For Sunday July 7, 2024
Summer Spiritual Formation:
The False White Gospel: Rejecting Christian Nationalism, Reclaiming True Faith, and Refounding Democracy
Starts This Sunday!
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.)
Like to sing? Consider Joining Our Summer Prior Choir
This Sunday is the first one, and we look forward to a great turnout!
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!
Rev. Jessie & Rev. Dan’s June/July Schedule
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, 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. 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!)
The Right Reverend Sean Rowe
Elected 28th Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church
[Episcopal News Service – Louisville, Kentucky]
The Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe, bishop of Northwest Pennsylvania and bishop provisional of Western New York, was elected and confirmed June 26 at the 81st General Convention to serve as the 28th presiding bishop. His nine-year term as presiding bishop, the face and voice of The Episcopal Church and its chief pastor, begins Nov. 1.
The House of Bishops elected Rowe on their first ballot in a closed session at Christ Episcopal Church in downtown Louisville. The result later was announced publicly in the afternoon session of the House of Deputies, which greeted the news with cheers. The deputies proceeded to confirm him with a nearly unanimous majority, 95% in favor, and the standing-room-only crowd erupted in applause across the hall at the Kentucky International Convention Center.
Rowe was elected from a slate of five nominees chosen through a process led by the Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop, which is made up of 20 bishops, clergy and lay leaders. The other presiding bishop nominees were Nebraska Bishop J. Scott Barker, Central New York Bishop DeDe Duncan-Probe, Pennsylvania Bishop Daniel G.P. Gutiérrez and Atlanta Bishop Robert Wright.
St. Paul’s Strategic Plan Implementation Team (SPIT) is the Best!
Many thanks to the members of the Strategic Plan Implementation Team (SPIT) this past year! These folks each chair one of the seven objectives from our Strategic Plan, making sure it didn’t just “sit on a shelf”, but helped breathed life into the hopes and dreams of the parish!
Patrick, Rodney, Alan, Tom+, John, Alex, Rev. Jessie, and Rev. Dan worked hard towards:
(1) growing the parish (yeah, new Welcome Team and newly-formed 6 Ts Team!),
(2) enriching spiritual formation, pastoral care and community life (hooray for the many, many new classes offered this year!),
(3) empowering community advocacy (so many things happening under the broad Peace, Justice, and Mercy Team!),
(4) empowering lay members for service and leadership (three cheers for the Vestry Nominating Committee and the many new and expanding committees and their leadership!),
(5) empowering staff to advance the church’s mission (bravo to hiring our Parish Administrator and Music Director! And to the newly-formed Human Resource Committee!),
(6) updating the campus infrastructure (parish hall conversations, anyone?), and enhancing the fiduciary strength and stability (get excited for surpassing our pledge goal! And for the creation of the Legacy Society and the Endowment!).
There is so much more we could add. Whew! These folks made this last year so joyful and hope-filled, and we are grateful. May this next year bring new challenges and opportunities that allow God’s Spirit to keep blowing and moving!
Thank a SPIT member today!
Join the Altar Ministry
We are calling anyone age 5 to 105 to consider joining the altar ministry! Altar service provides valuable assistance to clergy and the congregation throughout our worship. We have openings for both Altar Guild (those who set up before the service and clean up after), and Altar Ministers (those who serve on the altar and assist the Priests during the service).
Whether you are new to St. Paul or a long-term parishioner wanting to experience congregational worship on a different level, please consider joining this important ministry. It is a fun way for you to meet new people and learn more about worship. We will schedule training as soon as we know how many people are interested.
If you would like to sign up for Altar service, please contact either of the Altar Ministry Co-chairs, Kathy Kilmer (kmkcc@aol.com) or Br. John Westaway (brjohncharles@gmail.com).
Columbarium Expansion
Construction work continues on our campus this week. Oaktree Engraving & Monuments is expanding the Columbarium into the colonnade on the north side of the Parish Office. Project completion is scheduled soon.
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
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.
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.
Rectors’ Discretionary Fund
The first Sunday of the month loose-plate offerings (i.e., general giving, not pledged giving) will be designated for the Rectors’ Discretionary Fund (sometimes referred to as “Benevolence.”) This fund provides the clergy a financial pool to draw from when unanticipated (and unbudgeted) spending requests arise.
The traditional uses of the discretionary fund are to assist the poor of the community. Examples of appropriate discretionary spending for those in need include rent, utilities, medical bills, etc.
August Book Club
The next Book Club meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 6, 2024, at 2:00 PM via video conference. Meeting details will be emailed prior to the meeting. For August, Book Club has selected The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters. When a four-year-old Mi’kmaq girl goes missing from the blueberry fields of Maine, it sparks a mystery that will haunt the survivors, unravel a family, and remain unsolved for nearly fifty years. This is a riveting novel about the search for truth, the shadow of trauma, and the persistence of love across time.
New members are always welcome. For more information, please contact Alan Zimmerman at alanzimmerman@icloud.com
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.
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.
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 the Province of the Indian Ocean, The Most Reverend James Wong, Archbishop and Primate.
For the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont, The Right Reverend Shannon MacVeen-Brown, 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. Bartholomew’s, Poway; for the children and teachers of St. Bartholomew’s Preschool.
For those commended to our prayers: Jim Bowe, Sally Fullerton, Kylie Smith, Nichole & Nick Kirchgessner, Br. John Westaway, Forest Irons, Garrett Estrin, Christy Stafford, Helen Cornell, Daniel Cornell, Les Zendle, Jerry Hanson, Mick Welsh, Spearman, Marnie Balog, Kevin, 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, 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: Sandi Scardino, Betty Marken, Leone Zendle, David Rebella, Patricia Thompson, Jai Bezaire, Blanche Mickelson.
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: July 1: Lydia Ealy-Zingg, Raffaele Alberto, Rick Reed, Joseph Casazza; July 2: John Murren, Erik Palmer; July 3: Alex Finlay-Christensen, Shelia Brubaker, Richard Wordeman; July 4: Carolyn Etheridge, Joel Cutler; July 5: Anne Pichette, Curtis Goehring.
For those celebrating anniversaries: July 2: Natasha & Navin Hemrajani; July 3: Mark Berry & Daniel Schmidt; July 5: Alexis & Benton Clark.
For those for whom flowers have been donated – Today’s Altar Flowers are sponsored by Jerry Di Noto, in loving memory of Ron Thomas, AND BY Valerie Rogers, in loving memory of Bob Rogers, with thanksgiving for their 38 wonderful years of marriage.
“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
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 July 14, The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost.
Upcoming Meetings & Events at St Paul’s
- Sunday, July 7 – 9:00-10:15 AM – Summer Spiritual Formation – “The False White Gospel” – Library
- Wednesday, July 10 – 6:00 PM – Mid-week Eucharist – Come and rest
- Saturday, July 20 – 8:30 AM – San Diego Pride Parade – Meet at St. Paul’s Cathedral – March with the Diocese!
- Monday – Wednesday, July 22-24 – St. Paul’s Campers summer getaway – Riverside County Campground – Idyllwild
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.
