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When Jesus Asks for Something –
Pay Attention!
Jesus would seem to have been killing time at the well. His disciples left him to get food in the town of Sychar (the town is Nablus today). I have no idea if he was unable to draw his own water. Perhaps the well was BYO jar and his was in town with the disciples.
In any event, the woman arrives and Jesus asks (or demands): Give me a drink. This seems to have ignited lots of festering issues for the woman. There is tension between Jews and Samaritans. There is a relationship history that has clearly not been to the woman’s advantage. There is a big theological question about the priority of worship in the Jerusalem temple.
Jesus engages in the kind of conversation he had with Nicodemus. He was treating her with the respect of a fellow rabbi. He is clear in his positions, and his positions are not really part of a debate. They are an invitation. In fact, Jesus whole interaction with the woman is an invitation.
Jesus invites her to drink from the water that he offers that will never leave her thirsting again. He invites her to receive the Spirit that will sustain all her deepest thirsts. He honors her desire to worship God and invites her to be part of the new thing he is doing. He invites her to replace her traditional notion about where God is to be found with a vision of God who seeks out worshipers and those in need.
As much as I love St. Paul’s, I know that it is God’s Spirit that invites us to worship and not buildings or programs. Our location, buildings, and programs are signs of what God is doing and what God is asking of us.
With that in mind, I invite you to join us this weekend in joyful worship. Jesus will be asking something. We all need to pay attention.
Fr. Andrew
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John 4:5-42
Jesus came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.
A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”
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The Adult Spiritual Formation Program is a response to our baptismal commitment to continually grow in spiritual understanding and in the day to day practice of our faith.
We have established a very short survey about this program, which you can take on-line in just a few seconds. Please take a few moments to complete this survey (click here). Your response is vital to the success of our efforts as we develop consistent on-going adult religious education programs to meet faith needs.
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NEXT SATURDAY – SPACE IS LIMITED!
2nd Annual Stimulus Dinner and Silent Auction
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 Saturday, April 2nd at 6:00 p.m. The Vestry of St. Paul’s invites you to a an evening of fun and fellowship to help us close our budget gap. The $20 tickets are available after our worship services and at the Parish Office.
The Silent Auction will feature the services of Contour Dermatology, a week’s stay in New Orleans for Mardi Gras 2012, 2 tickets to Dinner in the Canyons on October 8, 2011, featuring Buffy St. Marie, and many more amazing items. PLUS live entertainment with a surprise appearance of a special guest artist.
 We will also support this year’s Rex Run by Rex Comer. You may sponsor Rex as he runs in support of St. Paul. Rex will be at the dinner with a shirt for all the supporters to sign. Rex leaves the church at 6 a.m. on Saturday with the estimated time of return of 7:30 – 8:00 a.m. Come see Rex cross the finish line.
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 Every Thursday during Lent, Fr. Andrew will be leading a new style of book study. There are two opportunities to participate each Thursday, at either noon or at 7:00 p.m. Please bring a sack lunch to the noon study.
The participants will read The Great Emergence by Phyllis Tickle…together! Ms. Tickle led the Diocesan Convention about 3 years ago. Her book is a description of the great changes that are taking place today in the currents of Christianity. Participants will read about new trends and challenges, and how the Episcopal Church is poised to meet them.
Instead of each of the participants purchasing a copy of the book, reading it at home, and coming together for a study; we will take turns reading the book and discussing it as a group. Each participant will read several pages and pass the book to the next participant, and so on. The reader or any other participant can stop the process for questions or reflections.
There are sign-up sheets in the Parish Hall or you can call the parish office at 760.320.7488 ext. 0.
You may also RSVP to andrew@stpaulsps.org.
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United Thank Offering
May In-Gathering begins April 2 & 3
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This year we are focused on Grace, Gratitude, Generosity, which is: Love for what we have, and Love for what we have been given, and Love for the God that gives it. United Thank Offering, often referred to as UTO, is a ministry of the Episcopal Church that provides a way for men, women, and children of the Episcopal Church to give daily thanks to God. Anglican and Episcopalian dioceses received over $2 million in grants in 2010 to distribute to almost 70 individual projects or churches. During our Fall In-Gathering the Church of St. Paul collected $2,312. Last year, the Los Angeles Diocese received a $10,000 grant to build a storage facility for non-perishable food and household items for Interfaith Refugee and Immigration services.
The women who had a dream so long ago and started this outreach gave us a challenge… and one that we must answer every day. What are you thankful for?
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 The theme for Lent, this year, is Adventurous Prayer. The next DOK meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 29th at 1:00 p.m., to be held in the condo behind the parish offices. Please join us as we pray, praise God, and think about our Lenten season. All women parishioners are invited to attend. For additional information call Bonnie Stroock at 760.324.7949.
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Spring Lunch Date for ECW
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A springtime luncheon is in the offing for the Episcopal Church Women on Wednesday, April 6, beginning at 11:30 a.m. with the regular business meeting. The salad luncheon follows at noon.
All women of the church are invited, and newcomers to the parish will be especially welcome. Those attending are asked to bring a favorite salad, rolls, or dessert to serve four; beverages will be provided. For additional information, please contact Bette Knutson, 760.416.5739.
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2011 Pledges are still needed
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The primary means of financially supporting God’s mission and ministry at St. Paul’s is the personal pledge. It helps the parish leadership anticipate giving so that we can plan staffing and programs.
Many parishioners have not turned in a pledge card for 2011 and are still sending in the pledge amount they sent in during 2010. If you have NOT filled in a pledge card, then we do not have you listed in our numbers as a pledge giver. Contact Valerie, Pledge Secretary, with any changes or questions you may have at valerie.winters@stpaulsps.org.
Pledge forms are available in church, at the Parish office, and on-line. You are invited to make a pledge and let our leadership know that you will be a partner in our ministries this year. Pledges can change if your circumstances change. In fact, we have invited those who have already pledged to raise theirs by $150 annually to fully fund our work this year.
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Desert SOS Dessert Ministry
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 Six volunteers braved the blustery March winds in North Palm Springs on Monday night, bringing desserts and serving them at dinner for 91 residential clients of Roy’s Desert Resources Center. This week’s SOS volunteers included Bp. Chilton Knudsen, Sandy Scardino, Ron Shepherd, Gordon Etheridge, Michael Howard and Orin Ellingson. Special thanks to several others from St. Paul’s who also provided dessert items this week: Valerie Winters, Terri Miller, Judi Cribbs, Diane Stielstra and Hap Blaisdell.
Anyone interested in donating desserts for this Ministry can leave them in the Parish Hall kitchen before 4:00 PM any Monday. Packages should be labeled “For SOS.” Suggested dessert items include cookies, cake, cupcakes, ice cream bars, fruit and cheese. Sign-up sheets are posted in the Parish Hall. Questions? Contact Hap at 760.323.5726.
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Camp Stevens, our diocesan camp and retreat center near Julian, provides a enriching summer camp program for children, teens, and a choir camp. At Camp Stevens, attendees are provided the experience to appreciate and care of one-another while deepening their love of God and God’s creation.
St. Paul in the Desert would like to enable a disadvantaged child the chance to experience the enrichment of Camp Stevens. We need to raise $500 to do this. Please place your donation in the green Camp Stevens box in the parish hall, or leave a check,in the box, or in the collection plate and mark it “Camp Stevens Child”.
Watch for updates, this spring, about interesting retreats and workshops that you can be part of in the beautiful natural world of Camp Stevens.
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Bp. Chilton To Return to Maine
 Our Bishop in Residence, the Rt. Rev. Chilton Knudsen, will begin her drive home to Maine on Monday, March 28th. She has been a part of our community for the last six weeks and we have rejoiced in her presence. Her ministry of preaching, teaching, pastoring, and encouraging has made a difference at St. Paul’s and in the lives of many parishioners. We wish her well as she travels to rejoin Mike and we hold both of them in our prayers.
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Aid for Japan
 Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) is already on the ground ministering to the people of Japan in the wake of the disasters which have hit. You may make a donation to that ministry of the Episcopal Church by writing a check to St. Paul’s with Japan in the memo or by going to the ERD website at www.er-d.org to make an on-line donation.
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Family and Children’s Ministry
will meet next Sunday, April 2nd after the 10:30 service. The meeting will take place in the Godly Play room. The agenda is to make plans for the Easter Egg Hunt and additional activities. Contact Bonnie Stroock for more information, 760.324.7949
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Coffee Hour
 There are no hosts for the 8:00 a.m. Coffee Hour. The host for the 10:30 a.m. Coffee Hour is Mary “Cookie” Zingg.
The 2011 coffee hour sign-up sheets are posted on the north wall at Hogarth Hall. Find an empty slot and fill it with your name. For more information, call Ray Kelley at 760.778.1725.
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The Childrens Choir
 All children age 4 and above are welcome to participate in this group, learning singing skills and providing special music for the 10:30 service several times during the school year. For more information or questions please contact Nathan at 760.320.7488, ext. 225.
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Earn Money While Dining Out
fo r The Church of St. Paul. Whenever any St. Paul’s parishioners have breakfast, lunch or dinner at “The Old Creek House” in Palm Springs the restaurant will donate 10% of the total to The Church of St. Paul in the Desert. Simply sign your name and write in the name, “The Church of St. Paul in the Desert”, on your receipt. A check for the amount will be sent to St. Paul’s. The 10% does not include promotions or other discounts.
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Newcomers
Are you sure we have your contact information? If you haven’t received any of the latest mailings then we probably don’t have your mailing address. In January we will sending invites for you to join us in a series of Newcomer events that we believe you will find to be informative and enjoyable. We may not have your current address. If you feel this is the case, then please fill out the form in the pew pocket and place it in the plate, give to an usher or you may send your contact information by email to vjwinters@dc.rr.com.
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Bullies Not Welcome Here
At St. Paul in the Desert we want to welcome all worshipers to a place that is free of violence and bullying.
Physical, verbal or emotional violence against others or against oneself is not acceptable.
“It Gets Better” is a series of video messages to encourage Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, or Transgender youth and let them know that they are loved as they are.
“A Blessing for Those Who Are Bullied” was written by the Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston, a Bishop of the Episcopal Church.
It is not enough to say “NO” to bullies. It is important to stand up for people and to provide resources for those who have been the targets.
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