St. Francis - ISM

St. Francis - ISM St. Francis ISM is an independent Anglican Rite ministry established in 2016. Weekly mass is livestreamed on FB and YouTube on Sundays, 1030 am (PST). Timothy G.

Francis (ISM) is an emergent church located in Phelan, Calif., that welcomes people from all walks of life regardless of religious affiliation, race, gender, sexual orientation, or nationality. Francis (ISM) was founded by the Rev. Warren, pastor. Originally an outreach ministry of the Episcopal Church, St. Francis became an independent ministry Jan. 2016. Currently, we live stream mass every Sund

ay morning at 10:30am (PST). Special celebrations on holy days are announced in advance. WHO WE ARE

The following terms best describe who and what we are at St Francis:

INDEPENDENT: We recognize the three-fold ministry of deacons, priests and bishops. We are an independent parish in communion with other independent parishes and ministries with episcopal support and guidance. PROGRESSIVE: We hold Scripture, Tradition and Reason in equal importance. We are not biblical literalists nor do we believe in biblical inerrancy. Nevertheless, we believe that Scripture contains God's message to his people. We look to the traditions of the Early Church and the Didache to guide us in our worship and liturgy. We believe God wants us to engage with him not only on a spiritual level, but intellectually as well. We are committed to a Social Gospel message and the emphasis of Liberation Theology. SACRAMENTAL: We believe in the 7 Sacraments of the Church. LITURGICAL: We worship God through liturgy. We are primarily an Anglican Rite community based on the liturgies found in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. INCLUSIVE: We believe that Christ died for ALL the world. We welcome ALL who come and worship with us regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, gender identification, marital status, nationality, etc. We take literally Jesus' words, "As you have done to the least of these, so have you done to me."

06/14/2026

ST FRANCIS (ISM)
Third Sunday After Pentecost
14 June 2026

Visit St Francis ISM on FB and YouTube, Like, Subscribe, and Share! St Francis is an independent Anglican Rite virtual media ministry with more than 21,500 followers. St Francis ISM is a ministry of The St Francis Foundation.

06/12/2026

A response to the SBC ruling on women clergy

The Southern Baptist Church (SBC) recently voted to disaffiliate congregations who accept women clergy. This recent ruling has garnered a lot of response from the public.

The thing about the Baptist tradition, it is not limited to the SBC. While the SBC is the largest Evangelical and largest Baptist denomination in the US with 12.3 million members, there are 15-20 million other baptists ranging from conservative to liberal churches. Several Baptist groups do ordain women.

The SBC isn’t the only denomination that doesn’t ordain women. Sadly, American Christianity is woefully patriarchal and misogynistic - a reflection of our culture at large. We have a lot of work to do in order to make gender equality a reality. As long as we minimize the role of women in the public sector and in the home, we will continue to minimize all minority groups.

06/12/2026

God does not will suffering, but all living organisms are subject to suffering. God does not will natural disasters, but our planet can be violent and dangerous. God does not will the death of anyone, but we will all die. We live in constant tension between life and death, but we have our being in God, who is Being. As Paul wrote, to live is Christ and to die is gain. As long as we have breath, let us live life to the fullest.

06/10/2026

I believe in God, yet I have no issue with those who don’t. God’s existence can neither be proven nor disproven. I struggle with understanding that which we call “God” as I attempt to avoid anthropomorphizing God. St Aquinas is extremely helpful. He posited that God is not a being, but that God is Being in whom we have our being. Scripture states that we live, and move, and have our being in God. God is that universal presence, the source of all that exists.

06/07/2026

ST FRANCIS (ISM)
Second Sunday After Pentecost
7 June 2026

Visit St Francis ISM on FB and YouTube, Like, Subscribe, and Share! St Francis is an independent Anglican Rite virtual media ministry with more than 21,500 followers. St Francis ISM is a ministry of The St Francis Foundation.

06/07/2026

I’m grateful that I was able to attend a “liberal” Episcopal seminary. Prior to attending, I spent about five years preparing by reading several scholarly books written by theologians who were well-versed in Biblical Literary Criticism. My rector at the time questioned my choices because they challenged his long-held beliefs. What made him feel uncomfortable made me feel ALIVE!

These writers challenged me to think in ways I was never told I could think before. Is Jesus God? Is hell a real place? Is the Bible “God’s word?” Is the Bible inerrant and meant to be taken literally? What’s the difference between religion and faith? Is Jesus the “only” way, or does that verse mean something different? The Bible became revolutionary, alive, an evolving revelation that challenged my world view in a new way. And then I discovered Liberation Theology!!!! OMG, suddenly the Magnificat jumped from the pages and slapped me upside my head and yelled, “Wake up!” Matthew 25’s the Parable of the Sheep and Goats became more than a parable, it was a calling, a spiritual imperative.

I lasted three years in my parish after I was ordained before being kicked out. My passion for “the least of these” did not sit well with the affluent white members, especially in 2016. I was no longer willing to preach feel-good sermons as some demanded. They said my sermons made them uncomfortable, some even guilty, for being rich. As a result, our diocesan bishop removed me from ministry and I boldly went into independent ministry. Today I run a nonprofit religious organization that serves poor students in the Philippines.

People can’t handle the truth, to borrow a famous line from the movies. Too many aren’t ready to have their worlds shaken to the foundation, their beliefs challenged, their world views critiqued. They want comfort, to feel good about themselves, and to feel secure in their white privilege. So I left all that behind and forged a new path, took the leap, and followed my passion that was ignited in my “liberal” seminary.

05/31/2026

ST FRANCIS (ISM)
Trinity Sunday
31 May 2026

Visit St Francis ISM on FB and YouTube, Like, Subscribe, and Share! St Francis is an independent Anglican Rite virtual media ministry with more than 21,500 followers. St Francis ISM is a ministry of The St Francis Foundation.

05/24/2026

ST FRANCIS (ISM)
Pentecost Sunday
24 May 2026

Visit St Francis ISM on FB and YouTube, Like, Subscribe, and Share! St Francis is an independent Anglican Rite virtual media ministry with more than 21,500 followers. St Francis ISM is a ministry of The St Francis Foundation.

05/08/2026

SITTING IN SILENCE
Rev Timothy Warren +

I took a break from doing my weekly reels to refresh my mind. There’s so much going on in the world as well as in my personal life that I needed to take time and reflect. It’s times like these that I appreciate living in a rural area surrounded by the High Desert of Southern California where I can sit in silence.

I am reminded that we cannot control the actions of others, but we can control how we respond. When people attack us, threaten us, and attempt to defame us with gossip we can lash out and attack back, or we can center ourselves, sit in silence and listen to hear what God has to say. When the time is right, God gives us the perfect response. Silence is often the best defense.

When it comes to world events, worry and anxiety do nothing to change the situation, but it does rob us of our peace and joy. We should be engaged in the political process, strive to remain informed, and work to bring positive change, but we cannot become so consumed with things beyond our control that we lose our peace of mind. Silence is often the best response.

When we sit in silence we can block out the noise of those who attack us and the drumbeat of war around the world. Sitting in silence doesn’t mean we don’t care; it is necessary in order to respond from a position of strength, not emotion and fear. Silence allows us to become centered in a noisy world filled with voices competing for our attention. In the silence we can hear the small, still voice of the Lord.

May you find peace in the silence, and your hearts be renewed to face the challenges ahead. Peace isn’t an absence of conflict, but a state of being.

Address

Meetings: 5707 Goss Road
Phelan, CA
92371

Opening Hours

10:30am - 12pm

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