For Sunday June 23, 2024
Next Week is the 81st General Convention of The Episcopal Church
The General Convention is the governing body of The Episcopal Church. Every three years it meets as a bicameral legislature that includes the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops, composed of deputies and bishops from each diocese.
The Executive Council serves as the governing body of The Episcopal Church between sessions of the General Convention, charged specifically with executing the program and policies adopted by the General Convention. They also serve as the board for the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America (commonly referred to as the DFMS) and for the Executive Office of the General Convention.
The General Convention also includes Interim Bodies (various commissions, committees, task forces, agencies and boards) which meet between the triennial sessions to accomplish ongoing work and tasks set in the triennial sessions.
For further information, check out:https://generalconvention.org
The Episcopal Diocese of San Diego General Convention Information
Who are the Diocesan delegates and other important and interesting information: https://edsd.org/gc2024/
Rev. Jessie & Rev. Dan’s June/July Schedule
Beginning this Saturday, the Revs will be traveling for (mostly) church-related business. This next week, they’ll be traveling to Louisville, KY to experience and support The Episcopal Church’s General Convention. General Convention only happens once every three years, and this year is a big one! A new Presiding Bishop will be elected! Make sure you tune in daily to St. Paul’s Facebook page and St. Paul’s Instagram page to get live updates and photos. While not serving as delegates, the Revs plan on representing St. Paul’s well, sharing the good things the Spirit is up to here, while getting a deeper look into the wider Episcopal Church.
After General Convention, the Revs have been invited to serve as “Priests-in-Residence” for two Sundays at St. Bartholomew’s Anglican Church in St. Barthelemy, F.W.I. (https://www.stbartholomewsanglicanchurch.com). This church is a vibrant and joyful faith community that invites clergy to serve for two Sundays as supply, while getting some much-needed rest and relaxation. While there, the Revs will officiate a wedding (the day before their anniversary!), and share in a Taize service and a meditation group, as well as remain available for any pastoral needs. If you’d like to read more about this “Priests-in-Residence” model, see https://www.stbartholomewsanglicanchurch.com/history/visiting-priests/. Don’t worry—the Revs will take time there to rest, feed the turtles on the church property, and swim in the ocean, before returning to the desert!
In their absence, if you have a pastoral emergency, please call the pastoral emergency line and you will reach a priest-on-call: 760-320-7488, select Option 8 (the Revs will not be available via phone/email after Convention, but will reply to non-emergencies upon their return).
You are invited to enjoy some fabulous supply clergy to cover the Sundays they are away! The Rev. Canon Tony Jewiss will preach and preside on June 23; the Rev. Canon Steve Huber will preach and preside on June 30; and the Rev. Dale Carr will preach and preside on July 7. Please welcome these priests with the generous hospitality that St. Paul’s is known for around the diocese! You will be in great hands, and we trust they will be as well! (And please continue to fulfill your pledge this summer! As folks travel, we want to keep the air conditioner on for those who stay in town and keep the livestream going for those who want to escape the heat!)
Summer Spiritual Formation:
The False White Gospel: Rejecting Christian Nationalism, Reclaiming True Faith, and Refounding Democracy
Join us Sundays in July for our study of “The False White Gospel,” by Jim Wallis. The class will be an overview of this text which asks, “What does white Christian nationalism mean to the Christian community?” Our focus will be on the six primary Scriptural verses that the author offers as guidance and support, to encourage and sustain us in our faith.
“Wallis rightly notes that the need for justice and equity is greater than ever and implores us to reclaim the Jesus of the Gospels in the face of white Christan nationalism that threatens our democracy, our faith, our common life.””(The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church.)
July 7, 14, 21, and 28, 2024 – 9:00 AM to 10:15 AM – Church Library – Led by Dr. Joy Zavarich.
(Class participants are encouraged to purchase the book, but that is not a requirement to attend the four sessions.)
Pizza & Poetry & Pride
Thursday June 27th, from 4 to 8 PM in the library
Come when you can and stay for as long as you want, which could very well be the entire 4 hours since the 25 poems by 25 LGBTQ poets – from the historical and quite dead Walt Whitman to the living, yet a killer of a poet, Danez Smith – will have us laughing, recounting past glories, confronting a few lingering regrets, pondering future possibilities, and sharing it all with old or new friends. Think of it as Happy Hour in a church.
You are welcome to bring beverages or even something healthier than pizza to share (the pizzas will be delivered around 6) though it’s not necessary. But please RSVP since space is limited. Questions? Or to reserve your place: Contact Ken at quitepositive@gmail.com
July Book Club
The next Book Club meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 2, 2024, at 2:00 PM via RingCentral. For July, Book Club has selected Horse by Geraldine Brooks. A discarded painting in a junk pile, a skeleton in an attic, and the greatest racehorse in American history: from these strands, a Pulitzer Prize winner braids a sweeping story of spirit, obsession, and injustice across American history.
New members are always welcome. For more information, please contact Alan Zimmerman at alanzimmerman@icloud.com
Like to sing? Consider Joining Our Summer Prior Choir
On the first Sundays of July, August, and September, we are inviting you to be part of our Prior Choir, which will meet a half hour before the service (10 AM) on those Sundays and will sing an easy anthem during the service. This activity is open to anyone who is interested and willing to try it. You, your children, your grandchildren can all sing with us if you foresee that working. We will not wear robes or sit in the Chancel for the whole service. You’ll come up at the Peace, sing the Offertory, and return to your pews. It won’t be Bach or Beethoven, but it will be designed more for your success and enjoyment. This musical gift will add to the service and give everyone a fun opportunity to sing with us!
See you on July 7, August 4, and September 1!
Summer Camping Get-Away
St. Paul’s Campers invite you to join the group up in Idyllwild’s cool pine-scented forest. July 22-24, Riverside Co. Campground, site # 42-43, cost- just $20. Reserve with Bonnie Stroock – bcstroock@aol.com
Add a Name to the Prayer List at St. Paul
Want to add someone’s name to the prayer list? Please call the Church Office or email our Registrar, Orin Ellingson, at registrar@stpaulsps.org with names. Prayers remain on the list for one month unless otherwise noted.
Lots of work being done on the campus this week!!
Desert Air for apartment HVAC replacement. CJS Lighting for lighting controller installation and programming. And Castro, the fencing/gating contractor, for measuring archways. Whew!! Never a dull moment at St. Paul’s! Click the pics to see full-size.
Happy Pride!
We’re so glad you’re here!
San Diego Pride Parade—July 20!
March with the Diocese! https://edsd.org/event/san-diego-pride-parade/ (and make sure to click on the link to see one of St. Paul’s own marching last year!)
New? Moved? Updated your info? Birthday/Anniversary?
We are finalizing the Church Directory Updated Addendum and want to make sure your info is in there! If you want to make sure we have your email or phone or home updated, please call the Church Office or email our Registrar, Orin Ellingson, at registrar@stpaulsps.org with that information. ALSO, if you want your birthday and/or anniversary added to our weekly prayer list, please let us know! Thanks for helping us stay connected.
St. Paul’s Social Justice Ministry Needs Summer Clothing Donations
The Social Justice Ministry is seeking donations of new or gently used warm weather clothing to distribute to our needy neighbors. Hats, sun visors and other summer accessories are also appreciated. Please place your donated items in the collection containers located in the Narthex.
Potluck Party Pictures
Thank you to all our Altar Ministers, Altar Guild members, Lectors, Intercessors, Production Team members, Ushers, and Welcome Team members for ALL you do to make our worship services warm, welcoming, and Spirit-led. Thank you to Chris Butler for hosting this whole crew last weekend for a brunch (on one of the hottest days of June yet!).
Forward Day by Day
The latest quarterly issue of Forward Day by Day has arrived and copies are available in the Narthex and Parish Office. St. Paul in the Desert supports your spiritual life beyond Sunday, and Forward Day by Day is a simple, but powerful way to begin engaging with a little hunk of scripture each day.
The daily reflections that follow the Bible verses are written by disciples, just like you, and share a wide range of lessions and thought-provoking messages. We commend it to you if you are looking for a daily prayer practice.
Altar Flowers
“The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom . . .” Isaiah 35:1-2
Fresh flowers at the altar honor God and add to the beauty of our worship. We are in need of altar flowers for several special celebratory Sundays coming up, including the Bishop’s visit! If you would like to sponsor altar flowers for a future Sunday to commemorate a special person or event, you’ll find the sign-up book in the Narthex, or you can call the Parish Office at 760.320.7488 to reserve your sponsorship dates(s) A donation of $95 for each altar flower sponsorship is suggested.
Why did you enroll in EfM?
An interesting article from the Diocese about deepening one’s faith: https://edsd.org/news/why-did-you-enroll-in-efm/
Prayers of the Church
For the Anglican Communion, and for the Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby; for The Church of England, His Majesty King Charles III, Supreme Governor, The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury and The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York.
For the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire, The Right Reverend A. Robert Hirschfeld, Bishop.
For the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, The Right Reverend Dr. Susan Brown Snook, Bishop of San Diego; for the clergy and people of St. Paul in the Desert, Palm Springs; for members of Religious Orders, especially the Society of St. Paul; for the delegation from the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, our bishop, and those attending General Convention.
For Gun Violence Prevention
God of Justice, help us, your church, find our voice. Empower us to change this broken world and to protest the needless deaths caused by gun violence. Give us power to rise above our fear that nothing can be done and grant us the conviction to advocate for change. Amen. JUNE IS NATIONAL GUN VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH.
For those commended to our prayers: Mick Welsh, Sandi Scardino, Spearman, Marnie Balog, Kevin, Betty Marken, Carmen Vasquez, Brooke Wolford, Paul Olingy-Bizzaro, Don Russell, Julia, Lupe Yañoz, Paula Davis, Marna & Rick Hill, Robert Koch, Lynn Koch, Dick Koch, Dorothy Baker, Larry Wilson, Teresa O’Steen, Harry Nussbaum, Janice Linsenmayer, Roger Allen, Peter Smurthwaite, Jim Franklin, Dawn Alvarado, Kelly Barnard, Roberto Thais, Dennis Telles, Delores Swanson, Eliott Kahn, Kirsten, Julie Duke, Joey Lim, Hap Blaisdell, David Valenzuela, Amelia Grinstead, Chloe Grace Wilson Barton, Marilyn De Silva Currie, Greg Gowdy, Tom Lutgen; pray for all those for whom no prayers have been said.
For those who have died: David Rebella, Patricia Thompson, Jai Bezaire, Blanche Mickelson, Woody Wood, Jerry O’Steen, David Duke. Rest eternal grant to these, your servants, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen.
For those with birthdays: June 24: Sharon Strong, Michael Harbin; June 25: Charles Hull; June 26: Mark McMillan, Ruth Wylie; June 27: Mary Mann; June 29: Bruce McLean.
For those celebrating anniversaries: June 23: Sandra & George Piccardi; June 28: Roger Donnelly & Stephen Lisante, Betti & Ken Hendrickson; June 29: Tempe & John Essell; The Rev. Jessie Thompson & The Rev. Dan Kline.
For those for whom flowers have been donated – Today’s Altar Flowers are sponsored by Josh Brown & Martin Prew, in thanksgiving for their 4th wedding anniversary (June 21).
If you would like to sponsor altar flowers for a future Sunday honoring a special person or event, you’ll find the sign-up book in the Narthex, or you can call the Parish Office at 760.320.7488 to reserve your sponsorship date(s).
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 registrar@stpaulsps.org. The weekly print deadline is Wednesday noon.
For next Sunday’s Lectionary readings, go to www.lectionarypage.net and click on June 30, The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost.
Upcoming Meetings & Events at St Paul’s
- Sunday, June 23 – Friday, June 28 – The 81st General Convention of the Episcopal Church – Louisville, KY
- Sunday, June 23 – 1:00 PM – Vestry meeting – Library
- Wednesday, June 26 – 6:00 PM – Mid-week Eucharist – Come and rest
- Thursday, June 27 – 4:00-8:00 PM – Pizza, Poetry & Pride – Poems by 25 LGBTQ poets – Library
- Tuesday, July 2 – 2:00 PM – Book Club via RingCentral – “Horse,” by Geraldine Brooks
- Wednesday, July 3 – 6:00 PM – Mid-week Eucharist – Come and rest
- Sunday, July 7 – 9:00-10:15 AM – Summer Spiritual Formation – “The False White Gospel” – Library
Stay Connected
Sunday Service LiveStreaming
We are livestreaming our 10:30 AM Sunday Eucharist every week. You can view the livestream on our Home Page, YouTube Channel, and Facebook Page.
Missed a service? Or want to rewatch a liturgy? All our past services are available to watch either on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/StPaulintheDesert or on our Facebook timeline: https://www.facebook.com/stpaulinthedesert
Join our E-Mail List
You’ll find this invitation on the front page and many pages throughout our website. It’s intended for anyone who wants to receive communications from St. Paul’s via email. This includes The Abundant Life weekly, online newsletter. If you haven’t already, sign up today!
Get “Social” with St. Paul’s!
Want to see daily pics about what’s happening at St. Paul’s? Be sure to like/follow us on Facebook and Instagram. And, subscribe to our YouTube channel to view our livestream and past services.
