Creation out of a void...

Creation out of a void -- that's how St. Clement's started.

There was little here, but Ole Hanson had a vision! "I vision a place where people can live together more pleasantly than any other place in America ... the whole picture is very clear before me... I can see hundreds of white-walled homes bonneted with red tile, with trees, shrubs, hedges of hibiscus, palms and geraniums lining the drives, and a profusion of flowers framing the patios and gardens..." -- Ole Hanson, 1925.

If you look around San Clemente, you can see remnants of Hanson's dream -- and there is no place more beautiful than St. Clement's!

Built on land that Hanson donated, this church, with it's white stucco walls and red tile roof, with geraniums in parts of the flower beds and flowers lining the entrance to the sanctuary is a vision realized! More importantly, it was and is a vision of God in Christ in this place.

Our mission and ministry together has been important since the inception of St. Clement's, and it will continue to be important for generations to come. We were created out of a void -- and we continue to create and hone our mission and ministry to fill the voids in this world.

Thank you for being part of Ole's dream!

Big Celebration

We're gearing up to celebrate our 80th Anniversary at the parish!

What a great event! October 4th (Sunday) we'll celebrate by having just ONE service, and lots of celebrating we'll do: St. Francis Day, our 80th Anniversary in San Clemente, our 20th year of doing Latino Ministry, and our Stewardship Sunday! Whew!!! LOTS of good stuff happening!

I think about all of the ministry done over the last 80 years-- we've had along history of service in this community -- and that is a great blessing.

The greatest blessing is all of you -- commited to mission and ministry in this place at this time. It is a blessing and an honor to serve as your Rector. You have taught me so much about what commitment and love mean -- and I am very grateful!!

Let's all come together on October 4th, celebrate all these great ministries and this milestone in our common life -- and commit overselves to continued mission and ministry in the years to come!

Post-Labor Day Musings....

When I was younger, it was Labor Day that marked the end of summer -- all the white was put away, purses (or, as I knew them, pocketbooks) were changed out from summer bags to fall baga, and sweaters were pulled out of the closet.

Well, living in Southern California with the temperatures still hovering in the low 80's it's hard to think that summer is over!

I knew something was different yesterday when the number of cars on the road were much greater than in other weeks throughout the summer -- families are back from various vacations, and for some school has started, and for others will start soon.

As we enter the autumn season -- no matter what the weather is, the gospel is the same -- while we may change our outer clothes to reflect the change of the season, our hearts should always be pointed in the same direction -- towards our Lord and Savior. This does not change -- our inner nature, while always evolving as we continue our journey of faith is clothed in the same garments always -- the garments of love!!!