Something about these strange days that makes every day feel like forever. It was only last Tuesday that we had our last presbytery meeting for 2020, and we actually got a lot of work done. As difficult as this year has been, we have much to be thankful for.

Offering: The offering for this Presbytery meeting went to support the Food Pantry of Iglesia de la Comunidad in Highland Park. You can still give online at https://sangabpres.org/donate/—make sure you direct it “to Presbytery Offering” and we’ll send it to them. We also were sad to share that IDLC’s pastor Roberto Ramirez had to go to Puerto Rico, as his mother had just passed on to glory. We pray for Roberto and all who are mourning loved ones this holiday season.

Necrology: Ally Lee put together a beautiful and moving tribute to our loved ones who have passed away since our November 2019 Presbytery meeting.  One way Ally and I realized how long this year has been was the inclusion of former Presbytery staff member and Northminster pastor, Jake Kim, who died on December 22, 2019, of an aortic aneurysm. We have lost several minister members, church leaders, former minister members, and pastor spouses this year. We give thanks for their presence in our lives, and for the reassurance of life everlasting.

Farewell to Twila: Twila French is retiring at the end of this month, after 19 years of commitment to the Presbytery’s ministry. (If you want to send her a greeting, her email is twilaf@sangabpres.org.) We thanked her for her dedication, skills, compassion, and friendship. We will miss you, Twila!

We are so thankful for you, and ask God to give you a retirement full of love and joy and health and fun, in your new home in Arizona.

Baldwin Park AC: This Administrative Commission lost their chair, Bear Ride, and gained two new members, RE Tom McGuinness (Knox) and TE Dave Tomlinson, and a new staff support person, Wendy Gist. RE Melinda Forbes is the new chair. We are excited about the prospects of converting this beloved church’s property into affordable housing. What a great testament to this church’s love for the community all their years.

San Marino Community Church: The Presbytery approved the planned transition for San Marino Community Church’s pastoral leadership. Jessica Vaughan Lower has been called to be co-pastor/co- head of staff, with Jeff O’Grady, effective immediately, with Jessica continuing as sole head of staff when Jeff retires in spring of 2021. Thank God for smooth transitions to a new, gifted generation of leadership!

Welcome: Even as we gave thanks for our friends who are leaving this earthly plane (or leaving us in retirement), we were happy to welcome new friends, including new church planter Sam Bang (Rowland Heights Presbyterian Fellowship), Keith and Zulima Clark-Hoyos (bookkeepers), Ashley Roque (CPM Inquirer from Calvary South Pasadena), and Kristin Leucht (Board of Pensions, kleucht@pensions.org or 267-815-1329).

Mental Health Resources: Kristin Leucht reminds us that there is a toll-free, 24/7 help line staffed by licensed clinicians for anyone needing support at 866-912-1687. And Board of Pensions Medical Plan members can get six free confidential sessions (per incident) with a licensed clinician through the Employee Assistance Program; call 866-640-2772 toll-free, 24/7.

Personnel: The Presbytery approved a shift in the structure for Stated Clerk, as Diane Frasher leaves the position effective March 1, 2021. We will seek a Stated Clerk for Judicial Process who will manage any judicial cases that may arise; this will be an on-call position and we will begin to receive applications for the position soon. In early 2021, Ally Lee will be presented for election as Stated Clerk for Administration; she will be responsible for all other Clerk responsibilities. Thank God for such gifted, faithful, dedicated leaders among us, especially Diane, who continues as chaplain for Monte Vista Grove.

Budget: The 2021 budget was approved. This budget reflects some estimates on the continuing financial impact of COVID-19, including some usage of funds from the Alhambra True Light dismissal to cover for expected reductions in shared mission giving and facilities use income. The per-member Apportionment for 2021 was approved at $58, though churches who can afford to give more are humbly asked to do so. Giving reports for year-to-date 2020 and the 2021 apportionment will go out soon.

COVID-19 financials: Thanks to all who continued to give during this difficult year. The generous support of churches, Synod, ministry partners, and saints from earlier generations enabled the Presbytery to give almost $300,000 in aid to our churches in 2020.

Election of officers: We elected a fairly full slate of Presbytery leaders. We are especially thankful for the service of Roberto Ramirez as he completes his term as Presbytery Executive Commission Moderator, new PEC Moderator Karen Sapio, new Presbytery Moderator Deborah Owens, and new Presbytery Vice Moderator Dave Tomlinson. Martha and Twine Campbell, Deborah’s pastors at Westminster Pasadena, gave thanks for her leadership as they celebrated communion with us.

WinterFest: We look forward to our annual training event, to be held February 1-6, 2021. We are taking advantage of the surprise benefits of Zoom technology by holding workshops each night (to be recorded for future reference), with a plenary worship and session the morning of February 6, led by former General Assembly Moderator and all-around great and innovative guy Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow.

Justice Peacemaking and Mission: Two highlights from JPM included a new process for maintaining and updating the list of Mission Partners and Related Agencies, and we celebrated the first SDOP (Self- Development of People) Grant of $4,000 to Cooperative of Refugee People (COOPERE), a group of individuals in San Fernando Valley producing succulent gardens, other gift items, and tamales. Our SDOP Committee is shared with San Fernando Presbytery, and we are thankful to support this project which helps community members improve their economic stability through their own initiative.

As you see, we do have much to be thankful for, even as we acknowledge the great challenges we faced and survived this year. We give thanks to God for sustaining and protecting us, for providing resources that we can use wisely, for leaders who provide creative and Spirit-filled service, and for the opportunity to worship and meet together virtually as God’s beloved people.

And thanks to you for your continued presence and commitment to this body of Christ for San Gabriel Valley! May God continue to bless you and keep you healthy and warm this Thanksgiving week.

With gratitude,
Wendy

I don’t know if you’re familiar with the story of Naaman and Elisha. Naaman was the military commander of Aram, which is in today’s Syria. The violent history of Aram and Israel was demonstrated in the presence of a Hebrew slave-girl, forced to serve Naaman’s wife. When Naaman is struck with leprosy and cannot find a cure, it is this slave-girl who mentions a prophet in Samaria (the northern kingdom of Israel) who can cure him.

The geopolitical turmoil is shown when Naaman’s services are requested of the King of Israel, who fears that the request is some sort of trap. But the prophet, Elisha, invites Naaman to come see him.

The request came with a load of riches, and when Naaman comes to Elisha, he arrives with his great horses and chariots. Elisha doesn’t even come out to greet him, but sends a note to go wash seven times in the Jordan River.

Naaman is incensed by this. He wants special ritual like he’s used to, performed personally by the great prophet. He doesn’t know why this local river is so much better than the great rivers of Syria. He is so offended by the simplicity of the cure that he initially refuses to comply. Again, the servants come to the rescue, and convince him to try, and he is healed.

This morning we hear the good news that another pharmaceutical company has achieved stellar results in their trials for a COVID-19 vaccine. This is thrilling, so much better than what we could have expected, even when these companies and the government have dedicated billions of dollars into this cutting-edge research in vaccine technology. This is the much-needed light at the end of a very long tunnel. The only problem is, we are still in that tunnel, and many of us will not see the anticipated benefits of the vaccine for several months.

Like Naaman, we Americans tend to look for solutions that are spectacular, technologically sophisticated—and expensive. For whatever reasons, we can’t imagine that something as simple and mundane as washing—or wearing a mask and keeping your distance—might also be helpful.

Last week I was in a Zoom meeting with representatives from across the PC(USA), and I was shocked to hear stories of COVID-19 spreading through their churches, as they have been worshiping inside.

In one presbytery, several pastors have been tested positive and in one church a full one-third of the members were infected. While I have heard from a few pastors how frustrated our members are that we cannot worship inside, these reports remind me how thankful I am for the strictness of the rules in Los Angeles County, and the patience and adaptability you are showing as you continue to find ways to worship and care for each other safely. I am thankful, because as a disease expert back east stated, if it weren’t for the biggest states like New York and California controlling the virus as well as we are, things would be much worse for the entire nation.

I know that your pastors are working their well-worn creative muscles to find ways to mark the holidays in a special but distanced way. Though I am a hermit by nature, even I am getting restless, and I am most concerned for people who are most isolated, because social contact is also needed for emotional and physical health.

But there is hope, and with God’s help we are resilient. I ask that we all be modern-day Naamans, and continue to follow the simple methods offered to protect us—wear your masks, keep your distance, stay in your home or outdoors, wash your hands. Use whatever way you can to safely reach out to those who are feeling isolated or at risk during these cold months. And look ahead to future holidays, when we can look back and give thanks for being able to survive these crazy times.

One way to reach out is to help our churches who are serving their community through food pantries. At our presbytery meeting tomorrow evening, our offering will go to the food pantry of Iglesia de la Comunidad. Anyone can give now—you don’t have to wait until the meeting, or be an attendee at all! Just go to https://sangabpres.org/donate/ and specify that you want to give “to Presbytery Offering” in the drop-down menu.

And, of course, I do hope to see many of you via Zoom tomorrow. We will remember the servants who have gone on to glory, and reflect on this year, as well as approve the funds and elect leaders for our ministry in 2021.

This strange time won’t last forever. Let us hold fast to our faith, and our love, and our health for some more months, so that we can again gather and sing and hug and know that our Lord has brought us through. And in these quiet months, may you feel all the more clearly the blessed assurance of the loving and healing presence of Jesus our Lord.

In Christ’s peace and love,

We seem to be settling into this new normal for a while. Any hopes that we are over the pandemic evaporated when I woke up today to see that California just reported a daily increase of over 50% in Coronavirus cases over last week. (Yikes!)

A big part of that new normal, of course, is meeting through various communications technologies. So last Tuesday I started the day with a phone meeting, then I participated in a Zoom meeting, then a Zoom meeting, then a Zoom meeting, then another Zoom meeting, then one last Zoom meeting.

Since I never had to leave my desk, I was able to bounce from meeting to meeting so quickly I could participate in more than I would have, back in the old “Flintstones” days of driving from place to place. (In retrospect, though, it was just a little bit tiring!)

But all of the meetings were extremely productive, and I was grateful to be in every one of them. During one of the meetings, we reflected on scripture following a lectio divina (“divine reading”) practice, and the passage that was read three times for us to contemplate was Matthew 15:21-28. With the first reading, we were asked to reflect on a word that resonated with us. With the second reading, we considered an image, and I can’t even remember what we were told with the third (though usually, I ask what God might be saying to you at this moment).

For me, the word that jumped out was “crumbs” and as I considered this revolutionary moment in Jesus’ ministry, I thought of today’s world, when marginalized people also start with crumbs in our effort to gain equity. I thought of the strategy that I have adopted and advised to other Asian women, to be very careful and patient about catching the little chances we get to make an impact. (To those of you who think I have more than enough respect accorded to me, that is probably true now, but this came after 50 years of being ignored, dismissed, pushed down or out, or derided for being more or different than what a conveniently passive Asian woman is imagined to be.) I wondered if this approach is still relevant, and worried that too many people just settle for the crumbs.

The second image that came to me has been repeated many times in recent days—the image of so many people waiting in line for 15 minutes, 1 hour, 3 hours, even 6 hours or more in order to vote. I think especially of African-American people who speak of the many challenges in their lives, and the ways the system works against them, and yet they vote. They remember the many people, most famously Representative John Lewis, who suffered bloody physical harm for the sake of full voting rights. They put their faith in the belief that their one little vote, gathered with many other little votes, can add up to significant change. And as I saw the images of people standing in lines that seemed to go forever, I recalled the many images from new democracies around the world, when oppressed people would wait for hours on that special day when they are allowed to participate, in some small way, their new-found right of self-governance.

Apparently, I am not the only one, as Jim Wallis wrote on October 14^th:

Texas and Georgia are trying to suppress the early vote by cutting polling places. But the lines keep growing with record turnouts. Reminds me of the first free election in South Africa.

I remember the 2012 election, held after the 2010 Citizens United case which allows corporations to give unlimited funds to their chosen candidates, when we were reminded that even the richest man in the country still only has one vote, the same as you or I.

As we seek to be God’s hands and heart on earth, let us take the crumbs of each and every vote to speak the truth that God reveals to us for this world. As we consider our call as Christians, let us remember that Jesus did not retreat from speaking God’s will for justice and dignity for all to religious, military, and imperial authorities. As we respond to God’s claim on our life, may we give all of ourselves—not just an hour on Sunday morning but our time, our treasure, our talents, and also our ability to making all systems of the world tuned towards God’s realm, be they educational, judicial, economic, health and food, global, or political.

Some of us have the power to hire and promote people; some have platforms from which to speak God’s truth; some have financial assets that can empower mission and restorative justice; some have nothing but a vote. Like that foreign, desperate mother of a sick daughter, daring to approach and then argue with the famous healer named Jesus, let us take whatever crumbs we can, to gain whatever justice and mercy God wills for all peoples. And as we do so, may Christ say again, “Great is your faith!” And may we all know healing for this earth.

Now go out and vote!

Peace,

Wendy