Grace Cathedral

In this “Year of the Gift” at the cathedral, June and July’s gift themes are Identity and Democracy. We celebrate these values by gathering together as individuals with a common faith and purpose. As we wrap up Pride month, we are grateful for all of our differences here at Grace and in the wider community.

Each Sunday in July, we’ll be featuring a different Episcopal church from the Diocese of California on the cover of our Sunday bulletin. These images come from Bill Van Loo’s photographical project, “Looking Forward/Looking Back: Thirty Churches of the Episcopal Diocese of California.” Bill, who is a beloved congregant here at the cathedral, has generously allowed us to share his photos.

Looking at Bill’s photos, you can tell these churches are different in size and appearance, but there’s more: from St. John the Evangelist and its mission to serve fresh fruits and veggies to those living in the Mission district, to Church of Our Savior ministering to the community in Oakland’s Chinatown, to our very own cathedral on the hill with our labyrinths and yoga class — we bear differences that make us stronger forces for love and justice in this world.

In his introduction to the book, Bill writes, “At first glance, ‘Looking Forward/Looking Back’ documents an institution seemingly at odds with the innovative spirit of Silicon Valley: churches. But in many ways, these churches epitomize that spirit: all were constructed on faith, built for an unforeseeable future.”

We agree.