Q&A with Rev. Durrell Watkins
Question: Why do we sometimes have strange readings in church?
Answer: I don’t recall any strange readings (well, no stranger than what we find in the bible anyway). But I’m guessing you’re wondering why we include extra-biblical literature in some of our worship services. The reason is fairly simple – God didn’t just speak to the ancient Hebrews, and God didn’t stop speaking at the end of the first century. God continues to speak through art, music, poetry, imagination, acts of kindness, nature, and the sacred writings of the world’s religious traditions.
Of course, the majority of our readings come from the Judeo-Christian scriptures, and my sermons focus almost exclusively on biblical texts and principles, but other sources echo many of the truths we find in our bible, and we invite those sources into our worship experience to remind ourselves that God has always spoken in many ways and continues to speak in many ways still.
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.
Take your SunBurst home today
There’s a lot of useful information in each week’s SunBurst. There are announcements of upcoming events, membership anniversaries, financial and attendance records, religious education articles, the church prayer list, community ads, information about Metropolitan Community Churches and the Center for Progressive Christianity, and more. Re-reading the SunBurst at home is an excellent way to stay informed about what’s going on in the life of the church, and sharing the SunBurst with friends is a wonderful way of letting people know about our church. Use the SunBurst as a ministry tool and take yours home today.
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”
Mark your calendars to 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.
GoodSearch
What if Sunshine Cathedral earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? We can!
GoodSearch.com is a search engine that donates ad revenue, about a penny per search, to the charity its users designate. Use it just like any search engine, and it’s powered by Yahoo!, so you get the same reliable results.
Just go to www.goodsearch.com and enter Sunshine Cathedral MCC as the organization you want to support. Just 400 of us searching four times a day will raise almost $6,000 in a year without anyone spending a dime! Please spread the word!
Volunteer opportunities
God is truly doing great things here at Sunshine Cathedral! Over the past month, we have been blessed with so many new smiling faces helping out as volunteers. This Eastertide season, happiness and the joy of God is really rising up in people’s hearts so much so that people are actually excited to be helping out wherever they can.
Some people help out an hour a week, others a few hours a week. Some volunteer for a few weeks, others on a regular basis. Many give 15 minutes of their time a week to volunteering here at church and those 15 minutes bless us all more than you’ll ever know! If you want an opportunity to be a part of what God is doing through our volunteers, we have many opportunities for you to get involved.
Here are just a few:
For the next month right after our 10:30 am service on Sundays, we need people to help move chairs, risers, and the altar from the chancel area. With only five people helping volunteer, it takes 15 minutes total!
Every Friday at 3:00 pm for the next month, we’ll take time to set up the sanctuary for our Sunday services. This involves setting up the altar, sweeping, and vacuuming. This only takes an hour or two at most with 3 – 5 volunteers.
We are also looking for individuals to answer phones at our receptionist desk in the bookstore Monday thru Friday. You could help out for an hour, an entire day, or even more — whatever you like!
We have opportunities to help with Sunshine Cathedral’s MySpace page, our weekly SunBurst, and much more. If you’re interested in these or want to learn more about other volunteer opportunities, you can contact Michael Diaz, our Pastoral Intern, at 954-462-2004 or by email michaeldiaz@sunshinecathedral.org.
SunBurst publishing deadline
SunBurst is published on a weekly basis. If anyone wishes to submit an article to the SunBurst, it needs to be sent to sunburst@sunshinecathedral.org by 12:00 Noon on Tuesday in order to be considered for publication on the following Sunday.
Biographies introduce our spiritual heroes
May 27: John Calvin (d. 1564) — Founder of Reformed movement. Calvin was trained at the University of Paris in theology, law, and humanism. Fleeing religious persecution he moved to Switzerland, where he converted to Protestantism. He instituted religious and political reforms that were copied across Europe. Known as a scholar and preacher, he emphasized the absolute sovereignty and grace of God.
May 30: St. Joan of Arc (1412? – 1431) — Maid of Orleans and martyr. A young peasant girl, Joan was led by angelic voices to restore the French throne. Dressed as a soldier, she led the French army in several victories until finally being captured by the English. In a church trial she was accused of heresy and witchcraft, and burned at the stake at the age of 19. Refusing to give up her male clothing or deny her voices, she represents the confrontation between purity and the corruption of power. She inspires us to listen to our own inner voices and respond with equal faith.
May 31: Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary — This day celebrates the visit of Mary with her cousin, Elizabeth, who was pregnant herself with John the Baptist (Luke 1:39-56). The baby in Elizabeth’s womb leaps and she proclaims “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb,” women’s experience validating the experience of women. Mary breaks into the Magnificat, “My soul proclaims the greatness of God.” In this subversive song of praise the patriarchal system is turned upside down as God lifts up the oppressed.