For Sunday, April 4, 2021
Holy Week Resources
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April Book Club
The next Book Club meeting will be held Tuesday, April 6, 2021, at 1:00 PM via Zoom. Meeting access information will follow later.
For April, Book Club has selected The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah. The Four Winds is a sweeping novel that brings to life the Great Depression as seen through the eyes of one indomitable woman whose courage and sacrifice will come to define a generation. It is a testament to hope, resilience, and the strength of the human spirit to survive adversity and an indelible portrait of the American dream.
New members are always welcome at Book Club meetings. For more information contact Alan Zimmerman at alanzimmerman@icloud.com.
St Paul’s Hiking Club
Back by popular demand! Chris Kelly will lead us on another attention-grabbing walking tour – this time in Riverside. We will walk roughly 2.5 miles through Riverside’s downtown historic area. The date is Saturday, April 10, and we will meet in Riverside at 9:00 AM.
For further information or to sign up, contact Nancy Antonius at 760.656.4920 (H), 516.353.2566 (C), or nancyjantonius@gmail.com. As always, family and friends are welcome.
A Message from our Stewardship Committee
When thinking of Stewardship, we are reminded of the Three T’s: Time, Talent, and Treasure. Today, I want to set aside Treasure, and talk about Time and Talent.
Many of us have work experience and educational exposure that have helped us develop expertise in a variety of disciplines. We sometimes refer to this as our individual “talent.” Is it possible to pair that talent with our available free time and then volunteer to help St. Paul in the Desert accomplish the Parish mission? Sometimes it’s easy to think, “I won’t be needed; there are plenty of others who can do that.” The truth is St. Paul’s will always welcome the skills and expertise we share when we volunteer in any capacity at the Church. Let me give you an example of one parishioner who gives freely of his time and talent.
Orin Ellingson
Orin Ellingson is our Parish Registrar. In that volunteer capacity, Orin is responsible for recording (and reporting) all types of parish activities. But like most volunteers at St. Paul’s, Orin wears many different hats. For example, he spends considerable time working on Parish (print) communications – his college training in Journalism and English fuels his interest. He is also a member of the team that tracks financial donations and prepares weekly bank deposits. He enjoys coordinating administrative (office) support for several of our Parish ministries and he is the Parish contact person for groups like the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce, the Old Las Palmas Neighborhood Association and the Palm Springs Historical Society. Orin began volunteering at St. Paul’s shortly after he moved to Palm Springs from San Francisco in 2006. In the beginning, he spent just a couple days a week in the Parish Office. But as the Church changed and people moved on, he picked up additional duties and his volunteer schedule became full-time. Chances are, if you ever have reason to contact the Parish Office, you will bump into Orin. Recently, I asked him how he feels about spending so much time volunteering for our Parish. He responded, “I enjoy the work, the people contact. And I know how much I benefit personally from my time spent at St. Paul’s. It’s all very gratifying.”
We are blessed to have a cadre of volunteers like Orin. They all share with hearts of Grateful Giving – so vital to the attainment of our mission goals. Our volunteers donate generously of their Time and Talent – and although I didn’t intend to speak of Treasure in this article, I can’t help but say our volunteers are true “Parish Treasures.”
Thank you, to Orin and all our volunteers, for everything you do for St. Paul’s.
Ray Tackett
Stewardship Committee
Social Justice Ministry welcomes your clothing donations!
Lena Granet is still collecting clothing and sneakers for the Anthony Flores Memorial Clothing Drive. Smaller sizes and sneakers are especially needed but clothing and shoe donations of all sizes are gladly accepted and appreciated. You can contact Lena at lenahome@aol.com or 760.322.2179 to arrange for a drop-off.
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
Weekly Bible Sharing
With the Rev. Canon Eric H. F. Law
Thursday, April 8th
12:00 p.m.
Join via Zoom: Click here to join meeting.
Or, join by phone: (669) 900-6833
Meeting ID: 841 2829 0982
March 12, 2021
Dear Parishioners,
This update contains our working list of major milepost dates remaining in our search for the Ninth Rector of The Church of St. Paul in the Desert. The timeline represents our best planning for the work we have left to do. As with all timelines, these dates can change. Factors such as COVID-19 protocols (local, state, and national), candidate availability, travel restrictions and arrangements, diocesan approvals as well as fluctuation in time to process and discern additional information, as it becomes available, could affect our ability to maintain this schedule. Please continue to check the Transition Updates section of the Abundant Life Newsletter or the Rector Search area of our website for up-to-date information.
Phases I, II and part of Phase III have been completed. This update begins with dates for 2021.
Thank you for your continued support. Please remember the team and the Parish in your prayers.
The Transition Committee
Phase III – Search Process
January 15, 2021: Parish Profile/OTM postings and Episcopal News Service ad placed
February 26, 2021: Applications period closed
February 27-March 26, 2021: Reading of applications and support documentation
March 27, 2021: Discernment for video interviews
March 28-April 5, 2021: Arrange video interviews
April 6-23, 2021: Zoom video interviews
May 1, 2021: Discernment of Zoom interviews
May 10-June 11, 2021: In-person candidate visits to Palm Springs
June 17, 2021: List of finalists to Vestry
On or before July 1, 2021: Senior warden issues a Call
Phase IV – Thank Interim Rector, welcome new Rector and begin new chapter
To be decided: Final details to follow immediately after the Call is made.
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)
In Memoriam
Eileen Upton
Long-time parishioner Eileen Upton died in her sleep March 23. She was the widow of Don MacLean who passed away in 2012. May her soul rest in Peace and rise in Glory. Amen
Prayers of the Church
For the Anglican Communion, and for the Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Revd and Rt Hon Justin Welby; pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for The Most Revd Suheil S. Dawani, Archbishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem.
For the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis, The Rt Revd Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, Bishop.
For the Diocese of San Diego, The Rt Revd Susan Brown Snook, Bishop; for the clergy and people of the Good Shepherd, Hemet; for all who are being baptized throughout 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: Marie Berkner, John Roy, Dana Pollard, Ruth Mathes, 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; pray for all those for whom no prayers have been said.
For those who have died: Eileen Upton, Rick Mauery, Michael Knudsen, Barbara Beach.
In Memoriam . . .Long-time parishioner Eileen Upton died in her sleep March 23. She was the widow of Don MacLean who passed away in 2012. May her soul rest in Peace and rise in Glory. Amen
For those with birthdays: April 5: Moxie Wuesthoff; April 6: Jacqueline Chandrasena, Stephen Hill; April 8: Donald Lancaster; April 9: Bonnie Suter, Robert Porter; April 10: Tim Stephens, William Kelly.
For those celebrating anniversaries: April 6: Barbara Hawkins Villani & Ralph Villani.
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 April 4th.
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
Fraud 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.
