Climb aboard for mountains of fun at St. John’s Church VBS – Rocky Railway! On this faith-filled adventure, kids discover that trusting Jesus pulls them through life’s ups and downs. VBS is open to children age 4 (as of June 1,2021 and only if fully potty-trained) through present 4th graders. Present 5th graders through young […]
Our Youth Groups are back from Easter break! To ease back into regular meetings the Youth Groups hiked last Sunday from Aliso Viejo to Laguna Beach — pics below! JOY is this week’s theme: how to be open to it and seek it, how to rely on it and share it, how to look for […]
by Elizabeth Adams, St. John’s Church Treasurer Dear Friends: Are you ready to be the third pig? I haven’t lost my mind, I promise. Remember back to the three little pigs? Well, we have had a WHOLE LOT of proverbial huffing and puffing this year, and some of our financial situations did not do a […]
Maundy Thursday, April 1, 6 p.m., live-stream only • A “Maundy Bag” will be used during the livestream. • If you’d like a “Maundy Bag” please call Rev. Karen in the church office: 949.888.4595 • Here’s the Maundy Thursday service bulletin. • It’s not too late to sign up for the Prayer Vigil. Please email Linda Allport. […]
By the Rev. Christopher Potter, Vicar Were you there, when they crucified my Lord? Were you there, when they crucified my Lord? Oh! Sometimes, it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there, when they crucified my Lord? Are you like me with this song? I cannot bear to type the lyrics, let alone […]
By the Rev. Christopher Potter, Vicar The values in the Reign of God, as taught by Jesus, are mostly opposite the values we witness day-to-day. Poor is rich, losing one’s life is the way to save it, humble service is the way to greatness, and so many more. One of the values in the Reign of […]
This week’s Youth Group meetings turned into discussions about how to go about learning more about school safety procedures at one member’s public school, and a discussion in the High School & Beyond group about how to love your neighbor when you disagree with them about significant issues. The problem, adult leaders said, is when […]
The church of God at St. John’s meets this Sunday at 9 a.m., live in the fountain courtyard and online as usual. What is not usual, however, is that we shall celebrate Eucharist together! Please also note that due to the longer length of our outdoor service, the online Adult Forum begins at 11 a.m. Please […]
May God’s protection, peace and abundant grace be with us all. The community of St. John Chrysostom is prepared to gather again for outdoor worship beginning this Sunday at 9 a.m. This service shall only happen if Orange County reduces its COVID risk status from purple to red, as it is planning so to do. […]
Here’s what’s coming up in the St. John’s Youth Groups: Next meet-ups are March 16 and 17. If you’re a parent and have a sixth grade through college student looking for a place to land, we’ve got you covered. You can get more info from Patti Peebles. Wednesday, March 24 both groups meet at St. […]
By the Rev. Christopher Potter, Vicar From this Sunday’s Reading from the Christian Scriptures: Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. 1 Corinthians 1:20b, 21 […]
Our Youth Groups — Middle School and High School and Beyond — continue their intentional walks through Lent, going hand-in-hand with adult leaders. This week’s opening devotional called for our youth to be faithful in small, everyday ways: “God of the cross, sometimes your call to faithfulness takes me to challenging places, beyond my limits. […]
Second Lent, Sunday, February 28, 2021 By Rev. Christopher Potter, Vicar No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. Genesis 17: 5 The change of name for Abram was subtle; it went from “father” to “father […]
We have a True or False Lenten quiz for you this week. Our Middle School Youth Group members did pretty well — here’s the quiz. Good luck! Here you go: 1. Lent’s official liturgical color is red. 2. Lent lasts for 40 days, not counting Sundays. 3. The word Lent is an old Anglo-Saxon word […]
First Lent, Sunday, February 21, 2021 By Rev. Christopher Potter, Vicar “Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God.” 1 Peter 3:18 This passage, from this Sunday’s scriptures, is another example of often-overlooked, highly significant verses which carries with it almost the entire […]
Youth Group members are using a ‘Lenten Micro Practices’ booklet for Lent’s 40 days. Each day comes with an assignment to apply the lesson throughout the day. At the end of each day YG members go through a five-point checklist written by St. Ignatius Loyola more than 400 years ago. The checklist is a daily […]
Below is part of a prayer from this evening’s ‘Gathering in the Home for Ash Wednesday’, beautifully written, full of wisdom and truth. May it be a blessing to you: We live in mystery. We live torn apart at times: so much glory, so much pain. We live in faith: faith in ourselves and each […]
Laughter, stories, food shares, and prayer filled St. John’s Shrove Tuesday ZOOM service. It was a great lead-in to Ash Wednesday and the Lenten season which begins February 17. Ash Wednesday ZOOM services are at 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Service links are in Rev. Christopher’s Monday e-blast. Bring your ‘Ashes to Go’ to the […]
Sunday, February 14, 2021 – Last Sunday After the Epiphany The Season of Lent is drawing close. Ash Wednesday is February 17 this year and Shrove Tuesday is the day before. Our online ZOOM services on both days are at 6 p.m. We’ll also be doing our regular Morning Prayer service on Ash Wednesday at […]
The St. John’s Youth Group leaders are ON IT. Sunday Mr. and Mrs. Nichols, Mr. Miramontes, Mike Olivor, and Mrs. Patti delivered more than 30 “Lent in a Bag” gifts to every Youth Group member. Included in the bags: pancake mix, Lenten Micro Practices pamphlet (more on this next week), a tiny amount of ashes, […]