Deans' Note
January 17, 2021
While we prepare for the inauguration of our new president, Joseph Biden, in the midst of incredible national tensions, what an inspiration to know we celebrate a true prophet and patriot this weekend in the person of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King's steady visionary appeal to justice and love grounded on the solid rock of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a model for all of us disciple citizens.
In a time when bitter divisions and hate-filled rhetoric exist all around us, Dr. King warned us against worshipping the God of hate and showed us the more excellent way St. Paul also saw in the thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians. Yet he always held in tension the need to use power and love in the cause of justice: “Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love,” he wrote.
So this weekend, celebrate with us at St. John's as we remember Dr. King at 11:00 am on Sunday morning January 17, with a sermon by our own Deacon Margaret McCauley. There are also two other events we highly encourage you to attend digitally: the Annual diocesan MLK event featuring a keynote address by priest and former police officer Gayle Fisher-Stewart, at 4 p.m. on Saturday, January 16; and "Martin Luther King Jr. – Beloved Community as Fantasy or Genuine Possibility," a "Talk 2 Talk" teleconferencing event presented by the Union of Black Episcopalians (UBE) on Sunday, Jan. 17, 1 - 2 p.m. (PST). Our own Bishop Diane Bruce will be one of the panelists in this national conversation. More information on each of these events is available in this weekly update.
During St. John's celebration of Black History month, join our social witness committee as we explore Bishop Andrew Doyle's book Citizen: Faithful Discipleship in a Partisan World (the next session is Tuesday, January 26 at 7:00 pm). On Sunday morning, February 7 at our 11:00 mass for the Feast of Absalom Jones, welcome the Rev. Canon Jordan Casson, Rector of St. Michael's Episcopal Church in Yeadon, PA as our guest preacher.
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Martin Luther King Sunday starts our celebration of
Black History Month and continues through our celebration of Absalom Jones on February 7.
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“Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community”
Saturday, January 16, at 4 pm
A Diocesan digital commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, keynoted by the Rev. Gayle Fisher-Smith, author and former police officer, via diocesan Facebook page and YouTube channel. All are welcome!
“Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community” is the event theme, drawn from the title of King’s last book, published in 1969.
The event is sponsored by the Diocese’s Program Group on Black Ministries and the H. Belfield Hannibal Chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians. Planners include Bishop Suffragan Diane M. Jardine Bruce, Canon Suzanne Edwards Acton, the Rev. Guy Leemhuis, the Rev. Margaret McCauley, Stacey Forte-Dupré, Melissa Hayes, Pamm Land, Melissa Hayes and Canon Chas Cheatham, director of the Episcopal Chorale, which will supply music for the program
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Martin Luther King Jr – Beloved Community as Fantasy or Genuine Possibility
Sunday, January 17, 2021 at 1 pm (PST)
Join us for Talk 2 Talk, UBE’s forty-five-minute video teleconferencing event plus Q&A that promises to inform, equip, and inspire.
On this eve of honoring the life, work, and dream of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we gather leaders in the Episcopal Church who are challenged with pursuing God’s Beloved Community as part of the vision of Presiding Bishop Michael Curry. We will examine emerging threats to achieving the Beloved Community and why black and brown bodies still should embrace hope. Registration required.
Guest Panelists include:
Rt. Rev. Shannon MacVean-Brown
Rt. Rev. Diane M. Jardine Bruce
Rt. Rev. Deon Kevin Johnson
Rt. Rev. Phoebe Roaf
How to access the meeting:
Register in advance for this meeting:
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Receipt of the confirmation email can take up to 24 hours. The meeting is powered by Zoom.
“Talk 2 Talk” takes place every third Sunday at 4:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. Starting time subject to change. For information on upcoming topics or to suggest a topic and/or speaker, contact the UBE headquarters by emailing [email protected]. We ask that you please not post or publish any flyer with meeting password information to social media or on websites for the sake of security.
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Book Study
Next Meeting: Tuesday, January 26, 2021 at 7 pm
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.
We will be discussing the first four chapters at our next meeting on Tuesday, January 26, 2021, at 7 pm via Facebook Live.
You can get a copy of the book on Amazon available in paper and Kindle versions.
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Christian Education
Sunday at 9:30 am
on Facebook Live
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"The Beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ"
Reading the Gospel of Mark as Disciples of Jesus
Week 2
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St. John's Annual Meeting and Vestry Nominees |
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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
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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.
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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.
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Online Services
Services will continue to be streamed on our Facebook page here. Sunday morning mass 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.
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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!
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