Davie Blvd. drawbridge closed next weekend

The Davie Blvd. drawbridge will be closed to public use next Sunday, June 22nd. If Davie Blvd. is part of your normal route to church on Sunday morning, and you travel from the west, you may want to plan a different route to avoid the bridge closure.

New Foundation Governors

Two new members have been elected to serve on the Board of Governors for our Sunshine Community Foundation. They add valuable expertise to help the Foundation with its Mission: “To Raise Capital & Endowment Funds in support of the Projects, Ministries, and Outreach of the Sunshine Cathedral Community and its Congregation.”

Gregory Ullman is the owner and manager of Plus Medical, LLC in Delray Beach. His company supplies medical equipment and home health care products to the retail and medical community in South Florida. In an earlier career he was a Partner for White & Case, an international law firm in Miami. While in Dade County, he also served as Councilmember and Vice-Mayor of Miami Shores, and acted as Managing Director of the Miami-Dade Steering Committee for the 2000 Al Gore Presidential Campaign. Greg has attended the Sunshine Cathedral for several years. He graduated from Columbia University School of Law after getting his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida.

J. Coleman Prewitt lives in downtown Fort Lauderdale and works in Boca Raton. He is partner for a law firm and consulting company that specializes in corporate transactions and commercial litigation. Coleman is a former director of Hope House in Palm Beach. This past year he helped found UNITE Fort Lauderdale, which voiced opposition to Mayor Naugle in its “Flush Naugle” campaign. He graduated from University of Miami School of Law after attending both the University of Florida and Florida Atlantic Universities. Two months ago, Coleman announced that he is a candidate for District 4 Commissioner for the City of Fort Lauderdale. Our Campus is part of District 4. Please wish him best of luck in his campaign.

When you see them at church, please help welcome these new Foundation Board Members Also, let’s thank them for the service they provide to our Cathedral Family by volunteering the time, talent and treasure.

Pillars gathering

Calling all members of the Pillars Society — 124 strong. We’re having a summer party. We’re invited to the home of our fellow Pillar, Darryl Zellers. Darryl will open his home to us on Sunday evening 6:00 – 8:00 pm, June 29th.

That same day we will be inducting new members of the Pillars Society at morning Worship Services. Please help us thank and welcome these new members: Kevin T. Friel, Bernard J. Weiser, John R. Scerba, Ph.D., and Bill Watson.

Watch for your email invitation. Rumor has it that Darryl Zellers is a very good cook. And he’s not only volunteered to host at his home but is also providing the food right out of his newly remodeled kitchen.

Want an invite to the party?

Join the Pillars Society. It’s easy. Please review the Pillars Society brochure in the pew seat back. Take one home with you and act today.

What is the Pillars Society? It’s our honor Society that recognizes those who make an estate gift to the Sunshine Community Foundation (formerly called Sunshine Cathedral Foundation). This is done through a will, a trust, or a life insurance policy. Others have designated the Foundation as beneficiary to a retirement plan, cash account, or investment account.

Make sure your estate is planned and directs gifts of your assets the way you want. And, we hope you will think kindly of the Sunshine Cathedral, SunServe, and the Sunshine Community Foundation as you make your plans. Contact Jeff Tuckey at the Foundation for assistance or for more information. He can be reached: 954-462-2730 or jeff@sunfound.net.

Narthex gets a facelift

Narthex you say? Yes, it’s name of the lobby entrance to the Worship Center. As part of the renovation taking place in the Worship Center, the Narthex gets a new paint job.

For a short while, the naming letters over the inside doors “Walt Lawrence and Stephen Lewis Worship Center” will disappear. But Walt’s & Stephen’s names will appear again after the painting is completed. And, when they reappear, their names will be in a new and updated design to better reflect and complement the transformation that has taken place on the inside.

Narthex. Now you know.

Register to vote drive

If you haven’t registered to vote, now is the time to do it! You can register to vote here at the Sunshine Cathedral on Sunday, June 22nd, or on Sunday, July 6th, between 8:30 – 12:00 on the front steps of the church. Volunteers will be on hand to provide assistance with filling out the application forms and will also submit the completed forms to the Supervisor of Elections (saving you a stamp). If you have any questions about registering to vote please call Amy Walker at 954-882-5928.

Communion server training scheduled

Have you considered serving communion to your fellow congregates? Do you enjoy receiving the brief affirmation that follows? Now is your opportunity to be part of this powerful ministry. Our ministry invites you to share your light with our congregation. Eucharistic training will be held on Sunday, June 22nd, at 10:00 am in our second floor location (Pink Door) in the John Graves building. For additional information or to register, please contact Kelly Harris, our Chancel Ministry Associate, at kelly@sunshinechathedral.org. We hope you’ll join us!

Keep us informed

Each week when you register your attendance, we ask for any updates to your information. Now that hurricane season is upon us (June 1st through November 30th), it is more important than ever that we have your current information for our database. Please make sure we have your up to date telephone numbers which include home, office, and cellular. Additionally, it is a great idea for us to have the name and number of an emergency contact. First and foremost, the information it keeps us in touch with our members and congregants. Second, we will have emergency numbers to contact someone should you need us to, in cases such as a hospital emergency or visitation need. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Rev. Deacon Joel Slotnick in the church office at 954-462-2004 ext. 207 or via email joel@sunshinecathedral.org.

Join us on July 3rd for the Canon Cabaret

What is the Canon Cabaret? It is a dinner and concert here at Sunshine Cathedral. Tickets for the event are only $35 ($50 for couples). Enjoy dinner at the Cathedral followed by a choir concert! This will be a wonderful way to kick off a long holiday weekend. Mark you calendars and plan to attend this year's Canon Cabaret on Thursday, July 3rd. Dinner is at 6:30 pm. The concert starts at 8:00 pm.

New Wednesday night service has begun

Ever feel Jesus has been kidnapped by the Christian Right? Then you will want to take part in the Saving Jesus series this summer. This is a hybrid worship and education experience sponsored by Light University.

Saving Jesus is a 12-week exploration of Jesus Christ for the Third Millennium. It is part of the “Living the Questions” curriculum. Saving Jesus will offer a video presentation each week followed by a group discussion. The video presentations will feature the leading religious voices of our day, such as Ethicist Emilie Townes; Theologians John S. Spong, Rebecca Ann Parker, Hans Kung, and Matthew Fox; Bible Scholars Marcus Borg, John Dominic Crossan, and Walter Brueggemann; Preachers such as James Forbes; and others. This will be like Vacation Bible School for adults and it will last all summer long.

For the summer our midweek worship service will begin with singing, prayer, and an offering, and then we will show a short video. After the video presentation, we will have an interactive group discussion and we will conclude each service with a closing prayer.

The topics that will be covered during the rest of this series are: What Can We Know About Jesus (and How)?, The World Into Which He Was Born, Jesus’ Birth: Incarnation, Teaching of Jesus: Wisdom Tradition, Jesus’ Program: The Kingdom of God, Jesus’ Life: Model for Discipleship, Killing Jesus — Part One: The Atonement, Killing Jesus — Part Two: Who Killed Jesus?, The Resurrection of Christ, and Why Jesus is Worth Saving. The facilitators for the course will rotate, and will be Rev. Durrell Watkins, Rev. Robert Griffin, and Mr. Michael Diaz. Join us this summer for an in-depth midweek worship and study experience where we will focus on the life, the ministry, and the meaning of Jesus.

Welcome new members!

If you have completed an Inner Circle Member card and have not attended the New Member Orientation, our next orientation will be held on Saturday morning, June 21st from 9:00 am and run approximately until Noon. A light continental breakfast will be served at the Saturday orientation. If you cannot attend the June orientation, sessions will be held monthly throughout the remainder of this year. To register or for additional information, please contact Rev. Deacon Joel Slotnick in the church office at 954-462-2004 ext. 207 or via email at joel@sunshinecathedral.org.

Time to say “so long”

Set aside time from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm on June 14th to meet in the Social Hall and say “so long” to Marcie Fox as she prepares to leave Florida for the snow and cold of Buffalo, New York. We thought that there would be too many people wanting to come say their “goodbyes” to be able to hold this event at any one person’s home, so we reserved the Social Hall to give everyone a chance to come celebrate with Marcie.

This event will be a potluck, so cook up your favorite thing that you like to serve when you entertain and bring it with you on the 14th.

Marcie has asked that anyone coming not bring gifts. The gift of your attendance will be most precious to her. If anyone feels that they absolutely must give Marcie something to remember them, she has asked that people make contributions to the Sunshine Cathedral Global Outreach Ministry. Besides being a tax deduction, the money will be used on projects close to Marcie’s heart.

If anyone has any questions or would like to volunteer to help in the set-up or clean-up for the event, please contact Melanie Fraim at 561-274-2492 or Eric Petrusha by email at petrushaer@yahoo.

Q&A with Rev. Durrell Watkins

Question: I grew up believing in God the “Father”. My experience, then, is of a masculine God. In MCC, I have been told that God is beyond gender and certainly beyond just male gender. In my head, I agree with this approach; but in my heart, I still think of God as “Him” and I have trouble expanding my view. How can I make God a “Mother” too?

Answer: “Father” may be a good image, but it is only one image and if we won’t consider others then we aren’t allowing God to be as big as God might be in our lives. Remember, our traditions told us that women couldn’t serve at the altar, that non-Christians couldn’t be in relationship with God, and that gay and lesbian people were beyond the reach of God’s love. We have challenged each of those patriarchal and heterosexist assumptions, and we have grown spiritually as a result. Once we challenge divine images that privilege masculinity, we may find that not only is God more than we once realized, but also that WE are more than we have ever realized. Don’t force the issue, but also don’t resist it. Allow God to be more and you may find that God quite naturally becomes many things, including your divine Mother.

If you have questions about faith, the bible, the church, or sexuality & spirituality, you can email your questions to durrell@sunshinecathedral.org, or go to the Cathedral web site at www.sunshinecathedral.org and click on the link there. Rev. Durrell Watkins will answer your questions and publish the answers in this column. Your name will always be withheld, so only the actual question and the response will be printed.

You can read past Q&A entries in the SunBurst archive.

FTLGMC rockin’ the Amaturo June 21 – 22

It has become a much-anticipated tradition, living up to the mantra of “saving the best for last”. The Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus presents its hugely popular season-ending show, “Rockin’ with the Rhythm”, in a pair of 8:00 pm performances June 21st and 22nd at the Amaturo Theatre at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.

It is the biggest show of the year in terms of lavish production numbers, colorful costumes, dancing, and toe-tapping hits. This year’s edition will be bigger than ever with the addition of exciting new high-tech staging.

The Chorus will belt out popular musical selections from Broadway hits “Footloose”, “Jersey Boys”, and “Hairspray” — as well as beautiful ballads such as “Let There be Peace on Earth”, Andre Bocelli’s “Because We Believe”, and “One Voice” from Sing for the Cure.

“Every year our audiences ask us how we can possibly top the joy and excitement of the previous spring’s concerts, and somehow every year we do,” said Director Todd Wiley. “We’re very proud of the diverse, wide range of music that we present throughout the year in the Chorus. But like any good Broadway production, we like to end the season with the equivalent of ‘the 11 o’clock number’ — the songs that send the audience humming and singing all the way home. The June show is the 11 o’clock number for our season. It is lively, joyous, and full of surprises. And I guarantee it will leave our audience asking us how we’ll top it for next year.”

Tickets are still available through the Broward Center AutoNation box office. But hurry, both shows will certainly sell out.

Biographies introduce our spiritual heroes

June 21: St. Aloysius Gonzaga (1568 – 1591) — Italian Jesuit and saint. Born into a wealthy family in Castiglione, Aloysius was sickly as a child and spent a good deal of his youth being educated in languages and reading about the Jesuit missionaries. He felt strongly that he wanted to become a missionary, and the efforts of his family to dissuade him failed. After his ordination, Aloysius worked in a Roman hospital that cared for those stricken with the plague. Although he was assigned to work in a ward where there were no plague victims, he became infected. He recovered, but his health was left worse than ever. Aloysius had a vision in which he was told that he would die on the octave of Corpus Christi, which fell on June 21st. Although he seemed very well during the day, Aloysius died just before midnight. Aloysius was named the patron saint of young students and Christian youth; and — because of the manner of his death — he ha always been considered a patron of plague victims. In recent years, many have felt it proper to extend this to include AIDS victims.