St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Long Beach, California

What a wonderful church!  I read online that the mission is inclusive.  I had such a positive experience with Christ Church Cathedral and Rev Peter Elliott and my present church St. Barnabus with Rev Emilie Theresa Smith.  It has English and Spanish services. There seemed a wide range of attendees.  Young and old and more men than in some churches.  They reported on line special services friendly to dogs, like St. Francis animal blessing but I wasn’t as welcoming as the United Methodist Church. In Long Beach.  I considered that and have attended Methodist in the past. It’s like the United Church of Canada.  I actually considered leaving Madigan as he can be a distraction.

Today he was a good boy and was most interested in a labradoo/standard poodle sort of gentleman dog who watched him and a couple of times barked, once in greeting, to Madigan, the obvious new comer.   I’d forgotten ny hearing aids but the sound system was good enough that I felt I followed most.  I really liked the choir. Classical hymns  Lovely voices.  Anglicans/Episcopaleans are to my mind the best choirs for traditional English Christian music.  Today they sang We Three Kings and it was marvellous.  Obviously the Baptists, Pentecostals,  Evangelicals have the best contemporary Rock and Roll Christian music. I love the blues and rocking services with the big screen showing the words and everyone singing along 

The sermon was that mix of Bible and present day messages.  I really liked the clergy.  Father Antonio Gallaro and Father Yohanes Corbiellas were presiding

The peace was fine, people shaking hands and hugging, no longer the covid flashing the peace sign and keeping distances. There were a few, probably just having a cold that day, wearing masks but everyone else was family community. I enjoyed shaking hands.  Glad handing.  Some gentle touches others robust.  What a good feeling church it was. Madigan likes the “peace’ and glad sniffs all who come near.  He thinks this is the best part of the service, not those other parts where people are quiet and praying He can be impatient at those times.  

While I forgot my hearing aids, I remembered to take some American money for offering. All I ‘ve been using this trip is my TD American dollar credit card.  Interestingly they actually had a QR code for electronic contribution on the program.  Back home I write a cheque. There’s a tax deduction.   I did enjoy just putting cash in the basket the ushers brought round.  

The church is what city planners call ‘third space’ a place where you can gather, socialize and build community connections.  I think of it as a place where you don’t have to keep spending money to sit.  The park is the classic third space.  I always enjoy walking into churches that are open and sitting for a tine of prayer and meditation.  I especially liked the Catholic Churches for this in Rome and Jerusalem.  This was that sort of comfortable space.  In Europe I often felt that I could spend the afternoon or morning after buying a coffee but that here in the American consumer hub I’m expected to keep spending money on the hourly meter to reserve my seat.  As a writer I like to set as I did as a student studying in the ‘outside’ where I could look up and see people.  I like the library for reading and studying too.  Another third space.  

St. Luke’s is wonderful architecture and beautiful stainglass. I loved that Jesus was praying above the alter. Everything about the church was appealing and uplifting.  

I am truly blessed to be a Christian and be part of the Christian community. I like being Anglican Episcopalian because I attend churches when I travel and have been able to got to Anglican/Episcopalean churches in Hong Kong, Ethiopia and Athens.  What’s fun too was that often I’d speak to a minister and they’d know my minister. That happened with Guam where the Episcopalian minister knew Peter Elliott.  Rev Emile is so apart of the Latin community I wouldn’t be surprised if the minister here who was bilingual too didn’t know her because they ar part of the Latin movement in the Episcopalian/Anglican church.  Emile worked and lived in Quatemala and continues to go back. 

650 E. 7th Street, Long Beach -502-436-4047 is the contact information,

I certainly would enjoy coming to this church when I leave the cold and wet of Vancouver winter to enjoy the Sunshine and blue sky of Long Beach.  

Thank you Jesus.