Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
   you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
  the restorer of streets to live in.

Isaiah 58:12

I can tell that I’m getting older, because I can no longer do multiple all-nighters, and I can’t just power through my to-do list. So this column will be quick—but with pictures!

It is easy to write, though, because I am so grateful for the Saturday Habitat for Humanity cleanup day at the site of First Presbyterian Church Baldwin Park. As you know, the Administrative Commission has been working for years towards a plan for repurposing this property into affordable housing. We now have a joint venture agreement with San Gabriel Valley Habitat, and the Baldwin Park City Council just approved the plan, and committed $1.2 million towards the project. For those who don’t know or remember, the plan is to divide the 1.4 acre parcel into one small parcel, similar to the other single house parcels in the neighborhood, at the north end of the property, and the rest will be converted into about 15 units, utilizing the existing church buildings, with a few townhouses to be built in the large parking lot on the corner of Stewart and Los Angeles Street. These 15 or so units will be sold to first-time homeowners, thus impacting the families in significant and longer-term ways as they build equity for future home ownership. This is a crucial first step towards a family being able to build intergenerational wealth.

On the small parcel, Habitat will build a 4-bedroom, 2-story house with two additional small units, to the specifications of our Administrative Commission. We will be able to use this property for our mission purposes, and to keep a footprint in the City of Baldwin Park. We had initially hoped for two parcels, but when it was decided to repurpose the existing church buildings, the sanctuary building is set into what would have been that second parcel.

This was the first Habitat work day for most of the volunteers. We had 22 folks, and they were all excellent workers! They came from Claremont Presbyterian Church, Knox in Pasadena, Filipino Community United in Azusa, First Presbyterian Baldwin Park, Shepherd of the Valley, Interwoven, and New City Church Los Angeles. I’m so grateful for the great work parties from these churches! The volunteer from Interwoven New Worshiping Community actually went there for her first Sunday last week, and heard about the work day there, and so she came. (She also came back to Interwoven yesterday, because she loves it!) New City Church is in downtown LA, but they heard about the project from their lead pastor, our own Kevin Haah. The two volunteers, a mother and teenage daughter, took the bus from LA to do the work. Actually there were two mother-daughter teams, and everyone did great work. A very successful first day!

The first step towards the project, and the goal for Saturday, was clearing out the property. It was a bit of a shock to see that Habitat has been doing some advance work, so the sanctuary is now empty, with the pews moved to the side, and the stage in the fellowship hall has started to be torn down. But there were still many items, personal and furniture, that needed to be hauled out, and the property needed to be secured from intruders. Melinda Forbes has been working alone to find new homes for precious items such as the stained glass and the grand piano, and has cleared much of the property out herself.

Thank God for her amazing dedication! It was bittersweet for her and Sonnie, I’m sure, to see the deconstruction, but they are also glad to see progress being made towards the longer- term vision. They told some of their story during lunch, and it moved folks to sign a card of thanks for them.

One of the Knox workers is a reserve Army chaplain, who has had 10 soldiers ask for Bibles in accessibly translations, so we gave her 30 Bibles from the church. Much of the furniture will be sent to Habitat’s ReStore stores, where people (including the general population) can purchase new and gently-used household goods.

Don’t worry if you missed out on the day. There will be additional work days in the future. Now that we had the first one under our belt, I’m hoping we will have even more people come to future days. Even though it was hot and steamy (folks commented they couldn’t remember the last time they sweated so much), there was a great spirit, and it was gratifying to see how much work was done.

This was a great start for this project that will have significant impact on many families and the community of Baldwin Park. We prayed for the people who loved God and each other and the community for so many years as First Presbyterian Baldwin Park, and we are thankful that many of them have found a home at the Community Fellowship in West Covina. I am thrilled to see our new friends from Interwoven and New City Church, and the terrific support from our churches in Claremont, Azusa, Hacienda Heights, and Pasadena. And we can plan for future work days—and maybe even future property developments, with churches still worshiping in place—with better understanding of what it takes. What a great example of active stewardship, as we use these properties God has entrusted to us for the use of our congregations and the communities we serve.

Thanks to Habitat, to the people of Baldwin Park (the church and the community), and our volunteers and the churches that sent them. And most of all . . .

Thanks be to God!

Wendy

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:25-26

My “go-to” image for church is that of family. I know that I shouldn’t limit any part of God’s world to a single image, and that there are issues that might arise with this metaphor, especially for people whose family lives have been problematic. But the concept of family is pretty universal, at least in theory, and rich, and it can even challenge us to see more of what church can and should be. This last week gave me small glimpses into the beauty and pain of the family of San Gabriel Presbytery.

I don’t get to La Verne Heights very often, but I was invited there twice this last week. Last Sunday I preached there, on Jonathan Hughes’ first Sunday back after an extended sabbatical including globe- trotting with his immediate and, at times, his whole extended family. He is a walking promotional poster for the benefits of sabbatical! It was a joy to see his renewed energy, the glow from his time with family, and the heartfelt welcomes from the congregation.

This last Saturday, I was again at La Verne Heights, for a celebration of Katie Archibald-Woodward’s ordination. Though she has been based in Atlanta for many years and was recently ordained there, she wanted to celebrate at her home church, the church that formed her as a Christian and loved and prayed her through seminary and the many adventures she has had on the way to ordination. It was such a joy to hear stories from her former pastor and her babysitter, among others, about her growth over the years. Her babysitter shared how Katie, this child she used to take care of, has grown to become one of the most significant influences on her spiritual life—the child has become the friend and mentor.

It also occurred to me that I could think of three younger women—Jessica Vaughn Lower, Lauren Evans, and Katie Archibald-Woodward—who grew up at La Verne Heights and then went into ordained ministry, with bold visions for their ministries. They all have great gratitude to Steve Metcalfe, their pastor growing up. Their theological perspectives are not carbon copies of their home church or their home pastor, and I asked Steve about that. He seemed a bit embarrassed at first, but then told a little story about how he defied his childhood church, because he was not going to be pigeon-holed. It became clear to me that a church could have a specific theological perspective, while also giving their members the freedom to discern what their faith means to them. We also had to acknowledge the transformative power of going away to seminary (Jessica and Lauren went to Princeton, Katie went to Columbia). While it now seems almost a luxury to be able to pick up and move to a residential seminary, those of us who were able to do it are grateful.

I am reminded how the church is one of the few institutions that encompass the entire family, even across multiple generations and certainly through different phases of life. It’s wonderful to see such gifted people coming into their significant ministries, as well as the people who nurtured and helped to form their faith lives as children. And as much as we worry about the aging of our church members, I know of several people in our presbytery who are pregnant. One expectant mother was sharing with her friend that she doesn’t have an obstetrician in town, because her first child is a bit older and I think they were in a different area when she had her. The friend immediately said she has great caring professionals to recommend, which caused the mother-to-be to weep. How lovely to be in a church family where we can raise our most personal concerns, and have companions so ready to help!

As a family, we aren’t limited to taking care of ourselves. I am thrilled to report that the City of Baldwin Park not only approved the plan to convert the buildings of First Presbyterian Baldwin Park into affordable housing, the City committed $1.2 million to the project! Our partner in this project, Habitat for Humanity, was pleasantly surprised that several people from LA Voice, the interfaith community organizing group, were strong advocates and helped greatly with the City. LA Voice was the first group we spoke to about the Baldwin Park church property, and in fact their housing organizer, Rev. John Oh, was the first to suggest repurposing Baldwin Park’s existing buildings. What a blessing to have partners in ministry, the resources to offer, and the commitment to our Matthew 25 vision to enable us to make bold moves of grace. One of the elements of the Matthew 25 vision is to eradicate systemic poverty. (The other two elements are to dismantle structural racism and revitalize local congregations.) While education still offers a great path out of poverty, we have learned that owning property has a significant impact on intergenerational wealth as well.

Not everything is easy or perfect in the family. Brian Gaeta-Symonds lost his mother, Garth Moller’s family gathered recently to celebrate his life and ministry, and Harlan Redmond lost a dear cousin suddenly. We have folks on presbytery staff and elsewhere who are very busy as members of the sandwich generation, caring for ailing parents while also being responsible for young children. One young pastor shared with me the pain when his father, a pastor from a different tradition, denounced his pastoral decisions and broke off their relationship. We have many new leaders from outside the PC(USA), and some of them face various levels of resistance to coming to us. May they feel God’s assurance that God’s love will never leave them, even if human relationships falter. And may we surround them with our prayers, and our love.

There are so many ways that our churches become family for our members, and the community around us. Praise God for the privilege of being able to nurture children as they grow into adulthood, to provide support and guidance to each other as we face significant milestones of life, to join our gifts and energies together to be Christ’s hands and heart in the community. Thank God for churches that become family for members far away from their birth families, separated by distance, death, or estrangement. Finally, because we know of the great needs in the world for healthy, loving relationships, may we be bold in welcoming others into our churches, that we may be as Christ for each other. May we recognize Christ in our midst, especially when caring for the least of us. And may we keep our hearts open to the grace and blessings that come to us, large and small.

Thanks be to God!

Wendy

I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment.

Philemon v. 10

During the height of the COVID pandemic, we all felt like we were living the phrase “building the plane while flying it.” Because of the uncertainty and urgency of the situation, we didn’t have the time to think through what we were doing—and since so much was unprecedented, it didn’t matter because we couldn’t really know what we were doing anyway! We are now looking at what innovations (like Zoom meetings and working from home) will most likely become a permanent change in the way we do things, and what might be on-going impacts of the prolonged isolation suffered through the pandemic. We also learned some things, or were confirmed that we were indeed more resourceful and adaptive than we thought, and that it always helps to share with colleagues our experiences, learnings, and ideas as we move through unknown territory.

There are other radical changes impacting our lives and our world, some that don’t get as much attention as a worldwide pandemic. An issue that has been discussed for years is the demographic shift in the United States as it becomes a “minority majority” nation—that is, there will no longer be a particular race that holds a numeric majority of the population. There has also been a seeming shift away from the dominant position of men and the traditionally “masculine” way of doing things. These shifts (represented by, for instance, the predominant number of women in higher education) have been recognized with statements like the “feminization” of leadership, or charges of reverse racism or sexism. The growth of people who identify as non-binary or transgender adds to the complication of claiming male distinctiveness. And I can imagine that people who have never acknowledged the privilege of being White, male, and/or straight might feel disoriented and even threatened by these significant changes. I also fear that the violence in the United States will continue at a very high level, with groups daring to declare things like “Jews will not replace us” and guns and military assault rifles being ever more accessible.

Some of these issues were referenced in a recent column in the Washington Post by Christine Emba: “Men are lost. Here’s a map out of the wilderness.”

As someone who has advocated for the rights of people who live on the margins of society, I do not focus as much time on the situation of those who always lived in the center. But I do have some sense of the amount of disorientation experienced by people whose traditional strengths are now considered problematic. According to Emba, this disorientation can reach tragic consequences: men account for almost 3 of every 4 “deaths of despair,” either from a suicide, alcohol abuse or an overdose.

There are many ways we can experience this disorientation. Last year I was somewhat amused by the word of the year for evangelical Christians: deconstruction. On the other hand, I have been reluctant to advertise my pronouns (she/her), and I confess that I have a hard time keeping track of the myriad ways gender identity and sexual orientation are described. So we all have ways we need to keep up with the rapidly evolving ways we understand our individual and cultural identities.

Indeed, I have often felt that this is a great challenge for the Christian life. Our entry into the Christian life is expected to be disruptive: we convert to Christianity, we are transformed, we receive new life and let the old pass away. We reject the ways of the world and accept being called fools for Christ.

And truth be told, I think Jesus’ various parables and metaphors for God’s realm have been less than clarifying for many. When I was in seminary, I had a conversation with a rabbinical student who commented that the Jewish tradition was more logical than the life of a Christian. Since so many of our old ways are to be rejected, and the ways to live our faith are so countercultural, it can feel like we get transported to a new world, but we still have our old maps to try to help us navigate. And, of course, the old world is still right there, luring us back into the ways we’ve always done life.

So how do we live into this new, unprecedented life? How do we shed what we’ve known and were, to be transformed into a true follower of Christ?

In a discussion of Christine Emba’s article, a male pundit was asked what it would take to help the single young men who have become isolated, despondent, and possibly reactionary? The response ended with an appeal for more positive male role models: “If we want better men, we have to be better men.” If one’s father cannot be that role model, there may be a call for other men to fill that void.

I think this is the answer for Christians, for all young people from troubled families, and for people embarking on new ventures, especially if they come from marginalized communities. I’ve always felt that the church can provide positive role models, supportive healthy relationships, and hope in the face of uncertainty—if we are willing to welcome those who need that, which might mean welcoming those whose lives have already been negatively impacted. Like the apostle Paul, we might be called to be like a father (mother/parent) even for an escaped slave, a young homeless person, or a recent immigrant fleeing their country. And in such a relationship, we are not to erase the characteristics that God has given them, but to develop themselves to be the disciple God wants them to become, and advocate for them as Paul did for Onesimus.

At a shelter in Tijuana, one that receives “diverse families,” there was a poignant sign on a door: “You are safe here.” Can we become a refuge for so many people who have been knocked about by a loss of identity, and help them build back a new, positive self-identity as a beloved child of God?

May we find ways to offer redemption relationship in a world that seems to have forgotten how to be community. And may we share the love of Christ, especially to those who need it most. As the world keeps changing, we cannot have all the answers— but we can accompany each other through this strange time.

Peace,

Wendy

“How can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye?”

Matthew 7:4

Last weekend, thirteen members of the Synod of Southern California and Hawai‘i traveled to Chula Vista Presbyterian Church on the way to walking across the border to Tijuana. Among the group were six members of our San Gabriel Presbytery family: Hagar Benítez, Helen Darsie, Sophia Eurich-Rascoe, N’Yisrela Watts-Afriyie, and the Wendys Gist and Tajima.  This trip was one of Wendy Gist’s accomplishments as Immigrant Accompaniment Organizer, as she planned the trip, secured funding, and worked closely with Via International to offer an extremely full and enlightening experience. Wendy has been doing what Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has always hoped when funding the Southern California presbyteries’ work with asylum seekers: to work together as SoCal Presbyterians, churches, and partners as we seek to advocate for and welcome people seeking security in the United States. This trip was one of the only voluntary projects that saw some form of participation from each of the seven Southern California presbyteries, and the Synod at large.

For myself, one of the key goals was to follow up on our vision to work with Via International to enable our people to help asylum seekers where the need is greatest, which we believe to be in Tijuana. Via International (https://www.viainternational.org/) is a multi-faceted organization that utilizes community organizing principles to help individuals practice self-development in Tijuana and the Logan Heights barrio in San Diego, and to show church members, university students, and others how to walk alongside them. I’m sure every member of the group has a wealth of insights to share, and I invite you to contact folks to hear what they observed. This column, like all my columns, is but a reflection of my personal perspective, so know it has its limits!

In five short days, we experienced crossing the border on foot, helped to tend Friendship Park (a community garden planted along the richly painted border wall near the coast), visited four different migrant shelters, met with several community leaders and people impacted by our broken immigration system, and received the amazing history of our Chicano neighbors at Chicano Park in San Diego. My respect for the people of Via International grew as they led the trip.

While we found great potential for cooperation, I am humbled how much I learned that contrasted with the assumptions I had about life at the border. For instance, the phone app that asylum seekers now need to use to seek legal permission to enter the United States turns out to get positive reviews by the migrants we met; they may not have homes, food, or money, but just about everyone has a smartphone. While people used to have to wait years for entry (partly due to COVID, partly due to “the prior administration”), the waiting time now can be as short as days or weeks, though some still have to wait months; it’s important to note, however, that the wait for a court appearance (and likely deportation) has also been shortened. One constant is the total lack of consistency of treatment, so one person’s experience of crossing the border is just that—one person’s experience.

The most unexpected image for me was the amazing diversity of the migrants, all staying at shelters together: Russians, Ukrainians, Afghans, Haitians, as well as people from Central and South America. I don’t know why we didn’t meet people from Africa or Asia (though one of the Russian migrants was ethnically Asian), because many of the people at Adelanto were Chinese or African; one person thought the Chinese do not enter as individuals, so do not end up at the shelters. The shelters seemed to work with stunningly small staffs who coordinated all shelter residents to work together across any boundary of language or background for the good of the whole. The city of Tijuana and all of Mexico seem to be a middle ground for the migrants. There is police corruption, but there seem to be some humane laws. For instance, some people were given residency in Mexico, and LGBTQ migrants said they felt safer in Mexico than in their home countries. Residency is important, because about 90% of asylum seekers are rejected by the United States, and are deported directly to their country of origin—but if they have Mexican residency, they can be deported to Mexico rather than the country they were fleeing. The city of Tijuana is struggling with uncontrolled growth, including ever-growing shelters. The fact that the water was cut off for several days was evidence that the city has exceeded its basic infrastructure.

The shelters vary widely in approach and quality of life; one shelter did not seem to me to be habitable, another housed thousands of people but seemed to have sanitation facilities that should serve several dozen (still can’t figure that one out)—but is working with UC San Diego to build multiple ultramodern facilities! One remarkable shelter, Casa de Luz, has an amazing level of services for their 70 or so residents. They partner with the Border Church and Via International, and their leaders have a vision for beauty and the beauty of all people. The director was thrilled with the idea that we might be able to help them install a clean water system.

Because of the ever-present sight of the walls (there is a new 30-foot wall built parallel to the original), I was frequently reminded of my trip to Israel. It struck me how we are so strong in our condemnation of Israel while we ignore the walls that we have raised up against our own neighbors—walls that for us are but a couple hours away and cross territory that used to be Mexico’s. In the last two days of our trip, I received several messages about the renewed violence in Palestine. United Nations Secretary General António Guterres commented on the violence, ironically during a previously scheduled press conference meant to report on the “living nightmare” in Haiti. He said, “Israel’s airstrikes and ground operations in a crowded refugee camp were the worst violence in the West Bank in many years,” referring to the two-day military assault in Jenin that used airstrikes and missiles fired from drones.

Violence in Palestine. The collapse of Haiti and Afghanistan. War in Ukraine. Gang violence and political instability in Latin America. There is much to mourn, and no easy answer. But I saw signs of hope, and perseverance, and faith, and a remarkable ability to work together for mutual survival. My prayer is that we put less faith in walls and condemnations, and more in God’s call for humility and compassion. May we treat others as God has treated us, and trust that God will continue to bless us, that we may be a blessing to others.

Peace,

Wendy

Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.

1 Peter 4:10

I’m thankful to Wendy Tajima for giving me the opportunity to introduce myself via this weekly reflection. My name is Amy Marmol, and I’m the new Temporary Administrator for the Presbytery of San Gabriel. My dear friend Ally Lee leaves a significant role to be filled (as well as very detailed notes, which those of you who have worked alongside her know to be her custom!). Though her absence is felt, I am happy to be able to use my organizational and administrative skills to serve the Presbytery in this capacity.

By training and by trade, I am an educator, currently teaching French at Pasadena High School. I am bicultural and bilingual, having been born in France and raised there through my childhood. My parents are American, but were vocational missionaries ministering to a small Baptist church in the town of Menton in Southern France, near Monaco and on the border with Italy – it was a beautiful place to grow up! Just before I started high school, we moved to Santa Clarita where my dad was called as the mission pastor of a very large church.

It was in that church that I began volunteering on the worship team, where I eventually met my husband Joshua. We were married in 2011 and worked at several non-denominational churches where he was hired as the worship leader, while I began my teaching career. When he wanted to make a career change as a barber and we were looking for a more diverse area to raise our family, we moved to Pasadena in 2017. Also wanting to find a more inclusive and progressive expression of Christian faith, we visited Knox Presbyterian Church our first week and immediately found a home in the community there – especially in the developing social justice teams for immigration, housing, eco-justice and racial justice, which are very much in line with our passions and where we find personal callings to advocacy work. We still attend Knox, along with our children Corban (10y), Judah (8y) and Eden (3.5y).

Various small things that bring me joy are iced vanilla or hot hazelnut lattes, Diet Coke, plant-based recipes, organized drawers and cabinets, labels and color-coding, thriving house plants, the sound of rain, spontaneous outings, and my kids laughing when they play together.

I look forward to meeting many more of you along the course of my work here in the Presbytery of San Gabriel, and supporting you as you serve and lead our congregations.

Peace be with you,

Amy Marmol (she/her)

. . . you shall make this response before the Lord your God: “A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous.”                                          

Deuteronomy 26:5

We begin by acknowledging that Los Angeles sits on the land of the Gabrieleno/Tongva peoples. We acknowledge the Gabrieleno Tongva as the original caretakers of Tovangaar which spans LA County and the California Channel Islands. The Gabrieleno Tongva people continue to remain in relationships with these lands through ceremony, culture, and stewardship. They are important parts of not only the history of this area but also in continuing knowledge of this place.

This is a land acknowledgement offered by the Tongva Taraxat Paxaava Conservancy (TTPC), which roughly translates to “the people’s land.” The TTPC was created to steward the very first plot of land returned to the original people of Los Angeles, which is in Altadena and called Huhuunga (the Place of the Bears). We are connected with the TTPC, not only because we are settlers on this land, but because the Land Return Coordinator, Samantha Morales-Johnson, and her family are members of La Verne Heights Presbyterian Church, and her people, the Gabrieleno/Tongva San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians, have their headquarters in our La Casa de San Gabriel community center.

The General Assembly in 2018 adopted the report on the Doctrine of Discovery with recommendations that include:

• Urge the session of each congregation, as well as each mid council, seminary, Presbyterian Women’s groups, and other organizations to confess their complicity and repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery.
• Encourage mid councils to begin their meetings with an acknowledgment of whose land they are meeting on and that greetings to the assembly include a welcome from those Indigenous peoples currently living on the land.

There are many other initiatives, confessions, and resources related to the Christian Church’s response to our genocidal treatment of Indigenous peoples. They can be found at https://facing- racism.pcusa.org/item/41901/. Analysis of and ecumenical responses to the Doctrine of Discovery can be found at https://www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/racial-equity-womens-intercultural- ministries/gender-and-racial-justice-ministries/doctrine-of-discovery/.

In San Gabriel Presbytery, we recognize this responsibility, to some extent, during our November Presbytery meeting, as November is Native American Heritage Month. This year, we have been blessed with the knowledge of our Native neighbors. At our recent Day of Service, an Indigenous botanist gave compelling information about the use of native plants for healing purposes. These plants are being tended on the campus of Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church as part of the Wild Yards Project.

The TTPC, in its excellent website https://tongva.land/, offers many perspectives on how to contribute to the return of land to the Native peoples. You may have heard the term “land back.” The TTPC gives different options on how to participate, not only by giving land back, as was done in Altadena, but also by returning your home gardens to native plants through yard return.

Samantha gave me permission to share with you this article, and an invitation to contribute through providing supplies for the peace and healing center the TTPC seeks to build:

Meyiiha (Hello)!

Since 2022, we have cleared over 30 tons of debris (colonial junk) thanks to the help of community and we are finally free of it. Tehovekoopo ‘xaa (deep gratitude/may you be well) for all of those who helped us clear Huhuunga (Place of the Bears) of decades of rusty furniture, hazardous materials, and so much wood.

This Summer Solstice we are calling in support at Huhuunga for items that we need to continue to make the site a shyee’evo (healing space) and yovaar (ceremonial space). We made a wish list of some things including cooking supplies for food sovereignty, water clothing for tribal canoe journey, and camping needs. You can pick some thing(s) from the registry which will be delivered directly to the TTPC.

Please support & share: www.myregistry.com/giftlist/tongva-dreams.

TTPC Board and Staff

The passage from Deuteronomy 26 represents, for me, the complicated relationship for Christians as spiritual descendants of Abraham and his family (Jacob is traditionally identified as the “wandering Aramean”). The story of the Israelites is one of migration, which is why we so often reflect on God’s repeated directives to care for the stranger, as the Israelites were once strangers. The part we gloss over is the fact that there were Indigenous peoples already in “the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it.” (Deuteronomy 26:1) The conviction with which Abraham’s descendants took over land that they believed God gave to them has been repeated by many generations of Christians who believed that God gave to them whatever land they chose to claim.

San Gabriel Presbytery is noted for our generous welcome of immigrant churches and communities. I believe we are being called to carry out God’s directions to respect all of God’s people, including our Native hosts. And as we are being reminded of our responsibility to the environment, we are becoming more aware of the wisdom and respect that the Native peoples can offer us about being a caring and faithful member of God’s creation. May we have open minds and hearts to learn.

Blessings,

Wendy