Spiritually Speaking:
As April winds to a close, I’m in need of stepping away from the divisiveness, both in the United States and around the world.
The Anti-Defamation League reports that between the Hamas attack in Israel on Oct. 7 and early January, there was a 361 percent increase in reported antisemitic incidents in the United States.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations reported 8,061 incidents in the United States in 2023, the most in the council’s 30 years in existence. Half of those incidents came in the final three months of last year.
That’s just the reported incidents linked at least partly to one incident as reported by two organizations.
It seems to me that for something that should be bringing us together, religion is often used by people to pull us further apart.
Collectively, we need time for reflection — whenever, wherever, and however we can find it. And we need to find ways to come together.
This year, more than ever, we need time to pause and hear ourselves think and perhaps find a spiritual center to our lives.
That’s one reason I’m glad that the annual prayer breakfast is coming on May 2 at the ReNew United Methodist Church at 699 Monterey Road in South Pasadena.
This year’s theme is “Sowing Peace: In Our Hearts, Our Homes and Our Community.”
For me, I’ll be there, looking for peace of mind.
“These are tumultuous times. It’s an election year, and even in our city, with the rise of social media, society is becoming more and more contentious,” said Pastor Sam Park, whose church is hosting the event that starts at 8 a.m.
“People are becoming more entrenched in their own beliefs and becoming more siloed. It’s timely that we do the best we can to bring the community together in a holistic fashion in a way that unites us rather than divides us,” Park said.
It’s the ninth prayer breakfast event, which has broken away from being labeled as a “city event.” That label did nothing but stir up feelings, and so now, city officials are invited, but the city does not sponsor or host the event — as is the case in Pasadena.
It has been held at churches, but prayers are given by clergy members from many faiths — Christian, Jewish and Muslim.
“We’re trying to bring people together,” Park said. “We want to promote prayer that helps people in their own lives and their own hearts.”
Religious institutions and their congregants are still coping and trying to understand how to continue the trends they saw during the COVID pandemic.
Park pointed to a spike in loneliness in society, which was accelerated by COVID.
“We know God is omnipresent and when we know God is there we know we are not alone. God is accessible to us,” Park said.
And how we worship changed during the pandemic when many places of worship went virtual. Many places of worship now have returned to in-person worship, but they also offer services — or Bible studies — online.
Some places of worship are trying to emphasize good works as well as attendance at services, since in some denominations in-person attendance have dropped, but the demand to serve other people has increased.
The prayer breakfast helps achieve that goal by collecting donations and encouraging sponsorships that go toward supporting charities such as City of Hope, End Family Fire and the Shower of Hope.
I’ve also found that the sessions feature some excellent speakers, some of whom are not clergy members, but who tell excellent stories about living a good life. I’ve heard in past years about mental health; a doctor talking about how his community rallied behind him and his colleagues during COVID.
This year’s keynote speaker is Mark Roberts, who is a senior strategist at Fuller Theological Seminary’s Max De Pree Center for Leadership.
Roberts is a Presbyterian pastor with extensive experience in church and nonprofit leadership. With a doctorate degree in New Testament from Harvard, Roberts is a professor at Fuller.
Roberts will speak in the ReNew sanctuary, and weather permitting, a breakfast of pastries, juice, coffee and tea will be served on the church patio.
About 150 people came to last year’s event, and donations went to local and regional charities. The recipients will be announced later this month, and the breakfasts have contributed about $40,000 since they began.
Time will be spent at the breakfast talking with each other, and not at each other. Each religious denomination in town often sends a representative to offer a prayer.
Park and I talked about how the online world can be a power for both good and bad today. Park noticed that online Bible studies attracted more people during the week, and it also can be beneficial to those who are unable to physically attend a service.
But, the online world can also be a place where people are pulled apart by anonymous criticisms.
“In this digital age, the internet can be a palpable tool,” Park said. “A knife in the hand of a surgeon can be a life-giving tool. It also can be a death tool. It has the potential for both good and for bad.”
—
In other spiritual news around town, Father Ricky Viveros, parish administrator of Holy Family Church, said that he and Deacon Joseph Cho will learn their new church assignments by July 1.
Bishop Albert Bahhuth returned to Holy Family earlier this month to celebrate the parish’s confirmation mass. Father Andrew Hedstrom will be leaving Holy Family on June 30, after three years at the Church on Fremont.
St. James’ Episcopal Church is holding its Spring Evensong — an Anglican service of sung prayer on Sunday, May 5. The choir will be showcased at the service, which begins at 5 p.m. in the church sanctuary.
First published in the April 26 print issue of the South Pasadena Review.
