History of St. Aidan’s Church, Malibu
St.
Aidan's was founded in 1956 as a mission church of St. Augustine's parish
in nearby Santa Monica. The parish purchased a unique hillside site
in Malibu overlooking the Pacific, and then a small group of people
who had previously gathered to worship in donated spaces such as seaside
bars and restaurants broke ground and began building St. Aidan’s
Episcopal Church.
St. Aidan's was a parochial mission of St. Augustine's for twenty years under three Vicars. The first of these, Father Jack Cowan, guided the mission from its founding until 1961. During the years of his ministry the small mission named for St. Aidan grew.
With the arrival in 1961 of the Reverend Eldin Lougee, who was deeply committed to church education, St. Aidan’s School was established, a new building constructed, and an extensive library collected. During his years the congregation continued to grow and prosper, and looked forward to achieving parish status. Father Lougee was sorely missed when he was called to establish Episcopal schools in the Virgin Islands in 1968.
In 1968 the Reverend Rex Brolyes was appointed Vicar by the Rector of St. Augustine’s and remained for almost ten years until 1978, when St. Aidan’s became a mission of the Los Angeles Diocese. Bishop Robert Rusack then appointed the Reverend Charles Weidemann as Vicar. Sadly, Father Chuck, who did valiant work in keeping the mission active, died in 1982.
In December 1982 Bishop Rusack appointed the Reverend Gary Hall as our new Vicar. The six-and-a-half years of his tenure were a time of significant growth and development for St. Aidan’s. Enthusiastic about the state of the mission and its prospects for further growth, members began the construction of a new vicarage, continued the improvement of the buildings and grounds, purchased a pipe organ and increased the overall budget. The congregation also expanded the Sunday School and youth programs.
Reverend Susan Klein assumed the post of Vicar in April of 1989. Moving into our newly constructed Vicarage with her family, Reverend Klein began invigorating the parish with her energy and imagination while inspiring us with her sermons. Under her ministry we became a Parish in 1996 and established the fully-accredited St. Aidan’s Preschool.
In September of 2004 Reverend Klein accepted the call to be the Fourth Rector of St. Alban's Episcopal Church in Westwood, California near the UCLA campus.
For a year after Reverend Klein’s departure from our parish, Saint Aidan’s was faithfully led by our interim priest, Reverend Faye Hogan. During that year, the parish initiated a self-study to highlight the opportunities and challenges we faced as we continued our work and ministry in Malibu. At the end of this self-study, the Vestry, under the leadership of our Senior Warden, appointed a search committee to identify a priest to lead us into that future. From January to May of 2005, the search committee considered more than fifty candidates from all over the United States for the position as parish priest at Saint Aidan’s. At the end of that process, the committee forwarded the names of three finalists to the vestry, which in turn interviewed each of the candidates and selected Joyce Stickney as the priest of our church. Throughout this process, both the vestry and the search committee benefited from the insights and experiences of staff at the diocesan office.
Not only was the church thrilled with the selection of Joyce as our priest, but everyone involved was pleasantly surprised to complete the entire process in just over one year. Rev. Joyce has been a joyful addition to the community of St. Aidan’s and has proven to be a worthy successor to Susan. The congregation is looking forward to her continued leadership in the coming years.
 Lon Porter & Jim McGee 2006 Sr. and Jr. Warden |
St. Aidan’s hit the ground running in 2006 and under Rev. Joyce’s
energetic guidance, marked its 50th Anniversary
with a yearlong series of celebrations. The kick-off event, “History
Day”, was held in May at the Parish Hall. Approximately forty
parishioners, including founding members of the church and those who
arrived in subsequent decades, spent a pleasant Saturday reflecting
on St. Aidan’s past fifty years. Several weeks later, Reverend
Joyce hosted a New Member brunch at the rectory, and the parish welcomed
10 new families to the St. Aidan’s community.
At
the end of May, a work group of the hale and hearty designed and built
an arbor for the west side of the sanctuary. The arbor was painted in
June and now does a wonderful job of sheltering Sunday worshippers from
the bright morning sun.
In
July many St. Aidan’s families turned for a “Movie Under
the Stars” screening of Paradise,
Texas, directed by parishioner Lorraine Senna. Jeff Kramer, one
of Malibu’s first mayors, hosted the event at his home on Point
Dume. Picnic fare, popcorn, blankets on the grass, a lightning show
in the distance and a great film made this a memorable evening.
 Bishop Chester Talton |
In September the parish community celebrated the installation of Reverend Joyce Stickney, as the seventh vicar/rector of St. Aidan’s. Processing in to the sound of bag pipes playing in the distance, Bishop Chester Talton presided over a stirring service, which included the presentation of gifts to Reverend Joyce, representing each of St. Aidan’s many ministries.
Following the service, clergy, family members and parishioners continued
the celebration at a candlelight reception with dinner, dancing and
a live band.
In November the annual parish Stewardship Dinner was held at The Sunset Restaurant overlooking beautiful Zuma Beach. After a wonderful meal, Reverend Hartshorn Murphy, rector of St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church in Santa Monica provided a moving presentation on the importance of giving. The evening was capped off by a fun raffle that raised money for the church with prizes provided by local businesses. The following weekend, the SABEL play festival kicked-off at the Malibu Stage Company. After a two-year hiatus, SABEL was back with six new one-act plays, each with a moral lesson. Talented writers, actors and directors collaborated to put on the festival and which throughout its run played to sell-out crowds.
St. Aidan’s fiftieth anniversary was also celebrated with a small capital campaign, launched in June 2006. Two large, and many smaller contributions to the 50th Anniversary Campaign helped the fund achieve 90% of its $50,000 goal within 6 months. Solicitations for the campaign will continue until June 2007 or until the $50,000 goal is reached. Early in 2007 the fund was put to use for the renovation of restrooms in the Parish Hall. Other building and landscape renovations are planned for 2007.
Please click on this link if you would like to make a contribution to the 50th Anniversary Campaign.
The Community of St. Aidan’s
To quote one of our members:
“St. Aidan’s Church is a modest structure that sits on a hill at 28211 W. Pacific Coast Highway overlooking Paradise Cove and the blue Pacific Ocean beyond. "As glorious as the view might be what is most special about our ‘little village church’ isn’t the setting. It’s the people who come together in this place as a concerned and devoted parish, to worship and celebrate, to console and be consoled, to mourn, to encourage and assist, and sometimes just to have fun. There are all kinds of people, all ages, from all walks of life. The common bond we share is simple. It’s love. Love for God and love for each other.”
Our current Rector, the Rev. Joyce Stickney, often concludes her sermons with the following admonition:
"Life is short and we do not have much time to gladden the hearts of those who journey the way with us. So be swift to love and make haste to be kind."
Nothing expresses the spirit of St. Aidan's better than those simple words. Come and worship with us. All are welcome at Christ's table.
