For Sunday, January 24th, 2021
Weekend Worship Service Delay
Due to changes in our filming schedule, this weekend’s worship service broadcast will be delayed and may not be available for viewing until Sunday morning. We will return to our regular schedule next week.
St. Paul in the Desert Parish Meeting
In-person, socially distanced, outdoors, all-Parish meeting
January 31, 2021 at 11:00am
In the parking lot at St. Paul in the Desert, 125 W. El Alameda
This meeting will also be available via ZOOM. To be included in the ZOOM meeting, send your invitation request, by January 30th to: nancyjantonius@gmail.com.
This is your chance to meet the new Vestry members, hear from our interim Rector, Senior Warden, Junior Warden and Treasurer, get an update on the search for a new full-time Rector, and catch-up with all that’s happening at St. Paul during the Pandemic shut-down. This is an opportunity to see friends, either socially distanced or virtually and learn what’s new with the church’s ministries and your fellow parishioners.
For in-person attendance please RSVP by January 28th to: registrar@stpaulsps.org
Vestry Candidates
One of the main events of the Annual Parish Meeting on January 31 at 11:00 AM is the election of our four Vestry members to serve until January 2024. A nominating committee has put prayer, thought and discussion into the slate of Candidates below.
Edward Ray Tackett (Ray)
I was born in the Pacific Northwest, east of the mountains, in Chelan, Washington. My parents were not Church goers but sent me each week to the Little Stone Church in Lakeside, Washington, a small inter-denominational and conservative congregation. From there I began my spiritual journey. In 2008, I had decided I was done with “church.” However, God had a different plan for me and, much to my surprise, my partner Larry Wilson, upon returning from a visit with his brother and attending an Episcopal service said, “I want us to start attending the Episcopal Church!” So, in 2010 we began attending. Larry was soon Baptized and Confirmed, and later in 2016, I was also confirmed. It was also in 2016, while we were snowbirds, that we came to St. Paul in the Desert and fell in love with the location and the Parish. We purchased a home in Desert Hot Springs in the spring of 2019 and quickly became members of St. Paul in the Desert. Currently I am privileged to serve as a Lector, as a member of the Alter Guild, and as a member of the Stewardship Committee. This fall I will also begin my third year in the EFM class held at St Margaret’s.
Before retiring in 2018, I was a Respiratory Therapist, spending most of my career in the Neo-Natal ICU or the Adult ICU. I spent my final two years as the manager of the Respiratory Department, managing 84 therapists and technicians. Prior to meeting Larry, I was married and raised five children (three stepdaughters and two sons of my own).
I feel so privileged to be part of St. Paul in the Desert at this exciting time in our Parish! Serving on the Vestry is an honor and privilege, and St. Paul’s will succeed with God’s help and your help.
May God bless.
Kathy Kilmer
My name is Kathy Kilmer, and it is my privilege to serve the Church of St. Paul in the Desert in many ways. I was appointed to fulfill the unexpired term of another vestry person in August of 2019. That term expires in January 2021, and I am honored to be asked to run for a regular vestry position.
I am a cradle Episcopalian and moved to California from Upstate New York in 1980. I am a certified medical assistant and worked for a neurosurgeon for 27 years. After that I ran my own licensed home day care until 2013 when I retired. I have to say I sort of “failed” retirement and continued to work part-time at a couple local preschools, as well as doing private childcare until the pandemic hit. I became a member of St. Paul’s in 1981 and served at St. Paul’s during the ensuing years as a Sunday School teacher and Sunday School Coordinator for a period of about sixteen years. I have also served previous Vestry terms and have served as an Altar Guild member and Altar Minister (Worship Coordinator). I currently hold the position of Co-Director of the Altar Guild/Altar Ministers. In my capacity as Vestry member this last year, I have served as Co-Chair of the Stewardship Committee.
I look forward to serving the parishioners and friends of St. Paul’s as one of your Vestry members.
Ben Palmer
My name is Ben Palmer. I have been a member of The Church of St. Paul in the Desert since February 2018. My membership was transferred from St. Andrew’s Parish in Derby, Kansas. I became a member of St. Andrew’s Parish February 2010. I was confirmed February 19, 2012 by the Right Reverend Dean E. Wolfe, Ninth Bishop, The Episcopal Diocese of Kansas. I was baptized April 10, 1961 at St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church in Kansas. While attending St. Andrew’s, I was part of the Altar Guild and Ministry. I also helped with the Episcopal food bank in Wichita, Kansas. I am retired now and have been since April 2014. My professional life was in Radiology. I studied at Wichita State University and Wesley Medical Center. I was the Radiology supervisor for a private orthopedic in Long Beach, California from 1973 to 1994. I returned to Kansas to help care for my dad. While there, I worked at Wesley Medical Center in the MRI department, specializing in child sedation cases. I returned to California in 2014 after retirement. The first time I walked into the Narthex at St. Paul’s I knew I had found my spiritual home. I love this parish and its congregation. It will be my honor and privilege to serve on the Vestry. Presently I serve on the Altar Guild and Ministry.
Peace and Blessings,
Ben Palmer
John Hampson
My name is John Hampson. I was born in 1981 and started attending St. Paul of the Desert in 1984. Emile Duvernay trained me as an acolyte in 1993 and since then I have never stopped volunteering at St. Paul’s. My assignments have included usher, alter guild, vestry, thurifer, chalice bearer and worship coordinator. I also became a Soccer referee in 1992 and have served as a board member of the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) since 2002. Those charities have filled my life ever since. I have worked at Crown Meat & Provisions in Palm Springs for 17 years and am currently the HACCP Coordinator (Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points). I work to facilitate food safety and quality assurance.
A Message from the Stewardship Ministry
We hope you like our new “thermometer” graph. We will update it weekly so you will know – with just a quick glance – where we are in our Pledge Campaign. Once again, the Stewardship Committee and the Vestry wish to thank all those who have submitted their pledge for 2021. Your financial support is greatly needed and appreciated. As we have said before, the church may be closed for in person worship, but the work of the church has continued and will even increase as we move through this year.
Our vacant rector position has been posted and is now open for applicants. There will be new expenses associated with this alone, as well as some other new endeavors we hope to get underway soon. It is indeed a New Dawn and a New Day here at St. Paul’s, as we embark on our journey through 2021. If you have not yet submitted a pledge, it is not too late. You can do so by returning the pledge card previously mailed to you, submitting your pledge online, or calling the office at 760.320.7488 ext. 222.
As of this week, we have received 147 pledges totaling $322,155. That’s approximately 75% of our goal. Let’s see if we can make it to 100%!
The Stewardship Committee
Latino Ministry Committee
The next Latino Ministry Committee meeting is January 25, at 6:30 PM, via Zoom. To join the meeting, contact chair Bonnie Stroock at bcstroock@aol.com
Book Club is Zooming!
The next Book Club meeting will be held Tuesday, February 2, 2021, at 1:00 PM via Zoom. Meeting access information will follow later.
For February, Book Club has selected The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. In The Vanishing Half, the lives of twin sisters who run away from a Southern Black family at age 16 diverge, as one returns and the other takes on a different racial identity – but their fates intertwine. This month Book Club celebrates its fourth anniversary.
New members are always welcome at Book Club meetings. For more information contact Alan Zimmerman at alanzimmerman@icloud.com.
Help Wanted: Live Stream Production/Technical Director
We are seeking a part-time Live Stream Production Director to work approximately 3½ hours on Sundays broadcasting our worship services. Qualified candidates must be tech savvy, proficient in OBS Studio, and able to handle a simple three camera set-up (two stationary and one on remote control).
Candidates are NOT required to be Episcopalian – or even religious – but be willing to learn the format of our services. Compensation is commensurate with experience. Additional opportunities exist in live streaming weddings, funerals and other events.
If you know of anyone who might be qualified and interested, please ask them to contact Steve Moore at pscars4u@aol.com
Forward Day by Day
Our shipment of Forward Day by Day daily devotional booklets for February/March/April 2021 has arrived. Although St. Paul’s campus is not open for business due to the COVID-19 pandemic, you may pick up your copy of Day by Day at the Parish Office between 9:00 – 11:30 AM and 1:00 – 4:30 PM, weekdays.
Please call the church (760.320.7488) to schedule a pick-up time/date that works for you and the church office staff. If you are homebound, let us know and we will mail your copy to you.
January 15, 2021
Dear Parishioners,
We are pleased to announce the posting of our Parish Profile under the new Rector Search button available at the top of the navigation bar. This new section includes the Profile document, FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions), the archive of our Transition Updates and instructions to apply for the position.
If you would like to recommend someone for the position, you can forward the name, with their permission, to the Transition Committee Convener at transition@stpaulsps.org. Or ask that individual to apply for the position by going to the Rector Search section of our church website to get instructions on how to submit their cover letter, resume and Office of Transition Ministry profile. Rev. Canon Gwynn Lynch, Canon to the Ordinary, is accepting applications until February 26, 2021 on our behalf at glynch@edsd.org.
We have also posted this announcement on the Episcopal Church Office of Transition Ministry Database and with the Episcopal News Service. We encourage you to reach out to others to spread the word and to provide this information to them.
We thank you for your continued prayers and support,
Clinton L. Carbon
Convener, Transition Committee
Pray for our Parish in Transition: Almighty God, giver of every good gift: Look graciously on your Church, and so guide the minds of those who shall choose a rector for this parish, that we may receive a faithful pastor, who will care for your people and equip us for our ministries; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen (BCP p. 818)
Weekly Bible Sharing
With the Rev. Canon Eric H. F. Law
Thursday, January 28th
12:00 p.m.
Join via Zoom: Click here to join meeting.
Or, join by phone: (669) 900-6833
Meeting ID: 841 2829 0982
Prayers of the Church
For the Anglican Communion, and for the Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Rev. and Rt. Hon. Justin Welby; pray for The Church of Bangladesh, The Most Rev. Samuel Mankhin, Primate.
For the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida, The Rt. Rev. Peter Eaton, Bishop.
For the Diocese of San Diego, The Rt. Rev. Susan Brown Snook, Bishop; pray for the children, staff and board of Vida Joven de Mexico and for the growth of service in the diocese.
For our Parish in Transition: Almighty God, giver of every good gift: Look graciously on your Church, and so guide the minds of those who shall choose a rector for this parish, that we may receive a faithful pastor, who will care for your people and equip us for our ministries; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen (BCP p. 818)
For those commended to our prayers: Alberto Canas, Ed Vittoria, Neal Leiffer, Debbie Williams, Brian Nealy; pray for all those affected by COVID-19 – heal those who are suffering, comfort those who grieve, and strengthen those who are caring for others, and pray for all those for whom no prayers have been said.
For those who have died: Debbie Biddick, Antoinette Crawford, Darrell Crawford, Rosemarie Tribble, Dorothy Lee, Areise Vaughan, Tony Spears, Helen Pellum, Eddie Arugay, Sandi Alejandro Sprankle, Henry Long, Sue Sollock, Ronda Wade.
For those with birthdays: January 24: Ken Hendrickson; January 26: Glenda Shaw, Peter Smurthwaite; January 27: Irene Gillespie, Michael Painter; January 28: Lou Armentrout; January 30: Stephen Lisante.
For those celebrating their anniversary: January 29: Patty & Richard Kiker.
Send us your Prayer Requests via email — You may request prayers, “For those commended to our prayers” or “For those who have died,” by sending requests to announcements@stpaulsps.org
For this Sunday’s Lectionary readings Click Here. From the calendar, select January 24th.
In Memoriam
Longtime St. Paul choir member, Debbie Biddick, died Sunday, January 17. Debbie served as the choir’s soprano section leader since fall 2016 and in recent times sang with the vocal quartet that provides music for our weekly worship service broadcasts. May she rest in peace and rise in glory.
Daughters of the King Prayer List Requests
St. Paul’s Order of the Daughters of the King chapter maintains a confidential prayer list, praying daily for our families, friends, congregation, and the world. If you would like to ask the Daughters to pray for you or someone else, email your requests to dokstpaulsps@gmail.com. Confidentiality of this list means that names on our list are not shared beyond our chapter members and Chaplain.
Questions? Contact Patty Kiker, 214.497.3034
Looking for a home?
St Paul in the Desert has been endowed with a gift of residential real estate located in Sun City, Palm Desert.
One of our longtime parishioners has bequeathed a beautiful home to the church. The proceeds from the sale of the property are to be shared by St. Paul and two other parishes that were dear to the heart of the donor. The residence is currently on the market and is move-in ready. If you know of someone who is looking for a home in a quiet community, we ask you to share this information.
View more about this homeFraud Email Alert
A recurring 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.
While there is no way to stop these scams, you can minimize risk by taking these steps:
- Check the return email address. If the address doesn’t match the name of the sender, be wary.
- Never open attachments from unknown sources.
- Be wary of generically addressed emails like “Dear Friend” or Dear Customer.”
- If there are links in the email, hover over them without clicking on them. This will show where the link will actually take you.
- Be wary of email with grammatical or spelling errors in the text.
- Check the address at the bottom of the email. If it says ”Pastor Jim” and Jim never goes by “Pastor,” it’s fake.
Finally, if after all these steps it looks safe and the sender is asking for money or access to secure data, call the person directly to get verification.
Your best defense for this is to simply delete the email; do not click on any links or reply to the sender.
Episcopal News Service
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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
Due to the COVID-19 health crisis, the Parish Office is closed to the public until further notice.
Office phone: 760.320.7488
If you call, please leave a message. In case of emergencies, a priest will return your call.
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.
