~ E p i s c o p a l ~

Deans' Note
January 10, 2021

This week our nation experienced a crisis demonstrating both the fragility and resilience of our democratic structures. The possibility that our very government might have been subverted by a violent mob was real, and yet the immediate crisis was averted and the people's work continued to secure the transition of power to a new administration later this month.

This experience should chasten every citizen, but Christians especially must newly commit to serving as light and salt in our cities, states, and nation. Many serious questions arise from the events of January 6th, also the Feast of the Epiphany in which the light of Christ shines in the darkness of the world. How do we address the anger, fear, and divisiveness that have brought us to this moment? How do we dismantle systemic racism? How do we as citizens of heaven show the more excellent way of love, through our lives and words as citizens of our nation? These are only a few of the things we must consider in the future days and even years.

It is a happy coincidence of the Holy Spirit that we will begin a book study of Bishop Andrew Doyle's, Citizen: Faithful Discipleship in a Partisan World, this Tuesday, January 8, at 7:00 pm. Bishop Doyle guides us through questions of what civic virtue looks like for Christians and how some Christians have gone off track by embracing a civic religion that neglects the prophetic justice at the heart of the Gospel.

You will find a Zoom link at St. John's community group on Facebook, or you can simply listen in via the public St. John's page. Please come join us as we begin this conversation at a critical time for us as citizens.

St. John's Annual Meeting and Vestry Nominees

Our annual meeting will take place on Sunday, January 31, 2021, from
12 pm-1 pm via Zoom. It is important for all members in good standing to attend the Annual Meeting, this year via Zoom. Because of the difficulties of taking ballots on Zoom, however, those who attend will be asked to select the slate of four nominees proposed by the Vestry


THE NOMINEES

I'm Hamilton Yang (age 33).
During my Christian formation, I was struck by Jesus's vision of justice and how His kingdom is good news to the poor and oppressed. Growing up in an affluent suburb in Orange County, California, I had little idea of what Jesus was talking about. After graduating from UC Irvine (BA, Philosophy), I moved to Los Angeles with a group of other like-minded Christians who were exploring a ministry model where we would live and work alongside those we were ministering to. As a local resident and lay minister, I've witnessed firsthand how economic inequality, inhumane immigration policies, under-investment in schools and social services, lack of environmental protections, food insecurity, and many other issues manifest in the lives of people who live around St. John's. My hope for St John’s is that we can be a community which reflects God’s goodness and justice for our neighbors in Los Angeles. Professionally, I work as a Product Manager in technology companies, where I lead large, multi-disciplinary teams to build and launch new products and offerings, and manage the long-term product strategy and roadmap. Although I'm of Chinese descent and an immigrant, I've lost much of my proficiency with the Chinese language. 
My name is Jenna Kyle, I am an attorney and I am 37 years old. I currently serve on the Foundation Board of the Episcopal Church at Cornell where I went to law school. That board is responsible for making financial decisions as they relate to the church's endowment. I am in the choir at St. John's and I love the community of folks here. I also participate in the food pantry and have found that to be so gratifying especially during the pandemic when so many families are finding themselves in need of assistance for the first time. I am multiracial and especially sensitive to issues of diversity and inclusion. I have worked for two large civil rights organizations and with affinity student groups in law school. I believe that my background would be valuable to our work at St. John's Cathedral. Over the next five years, I would love to see St. John's engaging even more with the community in various ways. I think our work over the summer with the Social Witness Committee was so vital in doing this and needs to be continued. I would also like to see more opportunities for Christian education or education series. And finally, more programs for the children of St. John's to help them grow in Christ. Thank you for your consideration.
My name is Arnie Ree, 63 years young. I am a Senior Materials Specialist at Orange County Industrial Plastics. Having been a lifelong Episcopalian, I was pleased to discover St. John’s almost nine years ago when looking for a new church home. Since our first visit, it was a done deal that this is where we wanted to be. My wife Martha and I were married at St. John’s shortly after and have actively participated in church life in many ways ever since.  I have served as President of the Men’s Group of St. Johns. I have been a member of the Hospitality Committee for a several years organizing many parish events and social activities such as the Harvest Dinner, receptions after special services and many, many other events. I have served as a member of the Altar Guild, specializing in metal polishing! Many of you may recognize me as an usher, having served for years at regular services and special events. My outgoing personality helps to create a welcoming warmth to any and all.  The broad spectrum of these experiences gives me a very good overview of church life at St. John’s. As a vestry member I can bring this perspective to upcoming and ongoing considerations and decisions. My communication and people skills used for years of success in business and sales will help with discussions of all kinds of issues. My years of negotiating contracts with my knowledge of design and building materials will be especially useful for our upcoming development project. 
My name is Matthew Jimenez, I am a middle school teacher and father of a brand new baby girl, Elisa. I asked to be on the vestry because I am committed to the mission of the church, and would love to help the church reach out to it's community. The particular skill that might help lead the parish in vestry matters stems from my service in education. As a teacher, we must make decisions that can impact the course of a given year or implement curriculum. Part of such decision making requires being able to work well with others. Oftentimes, such decisions require listening, understanding, and, yes, compromise. I believe I can help contribute to the future vision of the Cathedral is by helping the Cathedral reach out to other parishes that may provide opportunities to parishioners to put their faith into practice. As St. James tells us, “For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead” (James 2:26 NABRE). Therefore, I could help create some relationships with surrounding churches to help grant those parishioners who desire to practice their faith in a real and relevant way.
Thinking Christian(ly):
A New Semester of education begins this week!

Ongoing engagement of our minds and hearts is key to our life in Christ so that we think "Christianly". As Episcopalians, we grapple seriously with serious questions of faith. We are thinking Christians. Come join us for these Winter Term opportunities:

"The Beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ"
Reading the Gospel of Mark as Disciples of Jesus

During this year, our Gospel readings in the liturgy come primarily from the Gospel of Mark, so what better time to explore this Gospel in depth. Most importantly, how does the first and shortest Gospel form and challenge us as disciples of Jesus.

Starting this Sunday, January 10, at 9:30 am, through February 14.

Black History Month
Martin Luther King Sunday starts our celebration of Black History Month and it continues through our celebration of Absalom Jones on February 7.
Part of our study for
Black History Month
Starting Tuesday, January 12 at 7 pm
on Facebook Live

How can we disciples of Jesus exercise our national citizenship grounded in our primary identity as citizens of heaven? That is the crucial question Bishop Andrew Doyle asks in his recent book Citizen: Faithful Discipleship in a Partisan World. Fr. Mark will lead a conversation in a book study sponsored by our Social Witness Committee beginning this coming Tuesday, January 12 at 7:00 pm. and every other Tuesday for the next several weeks.

In a time of unprecedented conflict in our nation, we as Christians and American citizens have a vocation and an obligation to bring the vision of God's kingdom to the work of (re)building our nation and living in our city. Come join this crucial conversation as to how we live out our vocation in our day.
The book is available from the Church Publishing website, other booksellers, or Amazon.

Basic Christian Formation
Starting Saturday, January 16, 2021 at 10 am
Every year we offer an adult education on the basics of the Christian faith. This class will help in your understanding of the Christian message especially as we experience it in the Episcopal Church. The class begins by telling the basic story of our creation, sin and exile, restoration, and new life that is shot through the pages of the Bible. Then we explore what it means to be a disciple of Jesus in our daily lives. 
Anyone who is invited to participate, especially anyone who has never been baptized seeks to enter the Episcopal Church, or wants to re-examine their faith in fresh ways.

In addition to the Bible, Fr. Mark’s book Traveling Home: Tracking Your Way through the Spiritual Wilderness will guide the sessions of the class.

For the first time, the class will meet on Saturday mornings beginning January 16, 10:00 -11:30 via Zoom. The culmination of the class is typically Holy Week and the Easter Vigil, but with the Pandemic, we will explore other options for Baptism and Confirmation as the time gets closer.

If you would like to sign up for the classes please email us your information at churchoffice@stjohnsla.org and a zoom invitation link will be sent out to you. It is important that participants are actually active in the zoom class.

If you don't want to participate but would like to learn more about the Christian faith you can still watch the classes live on Facebook.

Food Finders
We're pleased to announce our new partnership with "Food Finders:" an LA based organization that's focused on rescuing food and reducing food waste, distributing up to 22,000 meals worth of perishable food daily to students and families living below the poverty line. Visit foodfinders.org to learn more.


Food Pantry
January 16, 2021 @ 8:30 am

The Food Pantry is the third Saturday of every month, where we help families in the community by providing them with fresh produce and canned food. You can give your support to the food pantry by clicking here.
Let's Connect
We might be social distancing, but that doesn't mean we can't connect with our community. Follow us on social media for announcements, services, special content, live discussions and prayers.

Like us, tag us, share us with friends & family.

#StJohnsLA #StJohnsLACares

Online Services

Services will continue to be streamed on our Facebook page here. Sunday morning prayer is at 11:00 a.m. and Sunday night compline is at 8:00 p.m. on the 1st and 3rd Sunday. Tuesday and Thursday evening prayer are at 6:30 p.m., also on the Facebook page. The Sunday services are also uploaded to YouTube.
Online Giving

Giving is still important to the operation of the church in these interesting times. You can give online through our website donation platform here, or by the mobile version Give Plus on Android or iPhone. Checks made out to "St. John's Church" may be mailed to Clergy House; reply to this email for the address. You can also text STJOHNSLA to 44321 for a text-to-give option!