K N OX N E W S

K n o x P r es b y t e r i a n C hu rc h M ar c h / A p r i l 2 018

Praying with the Monks

Part of me longs to be a monk. Not an especially large part, mind you. A much
larger part of me is quite delighted to be married, have a daughter, pastor a
congregation, and be fully engaged in the daily life of a city like Pasadena. But, I
find aspects of monastic life attractive. I look at a monk’s immersion in prayer and
see the kind of inspiring dedication an Olympic athlete has toward their sport.
Monks offer an intriguing answer to the question: what would it look like if you
truly filled each day with prayer?
Some men from Knox visited Saint Andrew’s Abbey on retreat earlier this month,
and joined some Benedictine monks for daily prayers. The abbey is not only home
to some 20 monks, but has a retreat center where visitors can stay right near the monastic quarters in the high desert of
Valyermo. The daily prayer services or “offices” include Vigils at 6 am, Lauds at 7:30, Mass at noon, Vespers at 6 pm, and
Compline at 8:30. The Carthusian monks add to that daily rhythm Matins at midnight, Terce at 10 am, and None at 2 pm.
At each service, held in the abbey’s small sanctuary, scripture is read, verbal prayers
are offered, time is spent in silence, and five biblical psalms are chanted. As the great
prayer book of the Bible, the Psalms provides the bulk of the words a monk will pray
daily. By reciting five psalms at each prayer service, a monk will have prayed every
one of the 150 biblical psalms by the end of every week. No wonder many monks
have memorized them all.
One of the monks, Father Patrick, spoke to our group of how prayer was the central
work of monks. Yes, he noted, there are daily chores to be done, meals to be
prepared, facilities to be cared for, and programs to be run. But prayer forms the
heart of a monk’s life. By praying daily for the community, the nation, and the world,
monks believe they are making a valuable contribution. And by such immersion in prayer, they experience rich
communion with God and one another.
My soul was nourished by my time at the abbey. Still, I drove home glad I was not a monk.
As we have looked as a congregation at Jesus’s life of prayer in Mark’s gospel, we see our Lord often retreating to the
desert or mountains for prayer. But he does not remain there. The bulk of his time is spent in the villages, towns, and
cities where he goes preaching, teaching, healing, feeding the hungry, and casting out evil. I appreciate the long tradition
in the church, dating back to the desert fathers and mothers, of retreating to the wilderness to pursue a life of prayer. But
I find the rhythm of our Lord’s life leads me not only toward solitude
and prayer. It calls me to deep engagement with the world, and to
strive to be salt and light within it.
In This Issue
Wishing you a rich sense of God’s presence in your work and in your Lenten Prayers (2) Class of 2019 Elders (3)
prayers this Lent,
Holy Week (2) Recent Events (4)
Pastor Matt
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Lenten Prayer Wreath

During this season of Lent, we have the opportunity to practice different forms of prayer
using an art piece. Tom McGuinness and Jeff Riddell have created two prayer wreaths in
our Sanctuary. These wreathes have been our canvas for practicing prayer. On Ash
Wednesday, we tied knots in twine representing our prayers that God’s kingdom would
come on earth as it is in heaven. The first Sunday of Lent, we tied ashy gray fabric to the
ribbons to represent our practice of turning away from sin and turning toward God. On
Sunday, March 4, following Communion we tied our ACTS prayers to the wreathes
(Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication.) May we be inspired to
reimagine our practice of prayer and may God meet us in the midst of our prayers.
Pastor Ally

Holy Week 2018

On the last Sunday of Lent, March 25 at 10:00 am, we will remember
Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem with shouts of Hosanna and the
waving of palm branches. We will also look ahead to the events of Holy
Week. Adults and children’s choirs will participate in the worship
service. During our time of offering on Palm Sunday, we will collect a
special offering for the One Great Hour of Sharing. These funds will go
to support Presbyterian disaster relief ministries, hunger programs, and
the work of the Self-Development of People committee.

Between the grief of Good Friday and the joy of Easter,
there is a time of waiting. As we wait, we struggle to listen
for God’s voice and to hold on to God’s promises. Join us for
a Holy Saturday service where we will remind each other of
these promises and listen together. The service will take
place in the Atrium at 1:00 pm on Saturday, March 31.
Following this service, all are invited to help prepare the
church for Easter morning.
On March 29, we will gather together at 6:00 pm
to share a meal. After the meal, at 7:00 pm, the
adults and youth will move to the sanctuary for a
Tenebrae service— “A Service of Shadows.”
Children in first grade through fourth grade will
meet for a separate program in the Atrium.
Childcare will be available for children in
Kindergarten and younger.

On Easter morning, April 1, we will celebrate the resurrection of our

Lord Jesus Christ. Our adult choir, ensemble, and guest musicians will
lead our music. Easter lilies will fill our Sanctuary in honor and memory
of loved ones. Following the worship service, we invite everyone to
gather on the patio for a Potluck Brunch. Sign-ups for items will be
available before and after the worship service. Please sign up to bring
pastries, fruit, or juice to share with 8 to 10 people. Children are
invited to participate in an egg hunt on our lawn after the service.
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Meet Knox’s Elder Class of 2019

Ruling Elders are elected for a three year term to provide leadership for the Congregation
in vision, governance, and ministry.

Angie Riley
Angie and her husband, Anthony, have been a part of Knox for five years. They have two
children, Eliana (6) and Micah (4). Angie served for a time on the worship committee and
currently chairs the congregational life committee. Angie and Anthony have taught Sunday
School for 2nd to 4th graders this year. Anthony and Angie met at Ohio State University and
moved to California for Anthony to serve in the United States Marine Corps. Eight years later,
Anthony continues to serve as a reservist and is nearing the completion of a PhD from Fuller.
Angie recently went back to work at Caltech in the office for the department of Applied Physics
and Material Science. Their family loves to camp and has enjoyed many of the gorgeous and soul-
restoring landscapes California has to offer! Fun Fact: Angie enjoys brewing kombucha at home.

Steve Wiebe
Steve and his wife Jenni came to Knox in 2015. They have three children, Alexis, Michaela, and
Owen. Steve chairs the outreach committee and serves on the missions committee. Steve is
certified ready as a candidate for ordination in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). He earned his
PhD in Theology from Fuller. Steve is the Executive Director of New Vision Partners, an
interfaith organization focused on youth and religious leaders in Los Angeles and Orange
counties. In addition to his work with New Vision partners, Steve is also the co-founder and
Executive Director of Neighborhood Urban Family Center, which offers after school programs
for elementary students in Pasadena. In addition, Steve is an adjunct professor of Theology at
Azusa Pacific University and author of Christian Theology in a Pluralistic Context (2007). Fun Fact: Steve likes the outdoors -
hiking, biking, skiing, surfing - enjoying the beauty of God's creation is always fun!

Jess Wong
Moving from Durham, NC, where she lived for nine years, Jess encountered the Knox
community on the first Sunday of her first week in LA in 2015 and has been here ever since. Jess
chairs the youth committee and has served as both a Wednesday night youth leader and a
Sunday morning Branch Sunday School teacher. Jess Wong is an assistant professor of
systematic theology at Azusa Pacific University. She completed her PhD in religious studies in
the area of ethics and Christian theology at Duke University. She also has an MDiv from Duke
Divinity School. Jess is passionate about issues of social injustice and spent a summer in South
Africa helping to organize a refugee center following the outbreak of xenophobic violence in
2008. Fun Fact: Jess comes from a family of circus royalty—trapeze artists called The Flying Behees who were with
Barnum and Bailey Circus.

Jae Kim
Jae and his wife Karen have been attending Knox since moving to the Pasadena area in 2011.
They have 3 daughters – Eliza (10), Maya (7), and Nora (4), who also love coming to Knox and
not just for the communion bread. Karen teaches Sunday school and sings in the choir. Jae
serves on the worship committee and previously served on the youth committee and
children’s committee. He has volunteered as a youth leader on Wednesday nights and is a
confirmation mentor. Jae works as a cardiothoracic surgeon at City of Hope, specializing in
cancer surgery. Fun Fact: Jae did musical theater in college, and he loves the SF Giants.
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Knox’s Largest
New Member’s Branch Winter
Class Retreat at
& Forest Home
Baptism of February 2-4
Miriam James

Knox’s First Men’s Retreat at St. Andrews Abbey, People of a Certain Age Visit to the
February 26-27 Autry Museum, February 17

Knox’s First Women’s Retreat at Murrieta Hot Springs, February 9-11

Knox Presbyterian Church

225 South Hill Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91106
Telephone: (626) 449-2144
Email: office@knoxpasadena.org

For more information about upcoming events or to listen to past sermons visit us at www.knoxpasadena.org