COMING UP AT ST. JOHN'S
For a complete listing of events, special services, and meeting at St. John’s, visit our Calendar.

Julian Pantry/La Bodega de Julian
Saturdays, 11am-1pm
A joint project of the Outreach ministry teams of St. John's, St. Gregory of Nyssa, Holy Innocents, and El Buen Sammaritano, this pantry, located at St. John's will serves 100 individuals on a first-come-first-served basis. Volunteers are needed. If interested, please contact the parish office.

Special Offering Supporting the San Francisco Jail Ministry
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Your Outreach Committee is pleased to announce that the Vestry has approved our recommendation to award a grant from the Otis Richman Bequest to the Episcopal Jail Ministry, which serves inmates in San Francisco county jails.

Our own Susan Hansen serves as a volunteer with the program. She and a former inmate will talk briefly about the Episcopal Jail Ministries at our Sunday service on July 20th. On July 27th we will pass a second basket to give you the opportunity to make a donation to the Episcopal Jail Ministry.

Here's Susan's description of the program she volunteers for:

Stories from Mom serves the women in Pod E of the Downtown County Jail on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month. On the 2nd and 4th Thursdays, Stories from Dad conducts similar sessions at the Men's Facility at the San Francisco County Jail No. 7 in San Bruno. Volunteers bring a selection of children's books, several tape recorders, and a supply of tapes and envelopes to incarcerated parents. The parent chooses a book, and the volunteers record her or his voice as they read to their child. The book and tape are then sent to the children.

Parents are encouraged to read interactively to their children -- to point out features in the pictures, to count objects, asking their child to follow along in the book and learn the words, or to wonder what a character is doing or what is going to happen next. Parents often take the opportunity on tape to tell their children that they love and miss them, to work hard in school, or to be like a character in the book by telling the truth, making friends, or looking for the good in other people.

Often this experience is the only significant contact the parent and child have had in some time. Volunteers are always moved by how appreciative the parents are for this opportunity. The inmates value the dignity and respect with which they are treated.

End of Life Planning Workshop
Sunday, Sept. 7, 12:30 pm
The Rev. Richard Schaper, Diocesan Gift Planning Officer, will preach and lead a workshop following worship on the topic of planning for the end of life.  Fr. Schaper will discuss the importance of having a will, advanced health care directive, power-of-attorney for health care, funeral plans, and other related stewardship issues.  This workshop is for adults of all ages and everyone is encouraged to attend.

The Whole Jesus:  An Evening with Brian Taylor
Wednesday, September 10, 7 p.m.
Who is Jesus?  The tendency is to focus either on the Jesus of history or the Christ of faith.  Is it possible to hold both of them together?  Drawing on his books Becoming Christ: Transformation through Contemplation and Becoming Human: The Core Teachings of Jesus, Brian Taylor invites us to consider how we might be both a disciple of Jesus, the 1st Century rabbi, and have a devotional life in the cosmic Christ.

The Rev. Brian Taylor has been Rector of St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in Albuquerque, NM, since 1983.  He is a graduate of the Church Divinity School of the Pacific and of the Shalem Institute’s program for Spiritual Directors, and is a faculty member for Clergy Reflection, Education, and Discernment Opportunity, a program for clergy renewal in the Episcopal Church. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas. Fr. Brian is co-founder of many organizations, including his parish’s Contemplative Center and the Justice Project, Via Media Rio Grande, and the Religious Affiliation for Inclusion and Non-Discrimination.

Castro Street Fair Outreach
Sunday, October 5, 2008.
Come vist St. John's and the Episcopal Area Ministries booth.

News

The California Supreme Court ruled on May 15th that in California all people have the constitutional right to marry and raise a family, regardless of sexual orientation. Below is the text of a statement from our Bishop in response to the ruling:

"I welcome the ruling of the California Supreme Court affirming the fundamental right of all people to marry and establish a family.

All children of God should be afforded the same rights under the law, and this decision recognizes that all Californians, regardless of sexual orientation, have equal access to one of our fundamental human institutions.

This decision gives our church another opportunity to partner with our state to ensure that all families have the support they need to build relationships that strengthen our communities, state and country.

Jesus tried to free his disciples from a narrow definition of what it means to be his follower. In Matthew 10:42, Jesus says “whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.” God affirms the good in the world outside the boundaries of religious creeds and dogmas. In this spirit, we also affirm and rejoice in this decision by the California Supreme Court precisely because we are Christians.

Clearly, this momentous decision will have ecclesial implications for the Episcopal Diocese of California. I intend to be in prayerful consultation with the people of our diocese to see how we can use this decision to strengthen our support of our lesbian and gay sisters and brothers, and our witness to God’s inclusive love. The Diocese of California will issue an appropriate statement in due course.

—The Rt. Rev. Marc Handley Andrus
    Bishop of California"

News
St. John’s in the News
St. John's member the Rev. Robert Cromey witnesses for peace
On our 150th anniversary
St. John’s response to a shooting in our neighborhood
On John Kirkley becoming rector

Links of Interest
St. John’s-related Blogs
Rev. John Kirkley's Blog
Rev. Robert Cromey’s Blog
Rev. Richard Smith’s Blog

The Church
Anglicans Online
The Anglican Communion
The Episcopal Church
The Diocese of California
The World Council of Churches
The National Council of Churches
The California Council of Churches

Worship Resources
The New Revised Standard Version Bible
The Book of Common Prayer
The Lectionary Page
The Daily Office
Anglican Online Hymnal

Anglo-Catholicism
Affirming Anglican Catholicism
Anglo-Catholic Socialism

Gay and Lesbian Advocacy
Integrity
Beyond Inclusion
Claiming the Blessing
Oasis/California