For Sunday February 16, 2025
Black History Month
March with St. Paul’s in the Black History Month Parade on Saturday, February 22!
The Parade starts at 11:00 AM on Palm Canyon Drive in Downtown Palm Springs. As in years past, St. Paul’s will have a parade contingent. To march in the parade (or ride in a St. Paul’s parade car), and to proclaim that we believe in the dignity of every human being, sign up at the Welcome Table or call the Parish Office, 760.320.7488. Remember to wear your St. Paul’s t-shirt!
March 2nd Eucharist Mini-Retreat!
From 1-3PM on Sunday, March 2nd spend some time with The Revs and the Confirmation Class getting a glimpse of what happens during the liturgy of the Eucharist. Bring your questions and join us for a great afternoon. Sign up by clicking on the banner above!
Parish Hall Refresh Weekly Update
Work began last Thursday and Friday with replacement of two non-functioning mini-split HVAC units. This week the new HVAC for the main hall was installed and is operational. Demolition began, is continuing, and should be complete by Friday in the Restrooms and perimeter rooms. Installation of new energy-efficient LED lighting in the perimeter rooms is underway.
Click to see full-size!
6 Ts Survey
Our survey tracking system shows that many parishioners started to fill out the survey but just didn’t have a chance to complete it (by typing in their name and email address and clicking the “Done” button at the end). If you had to stop mid-way, please try again. If you started the survey from an email link, you might find that you can pick up where you left off; others would just start anew, reminding yourself that it only takes 13-15 minutes to do at one sitting! Thank you so much for your time — it will make a big difference!
As you heard about at the Annual Meeting we have a new tool to help connect parishioners to their passions and needs in the church and the wider community. Under the parish’s Strategic Plan Objectives One and Four, the 6 Ts Task force has developed a survey for all parishioners that we hope can bring us together to do more and for each other. The “Six Ts” refer to parishioners’ talents, testimony, time, temperament, treasure, and ties (relational networks).
It takes only 13-15 minutes (it’s been timed!) and you can do it easily on your computer, smartphone, or tablet (all connected to WiFi).
Here are the simple instructions to complete the survey:
- Simply click on the banner at the top of this email and you will be able to fill out the survey.
- Almost all the questions just ask you to check the boxes that apply to you, except for those at the end that ask you to fill in your contact information.
- When you reach the end of the survey, be sure to click the “Done” button. If you do, you will receive a confirmation email that you have completed the survey.
- Do NOT click any button asking you to complete another, different survey. It’s probably a marketing survey from Survey Monkey.
- If you run into any issues, there will be a team of folks next to the Welcome Table on Sunday morning at both services to offer assistance.
The 6Ts survey is designed to benefit each parishioner and the church, too. By asking you about your interests, the survey can offer you more opportunities to connect with other like-minded parishioners in spiritual formation, ministry work, volunteer possibilities within the church and the community at large, and even recreational activities. By asking about your skills, the survey can help the Revs and our lay leaders identify ways that you might like to contribute to the church’s vitality and that are suited to your particular strengths and interests.
All of the information collected in the survey will be confidential; it will only be available to the clergy and laity authorized to review that information specific to their duties as employees or supervised volunteers.
Thank you for helping us connect more regularly and more meaningfully with one another!
Called to Love (by Bishop Susan Brown Snook)
“Caring for those who feel especially vulnerable has always been close to my heart. As Bishop, I have witnessed the fear and uncertainty that many immigrants and marginalized communities experience daily. Their struggles are not distant concerns but realities that demand our presence, our voices, and our support. So when Cardinal Robert McElroy and the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego, along with the San Diego Organizing Project, invited me to join in an interfaith vigil at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Cathedral, I was quick to agree…” To read the rest of this, click here: https://edsd.org/news/called-to-love-our-neighbors/
Blessed Harriet Tubman Table Read
Come meet Harriet Tubman in a read aloud play with Mick Welch and Lou Armentrout. You’ll be a stronger person after you get to know Saint Harriet Tubman, American abolitionist and social activist. Just before the Civil War, she escaped from slavery in Maryland, and then went back, time and time again, to help others escape. As we read this dynamic play together, we live through her daring rescues and watch as her faith grows. Participants of any age get involved because they become the characters. You get a chance to BE a saint—to really get inside a truly holy person.
Join us in the Church Office Lobby (we’re being creative with space while the Parish Hall is refreshed) on SUNDAYS BETWEEN SERVICES for a fun “table read” of the play. It’s super easy and anyone can join.
About the Class Leaders: Mick Welch and Lou Armentrout have been together for fifty years – all spent in the Episcopal Church. Both have been lectors throughout that period. They are life-long educators, and both appreciate beauty where it is – and try to make more of it. Where better to pursue this than at St. Paul’s?!
Calling all Clickers and Hookers!
Do you knit or crochet? We cleaned out the closet in the Parish Hall to prepare it for the refresh project and found a LOT of yarn! This is from our former Prayer Shawl Ministry. Many of those members gathered together pre-COVID and knit or crocheted prayer shawls that were blessed and brought to sick parishioners in hospitals and at bedsides. These prayer shawls have been something people still talk about, and if you were blessed to receive one, know they were made in love and with prayer. Many of those faithful prayer shawl knitters and crocheters have passed away since then.
Barbara Villani has been a faithful member and champion of getting this ministry back on track. We know people have various schedules and can’t always come together to knit/crochet. HOWEVER, we would love to ask any of you who know how to knit or crochet (or, as the group called themselves: The Clickers and Hookers!) to take some of the yarn and make a prayer shawl. You can knit or crochet from the comfort of your home, or if you’d like to be connected with others making prayer shawls, we can get a group together. We could really use these prayer shawls when we visit people, and it is an easy way to give back.
If you’d like some yarn, please reach out to revjessie@stpaulsps.org
Women’s Group (Sisters in Spirit—SIS) Upcoming Gathering
All women are invited to join a Sisters in Spirit (SIS) Event in the Month of February:
- A visit to the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum in downtown Palm Springs on Saturday, February 15. Cost is $5 for seniors and $10 for adults 18-64. Tickets can be purchased online at tickets.accmuseum.org. The address is 140 N Indian Canyon Dr.
To RSVP this event, please contact Jan Wacker at jwacker2001@yahoo.com.
NOTE: Mark your calendar for a SIS retreat on March 14-15. Details forthcoming.
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
Movie Night Thursday Feb. 20th
“Just Mercy”
This month’s featured film is Just Mercy. It is a film centered around themes of empathy, equity, hope, and resilience. Just Mercy is a story that uplifts marginalized voices who are typically unheard, unacknowledged, or deemed undeserving of mercy in the criminal justice system. The true story follows Harvard Law School graduate Bryan Stevenson’s move to Alabama where he recognizes an urgent need to provide free legal assistance to minorities who have been unfairly sentenced. Join us in the Parish Hall Library, as our Parish Hall will be closed for the refresh project.
Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit In Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind
The Daughters of the King will again be offering a study this Lenten season to all women in the church. The kickoff will be at our next meeting, Tuesday, February 25th at 2:00 p.m. (1:30 for DOK members). The study is based upon The Living Well Through Lent daily readings from the Living Compass Spirituality and Wellness Initiative. The theme this year is “Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit In Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind”. We’ll have booklets available at the meeting. It is also available as a free PDF file at livingcompass.org, or as a free daily email subscription from the same site. There will be a weekly Zoom available for anyone to join at 1:30 p.m. every Friday during Lent to discuss the week’s readings. Included in the material are daily reflections from: The Rev. Molly Bosseher, Robbin Brent, The Rev. Canon Randy K. Callender, The Rt. Rev. Brian Lee Cole, The Rt. Rev. Shannon Rogers Duckworth, The Rev. Jenifer Gamber, The Rev. Gary B. Manning, The Rev. Abigail W. Moon, and The Rev. Dr. Scott Stoner.
March Book Club
The next Book Club meeting will be held March 4, 2025, at 2:00 PM. The meeting will be held in the Music Cottage on the church campus. For March Book Club has selected An American Marriage by Tayari Jones. Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of the American Dream and the New South. They settle into the routine of their life together, but Roy is arrested and sentenced to twelve years for a crime Celestial knows he didn’t commit. Roy’s conviction is suddenly overturned, and he returns to resume their life together. This love story is a profoundly insightful look into the hearts and minds of people who are at once bound and separated by forces beyond their control.
New members are always welcome. For more information, please contact Alan Zimmerman at alanzimmerman@icloud.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.
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 York, The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Stephen Cottrell, who is the acting Archbishop of Canterbury; pray for The Church of Bangladesh, The Most Reverend Samuel Sunil Mankhin, Archbishop and Primate.
For the Episcopal Diocese of Florida, The Right Reverend Samuel Johnson Howard, Bishop.
For the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, The Right Reverend Dr. Susan Brown Snook, Bishop; for the clergy and people of St. Peter’s, Del Mar; for the youth and leaders at the Epiphany Retreat at Camp Stevens; for our President, for the leaders of the nations, and for all in authority.
For those commended to our prayers: Marilyn, Blanche Capel, Bonnie Ong, Robert Menifee, Mike Nazelrod-Woodward, Ronald Woodward, Teresa Woodward, Linda Mason, Susan Greenberg & Family, Stefan Lehrke, Rex Comer, Jon Swalboski, Emily Akemon, Maggie Salvato, Katie Benevento, Rosemary Kirincic, Elijah, Darren Buesking, Harry Nussbaum, Megan Goehring, Terry Moran, Larry Wilson, Suzanne Zada, Lydia Ealy-Zingg, Bill & Dennis & Margaret Ann, Judith Gaylor, Mel Messenger, Don Hamilton, Patricia Fiedler Horan, Jim Franklin, Ray & Cheryl Kelley, 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: Rose Amanda Guillen, Dan De Garmo, Julee Collins, Charles Martin, Howard Cecil, Lanny Tucker, Barbara Halcom, Tom Tyrrell, Gary Galpin, Glenda Hoiseth, Melody Guice, Harry Fowler, William McLaughlin, Gilbert Ramos, Gisela Zuijdervelt. 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 celebrating anniversaries: February 14: Carolyn & Zachary Scott, Linda Richard & John Sanders; February 22: Mark McMillan & Bruce McLean.
For those with birthdays: February 16: Michael Sonner; February 17: John Alex Houlton, Carole Rutkovsky; February 18: Jeff Peck, Annabella Hampson; February 19: John Page; February 20: Benjamin Lander: February 21: Ramon Gueits.
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 to commemorate his birthday (February 16).
“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
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 February 23 The Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany.
Upcoming Meetings & Events at St Paul’s
- Sunday, February 16 – 8:00 AM and 10:30 AM Services – Epiphany VI – Sojourner Truth – American Abolitionist
- Sunday, February 16 – 12:15 Pm – Finance Committee – Library
- Monday, February 17 – Office Closed: Presidents Day
- Wednesday, February 19 – 6:00 PM – Mid-week Eucharist – Come and rest
- Thursday, February 20 – 6:30 PM – Movie Night – “Just Mercy” – Library
- Saturday, February 22 – 11:00 AM – Black History Parade
- Saturday, February 22 – 3:00 PM – Section 14 Townhall: How To Heal & Move Forward
- Sunday, February 23 – 8:00 AM and 10:30 AM Services – Epiphany VII – Anna Julia Cooper – August 10, 1858 – February 27, 1964), American author, educator, sociologist, speaker, Black liberation activist, Black feminist leader, and one of the most prominent African American scholars in United States history
- Sunday, February 23 – 1:00 PM – Vestry meeting – Library
Want to help make St. Paul’s Campus & Buildings Better?
Have you have had a moment where you were at church and you saw the same lightbulb has been out for weeks and no one has changed it? Or maybe you go to grab a railing to steady yourself and find that it’s really loose and wonder why it hasn’t been fixed? Or perhaps you’ve noticed that your pew rack is missing cards or envelopes or pens and you are reminded that no one can fill them unless someone knows they are empty?
We have a BRAND-NEW tool that anyone can use to help us make sure the campus is safe, stocked, and ready for worship and other campus activities! Welcome to the NEW St. Paul’s Maintenance/Repair Request Form found online. If YOU see something that needs repairing, cleaning, sprucing-up, etc. on St. Paul’s campus, this is THE way to ensure that we know about it. Scan the QR code below OR click on the Building & Grounds Maintenance/Repair Request Form. You will be able to fill out the form in real time, which will allow our sexton to address those issues and/or the Campus Care Committee to address any major campus issues. Help us stay organized and prioritized!
If you see something that needs repairing, cleaning, sprucing-up, etc. St. Paul’s campus, this is THE way to ensure that we know about it. Scan below to reach our Building & Grounds Maintenance/Repair Request Form.
Annual Meeting Recap & Impact Report
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.
The Episcopal Diocese of San Diego’s Info on Reporting Misconduct
Intake Officers:
Ms. Megan Callan, megan@mecallan.com
The Rev. Willy Crespo, frcrespo@gmail.com
Ms. Meredith Hardy, mlh8180@gmail.com
The Episcopal Diocese of San Diego considers the reporting and investigation of misconduct to be of critical importance. Reporting enables the diocese to protect the complainant, the respondent, and the larger community. It also allows the diocese to assist with the spiritual, psychological, and emotional needs of all concerned during and after the report of misconduct. Please visit edsd.org/safe-church-safe-communities/reporting-misconduct/
