This summer, join us for a discussion of the book ‘The Tao of Thomas Aquinas’
Can 13th-century wisdom from St. Thomas Aquinas be helpful for us today? Absolutely. Join Dr. Bill Yarchin, Fr. Richard Rubin, Dr. Nancy McLoughlin, and Ariel Vapor in the Lab on Sunday mornings at 9 on the first Sundays of May, June, and July to discuss The Tao of Thomas Aquinas by Matthew Fox. Can a […]
‘Ethics and Espionage’: Watch retired CIA counterterrorism officer Darrell Blocker discuss this at our Faith Lab Speakers’ Series event
https://youtu.be/ZDxCrESz_Zo Intelligence-gathering isn’t a modern thing—the Bible has several stories dealing with it. How can we use it ethically in our 21st-century age? Retired Deputy Director of the CIA Counterterrorism Center Darrell Blocker was with us on Feb. 21, 2025, in another installment of our Faith Lab Speakers’ Series to discuss how intelligence gathering is […]
An Invitation to read and reflect: ‘Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor’
Dear St. James Family, In times of global conflict, we are called to reflect on our role as peacemakers, bearers of Christ’s love in a broken world. As the Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues to make headlines, we are reminded of the human stories behind the political struggles—stories of longing, fear, and hope. This is why I […]
See the video of the Ukrainian Cultural Forces’ concert at St. James the Great on Sunday, Nov. 10th
The members of the Ukrainian Cultural Forces, who were at St. James the Great for the 10 a.m. service and then a concert following the service on Sunday, Nov. 10th, were all professional artists before the war, but are now active duty soldiers and frontline volunteers. They presented a wide variety of music, from Ukrainian […]
Why is the Book of Job in the Bible? We have a three-part class that explores the questions people have about it
In 2021, St. James’ resident theologian, Dr. Bill Yarchin, held a series of classes on the Book of Job, and looked at the many questions people have with this biblical book: • “The patience of Job.” Or maybe not? Is it fact or fiction? • Did God really devastate a human being just […]
Sabbath: How can we keep that holy time? See videos of our discussion series on this book
In this brief yet profound meditation on the meaning of the Seventh Day, Abraham Joshua Heschel in his book The Sabbath introduces us to the idea of an “architecture of holiness” that appears not in space but in time. Judaism, he argues, is a religion of time: it finds meaning not in space and the […]
See “From Capitol Hill to Kyiv”: Ambassador William B. Taylor’s Faith Lab presentation and discussion about Ukraine
The Faith Lab Speakers Series hosted Ambassador William B. Taylor, who spoke to us about the evolving war in Ukraine, his dozen trips there since the war, and his continued diplomatic efforts to end the war. He was here on Oct. 17, 2024, and you can watch the video of his talk below. Ambassador William […]
We’re ‘doing good’ with Habitat of Humanity at St. Michael’s in Anaheim
St. James is currently assisting our sister congregation of St. Michael’s in Anaheim in a 23 townhome affordable housing project. This multi-family residential endeavor is targeting a completion date of June, 2026. Comprising 23 two-story town-homes across five layouts, homes will be individually purchased under a 99-year ground lease from the Episcopal Diocese of Los […]
Dash and Dot will introduce you to coding at our monthly St. James Codes classes
Meet Dash and Dot, pictured above! These robots are the mascots—and teaching tools—of St. James Codes, which takes place on the first Sunday of each month. At our May class we showed the students how to sign into the Dash curriculum so that we can monitor their progress. Students of all ages are able to […]
Watch all 6 of the ‘Welcome to Hell’ discussion series videos if you missed any sessions
Our Christian faith teaches us that our lives do not end with physical death. But this raises important questions about the afterlife and our relationship to it—especially Hell. As a Christian, do I have to believe that God condemns some people to an eternity of fiery torment? On the other hand, how can I trust […]
