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From The Rector
What is Great Begins From the Bottom
Jesus continues his journey with his disciples in our reading this week. He is traveling “under the radar” so that he can spend time teaching and mentoring them.
The teaching is about his coming suffering and death at the hands of humanity and his rising from death. This is a difficult lesson and the disciples not only misunderstand, they ignore it. Jesus teaches about suffering and death while the disciples privately debate who is the heir apparent to the teacher.
So Jesus moves from teaching to mentoring. He understands that they have been jockeying for position and he does not rebuke them. Rather he chooses to build on their debate, and dramatically for his time and place, uses a prop.
The prop is a child who has been around the margins of the group (part of the larger group of students and women who followed and cared for the disciples), and Jesus draws him to the center. This attention is radical because children at that time were non-persons with the status equivalent to slaves. They were not perceived as we do children today, as I perceive my precious granddaughters, even though of course they were cared for. For the disciples, this child would be the “least.”
As the prop, this child was used to dramatically shock the disciples. Jesus responds to their misunderstanding of the mission, their fear of disappointing him, and their secret ambitions that Jesus was their ticket to power. He is not angry, dismissive, or critical. He works with their ambition to be associated with a great and powerful patron, and he offers them the association – turned on its head.
Those who will welcome the “least” – bringing them from the margins to the center – will please their patron, Jesus. If Jesus is pleased, then his patron, God, is pleased. Not the usual way to gain favor, Jesus asks his followers to invite God’s favor by their favoring the powerless, such as the child before them.
In every circle of people there are some who exist close to the center of attention and others who are on the edges or excluded entirely. Although Jesus is at the center, he makes it his mission to scour the edges and embrace the powerless and the outsiders. He calls this search being “last,” as it lifts the vulnerable and powerless “least” to God.
Join our community of weak and strong as we worship God and learn from Jesus and one another about true greatness.
Fr. Andrew
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Featured Scripture
Mark 9:30-37
Jesus and his disciples went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.
Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”
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A Letter From the Bishop
Read Bp. Beisner’s letter here.
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Diocesan Day of Service
St. Paul in the Desert will participate in the Diocesan Day of Service On Saturday and Sunday, October 10 & 11, following the 4:00 pm, 8:00 & 10:30 am services. Our contribution will be to assemble “Blessing Bags” after each service for distribution to our brothers and sisters in the community who might benefit from them. Please consider donating new, travel-size only toiletries such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, combs, bar soap and sunblock. There is a basket in the foyer for the collection of items. If you prefer to donate by check, please make it payable to St. Paul in the Desert with “Blessings Bags” in the memo line. Thank you for your generous support of those in need.
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Welcoming Session on Membership
Many worshipers wonder how to become a member of St. Paul’s. If you wonder, join Fr. Andrew in the Parish Library on Sunday, September 27th at 9:15.
You will find out how to become a member, and be able to learn about St. Paul’s. This is not the same as Inquirers Class and will last for only one session. If you are already a member, this class is not for you.
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Blessing of the Animals
 St. Paul’s invites members and friends of the Parish to a special ceremony on Saturday, October 3rd, at 10:00 am. We will give thanks to God for the amazing gift of creation and especially for our Animal Companions. The special prayers will take place in the Meditation Garden. All well behaved animals are welcome and will receive a special blessing and affirmation of God’s love. (I believe the animals already know this, but the Human Companions enjoy a reminder.)
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Help Others Beat the Heat
This summer, St. Paul’s is helping our brothers and sisters in need to find relief from the heat. In collaboration with the Social Justice Team, St. Paul’s has purchased and is distributing free bus passes to clients of Well in the Desert, and others, so they can have access to the cooling center, showers, bingo and crafts workshops. If you would like to contribute, please make checks payable to “Church of St. Paul in the Desert”, with “bus passes/Social Justice” in the memo line. Or, put cash in an envelope, identified in the same way, and place it in the offering plate.
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Desert AIDS Walk
 Saturday, October 17th, St. Paul’s will have a team of walkers who will participate in the Desert AIDS Walk. You are welcome to sign up for the walk and collect donations or donate directly to a team member. Checks should be made payable to the Desert AIDS Project. We will be signing up walkers and accepting donations after each worship service, beginning Saturday and Sunday, September 19th & 20th.
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Sunday Mornings at 9:15 AM
Episcopal Café returns in The Chapel
September
9/20 Getting Beyond Hateful Acts & Labels-Part 2.
Led by Craig Ewing. Read about it here.
9/27 Can Mindfulness Reduce Racism?
Led by Br. John Charles. Read about it here.
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Tuesdays at 7:00 PM
Meets in the Library
“DeMystifying the Book of Revelation”.
9/22 What Makes this Book So Attractive to So Many?
Led by Br. John Charles.
9/29 The Erroneous “End of the World” Interpretation.
Led by Jerry Di Noto.
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Baked Goods Donations for
“ROY’S DESERT RESOURCE CENTER”
St. Paul’s ongoing outreach to the homeless at Roy’s Desert Resource Center needs donations of cookies, cakes and other baked treats for our Monday night dessert service at the North Palm Springs facility. Homemade items are especially popular and appreciated. You can bring donations with you to church and leave them with an usher before the service. For more information, contact Chris Kelly – (760) 406-2978. Thanks for your help.
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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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Announcements
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CHURCH
OFFICE HOURS
The church office is open Tuesday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm with a lunch break from 11:30 am until 1:00 pm.
Should you call on Monday when we are closed to the public, please leave a message. In case of an emergency, a priest will return your call.
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SUNDAY SCHOOL RESUMES
Our Sunday School sessions have resumed for the school year! We look forward to having the children attend the 10:30 Sunday School Program. We are still looking for volunteers to be a storyteller or a doorkeeper. If you are interested, please contact Ted Barajas at 760-902-1014 or email at tedbarajas1@yahoo.com.
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PARKING LOT
A small portion of St. Paul’s parking lot will be used during the evenings for valet parking for our new neighbor, Eight4Nine restaurant. Our staff will be monitoring the usage to be sure it does not cause any conflicts with the needs of our parishioners.
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SAVE THE DATE
Sunday, October 18th, St. Paul’s Parish Open House and Ministry Fair, between the 8 am and 10:30 am services and following the 10:30 am service.
Details to follow!
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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 October 14th, at 10:15am. The Presiding Priest always welcomes assistance from parishioners.
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COFFEE HOUR
Sunday’s coffee hour after the 8:00 and the 10:30 services is hosted by the Vestry .
There are several Sunday hospitality opportunities available through the end of the year. Please consider hosting a Coffee Hour after the 8:00 or 10:30 services with family or friends. Sign-up binders are on the large table on the right as you enter the Parish Hall.
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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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 John Seitman, at jseitman@pacbell.net or 858-793-4426.
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