June 20, 2024 | VOLUME 36, ISSUE 25

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Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

June 23, 2024

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Job 38:1-11

Psalm 107:1-3, 23-32

2 Corinthians 6:1-13

Mark 4:35-41

Preacher: Dr. Akani Fletcher

Saturday, June 22, 1:30 PM: "LEGOs for Grown-ups" SoB venue in the Parish Hall (see flyer & story below)

Sunday, June 23, 1:00 - 3:00 PM: Documentary Screening, 1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture (see Pride Events flyer below)

Bible and Breakfast

Tuesdays | 9:30 AM

Luther Hall & Zoom

Midweek Eucharist:

Wednesdays | 7:00 PM

Sanctuary

Adult Forum:

Wednesdays | 8:00 PM

Luther Hall & Zoom

LOCAL PRIDE EVENTS

LEGOs for GROWN-UPS: Additional Room Available

By Kathy Russell

Let’s Lego!



The Lego for Grownups Sisters of Bede venue is coming up on Saturday, June 22. There were some sign-ups at the Party of Parties. I’d like to invite anyone else who loves building with Lego or is curious to join us. 

How does the venue work? 

In a couple of weeks, I’ll send an Excel spreadsheet to those who have signed up or expressed an interest. The spreadsheet contains a list of the sets in my collection. The entry for each set includes, among other things, the name of the set, the number of pieces, and a link to a picture of the completed model. This year I have added many sets that I owned but hadn’t added. On the other hand, my grandson Andrew rediscovered Lego and now has all my Star Wars sets on display in his room. I have removed them from the spreadsheet.

Once the spreadsheet is sent, it is time for you to pick the models you want to build. You will select one set that you can build at the venue. You also pick two sets to borrow to build at home. Once I have all of the requests, I will retrieve and verify the pieces in the sets. If there are multiple requests for the same set, it will be decided by first come, first served.



When you arrive at the venue, you will find a display of some of the sets Meg, Andrew, and I have been building recently. Then a build-it-yourself lunch. After lunch, retrieve your venue model and get building. 

If you’d like to participate but can’t make it on June 22, some alternatives: 

1. Sign up for the venue. To do this, contact me, Kathy Russell, or Daphne Moote. This lets me know to send you the spreadsheet. When you have selected your sets, I will bring them to church on Sunday. Because the SoB venues raise funds for local and worldwide causes, I ask that you pay for the venue.

2. If you have never built with Lego, but are curious, let’s set up a “mini venue.” Since the choir is not rehearsing after church for the summer, I can bring a simple set to show you the ropes. If you enjoy building, you can “graduate” to the real thing.



If you would like to participate in any way but haven’t yet signed up, please contact me.

By Alice Short

For the last several years, St. Bede’s has partnered with First AME Church on a

back-to-school backpack project for children in foster care, and this summer we

are doing it again!

We plan to fill 45 backpacks (15 for elementary school-age children, 15 for middle

school and 15 for high school), and we’re collecting monetary donations to buy the

supplies that will go in the backpacks.

If you’re writing a check, please make them payable to St. Bede’s with “Backpack

Project” in the memo portion (at the lower left corner of the check.) You can bring

the checks (or cash) to church, mail the checks to church, or send your checks to

Alice Short (3156 Coolidge Ave. Los Angeles 90066). In addition, you can donate

via the St. Bede’s Vanco e-giving and payment process site.

We’d be grateful if you could make your donations by July 26, and we plan to

schedule our “assembly dinner” shortly after that (early August is likely).

Questions? Please reach out to members of the mission committee.

Bring out your (gently) used books!

The St Bede’s Book Cart, located at the north end of Luther Hall, is alive and well! It’s attracting so many readers that we are in need of gently used fiction, particularly mysteries and thrillers.  

How does it work? Donated books are lovingly curated by Kathy Russell and Melora Sundt, and rotated onto the shelves. Recently donated books receive a colored sticker, coded to the month in which we acquired the book. Any book remaining after 4 months is pulled off the shelves and donated elsewhere, making room for new books. We review and refresh the cart on the first Sunday of each month. 

Mysteries and thrillers are particularly popular, so please check your own bookshelves, and bring your oldies-but-goodies to St. Bede’s. You can leave them on top of the cart or give them to Kathy or Melora when you see us. Please donate only books in good condition and perhaps route those outdated textbooks, old health books, and the dusty, battered volumes to other worthy charities. 

As always, there are no prices on the books in the book cart, but we’d appreciate your leaving a donation in the baskets on the cart if you decide to claim something new to read. All proceeds go to the scholarships for NYA.  

Thank you!

Melora Sundt

Tia Carmen (Yaya) in haunting ethereal lighting

By Carl Townsend

On Sunday, June 9th, several of the St. Bede’s faithful went to see the closing presentation of “American Mariachi” by Jose Luis Valenzuela of the Latino Theater Co, hosted at the Los Angeles Theater Center. Our very own Yaya Vasquez-Lopez, better known to us as our tenor section lead of the choir, played the part of Tia Carmen, with a hauntingly beautiful, ethereal violin solo to start the play. This quickly transitioned into traditional Mariachi sounds, and set the basis for the play.

The plot focused on a Latina who had to care for her ailing mother, while her father was off playing Mariachi gigs. Upon noting that her mother perked up with a 33RPM single record, she decided that she needed to start her own Mariachi group composed entirely of women. This, of course, creates friction with the members and tradition of the male-dominated Mariachi group. Yaya’s solos knitted the scenes tighter. After some slow awkward starts, the Latina Mariachi group eventually gels together. In a touching conclusion, the individual members of the male Mariachis reconcile with the members of the Latina group.

The overall production was a seamless blend of stage drama blended with masterful Mariachi music. Well done, Yaya, and best of luck on your next endeavor!

Both Mariachi groups blend together in the finale

Display of souvenirs brought back by Susan from the Holy Land

By Rea Crane

A lovely evening was had by all at Susan Holder’s Sisters of Bede venue, Journey to the Holy Land, which was co-hosted by Samira Tamer and Lana Spraker. Susan presented a slide show of her 3-week trip that included a Christian pilgrimage in Israel and the West Bank, followed by brief visits to Madaba and Petra in Jordan. Her presentation featured beautiful photos along with a very interesting narrative, both of which captured the essence of the places she visited.

When we arrived, we were offered Samira’s homemade Hummus along with pita bread, a

crudite platter and a wide array of beverages. We enjoyed these treats while seeing and hearing about the many precious souvenirs Susan brought into the church to display. Later we sat at beautifully decorated tables with many middle eastern artifacts and enjoyed a meal of Jerusalem Salad, Roasted Vegetables with Tahini Sauce, Potato Kugel, and Kofta meat patties. 

Following dinner Susan lead us on a pictorial version of her pilgrimage which was sponsored by St. George’s College in Jerusalem where they lodged. She discussed many of the places she visited, including such highlights as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (rebuilt in 1048 by Crusaders), the Garden of Gethsemane, a Palestinian refugee camp, the West Bank Barrier, Vad Vashem (Holocaust Museum), Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque, Jordan River (where they renewed their baptismal vows), Qumran Caves (where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found), Church of the Beatitudes, Basilica of the Annunciation and Church of the Transfiguration. During this captivating slide show, Susan wove together historical and current perspectives, religious significance, and intriguing commentary, bringing the subject matter to life and leaving the guests informed and inspired. We then partook of Samira’s middle Eastern coffee, Halva from Israel as well as home grown Baklava and Chocolate Babka. 

Lana & Samira assure food is ready for dinner

Susan points out sites on map of Israel & Jordan

*************************************************************************************************************

BOOK REVIEW: BIBLE and SWORD

After attending the Journey to the Holy Land venue, Tana responded to Susan with the following words, which included a book review that was deemed worth sharing.

By Tana Raikes

Thank you, Susan, for putting together such a wonderful event for the Sisters. I am so impressed by your research and clear description of your experiences in The Holy Land! Very interesting and so glad you were able to go on this journey that obviously meant so much to you.

Coincidentally I have been reading the historian Barbara Tuchman's wonderful book "Bible and Sword" about the relationship of the Jews to their ancient homeland from early times to the present, the diaspora, the Crusades, and the later efforts (mostly British-inspired) to encourage the return of the Jews to their homeland.  

The enthusiasm in Britain was driven primarily by passionate interest in the Bible following the Reformation when the Holy Book became widely available in the English language and the Puritans rebelled against the established church.

Enthusiasm for the return of the Jews to their homeland, of course, was supported also for political reasons during the heyday of British imperial ambitions: the need for easy access through the Middle East to India as paramount. The British had confidence in the capabilities of the Jewish diaspora in Europe to bring back prosperity to the land of Palestine (which had greatly degenerated during the long rule by the Ottoman Empire) and to flourish and repopulate their homeland. They would also foster trade with the East, especially India, under some kind of benevolent arrangement with the British. It was also expected that a Jewish population resettled in their biblical lands would ultimately prove a stabilizing force in the Middle East. (A bit ironic viewed through current lenses!)

However, at least initially, the Jewish diaspora were not at all interested in leaving the niches they had struggled to carve out for themselves in Christian Europe. It took the terrible pogroms in Russia and Eastern Europe and the eventual rise of Hitler to fully convince them of their need for their own nation. 

I was fascinated by this long history. If you haven't already read her, Barbara Tuchman is a wonderful writer; the depth of her research is astonishing, and she is fun to read.

Visit the St. Bede's website and at the top of every page, look for the "Donate" button. When you click on the "Donate" button, you will be transported to St. Bede's Vanco eGiving and Payment Process Site.

Vanco is an industry leader in online payments. More than 40,000 churches, faith-based groups, nonprofits, schools, and educational organizations trust Vanco to securely complete transactions every day. Vanco complies with PCI Level 1 standards, the highest security standard in the payment processing industry.

You are invited to set up one-time or recurring gifts using credit, debit, or bank transfer on Vanco's secure payment processing platform. Giving online through the Vanco site saves time and the hassle of remembering to bring your offering. In addition, you decrease the expense incurred by St. Bede’s from handling and processing checks and cash.

The 81st General Convention gets underway June 23-28 at the Kentucky International Convention Center in downtown Louisville. Photo: David Paulsen/Episcopal News Service

Louisville set to host 81st General Convention in return of large, churchwide gathering

By David Paulsen

[Episcopal News Service] However you pronounce Louisville, the city’s downtown soon will become a hub of Episcopal Church governance, networking, fellowship and celebration when the Diocese of Kentucky hosts the 81st General Convention from June 23-28.

Church staff already are in town getting the Kentucky International Convention Center ready for the triennial churchwide gathering, and legislative committee meetings and other pre-convention events get underway this week. And with the COVID-19 pandemic mostly in the rear-view mirror, this General Convention marks a return to the full gathering that wasn’t possible at the last meeting, in 2022 in Baltimore, Maryland.

“We are excited about finally being together again in a post-pandemic environment,” the Rev. Michael Barlowe, General Convention’s executive officer, said in a phone interview with Episcopal News Service. He offered praise for Kentucky Bishop Terry White and his diocese’s team of staff and volunteers as they prepare to offer a warm welcome.

“They have been really looking forward to having their siblings in Christ, fellow Episcopalians, joining them, and they have been working hard to provide the kind of welcome that you’d expect,” Barlowe said.

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The Adrian Dunn Singers provided music for the Juneteenth service on June 15. Screenshot



‘Freedom Day’ Juneteenth celebration marks slavery’s end, continuing struggle for equality

By Pat McCaughan

[The Episcopal News] With the words “this is our 4th of July,” the Rev. Vanessa Mackenzie, vice chair of the H. Belfield Hannibal Chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians and rector of the Church of the Advent in Los Angeles, welcomed worshippers to a spirited celebration of Juneteenth at St. John’s Cathedral on June 15.

Mackenzie invoked the memory of the Rev. James Lawson, a prominent civil rights activist who in the 1960s trained scores of volunteers in nonviolent tactics in preparation to protest laws that denied Black Americans voting rights. Lawson died June 9 at the age of 95.

“Today we come to see this great cloud of witnesses who, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, in 1863, still toiled in Texas. And we give thanks to God. We stand in the light of courageous men and women who have gone before,” she said. “This is our Freedom Day and so we give thanks to God, because the word says if Jesus sets you free, you are free indeed.”

“We have been led by God — Amen — to this point and we know the struggle does what? It continues. May this service be a blessing of remembrance, of gratitude and a commitment to continue the struggle which our ancestors have fought for and have overcome so courageously and so faithfully and so fearlessly. Amen.”

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