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Weekly News Update

Deans' Note | June 13, 2021


Summer at St. John's has meant time for Adult Vacation Bible School and this year's program starts this Sunday at 10:30 am (See more specifics in this update). As you may know, last year the program was entirely on Zoom. This year we will have a hybrid Zoom/in-person mix. 


The Zoom platform last year helped us learn that we could gather scholars to present from across the country and Canada. This year, we are continuing that format to include presentations from four outstanding Biblical scholars addressing this year's biblical book and theme, The Man God Exalted: Reading David in II Samuel.


This Sunday, Fr. Mark will provide an orientation to the Books of Samuel and the David story. The authors of these stories write in stirring prose that have inspired authors, sculptors, artists, and musician from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes to William Faulkner; From Leonard Cohen to opera. Of course perhaps the most famous, the sculpture of David by Michaelangelo.


This epic story reveals a man who is chosen and anointed by God yet deeply flawed. We learn of a young man who was least favored to amount to anything, a youngest son and shepherd boy who became the greatest king of Israel and the ancestor of Jesus in the New Testament. Yet the power in these stories is the conflict and intrigue they present, the deep moral problems, as well as moments of literary power. 


Please join us either in person or online this Sunday. It will be another way we can all come back together to connect as God's people here at St. John's and begin this summer transition into our new post-covid future.


The Man God Exalted: Reading David in II Samuel

Adult Vacation Bible School

Starts Sunday, June 13, 2021, at 10:30 am

(In-person & Zoom Session)


Over several Sundays at 10:30 am, we will read Second Samuel, focusing on key scenes, prose, and poetry that have intrigued artists, writers, musicians, and religious thinkers across the generations. What light can history and archeology shed on what we know about David? Readings from this biblical book are part of our lectionary this summer, and our preachers will be invited to engage these texts during the Sunday sermons. 


The link will be shared on the St. John's Cathedral Community Facebook Group

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June 13, 2021

"Reading David"


We introduce the story of David in the Books of Samuel. How do we read these texts? What shaped them? How do they portray David? How can we enter these stories ourselves? This first class sets the stage and orients us to the weeks ahead. 


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June 20, 2021

"The Great Turning-Point: David, Bathsheba, and the Fall of the House of David."


Robert Alter, Professor in the Graduate School and Emeritus Professor of Hebrew and Comparative Literature at the University of California at Berkeley, where he has taught since 1967.  He is a scholar both of biblical literature and of contemporary fiction. His writing on the art of biblical narrative makes him one of the preeminent scholars of the Bible in our time. 



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July 4, 2021

“Her Side of the Story: Michal, daughter of Saul?”


Marti J. Steussy, MacAllister-Petticrew Professor of Biblical Interpretation emerita at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, is an ordained minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). She was a translator for the Common English Bible. She has written Samuel and His God and David: Biblical Portraits of Power, among her academic books, and is also the author of two science-fiction novels.


The link will be shared on the St. John's Cathedral Community Facebook Group

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July 11, 2021

"Excavating David?: The United Monarchy and the Archaeology of Israel" 


Erin Darby, associate professor of Early Judaism in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Tennessee. She specializes in the history, archaeology, and literature of ancient Israel and Jordan. Her research at the W. F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem and the American Center of Research in Amman, Jordan, has been supported by several competitive grants and fellowships. She is also the co-director of the 'Ayn Gharandal Archaeological Project in southern Jordan.



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July 25, 2021

"King David: An Overview"


Steven L. McKenzie, Professor of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and Spence L. Wilson Senior Research Fellow at Rhodes College in Memphis, TN. His research and teaching interests include the history of ancient Israel, the literature of the Hebrew Bible, Hebrew language and grammar, the Dead Sea Scrolls, methods of biblical interpretation, and archaeology. He has appeared on the Discovery and History channels and in radio interviews as a consultant on King David and on reading and interpreting the Bible. He is the author of King David: A Biography, among his many other published works.

Upcoming Events


Compline

June 13, 2021, at 7:00 pm

(In-person & Online)


Join us for Compline on Sunday, June 13 at 7 pm.

All vaccinated people are welcome to attend in person. Masks are required.


Watch on Facebook!

Watch on YouTube!

Living in the New Normal

w/ Martha Watson

June 23, 2021, at 7:00 pm

(Zoom Session)


You are invited to join us for another evening of conversation regarding the meaning of the last 15 months and how you see yourself moving forward. This will be a confidential ZOOM meeting. It will not be recorded for viewing in the future. The facilitator is Martha M. Watson, a member of this parish.


The link will be shared on the St. John's Cathedral Community Facebook Group

Food Pantry

June 19, 2021

from 8:30am-10:30am


Our food pantry is every third Saturday of the month. We help families in the community with canned goods and fresh produce.


If you know a senior who is homebound and might need food delivered, please contact Fr. Dan.

LGBTQ Pride Sunday

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Sunday, June 27, 2021, at 9 am

(In-person & Online)


This year Pride Sunday is June 27, 2021. Please join us as we will celebrate Pride Month starting at 9 am.

Music from the Trans Chorus and The Rev. Canon Susan Russell as guest preacher.

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Parish Brunches


As we continue the process of reopening the Cathedral for public worship and our common life together, the entire congregation is invited to a series of Parish Brunches held on Sunday, June 27, July 25, August 29, and September 19. Additional details to follow.



Community

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Book Bag Drive

We are now accepting donations for Book Bags that will be distributed to the children of our Food Pantry guests. If you would like to learn more or have questions you may contact us here.


To make a donation click on the donation button.

Make A Donation

Dinner & A Dose

St. Barnabas Senior Services and the California Department of Public Health are excited to announce Dinner and a Dose, a campaign that gives $25 DoorDash gift cards to people who take the time to help their older friends, family, or community members get their COVID-19 vaccine. You can help them find a vaccination site, give them a ride, or accompany them as they get vaccinated.

 

Afterwards, use their online form to send them a photo and a quick recap of your experience helping your loved one get the vaccine, and they will send you your DoorDash gift card!

 

Through Dinner and a Dose, they hope that older adults can begin to reconnect safely with their loved ones – starting with a meal on them! 

 

This initiative begins June 9, until supplies last.  For instructions on how to receive and redeem your DoorDash gift card, please visit www.sbssla.org/dinner-and-a-dose  or call 213-435-3993. 

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