The Abundant Life – April 28, 2023

Parish Administrator Job Posting

We are hiring a new parish administrator. The Parish Administrator is a critical role at the Church of St. Paul in the Desert and serves as the central contact and hub for all church staff, parishioners, volunteers, visitors, vendors, and community partners. They must be well-organized, able to work independently and collaboratively, and be flexible in responding to the changing needs of the parish.

The Parish Administrator reports to the Co-Rectors, and manages two other staff members: a Sexton and Assistant Sexton. They work with the Co-Rectors in managing a team of office volunteers who will assist in the broad scope of this key role. As we grow into a program-sized church, our Parish Administrator will help us navigate the challenges and opportunities presented by the multiplication of mission endeavors, expansion of communication lines, and increasing complexity of day-to-day operations. Please click on the link below for further information. If you know someone who may be interested in applying, please forward the website link to them. Application Deadline: May 31^st, 2023.

Read the Parish Administrator Job Description

Key Updates from the April Vestry Meeting

+ The Vestry will be moving their monthly meetings to the afternoons for the last Sunday of the month. This will allow for greater future participation from snowbirds and folks who work during the week, as well as improve lines of communication between standing committees, ministries, and the Vestry.

+ The Vestry elected George Holliday to the remaining Vestry slot that was opened after the resignation of a Vestry member in February. According to our bylaws (Section 5.5), “Vacancies in the Vestry, except those existing because of removal of a member of the Vestry by the members of this parish and except a vacancy in the Rectorate, may be filled by a majority of the remaining members of the Vestry, although less than a quorum, or by a sole remaining member of the Vestry, and each member of the Vestry so elected shall hold office until the expiration of the term of the replaced member of the Vestry and until a successor has been elected and qualified.”

+ The Vestry also elected George Holliday as the next Treasurer of the Vestry, starting this summer. This gives time for George to get acclimated to the new Vestry, as well as shadow Raffaele Alberto, our current Treasurer, for a few months to ensure a smooth transition. George has been a member of St. Paul for over 16 years. He is a CPA with over 15 years experience in the accounting and nonprofit industry. George is a member of the altar guild and altar ministries, serves as an usher, serves on the Finance Committee and is a charter member of the Legacy Society. He has previously served as Treasurer for Saint Paul and served three previous terms on the Vestry.

+ The Vestry approved a new maintenance and emergency repair policy that will streamline authorization and improve the timeline for urgent projects (e.g. gas leak and water leak that happened over the last few months).

+ The Vestry certified the Annual Parochial Report that goes to the national church.

+ Security Grant Update: The Campus Optimization Taskforce, led by John Raposa and Steve Moore, is hard at work to begin implementation of the grant. The $200K grant is not a cash advance, but a reimbursement. The Capital Reserve Fund will be used for cash flow purposes. The grant does not primarily go toward operating expenses, but is for capital improvements. As such, it does not impact the parish’s yearly bottom-line. The Vestry asks that parishioners continue to fulfill their pledges as the grant does not have an impact on day-to-day costs of running the church.

Eastertide Formation Class

Eastertide Formation Sunday Classes began last Sunday and will continue every Sunday through May 21, at 9:00 AM, in the Parish Hall. The Rev. Dr. Bill Hardwick facilitates The Way of the Mystic: the heart of Christian spirituality. (If you missed last week, it’s not too late to join!)

At the core of the world’s major religions is a spiritual practice known as the Mystical tradition. Western religion has traditionally emphasized a belief structure based on doctrine and theological speculation; the Mystical tradition emphasizes a spiritual practice based on direct experience of the divine. Many contemporary thinkers point to a revival of the Mystical tradition as the best way for the Christian church to respond to the challenges of the post-modern world. This class will examine the origins of the Mystical tradition and study how it played out in the life and writings of four of the great Christian mystics: Hildegard of Bingen, Meister Eckhart, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, and Dorothy Sölle.

Migration Sunday

Please join us on Sunday May 7^th for a special guest preacher at the 8AM & 10:30AM services: Troy Elder, Esq. Troy is an attorney whose experience in migration law spans 25 years and was recently named executive director of Interfaith Refugee and Immigration Services (IRIS), an agency of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. He was formerly the Migration Missioner for our diocese.

After the 10:30AM service, there will be a special Q & A Townhall sponsored by the Latino Ministry in the church to discuss migration ministry. Troy will also be available to chat informally at the coffee hour following the 8AM service. Please join us for this special service as we get ready for World Refugee Day on June 20^th. In addition, our guest celebrant will be the Rev. Lorenzo Lebrija, Troy’s husband. Both are regular parishioners at St. Paul’s when they are not traveling for their important ministries in the wider church. All loose plate offerings that are normally designated toward the discretionary fund on the first Sunday of the month will be designated to Episcopal Migration Ministries.

Easter Safe Church Challenge

Parish Finances & Human Resources

Volunteers needed – to serve as members of our Parish Finance and Human Resources Committees. Have a background in finance or HR? Want to serve your church in this unique but necessary way? We need you! Please contact ASAP to offer your expertise. You can help  support these vital functions!

St. Paul’s Library “Last Call!”

The Library Ministry at St. Paul presents “Last Call!” next Sunday, April 30. The Library will be open from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM, when visitors can stop by to browse and check out books. Questions? Please contact a Volunteer Librarian at ().

St. Paul’s Legacy Society

The Legacy Society Steering Committee met this week. The meeting included work on the creation of Endowment Policies, an Annual Induction Event, and feedback from our recent Charter Member Gala (which was wonderful!).

The Committee also worked on yearlong calendaring of Legacy Society events and celebrating the life and ministry of St. Paul’s. Stay tuned for more information to come!

Author James Baldwin

St Paul’s Book Club

The next Book Club meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 2, 2023, at 1:00 PM via Zoom. Meeting information will follow later. For May, Book Club has selected two books by James Baldwin. Set in 1963 The Fire Next Time galvanized a nation and gave passionate voice to the emerging civil rights movement. Giovanni’s Room is set in a contemporary Paris of American expatriates, liaisons, and violence, and a young man finds himself caught between desire and conventional morality. New members are always welcome.

New members are always welcome at Book Club. For more information, please contact Alan Zimmerman at

No Abundant Life Newsletter Next Week

We will not be posting an Abundant Life newsletter to our website next week. There will still be a church bulletin provided at the church during our regular services on May 7th.

Thank you!

St. Paul’s Parish Life Camping Ministry – Save the Dates!

We are planning two camping trips in the not-too-distant future. Black Rock Campground in western Joshua Tree National Park is the location of our May 18 – 20 outing. If you want to come just for the day on Friday, a fun, shared dinner is scheduled for around 5:30 PM. Overnight space is limited. Please contact Bonnie Stroock to reserve ().

The other trip will take us to Idyllwild, July 18 – 20. More information will be published here as details are finalized. Stay tuned!

St. Paul’s Movie Night

Friday, May 19, 7:30 PM

Share a movie and popcorn and have fun with your friends and neighbors.  If you like, bring a pizza, a bucket of chicken – or whatever sounds good – and relax in the Parish Hall at St. Paul in the Desert, Friday, May 19 at 7:30 PM. We will provide the drinks and popcorn; you create the fellowship. All are welcome, so invite anyone you think might enjoy St. Paul’s Movie Night.  See you there!

This month’s featured film is Heaven is for Real– Based on the #1 New York Times best-selling book, Heaven is for Real recounts the true story of a small-town father who must find the courage and conviction to share his son’s extraordinary, life-changing experience with the world. The film stars Greg Kinnear as Todd Burpo, the real-life father whose son Colton claims to have visited Heaven during a near-death experience. Colton shares the details of his amazing journey with childlike innocence and speaks mater-of-factly about things that happened before his birth – things he couldn’t possibly know. Told by Colton’s father, often in Colton’s own words, the disarmingly simple message is that heaven is a real place, Jesus really loves children, and to be ready – there is a coming last battle.

View the movie trailer at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-ewaCVARtM.

St. Paul’s Social Justice Ministry Needs Warm Weather Clothing Donations

The Social Justice Ministry is seeking donations of new or gently used warm weather clothing and accessories to distribute to our needy neighbors. Please place your donated items in the collection containers located in the Narthex. Our volunteers distribute these items in the Columbarium colonnade the last Wednesday of each month.

If you would like to learn more about this important ministry, please contact Lena Granet at .

St. Paul’s T-Shirts Now Available

St. Paul’s T-Shirts have arrived! This blue apparel comes in M, L, and XL. It features the Church’s new logo on the back and the phrase, “We respect the dignity of every human being” on the front (part of our baptismal covenant). If you would like to purchase one, a booth will be set up at coffee hour. You can also pick one up by stopping by the office. The cost is $25 per shirt (the cost of materials + shipping – St. Paul’s is not making any money off of these).

EXACT CHANGE ONLY (by check or cash).

Mid-week Services

You are invited to the church on Wednesday evenings at 6:00 PM each week for contemplative Eucharist/Evening Prayer.  The church will be open the hour prior (5:00-6:00 PM) for silent, personal prayer.

Come and rest.

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 Michael Bruce Curry, Presiding Bishop and Primate.

For the Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Michigan, The Right Reverend Dr. Prince Grenville Singh, Bishop Provisional.

For the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, The Right Reverend Dr. Susan Brown Snook, Bishop; for the clergy and people of St. Andrew’s by-the-Lake, Lake Elsinore.

For those commended to our prayers: Heather S. Gordon, Dee Jae, Cindy, Carla Emerson, Kelli Kay Roma, Lie, Kim, Mark, Stephen, Donna & Bruce, Jim, Jeff, the Ralph Humphrey Family, Magda & Gus Gonzales, Marna, Paula & Rick, Teresa Ball, John Rhodes, Marilyn De Silva Currie, Jamie Currie, Richard Leas, Terry Garrity, Paula Sturgeon, Jim Crumby, Rus Butler, Laurie Molello, Spencer and Connie, Ken Burris, Kurt Davis, Ray Tackett, Susan Moseley, Don Chase, Greg Gowdy, John Ketchum, AJ Miller, Tom Lutgen, Brian Nealy; pray for all those for whom no prayers have been said. 

For those who have died: Marcia Glover, Dennis DeLay, Bonnie Woods, Michael Peroni, Marge Horstman, Leslie Thomas.

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, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

 For those with birthdays: April 30: Gabby Brittain, Bob Warburton, Ron McDaniel, Douglas Burton; May 1: Bob Bernat, Jim Simms; May 2: John Toogood, Chuck Peery; May 3: Alex Escudero, John Thatcher; May 5: Brian Brodowsky, Skip Swanlund; May 6: Eric Stein-Steele, Rita Yribar.

For those for whom flowers have been donated: This week’s Altar Flowers are sponsored by Jane Thomas, in thanksgiving for her brother, Stuart, and her sister, Amy.

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 Weekly print deadline is Wednesday noon.

For next Sunday’s Lectionary readings, go to www.lectionarypage.net and click on May 7, 2023, The Fifth Sunday of Easter.

Upcoming Meetings & Events at St Paul’s

• Sunday, April 30 – 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM – Library – “Last Call!”
• Wednesday, May 17 – 6:00 PM – Ascension Day (transferred) – Choral Evensong.
• Saturday, May 20 – 6:00 PM – Parish Hall – Movie Night – “Heaven is for Real.” (See The Abundant Life for more details.)
• Sunday, May 28 – Pentecost / Whitsunday.
• Sunday, June 4 – Trinity Sunday.

Sunday Service LiveStreaming

We are livestreaming our 10:30 AM Sunday Eucharist every week. The livestream project was made possible through a generous gift from a “snowbird” member from Philadelphia who wintered in Palm Springs for many years and worshiped at St. Paul’s every Sunday. 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