The Abundant Life – September 26, 2019

WORSHIPING TOGETHER . . . AND SOME THINGS TO COME!

As we journey into the fall, I wanted to share some thoughts with you about our worship which is always the most important thing we do together and out of which all our other ministries arise.  I am especially enjoying hearing your thoughts and reflections on who we are as a Parish in our liturgical life as we continue in this time of transition and discernment.

As you may remember from a few weeks ago we are trying now to have a brief period of silence after the sermons for reflection as the bulletin had always indicated.  Hopefully we clergy will remember from Sunday to Sunday!  Silence is God’s “first language” and can be a very helpful part of our worship.

Secondly, we will be having an “Instructed Eucharist” on October 20 at all liturgies that Sunday which is something I really enjoy doing and l truly hope will be helpful and informative.  The services will be exactly as we normally do them but the ‘sermon time’ will be distributed between significant places in the structure of the Order of Service to share what we are doing and why we are doing it.  All too often we do things in Church without really reflecting on what it is we do, and it can become very “routine.”

Thirdly, I am planning to have “Home Eucharists” maybe four or five times through the coming Church Year in ”early Church” style  where we will gather in the living room (or equivalent) for the liturgy of the Word in a very relaxed setting, discussing the readings, doing the prayers, etc. We will then gather around the family dinner table and celebrate Eucharist right where we normally eat together.  We then have dinner (potluck) and enjoy each other’s company.  And that’s it!  We pray and eat in community.  The idea is having worship experience that is more informal in nature and enjoying each other socially as well.  Hosts are welcome to invite particular people they want to reach out to, but we will certainly ask everyone to let the host household know how many are coming.

I am also looking forward to having a “Question and Answer” sermon sometime after the first of the year and I will share more about that closer to the time.  Dates, locations and other details for the Home Eucharists will be announced soon.

Leading worship with you is a joy for me indeed – whatever the setting might be!  See you at the Lord’s Table!

Fr. David

Newcomers Welcoming Session

Sunday, September 29 – If you want to join St. Paul’s or learn more about the parish, come to this single session class led by Jerry Di Noto. In this informal setting, you will have the opportunity to ask questions about St. Paul’s and learn how to become a member.

Join us at 9:15 AM in the Parish Hall Conference Room.

Children’s Ministry

Children’s Fall Festival

Our Children’s Ministry Community Fall Festival is scheduled for Sunday, October 20, 1:00 – 4:00 PM.  We are looking for volunteers to assist with the production of this fun event so if you’re interested, please contact Children’s Ministry Leaders Deana and Ken Huff at 760.992.4138 or deana_greider@yahoo.com.

Volunteers are needed for event set up / take down, game table supervision, face painting, food service, etc. Representatives from the Palm Springs Police and Fire Departments will be on hand for the Festival and two donated bicycles will be given away.  This event is free to all children and families in our community so please spread the word to those you know.  Event flyers will be available for distribution soon.

First Sunday Suppers – The Children’s Ministry will launch our First Sunday Suppers on Sunday, October 6, 4:00 – 6:00 PM in the Parish Hall.  All parishioners and friends are welcome to attend.  At this First Sunday Supper, we will begin with a craft exercise and end with a pizza party.  The First Sunday Suppers will take place on the first Sunday of every month, with different activities and food planned for each.  We intend this to be an intergenerational activity and one that will help introduce new families and children of all ages to our Children’s Ministry programs.  The event is free to all, so please invite your family and friends.

For additional information, contact Children’s Ministry Leaders Deana and Ken Huff at 760.992.4138  or email deana_greider@yahoo.com

CHILDREN’S MINISTRY CALENDAR
October – December 2019

October 6, 4:00 PM – First Sunday Supper – Parish Hall
October 20, 10:30 AM – Monthly Sunday School Class
October 20, 1:00-4:00 PM – Fall Festival Community Event
October 27, 10:30 AM – Children’s Sunday Worship Service

November 3, 4:00-6:00 PM – First Sunday Supper – Parish Hall
November 17, 10:30 AM — Monthly Sunday School Class
November 24, 10:30 AM – Children’s Sunday Worship Service

December 1, 4:00-6:00 PM First Sunday Supper — Parish Hall
December 15, 10:30 AM — Monthly Sunday School Class
December 22, 10:20 AM — Children’s Sunday Worship Servicer
December 24, 6:00 PM – Family Christmas Eve Service

Salt and Light Listening Sessions

Bishop Susan Brown Snook will hold a series of Salt and Light listening sessions during the week of September 23-30. The goal of the listening sessions is to gather input for the next strategic plan for the Diocese of San Diego. In preparation, Bp. Susan is inviting us into a 9-day season of prayer. She will be holding one of the listening sessions at St. Paul in the Desert on Friday, September 27 from 7:00-9:00 PM in the Parish Hall. We will be joined by others from our sister churches in the area.

We encourage St. Paul members to attend. The listening sessions are free, but please register at EDSD.org to assist us with planning.

Monthly Taizé Service

Our monthly Taizé service resumes for the Fall on Thursday, October 3 at 7:00 p.m. in the church.

This service, a beautiful mix of prayer, song and Scripture, gives one an opportunity to experience God in a quiet, contemplative setting. All are invited to participate.

Blessing of the Animals

Saturday, October 5, at 10:00 AM, St. Paul’s will celebrate the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi as we bless the animals as Francis taught us. The Blessing recognizes our mutual interdependence with all of God’s creatures.

Bring your pets to receive a special blessing. All properly leashed or contained pets are welcome.

Parish Life Book Club

The Parish Life Book Club is a group of people who enjoy reading and talking about the books they read. New members are always welcome.

The next Book Club meeting will be held on October 1, 2019, at 1 PM in the Library of St. Paul’s. For October Book Club has selected Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Stout. “Olive had a way about her that was absolutely without apology.” Olive Kitteridge offers profound insights into the human condition in a coastal Maine community — its conflicts, its tragedies and joys, and the endurance it requires.

For more information please contact Alan Zimmerman at alanzimmerman@icloud.com

Fraudulent Email Alert

A recent threat to churches is email-based impersonation scams targeting key personnel. The scheme involves cybercriminals mimicking clergy or other staff through the use of phishing emails. Criminals typically pose as personnel in positions of authority and ask victims to perform money transfers, pay invoices, or to send the attacker sensitive data. Scammers will often manipulate the “from” email address and name so that it appears to be coming from someone you know.

Churches and dioceses across The Episcopal Church and across other denominations have been a target of these email impersonation attacks. Scammers use a free email account (such as Gmail) and register it with an impersonated name. They then send an email to an unsuspecting recipient asking for immediate help in order to get a task done (such as purchasing a gift card or wiring money). Attention to detail can be a lot of help in combating cases of impersonation. Users should check sender details carefully. Any suspicious email message should be investigated before replying. Also, proper attention should be given to the message content, including attachments and URLs.

Palm Springs Pride

ST. PAUL’S PARADES/SPECIAL EVENTS TEAM is organizing our contingent in the Palm Springs Pride Parade, Sunday Nov. 3^rd. Your support and participation demonstrate who we are as a faith community and is greatly appreciated. Walkers, riders and drivers are needed.

Sign-up sheets for the parade are in the Narthex (church lobby), in the Parish Hall and the Office. There will be some seats available in cars for individuals who need to ride.

In Memoriam

Coffee Hour after Services

We hope you will join us for coffee and conversation in the Parish Hall following our Sunday morning services.

This week, Lucinda & John Hampson are sponsoring both 8am and 10:30am services in celebration of Matthew Hampson’s Birthday.

Please consider volunteering to be a Coffee Hour Host sometime. It can be a great way to honor and celebrate a birthday, anniversary or other special occasion. There are still many Sundays available. The Sunday Hospitality Sign-Up Book is on the table at the Parish Hall entrance.

Report clergy 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 incidences are taken seriously and investigated thoroughly and confidentially. If you believe you have experienced misconduct of any kind, please contact John Seitman, 858-793-4555 or Equilla Luke, 760-583-0485.

Compassionate Care Task Force

Our diocesan task force on compassionate care for victims of clergy sexual misconduct seeks to connect with those who have experienced misconduct. If you have reported clergy sexual misconduct and have information about the reporting or post-reporting experience that could be helpful to their work, please refer to the task force members, all of whom are listed on the diocesan website: Task-Force. Information on how to report misconduct is available here.

Church Office Hours

Office Hours are 9 am – 4:30 pm Tuesday through Friday. The office is closed on Mondays.

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.

Sunday Worship Childcare

Childcare is available during the 10:30 a.m. service.

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 because of our understanding of what it means to follow Jesus.  Please let Jesus’ command to love your neighbor as yourself be your guide.

“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.