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What Will They See?
As the season after the Epiphany begins, we read about disciples responding to Jesus. Philip responds to Jesus’ invitation to, “follow me.” Then Philip finds Nathaniel and excitedly tells him about Jesus. Nathaniel is unimpressed. Philip responds by inviting his friend, to “come and see.”
This is possibly the most natural kind of a witness – Come and see. It is not defensive. It does not presume. It is an invitation – Come and see. In John’s Gospel it is used three times. Each time the invitation is issued, someone comes to Jesus and sees or experiences him. When they “see” him, they believe.
Our invitation and opportunity is a little more complicated. When we are excited or moved about our experience of Jesus in our lives today, when we issue the invitation – Come and see – where will they come and what will they see?
One possibility is our worship. If people come and see our community at worship, will they see and hear Jesus as the center of our attention? There will be readings from the Gospel, there will be the Sacrament of Holy Communion, and there will be hymns of praise. Each of these will point to Jesus.
Another possibility is in the places outside of worship, where we are of service. What if people were invited to come and see Jesus in our interactions with people at Windsor Court or in serving at Roy’s Desert Resource Center, or on Wednesdays when lunch is served to people in need by Well in the Desert, or as tutors in local schools making learning easier and more rewarding?
Whenever we invite the people we meet to come and see, to come and experience the community of Jesus, there are some things that I hope they will see. I hope they will experience people who listen and care. I hope they will experience a Jesus community that is ready to embrace them as Jesus has embraced us. I hope they will experience a Jesus community that gathers for worship and lives to serve the world in Jesus’ name. I hope they will experience a people of prayer, who know that God makes all this possible.
This is a tall order for our community; join us as we continue to practice living faithfully each week – because we came, and saw, and believed.
“The 76th Annual Meeting of the Church of St. Paul in the Desert will take place in the Parish Hall at 9:15 am on Sunday, January 25, 2015.
Click here to read about the candidates for the Vestry (Board of Directors) of St. Paul’s.”
Fr. Andrew
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John 1:43-51
The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”
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MESSAGE FROM FATHER ANDREW
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I will be making a pilgrimage to the
Holy Land, November 6 – 16, 2015.
The Pilgrimage will be organized by the Rev. Earle King of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Grand Island, NY. This will be Fr. King’s sixth pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Our families have been friends since 1982 and I continue to work with Fr. King as a part of the General Convention of the Episcopal Church.
There are several spaces available to join this pilgrimage. A $300 non-refundable deposit is required by the end of January to reserve a place.
See Fr. Green’s Flyer here. Full Details here. Contact Fr. Earl King at 716-773-3335 or at padreking@aol.com
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“Sundays at 9:15”
In The Library
Welcome to The Episcopal Café Discussion Group! Sessions will be held in the Chapel Room in the Parish Hall. These discussion/sharing sessions are based on online topics from Episcopal websites,
1/18 Transgender Priest Rachel Mann Made Minor Canon at
Manchester Cathedral Facilitator: Craig Ewing
Read the article here
1/25 Annual Meeting: No Café session
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“Tuesdays at 7:00 PM in the Library”
Christian Mysticism & Mystics
1/20 Teilhard de Chardin, led by Craig Ewing
1/27 de Caussade / Evelyn Underhill. Led by Rev. Andrew Green
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“Christmas at Roy’s Desert Resource Center”
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Our Homeless Brothers and Sisters Still Need Your Help – Thanks to everyone who gave generously this Christmas, we were able to deliver 85 gift cards worth $25 to each of the homeless men, women and children at Roy’s Desert Resource Center. Our goal now is to resume monthly deliveries of new underwear and socks to Roy’s residents – a gift that is both urgently needed and much appreciated. Please help feed the hungry and clothe the naked with a financial contribution this month. Simply drop your check, payable to “St. Paul in the Desert,” in the collection plate or hand it to an usher with a notation on the “memo” line that it is for the “Roy’s Fund.” For more information contact Chris Kelly at 760-406-2978. Both the Roy’s team and residents are truly grateful for your support.
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REPORT MISCONDUCT
As part of our ongoing commitment to creating a safe haven for everyone, our diocese trains people in the prevention of misconduct and encourages all to report misconduct. All reported incidents are taken seriously and investigated thoroughly and confidentially. If you believe you have experienced misconduct of any kind, please contact the John Seitman, at jseitman@pacbell.net or 858-793-4426.
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At the Church
of St. Paul
in the Desert
. . . we welcome all worshipers to a place free of violence, bullying, and abuse. Physical, verbal or emotional violence against others or against oneself is not acceptable because of our understanding of what it means to follow Jesus. Please let Jesus’ command to love your neighbor as yourself be your guide.
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A WELCOMING, EMPOWERING, SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY
Our mission statement calls us to be “a welcoming, empowering and supportive community.” We are currently forming a new ministry at St Paul’s to support that mission. Volunteers are needed from all three services to donate approximately 90 minutes of their time per month. That time is split into 3-30 minute segments: 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after the service you attend, once per month, to support the Welcoming Table located in the Narthex and another 30 minutes a month assisting with name badge organization. If you are able to lend a hand, please contact Mike Funke at 760.-409.0986 or mike.funke@yahoo.com!
Help us live our mission statement!
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Bullying Behavior Not Welcome Here
At St. Paul in the Desert we 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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Our Partnership
with
Katherine Finchy
Elementary School
. . . continues through our donations of classroom supplies. Please take a blue classroom supply wish list, available from the ushers, (or view and print), to use when you go shopping. Please place your donations in the basket marked “Katherine Finchy Elementary” located in the Narthex. You may also bring your purchased supplies to the Church Office during business hours. If you are unable to shop, but would like to help financially, please make your check out to “St. Paul in the Desert” and write “Katherine Finchy” on the memo line.
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CHURCH OFFICE HOURS
Please observe that the office is not open for walk-ins on Mondays. If you call, please leave a message. In case of emergencies, a priest will return your call.
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A Celebration of Life will be held for Patti Minton-Sivcovich on Saturday, February 28, 2015 at 11:00 AM here at the Church of St Paul in the Desert.
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A new opportunity for rewarding service begins next month:
St. Paul’s Adult Literacy Ministry
is open to all interested volunteers. No teaching experience is needed to participate. The first training session will be held Saturday, February 7, 2015 at 9:00 AM in the St. Paul’s small conference room. Please watch for further information in upcoming Sunday bulletins.
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The Order of the
Daughters of the King
. . . will have their next meeting on Tuesday, January 27th at 1:15 PM in the parish hall chapel. We welcome all ladies of the parish to join us to learn more about DOK. Our mission is prayer and service work. On the agenda will be the planning of our annual tea coming up shortly. Please join us in helping to plan for this very special event. For further information please call Val Ferguson at home, 760-671-5372 or 760-799-5927.
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Save the Date
Sunday,
February 8, 2015
at 4:00PM.
The Church of St. Paul presents a concert with Mark Thallander on organ and Peter Green on piano. The program features piano and organ duets based on familiar hymn tunes. For more information contact Director of Music, Nathan Ensign at 760-320-7488 X 225.
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Taize Services return on Thursday, February 5th at 7 PM in the Church.
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A BENEFIT
FOR THE
FRIENDS OF ROY’S
FOUNDATION
Friday,
January 16th at
7:30 PM
The Church of St. Paul will present the Plymouth State University Chamber Singers from New Hampshire. Under the direction of Dr. Dan Perkins, this 21 voice choir will sing a program with works by such known composers as Whitacre, Bernstein, The Beatles, Part and others. Donations are graciously received at the door and a reception will follow to welcome singers and community guests.
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SUNDAY SCHOOL
(FORMERLY “GODLY PLAY”)
NEEDS –-> YOU
We are looking for volunteers to be Story Tellers and/or Doorkeepers (observers) for our Sunday School program during the 10:30 service. This is an opportunity to teach children through biblical readings and activities selected by the Sunday School Team from an Episcopal curriculum. If you are interested in volunteering or want more information, please contact Ted Barjas at 760.902.1014.
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HOLY COMMUNION
SERVICE
FOR
LOCAL CARE FACILITIES
Holy Communion at Windsor Court, 201 South Sunrise Way, Palm Springs, is hosted by the Nursing Home Ministry on the second Wednesday of the month, next, on February 11, at 10:15am. The Presiding Priest always welcomes assistance from parishioners.
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COFFEE HOUR CELEBRATION
Coffee Hour following the 8:00 AM service is hosted by David Livingston.
Please consider signing up to host a Coffee Hour in 2014. A binder at the entrance to the Parish Hall indicates available Sundays throughout the year. There are several Sundays available through the end of the year. If you have questions, call Ray or Cheryl Kelley at 760.778.1725.
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PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY
The Prayer Shawl Ministry invites you to join our circle on Wednesday’s from 10am -1pm in Hogarth Hall. Whether you wish to learn to knit or crochet or are an expert needleworker, we welcome you. Needles, hooks and yarn are provided. Please drop in to create and enjoy our prayerfully made creations.
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Episcopalians Against Gun Violence
. . . is an ad-hoc group of bishops, clergy and lay people disseminating information about Episcopalians who are working, collectively and individually, to curb gun violence. For further information, click here.
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