Reflections Blog
That Was the Plan…
Our 2022 Hispanic/Latino Pastors and Leaders Retreat was a success and a great blessing. On May 12-14, fifty-two sisters and brothers from the Presbytery of Los Ranchos and other presbyteries had a unique time to worship, rest, learn, and play together. When you look...
Responding to Hate with Love and Justice
Responding to Hate with Love and Justice Report to Presbytery on May 26, 2022 from Presbytery Co-Executive for Vison & Mission, Tom Cramer Greetings, siblings in Christ. Grace and peace to you. As you well know, the recent weeks, and even days, have brought loss,...
A Pastoral Letter from Tom Cramer
Dear Colleagues and Friends, Over the past weekend, we experienced two unspeakable acts of gun violence on our nation’s soil, one in our own presbytery at the campus of Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods, and the other at a neighborhood supermarket in Buffalo,...
Blankets Spread God’s Love: A Word from LAC+USC Chaplain, Elizabeth Gibbs Zehnder
This Winter COVID surge has made for some very challenging days at the LAC+USC Medical Center. So many of the staff are out sick, families are restricted from visiting and patients are in need of spiritual and emotional support. One bright spot has been the outpouring...
Los Ranchos Churches Celebrate and Work Together to Build a Bright Future
On March 19, 2022, New Hope Presbyterian Church and St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church celebrated their pending merger with a worship service and fundraising reception. During the reception, people wrote messages of love and encouragement on the unfinished walls and floor...
A Story of Resurrection in Boyle Heights
One of Los Ranchos’ newest New Worshiping Communities, Iglesia Cristiana De Las Americas in Boyle Heights, occupies the building that was once the home of El Divino Salvador Presbyterian Church, whom we remember with gratitude for their more than 100 years of...
Faster, Higher, Stronger
The opening ceremony of the Olympics, winter or summer, always brings me great cheer. I love seeing athletes from all over the world joining together on a single stage. For me, it is a vision of what God wants for humanity, metaphorically speaking. When we bring our...
Our Superpower
When You are Afraid While I was in worship recently, the Director of Family Ministries invited the children to follow her to Sunday School. She had just delivered an engaging message upon which the rest of the morning promised to build. Near the chancel in the second...
Tell Me a Story
by Susan Young Thornton Yesterday I returned from a holiday trip to visit family in the Pacific Northwest. Snow, icy roads, and extended family travel delays prevented some of us from getting together. And apropos to the season, I was advised to return home by another...
So Long, Farewell…
So many thoughts. How shall I say goodbye? Perhaps like this: a collection of tidbits, any of which might make a whole column in itself. At best, you can think of them as something like Luther’s Theses. Or maybe they’ll be more like Buddhist koans, and I’ll leave you...
A Season of Anticipation: New Buildings for Expanded Mission in Anaheim
By Chineta Goodjoin The season of Advent represents a time of preparing and waiting. As we worship and center our lives on the anticipated birth of Christ and his return, we pray for a new peace, hope, joy and love. In January of 2020 New Hope and St Paul's...
A Friend and Colleague
Forrest’s New Call You have all heard by now about Forrest’s new call to The Synod of the Trinity. For eight years Forrest has been a faithful Co-executive and Stated Clerk, serving our community with uncommon wisdom and expertise. His knowledge of Presbyterian polity...