For Sunday December 29, 2024
Parish Office Holiday Schedule
The Parish Office will be closed from Christmas Eve through New Year’s Day, reopening with regular business hours, Thursday, January 2. For your donation to be counted for the 2024 tax year, it must be in by the end of our Sunday December 29th service. Online gifts can be made through December 31st.
The Feast of The Epiphany – January 5th
Epiphany Spiritual Formation Class Opportunities
Sundays between services—Bill Hardwick+—The Mystical Gospel According to John: Reading John from the Middle—Jan. 5, 12, 19, Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23, March 2
For many years, the content and structure of John’s Gospel have puzzled modern scripture scholars who tried to read it using the laws of narrative discourse. Two contemporary theologians, however, have discovered a different way of reading the Fourth Gospel using the ancient laws of parallelism. This course will explore how this approach might lead us to a greater appreciation of the mystical vision of the Gospel’s author as well as to a better understanding of the mystical Christ whom he attempts to reveal.
Sundays between services—The Revs/Additional Clergy—Confirmation Class—Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23, March 2, 9, 16, 23—Culminating with the Bishop’s Visit on Sunday, March 30th
Are you worshiping with our community and are ready to take a further step into becoming an Episcopalian and/or deepening your faith in our tradition? This class will lead you through your own spiritual life story as well as through the history, theology, and worship of the Episcopal Church. It is an opportunity for you to grow spiritually in and through the community of faith at St. Paul’s.
- Have you been Baptized but never Confirmed? Then you are a candidate for the Confirmation which will be administered by the Bishop.
- Are you Confirmed in another denomination and want to become a member of the Episcopal Church? Then you are a candidate for Reception, whereby you will be received into the Episcopal Church by the Bishop.
- Are you already an Episcopalian and have been inactive and want to reconnect? Then you are a candidate for Reaffirmation, whereby you publicly reaffirm your intention in the faith and are blessed by the Bishop.
Mondays from 2-4PM—Dr. Joy Zavarich — Sacred Ground: Part 1—Jan. 27, Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24, and March 3.
Sacred Ground is part of Becoming Beloved Community, The Episcopal Church’s long-term commitment to racial healing, reconciliation, and justice in our personal lives, our ministries, and our society. Participants are invited to peel away the layers that have contributed to the challenges and divides of the present day.
Tuesdays from 3:30-5PM—Frank Dunn+—Masculine Spirituality Without Patriarchy—Jan 7, 14, 21, 28, Feb4, 11, 18, 25
Presentation and examination of some key masculine archetypes such as king, magician, warrior, lover, sage, grandfather, and Green Man exploring how men can build deeply Christian spiritual practices on such typical male identities, carving out fresh models independent of patriarchal structures and behaviors. This short course will be of interest to all who identify as male whether cisgender or transgender. The group would be enriched by the presence of women, too!
Wednesdays from 3:30-5PM—Joseph Casazza—Opera: Mathis der Maler (Matthias the Painter) by Paul Hindemith—Jan 8, 15, 22, 29
St. Paul the Hermit’s only appearance in opera is in Paul Hindemith’s Mathis der Maler. Written in 1935 and premiered in Zurich in 1938, this mostly fictional story of the last years of the life of the painter Matthias Gruenewald (16th century) has long been seen as a criticism of the Nazi regime in Germany. It is actually an exploration of the spiritual challenge of following your vocation in a tumultuous, suffering, divided world. Sung in German, with English subtitles, the opera is 3 hours long, but will be shown in parts, with an introduction to Matthias Gruenewald, the Isenheim altarpiece, St. Paul the Hermit and St. Anthony and with discussion.
Stand-Alone Saturday—Pete Smith—Baking for Community—Jan. 11 from 10AM-2PM
Food is love: making food together is a great way to get to know each other and to learn something new. We’ll spend half a day together learning to bake something related to each season of the church year. After a quick lunch, we’ll either take home what we’ve baked or give it away, depending on the session.
Consider Carpooling
With the return of our wonderful snowbirds, we are finding our parking lot gets fuller quicker. (Not a bad problem to have!) Many parishioners have mobility issues that require them to be close to the door of the church, and so if the lot is full, they often head home, unable to make it to worship. Please consider parking farther away if you can do so, AND consider carpooling with a parishioner who lives near you. Use your church directory and find someone who lives close and give them a call. We have lots of parishioners without cars who could use a ride. If you are open to GIVING A RIDE to someone and need a suggestion, please reach out to revjessie@stpaulsps.org. If you are someone who NEEDS a ride, please reach out to revjessie@stpaulsps.org. Let’s make this Advent season one of compassion and sharing.
St. Paul Sisters in Spirit (SIS)—What’s Coming in 2025!
St. Paul’s new Women’s Group (Sisters in Spirit—SIS) will meet the first Monday of each month to enjoy conversation and build community. Start off the New Year with our St. Paul Sisterhood! Sisters in Spirit women’s group will gather 4-6PM on Monday, January 6 at the home of Kathy Kilmer. She will supply drinks. Please bring an appetizer. RSVP to jwacker2001@yahoo.com
Bishop Co-Signs Join Statement on the Treatment of Migrants
Border Compassion Trip Update
A team of 6 folks (including Rev. Dan & Rev. Lorenzo Lebrija) made the trek to the Migrant Shelter in Mexicali this past week to do a Las Posadas for the migrant families and their children. Clothes were distributed, crafts and games were shared (including a pinata!), and prayers were offered for peace and comfort. Please continue to pray for Patty and Mario and their daughter as they have an appointment next month to hopefully cross into the U.S. as asylum seekers. Special thanks to Andrew Trofka for coordinating this trip and the Latino Ministry & Mercy Ministry for sponsoring the trip (including sending blankets and other clothing).
Mercy Ministries Stocked and Ready for January 8th Distribution!
Thanks the generosity of St. Paul’s Holiday Open House Party attendees, the Mercy Ministries ended up with a donation of 26 large bags of warm winter clothing! We received approximately 100-120 sweatshirts and hoodies, approximately 50-60 pairs of long pants, 30-40 pairs of sweatpants, and about a dozen walking shoes and men’s boxers. The Mercy Ministries stockroom is fully stocked! As such, we look forward to a distribution on January 8th. Please reach out to Ray Tackett (ertack6560@gmail.com) if you would like to volunteer for that distribution. Many thanks to St. Paul!
Laundry Love needs Volunteers
Laundry Love, a community ministry that “takes over a laundry mat” to pay for people to wash their clothes, served 44 guests and did 252 loads of laundry in December!! Would you like to help us serve our neighbors with this fantastic outreach? We are looking for volunteers to help with the January 15th Laundry Love date. Volunteers are asked to be on site at 5:45PM (1751 Sunrise Way) and laundry services go from 6-10PM. If you’d like to volunteer and serve, please contact one of the following people:
+ Ray Tackett at (503) 689-7361 or email ertack6560@gmail.com
+ Megan Goering at (760) 880-4917 email at megantics22@gmail.com
+ Tony McEwing at (323) 395-6955 email at tonymcewing56@gmail.com
January Book Club
The next Book Club meeting will be held on on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, at 2:00 PM in St. Paul’s Parish Hall conference room. For January, Book Club has selected The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. It is a novel of charm, humor, and profound insight into the thoughts and feelings buried deep within our hearts.
New members are always welcome. For more information, please contact Alan Zimmerman at alanzimmerman@icloud.com
Choir Rehearsals
We will use the schedule we have been using this past year: Sundays after the 10:30 AM postlude for 30-45 minutes, and Thursdays at 5:45 PM for 45-60 minutes. Singers choose which time is best for them. There is no expectation that you’ll attend both rehearsals, but you are certainly welcome to do so if you choose.
Everyone is welcome! Questions? Please contact Chuck Peery musicdirector@stpaulsps.org
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.
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
Altar flowers, also known as chancel flowers, are a Christian tradition of placing flowers in the chancel of a church to beautify the space and honor loved ones. In the Episcopal Church, altar flowers are often used to celebrate special occasions, such as birthdays, anniversaries, or the birth of a child. They can also be given in memory of a loved one or to honor a person.
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 (or $65 for narthex flower sponsorships) covers the flower shops fees.
Prayers of the Church
For the Anglican Communion, and for the Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby; for the Episcopal Church, The Most Reverend Sean W. Rowe, Presiding Bishop.
For the Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia, The Right Reverend Matthew Davis Cowden, 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 Holy Cross, Carlsbad; for the growth of evangelism in the diocese.
For those commended to our prayers: Kevin Phua, Kirsten Taylor, Ray & Cheryl Kelley, Michael Parker, Carol Haws, Tim Harbin, Harry Nussbaum, Callie Lewis, Robin De Brier Phil & Lisa De Brier, Chris De Brier, Roger Allen, Vivian Dortch, RC Eckert, Marcia P., Cindy Fisher, Mark Fisher, Brooke Wolford, Tom Tyrrell, Tish & Eliott Kahn, Hap Blaisdell, Terry Fabian, Pat, David Valenzuela, Amelia Grinstead, Chloe Grace Wilson Barton, Marilyn De Silva Currie, Tom Lutgen; pray for all those for whom no prayers have been said.
For those who have died: Cindy Ann Jiovani, Marsha Myers, Ruby Holland, Derrick Wash, Pete Conley, Reginald Vaughans, Roosevelt Scott, Pristell Hurst, Jr., Marshall Martel, Cynthia Stallings, Kenneth Mayo, La Verne Wash. Rest eternal grant to these, your servants, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them. Amen.
For those celebrating anniversaries: December 31: Megan & Curtis Goehring, John Raposa & Jon Coates.
For those with birthdays: December 29: Warren MacPherson; December 30: Benjamin Carrillo, Michael Funke, Candace Falk, Jesse Martel; January 2: Barbara Halcom; January 3: George Barros, Mary Eckert.
Today’s Altar flowers are given to the Glory of God.
“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 January 5, the Second Sunday after Christmas Day.
Upcoming Meetings & Events at St Paul’s
- Sunday, December 29 – 8:00 AM & 10:30 AM services (regular schedule) – The First Sunday after Christmas
- Wednesday, January 1 – New Year’s Day – The Holy name of our Lord Jesus Christ
- Sunday, January 5 – 8:00 AM & 10:30 AM services – The Feast of the Epiphany (transferred)
- Sunday, January 12 – 8:00 AM & 10:30 AM – The Baptism of Our Lord
- Sunday, January 19 – 8:00 AM & 10:30 AM – MLK Sunday (honoring The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.)
- Sunday, January 29 – 9:30 AM – The Feast of St. Paul the Hermit (NOTE: One Sunday service)
- Sunday, January 29 – Following the 9:30 service – 86th Annual Meeting – Parking Lot – Lunch Provided
- Sunday, February 2 – The Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple – Candlemas
Parish Office Holiday Schedule – The Parish Office will be closed from Christmas Eve through New Year’s Day, reopening with regular business hours, Thursday, January 2.
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!
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