God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another.

1 Corinthians 12:24b-25

It’s truly uncanny how any memory of life in the last two years includes at least one “hey, COVID” moment, when our original plans were changed due to the COVID pandemic. This happened to all of us, even if we were not directly impacted by COVID. Of course we can never forget the great loss sustained by those who lost loved ones, or whose health has been seriously compromised by the virus. But everywhere we look, people’s lives changed. Some retirements were delayed, and others were started earlier than expected. Trips were canceled, major projects delayed, jobs were changed or lost. Seminarians had internships when they never once physically met the church members they served, and new pastors got to know their members via Zoom.

But some goals were accomplished in spite of the challenges. For instance, we were planning a presbytery trip to Korea, and Dongwoo Lee was on the planning team. We canceled the trip, but Dongwoo and I started wondering recently if we could pick up the plans for 2023. However, he has since become a PhD and a bestselling author, so he may be a professor outside our presbytery next year. (I told him he had to come anyway.) Lisa Hansen earned her EdD while pastoring Pasadena Presbyterian, caring for her parents, and witnessing her father’s entry into the church triumphant.

Some life events have been delayed or changed. Our friend and colleague Bill Van Loan died a year ago today, and three COVID surges later we were able to hold a memorial service for him on Saturday. Though the service was delayed, the love and memories were still very current. For instance, we all remembered how Bill was so ready to meet his Lord, and people who have known Bill for decades were able to tell the many ways he has made a lasting impact on them. Memories of his innovative singles ministry at the Arcadia church were shared, and I spoke about my gratitude for Bill’s work as trusty Secretary for the Presbytery corporation, and more importantly his leadership in advocating for the chaplaincy program we have with our retired church workers.

Throughout the service, I felt the blessing that God has given so many Monte Vista Grove residents, the blessing of long and faithful marriages. Bill’s wife Judy Post shared on behalf of the family, Larry and Judy Ballenger led us in hymn singing, and I got to catch up with Mas Hibino, whom I’ve known since I was a child and whose wife died from cancer after many decades of marriage. But the most precious memory of the day for me was coincidental. Rebecca Thompson played a piano piece for the service, which was nice enough, but it was a delight to watch Dean Thompson leaning forward, eager to watch his wife play, looking as if he was witnessing a miracle—and perhaps their lifelong partnership in love, life, and ministry is a miracle, like so many loving marriages.

So, even though COVID is not done with us yet, life in the Lord continues on, in spirit if no longer in the flesh. But for those of us who are in Los Angeles County, there’s a good chance that we will be required to wear indoor masks again starting this Friday, so churches, please get out your “masks required” signs again. Whether they reinstate the mask mandate or not, the positivity rate is between 16% and 40% (hard to count, since many people test at home)—and many people getting infected are struggling. So please be cautious, especially with the singing and long indoor meetings.

For myself, I have been trying to utilize the sabbatical leave offered me through our presbytery guidelines, since I started working with San Gabriel Presbytery eight years ago. Because travel is still uncertain, I’ve decided to take only the month of August off, and then I hope to take January 2023 off as well. There is a program in Jerusalem that is normally scheduled for January of each year, and if all goes well, I hope to participate in 2023.

I am happy to go now, because one of the great blessings of this last year is the excellent partnership and giftedness that Ally Lee and Sam Bang bring to the presbytery. So I am very comfortable and grateful that I can leave the support of the presbytery in their very capable hands. It will be nice for the body to have me, the inferior member, out of the way, so you can better appreciate the excellent staff we have, including Wendy Gist, Diane Frasher, and Steve Salyards as well as Ally and Sam.

If you need anything or have a question, you can call the office phone at (626) 614-5964, or email presby@sangabpres.org. Ally usually handles the office phone, but both Ally and Sam can access this email address. (If you want to reach them directly, their emails are ally@sangabpres.org and sam@sangabpres.org, respectively.) You can contact Ally for anything related to records and polity, GA, meetings, or if you don’t know who to ask. Sam can respond to financial and property matters, and he will continue to work with the several churches he’s been supporting this last month. They work closely together, so I’m sure they will consult with each other regardless whom you contact first.

Have a wonderful month, and see you in September. Thank God for the presbytery, that we can model offering times of sabbath rejuvenation for our pastors, and for our staff, who are not only wise, knowledgeable, and faithful, but who are a joy to work with.

With thanks,

Wendy

“Blessed are the dead who from now on die in the Lord.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them.”                  Revelation 14:13

This last weekend I attended the memorial service for Virginia Moseley. I know her as the 100-year- old matriarch of Community Presbyterian Church in El Monte. But of course she was much more.

Virginia’s family drew a picture of a vibrant, strong, compassionate, principled, and bold woman. She was a lifelong storyteller, as an actress but more importantly as the bearer of history, especially the role of women in American history and Virginia’s own history as a member of the Greatest Generation. Born and raised in Springfield, Missouri, she joined the many people who found their way to Southern California during World War II. Here, she worked with women from other nations who came to the United States as war brides but were then abandoned here with their children. She also worked with families of people who were incarcerated. And, of course, she was a constant leader and role model for Community Church in El Monte, and a strong supporter for the diverse members of the Community Church family, including her belated friend Eddie Zabala and Rev. Dr. James Lee, president of International Theological Seminary. The church’s relationship with ITS has continued from the time they were located up the street from the church; because Community does not have a pastor, they enjoy preaching from some of our retired pastors but also ITS students who are pastors in Kenya, Cameroon, and many other nations. Thanks to our most honorably retired pastors Larry Ballenger, Peter Hintzoglou, Don Maddox, and others who have preached and cared for the congregation. It was a joy to visit with them during the reception after Virginia’s service. I give thanks for their boundless energy and faithful curiosity and lively minds.

Perhaps Virginia’s strongest impact is on her own family. I know Virginia’s son and daughter-in-law Clarke and Stephene Moseley, who are the tireless faithful leaders of Community Church and the larger community of El Monte. But it was a joy to hear from her grandchildren about the ways her values of family, volunteering, and faith, and her courage, resilience, and compassion have passed to them. I especially enjoyed hearing her granddaughter Kate, who talked about how Virginia taught her that “I am strong, and there’s not a lot that can take me down.” Knowing Kate’s parents Clarke and Stephene, I would suggest that she was indeed built strong, not only by her grandmother!

On a personal level, Virginia’s service reminded me that a few weeks from now, my father would have had his 100^th birthday. So many people comment on my family; just yesterday I preached at La Verne Heights Presbyterian Church and Rev. Dr. Steve Davis asked about my father. However people see my ministry, I am among the most conservative of family members, because I am an apple that did not fall far from the tree. Like Virginia’s family, I’m just trying to carry the baton that was passed down to me—though, of course, I take responsibility for however well or badly I’ve done that. (In fact, one of the countless reasons I gave for resisting seminary was wanting to be sure I wasn’t just continuing the “family business.”)

As I sat in Community’s beautiful sanctuary, I heard Rev. Dr. Larry Ballenger reflect on our mortal bodies and the imperishable body we have in eternity, and I thought about how our church buildings are such precious holders of our family memories, just as our bodies are precious holders of our souls.

In both cases, these holders are temporary, and the permanent resting place cannot be seen by the human eye. The memories of our beloved leaders and churches live through the impact they have on all of us, and those who are impacted by us. I have to credit Claremont Walks, son of Rev. Ivan Walks, for this insight, as he reflected on the legacy of South Hills Presbyterian Church.

This last Juneteenth, there was a concert televised on CNN, and reporter Sara Sidner said that the message going out to the crowd was “You are someone’s ancestor; act accordingly.” (Another way things live beyond their temporary homes; I didn’t see the concert but love the quote.)

Just as we look back on our ancestors and the invaluable impact they have had on us and the concentric circles of love and faith and courage that radiate around each of them, we have to accept the awesome responsibility of knowing that we, too, have people watching and learning from us. May we live out that responsibility with all the gifts God has granted us, and all the opportunities to share and teach about God’s saving will that God has entrusted to us. And let us forever give thanks for our ancestors—for our families of birth but, just as important, our families of faith. Even if we don’t have children of our own, we have children in the faith, learning from us who God is and who we are, and how God loves us.

With thanks,
Wendy

Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen.          Hebrews 11:1

By the time the 225^th General Assembly ended (early!) on Saturday, I was, and continue to be, overwhelmed with all that was decided, and the way it was done. I will just touch on part of the “how” it was conducted, and we will later read the thoughts of at least a couple of others who were much more involved than I. Ally Lee was our Teaching Elder Commissioner, and Steve Salyards wrote no less than 13(!) articles on GA for Presbyterian Outlook. And, of course, we will get a report at our September 13^th Presbytery meeting from Ally, Ruling Elder Commissioner Joshua Marmol (Knox), and YAAD Joseline Gonzalez (Puente de Esperanza). They have the formidable task of summarizing the many actions taken, including the amendments to the Constitution which we will be voting on in coming months.

I think you know that this GA was held with a hybrid format, with the committees coming in, a few at a time, to deliberate in person in Louisville, ending last week, with five days of plenary sessions held by Zoom (with a couple hundred of us watching the livestream). And you must have heard that our own Ruth Santana-Grace is now a co-moderator! She and her partner Rev. Shavon Starling-Louis did an amazing job facilitating the meeting, through long hours, a stunning diversity of subjects, and more than a few technical glitches. You can be sure we will be inviting Ruth back home to speak with us!

Because the 224^th GA fell in the midst of COVID confusion, nearly all the business from the last four years was considered during this GA. And, of course, the world has not stayed constant during these last four years, so some additional issues are much more critical now, and some perspectives have evolved since our last in-person GA. So old controversies like Israel-Palestine relations, divestment from fossil fuels, immigrants’ rights, gun violence prevention, reproductive rights, LGBTQIA+ inclusion, and the relationship between OGA and PMA (Office of the General Assembly and Presbyterian Mission Agency) were all dealt with much more decisively than in the past. There are many videos giving highlights of different actions at https://ga-pcusa.org/.

The worship services were pre-recorded so you can find the worship services and bulletins at https://ga-pcusa.org/worship-info/. The services were a special delight for me, and maybe some kind of act of reconciliation, because the person who wrote all the liturgies for the services was Rev. Ruth Takiko West, who happens to be Assistant Dean of SFTS. She was joined in the planning with Rev. Tasha Iwalani Hicks McCray, a classmate of Ruth (they graduated a little after Dongwoo Lee, when I was still on staff at SFTS). They invited over a dozen SFTS alums (including Mary Ellen Azada) to lead in worship. Though their affiliations were not listed, it was not lost on some of us that these wonderful, creative, and faithful folk manifested some of the blessings of the relationship between the PC(USA) and SFTS, which was quietly restored at this GA. By the way, the GA also received news of Bear Ride’s role on the SFTS Board of Directors, and enthusiastically reelected SFTS alum Diane Givens Moffett as Presbyterian Mission Agency president and executive director.

One of the most intriguing aspects of this GA was the way they attempted to reform their practices to increase inclusivity, especially of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). You may remember that in our presbytery, we had a very productive group last year to review ways we have been more or less inclusive in our presbytery meetings and practices, and this GA offered some interesting resources that I hope we study for potential future use.

Every once in a while, the co-moderators or Stated Clerk or a commissioner or YAAD would mention “Equity Primes.” This was a practice from a community arts organization called DreamYard that seeks to ensure that decisions they make include the voices that need to be included. So rather than barrel through decisions based on habit and judged by speed, participants were asked to consider:

• Why are we trying to make the decision now?
• Do we have enough information to make an equitable/inclusive decision?
  • Have we heard directly from those who will be most impacted?
  • Have we thought through the impact to the whole church?
• What additional voices/information do we need to make an equitable/inclusive decision?
• What information would lead to more equity?

This and many other intriguing suggestions come in a beautiful and useful toolkit called Creating Cultures and Practices for Racial Equity, from an arts- and justice-based organization called Race Forward (https://www.raceforward.org/). While the resource is said to be designed for arts organizations, GA proved that the practices can be adjusted for any group, including the church!

There was enough intentional work done in the first day of last week’s plenary sessions that one of my colleagues asked if this means the answer for the church today is to focus on dismantling systemic racism. But the rest of the week showed, in unmistakable clarity and complexity, that there is no one answer; there are many ways our world is broken, and many ways we are called and blessed to respond with self-giving and faithful energy, intelligence, imagination, and love.

My sense is that this GA presented many bold and faithful decisions, and how we will live into them will provide opportunity for challenge and renewal for years to come. I applaud the discernment and bold obedience of the commissioners, advisory delegates, co-moderators, volunteers, and staff, and pray that God will do wonderful things through the actions taken. May we seek to be clear channels of God’s love, mercy, justice, and peace, in all we are, say, and do.

 In Christ’s Peace,

Wendy

Yet, O Lord, you are our Father;
     we are the clay, and you are our potter;
     we are all the work of your hand.
Do not be exceedingly angry, O Lord,
     and do not remember iniquity forever.
     Now consider, we are all your people.     Isaiah 64:8-9

We are in the midst of a very active political season. Some churches shy away from acknowledging this, but Presbyterians have a history of recognizing God’s call in social action and political leadership. John Calvin had great political power in Geneva. John Knox fought the English crown and its claims of authority over Scotland. John Witherspoon was the only clergy to sign the Declaration of Independence. The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan has been and continues to be a major proponent of national sovereignty for Taiwan. And we have not shied away from having our Stated Clerk comment on subjects including gun violence, immigrants’ rights, and Palestine, among other things.

Two weeks ago, I found myself with about ten representatives from various faith-based organizations meeting with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. I ended up at this face-to-face because Ralph Su was not able (or did not want) to attend. I was told the meeting was to discuss violence against religious groups; Ralph was invited because of his work with FEMA after the shooting at Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods.

It turns out that the main focus of the meeting was to repair broken relationships from DHS’ past actions in Los Angeles, when their attempts to address international terrorism resulted in active harassment of members of some LA-based Muslim mosques. The discussion started with ways for DHS to repent of the ways they mistook religion for terrorism, then moved to the need for better mental health resources and culturally-competent first responders, and whether there was any way to reduce the easy availability of guns.

The main question I raised to Secretary Mayorkas was, “Who is expendable in this society?” So many victims of gun violence are people of color or people struggling with mental illness such as depression. For instance, 60% of US people dying of gun violence die by suicide. Disturbing reports from Uvalde seem to confirm that first responders chose their own safety over the children being shot at, even though, as one parent stated, they had shields and weapons and training while the children had none. One has to wonder if government officials would continue to be so reluctant to enact more stringent controls over access to guns if the victims were more influential than people of color, religious minorities, people struggling with mental illness, or children.

In the last week, the Supreme Court has rejected New York state’s century-old statute that requires confirmation of the need for a concealed weapon, and then the same body affirmed the right of states to limit or eliminate a woman’s right to have an abortion.

Now I can imagine that the people who have waited and prayed and planned for the elimination of Roe v. Wade would ask the same question, who is expendable? Would a fetus be expendable, and at what point along a pregnancy? And if a fetus is not expendable, what about the mother? The maternal mortality rate in the US is higher than over 50 other nations, including Russia, Iran, and Turkey. African-American women die in childbirth at a rate that is over three times that of White American women; their rate would put them below 85 other nations. And how do we support the children as they are growing up, ensuring that US children have adequate nutrition, health care, and education throughout their young lives?

Next week is the 4^th of July. That is the date when we give thanks for the blessings of American exceptionalism, as we are unique in the freedoms, wealth and natural resources, and power with which we lead the world’s nations. Lately, however, we are confronted with the irony of the negative exceptions we also deal with, such as the high rates of gun violence, gun ownership, and maternal mortality. My guess is that these are not contradictory, however. One of our most fundamental American myths is what I’d call rugged individualism, the belief that our success as a nation comes from the freedom for any individual American to make your own wealth, defend yourself, and look out for yourself (and not necessarily others, who should be doing for themselves as well).

The result of this mindset is that people who are poor or marginalized or in need of special assistance are seen as failures—and, therefore, expendable. But this is not the way of Jesus. Jesus did not gather his followers and say, “You’re on your own. Go, make all you can for yourself, and don’t bother with the others.” Nope. There is no mistaking that we are called by God to trust in God, and care for each other, especially the weak, the needy, and the marginalized.

We are truly blessed as a nation, and we have shown ourselves to be capable of generosity among the nations. There is more we can do, through the government but also in our ministries. May our faith lead us to give even more of ourselves, trusting that God will provide for us and through us, even to those who may not seem to deserve it. Let us see every individual not as expendable, but exceptional, because every person is created and loved by God, and every individual has gifts of their own.

That giftedness is not always obvious at first sight. I remember my church in the Bay Area, when we started a Sunday evening service. They wanted to have a praise group to lead the worship. The Sunday School superintendent thought it might be nice to help out with the music, even though she never did music—ever. But the group leader was open to anyone who was willing to help. As they began to rehearse, it became clear that Gina did not understand even the basics of intonation in her singing. I was deeply troubled, as she was the lead singer since she also did not play any instruments. I suggested—strongly—that she be replaced. Well, good thing they did not listen to me. By the time the evening service started, Gina learned how to sing closer to in tune. Then she bought a djembe drum and started to play it, quite well. As her singing blossomed, she began to write music. Within a year, this totally untrained, out-of-tune novice became an excellent songleader, drummer, and songwriter! I know that if it were up to me, these gifts would never have been allowed to emerge.

Again, let us see every individual not as expendable, but exceptional. And let us trust enough in the creative genius of God to try new things, invite newcomers into leadership, and share our own gifts generously, knowing that God will continue to bless us—sometimes with the very folks we are helping!

In Christ’s Peace,

Wendy