happy 95^th Birthday to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This has always been an important weekend for me in my ministry. I have mentioned that I actually used to honor it in the first ten years of my ministry—all spent in Hawai‘i—as “King and Queen Sunday” because not only was January 15, 1929, Martin Luther King’s birthday, but January 17, 1893, was the day of the illegal overthrow of Queen Lili‘uokalani and the sovereign nation of Hawai‘i. Both of these leaders of deep Christian faith spoke out as God’s prophets, calling for justice for their people and all people, and seeking that justice through nonviolent means.

It is especially timely that I write especially about the Beloved Community—a concept that Dr. King built on from its initial use by philosopher Josiah Royce—because it has become an important way of describing God’s will for reconciliation for the world, as we are drawn together into God’s agape love. It is also the vision driving our first presbytery-wide Lenten series, Becoming the Beloved Community. I am excited about this opportunity for our people to gather and come to know each other—and ourselves—at a deeper level, thus making us stronger as a diverse and unified body of Christ. I believe this series will address two long-held hopes of presbytery members, as expressed in different feedback sessions over the years: to build relationships across the presbytery, and to become an alternative glimpse of God’s kin-dom, free of racism, as we learn from each other about our various backgrounds and perspectives. I invite you to look into this series; you can get a preview of the series on Saturday, Feb. 3^rd, right after our presbytery meeting. You can hear now from the series leader, Dr. Tracey Shenell, through a short introductory video.

In a planning session for the series, someone suggested that not everyone knows what the Beloved Community is. I don’t need to try to describe it in my own words because Dr. King mentioned it often, and he was of course more eloquent than I can hope to be.

Dr. King’s appreciation for the Beloved Community came early. In 1957, at the age of 28, he was still in his first pastorate at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, but now well- known from his leadership of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. In April of 1957 he spoke on “The Role of the Church in Facing the Nation’s Chief Moral Dilemma.” This message—an appeal to church leaders to follow Christ’s call for unity—was repeated many times by Dr. King, most notably in 1963’s Letter from Birmingham Jail. Here are some helpful excerpts from Dr. King’s 1957 speech:

We have before us the glorious opportunity to inject a new dimension of love into the veins of our civilization. Our motto must be, “Freedom and justice through love.” [T]he end is reconciliation; the end is redemption; the end is the creation of the beloved community. It is this type of spirit and this type of love that can transform opposers into friends. The type of love that I stress here is not eros . . . but it is agape which is understanding goodwill for all men. It is an overflowing love which seeks nothing in return. It is the love of God working in the lives of men.

The Church must become increasingly active in social action outside itself. It must seek to keep channels of communication open between the Negro and white community. Men hate each other because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they are separated from each other. And only by keeping the channels of communication open can we know each other.

The King Center describes the Beloved Community on a global scale, consistent with Dr. King’s broad world view:

Dr. King’s Beloved Community is a global vision, in which all people can share in the wealth of the earth. In the Beloved Community, poverty, hunger and homelessness will not be tolerated because international standards of human decency will not allow it. Racism and all forms of discrimination, bigotry and prejudice will be replaced by an all-inclusive spirit of sisterhood and brotherhood. In the Beloved Community, international disputes will be resolved by peaceful conflict-resolution and reconciliation of adversaries, instead of military power. Love and trust will triumph over fear and hatred. Peace with justice will prevail over war and military conflict.

Clearly there are great parallels between Dr. King’s vision of the Beloved Community, the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s Matthew 25 commitments, and San Gabriel Presbytery’s dedication to social action that helps us grow stronger as we learn to see and hear each other beyond false controlling narratives, and “to work for the transformation of the valley by sharing our faith in Jesus Christ, becoming a mosaic of Godly diversity in a deeply divided society, and by demonstrating our faith by engagement in public life.” (cf San Gabriel Presbytery’s mission statement)

In a little over a couple of weeks, on January 31^st, we will begin WinterFest 2024, culminating in the presbytery meeting and plenary on February 3^rd. And on February 10^th, we will embark on the Lenten series Becoming the Beloved Community. Our life together as San Gabriel Presbytery has been blessed by God, and I pray that these activities will offer a deepening of our commitment to Christ’s church, and our own understanding of God and God’s saving will for the world. I urge you to participate in all of the activities you possibly can.

In Christ’s love,

Wendy

Now to the One who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to God be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.

Ephesians 3:20-21

Happy New Year!

I hope that your holidays were joyous and blessed.

Mine was more stressed than usual, but there are signs that 2024 may be a year of new changes that will be better for folks in the future. That’s my hope.

In an effort to live into that hope, I’m recalling new practices to add to my already rather long list of New Year’s traditions (that’s the Japanese in me). Out of the recesses in my brain, for instance, came the word hebedoma, one of the most non-Hawaiian-sounding words in the Hawaiian church tradition.

According to a quick internet search, it’s a Hawaiian version of the Greek word hebdomad, which means seven or a week. In the tradition of the old Kalawina churches (Calvinist churches, the name Hawaiians had for the churches established by Congregationalist missionaries in every town on every island), the first week of the year would be dedicated to prayer and Bible study.

Since we just ended the first week of 2024, I guess it’s too late to share that with you! Better late than never. And there’s another tradition that many cultures have: the theme verse for the year. Churches post one scripture verse to set a tone for that year. For myself, I think I will focus on Ephesians 3:20-21. What a blessing for the church! I am especially drawn to the thought that God works through us “to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine.”

The phrase is used in the song “Jireh.” That song has been a comfort to me, even more meaningful because I read that it was written after one of the songwriters had his apartment burn down. Facing the loss of virtually all his possessions, he could still feel the overwhelming love of God.

It’s been so long since we could feel like “Happy Days Are Here Again” that I have started to wonder if we will ever get out from under the cloud that COVID and political divisions have set over us. And though I do not want to deny the pain that so many of us are feeling, I’m just starting to remember that God really does continue to cover us with blessings, even though our collective and individual depression sometimes keeps us from noticing. As the ancient saying goes, “Bidden or not bidden, God is present.”

So my prayer is that we try to fix our gaze on the amazing ways God works through and for us. We don’t have to manufacture it, these blessings are all around us. We just have to lift our eyes and recognize them. I always remember how the author John Updike, grandson of a Presbyterian minister, described his happy childhood of faith: “My parents were inclined to laugh a lot and to examine everything for the fingerprints of God.”

There is much to grieve in the world. There is also much to be grateful for—sometimes just in the ways we respond to that grief. My famous cousin Renee Tajima-Peña posted a note from New Year’s:

Every year we serve osechi New Year’s food in grandma’s lacquer boxes. I asked mom today how the boxes survived the war since people were forced to hide or destroy their Japanese stuff. Mom said the church stored some things for them. Maybe it was Union Church? Uncle Don was pastor and Mom went to Sunday school there.

My cuz Pam also reminded me that Jackie Robinson’s family, all Muir alumni, took care of belongings for Japanese Americans in Pasadena during the war-including their neighbors, Joan Takayama-Ogawa’s family. [Joan responded that many African-American families took care of their JA neighbors’ possessions during incarceration. And she and Renee reminisced about Mack Robinson working at Muir when we were all students there.]

Pasadena – with its people – is a pretty special place. And when the right team wins the Rose Bowl, even better.

My prayer for you is that you will see in the life of your church, and in you and your family, God’s power at work within us to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine. And yes, to God be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

God bless you throughout 2024,

Wendy

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness on them light has shined.

Isaiah 9:2

In this last week before Christmas, the conflict in Jesus’ homeland throws shade over the holiday celebrations. As we see the grief in Israel, the suffering in Gaza, and the violent reactions in our own universities and neighborhoods, it’s hard to think of Christmas as the most wonderful time of the year. How do we find hope in this complicated time?

In the prophecies of Isaiah and Mary, the promised salvation of the people of God comes through change. What was dark is light, the yoke of the oppressor is broken, the powerful are thrown from their thrones, and the lowly are lifted up. The prophecies are hoped for only by those who are suffering in the current situation. But for many of us, change is scary, because life is pretty good for us. It is the young Mary who sings with joy that change is going to come, not Herod.

There’s another problem with change—it comes in ways we don’t expect. Take the response to the Israel-Hamas war. I am especially mystified by the protests on our college campuses. How can students speak with so much anger against the Jewish state? And how are their protests so diametrically opposed to Joseph Biden’s staunch support?

One thought relates to the changes in generational perspective. For Boomers and before, Israel is seen through the lens of the Holocaust, as a refuge for people who have suffered more than just about anyone in modern Western history. Millenials were born in the 1980s and early 1990s—when Israel was well- established as an economic and military power, but with a vision that Israelis can bring democracy and human rights to their land. Generation Z—the folks in college today—were born between 1997 and 2012. They have only known Israel dominated by Benjamin Netanyahu and the aggressive expansions of the settlers; Netanyahu first became Prime Minister of Israel in 1996.

My frustration is with the stubborn tendency to respond to injustice with continuing cycles of vengeance. Critics see the Hamas atrocity as a logical response to the creeping domination of Israel, and Israel seeks to justify the massive deaths in Gaza as warranted by the suffering of October 7^th. But the problem is, for every Hamas fighter killed today, more are being born as Palestinian children witness the starvation, death, and displacement of themselves and their families.

In the birth of Jesus Christ, God tells us there is another way. Oppressed by Herod and the Roman Empire, the Israelites of two millennia ago prayed for a leader to save them—and if it meant triumph on the part of Judea and revenge against their enemies, so much the better. But we Christians believe that God’s answer to those prayers was quite the surprise. To the people walking in darkness, a star did shine

—but it didn’t shine over the palace of a great king or the camp of a mighty general. The star pointed to a humble stable: a temporary shelter for a displaced young family giving birth to a helpless baby, a baby destined to be made a refugee in a foreign land, a healer and teacher of peace, and a man of God who refused to seek revenge even when beaten, humiliated, and executed by his own people and the government of the day. And we call him Savior, and we seek to follow his example.

I still don’t know the answer to the heartbreak in Israel and Palestine. But this Christmas, I hope that we can be Christmas People, as we look for ways to disrupt the cycle of violence in our world. And may we know the peace of Christ, in the quiet of that holy night, when God broke into human history and showed us the way of shalom. I pray for peace and healing, even for those mired in violence. May we help to make Christ’s path straight, for all to come and see. Merry Christmas, and see you in January.

With Christ’s love,

Wendy