Dear friends in Christ,

It feels as though there is so much going on that All Saint’s Sunday is almost lost in the shuffle. The Dodgers won the world series, Trick-or-Treaters will be roaming the streets this evening, Election Day is right around the corner, I submitted my finished novel to my publisher, and in the midst of all of it, my sweet dog Oliver had surgery yesterday. (Thank you everyone for your prayers – it was successful and he is home and recovering well.)

But All Saint’s Day and All Saint’s Sunday are a special day in the church year, always falling the first day of November and the first Sunday after Halloween, and it is important to take a moment to acknowledge it. This Sunday is a time to remember the saints in our lives who have passed. In Mexican Tradition, they celebrate this as part of the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) festivals.

This coming Sunday, we will celebrate the lives of those who have gone before us with a special candle-lighting ceremony and all are invited to participate. This day of remembrance is crucial as we approach an election day that has all of us on edge. As I watched Jim, Dax, Tere and Giselle reverently hang the three Memorial Quilts in our sanctuary last Monday – newly cleaned and repaired by Marlene and Jose, and updated with new memory squares – I felt a deep sense of sadness at the number of people this church lost to the AIDS epidemic, and in the years since. But I also felt a sense of resounding resolve, because this church has withstood so many things and changed so many lives – not in spite of the challenges in this world, but because of them. When other churches hid their heads in the sand, this church opened its doors. When other churches continued to peddle banal rhetoric, West Hollywood UCC lived out the gospel. This is not accidental – this commitment to truth and justice runs in our veins.

We carry with us the wisdom and stories and experience and laughter and perspective and examples of those whom we have lost. We do not walk alone, we do not walk in ignorance, and we do not walk in apathy. Everything that we are experiencing, someone in our family tree has already gone through it, and here we still are. Part of the reason this election cycle seems so fraught is because we know our history, we know how hard people have fought, and we know what is at stake. That is because we carry with us the wisdom of our ancestors.

If you haven’t voted, yet, do it today! Our ancestors fought and died so that we would have the right to vote, and it behooves us to honor their sacrifice. A vote is a prayer put down on paper, so if you’re not registered, go to the polls anyway – Same Day Registration is available and your vote will still be counted. If you need a ride, call or text me at 323-793-9059. I’ll be at the church on Monday and Tuesday and would be happy to take people to the polls.

This Monday at 6 PM we will have our final Bible Study class in our series on the Clobber Texts and also decide what we want to study next. There has been interest in continuing to hold Bible Study on Monday nights, so come join us as we make plans for our next subject.

We will look forward to seeing you there!

SAVE THE DATE

November 9: Knitting Ministry

November 10: Blessing of November birthdays and anniversaries

November 29: The Let My People Show Comedy Fundraiser – only 2 shows left in 2024!

December 1: First Sunday in Advent

December 7: Rummage Faire

December 8: Piano Recital with Josh Benson-Merron and Students