For Sunday May 14, 2023
Ascension Day – Wednesday, May 17 (transferred)
The occasion on which the risen Christ is taken into heaven after appearing to his followers for forty days. The Ascension marks the conclusion of Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances. It is the final elevation of his human nature to divine glory and the near presence of God.
The Ascension is affirmed by the Nicene and Apostles’ Creeds and is celebrated on Ascension Day, the fortieth day of the Easter season. It is a principal feast of the church year in the Episcopal Church and will be a Choral Evensong.
The Day of Pentecost – Whitsunday – Sunday, May 28
The term Pentecost is used in the New Testament to refer to the coming of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, shortly after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension. The Pentecost event was the fulfillment of a promise which Jesus gave concerning the return of the Holy Spirit. Do you speak or read a language other than English? We need you for our celebration of Pentecost! Please email and let Rev. Jessie know what language you can share and what service you will be attending. This is the celebration when we’re all encouraged to deck out in all the glitzy red we can!
You’re Invited!
After the 8:00 AM service there will be a red-themed coffee hour outside. Those attending can bring red-themed food items to share. Drop your food off with our Assistant Sexton, Cecilia, at the outdoor serving tables. Immediately following the 10:30 Service, we will sit down to an ALL-CHURCH Spring (red-themed) Pentecost Potluck in the Parish Hall.
What to bring? Use this guide. If your last name begins with letters A-E: Salad/Side Dish; letters F-L: Main Dish; letters M-R: Your Choice; letters S-Z: Dessert. Bon Appétit! Questions? Call the Parish Office: 760.320.7488.
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 31st, 2023.
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.
Easter Safe Church Challenge
Trinity Sunday is June 4
Trinity Sunday is June 4It is the Feast that celebrates “the one and equal glory” of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, “in Trinity of Persons and in Unity of Being” (BCP, p. 380). It is celebrated on the first Sunday after Pentecost.
Trinity Sunday is one of the seven principal feasts of the church year. It will be the final Sunday performance of St. Paul’s choir prior to the summer break. But the Music Department has some other summer surprises in the works. Stay tuned!
Parish Finances & Human Resources
Parish Finances & Human ResourcesVolunteers 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 Book Club
The next Book Club meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 6, 2023, at 1:00 PM via Zoom. Meeting information will follow later. For June, Book Club has selected Five Little Indians by Michelle Good.
This novel set in British Columbia is about five Indigenous children taken from their families when they are very small and sent to a remote, church-run residential school. With compassion and insight, Five Little Indians chronicles the desperate quest of these residential school survivors to come to terms with their past and, ultimately, find a way forward.
New members are always welcome at Book Club. For more information, please contact Alan Zimmerman at
St. Paul’s Parish Life Camping Ministry
Camping Ministry Meeting – May 14, 2023, 12:00 PM
As previously reported, Blackrock Campground in Joshua Tree National Park (Western section) is our destination on Thursday, May 18. Campers are asked to attend a quick meeting on Sunday, May 14, after the 10:30 service. Gather outside the church at the west door walkway. We will hand out maps and review food assignments for the Friday dinner in the Park.
Call Bonnie Stroock for more information – 760.799.9336
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.
End of Season Circle Supper
Everyone who is currently participating in a Circle Supper Group is invited to attend the “End of Season Joint Circle Supper” at Billy Reed’s Restaurant, Palm Springs, Thursday, June 1, at 5:00 PM. Please RSVP to Nancy Antonius at by noon, Sunday, May 28.
Reservations are a MUST, and we will need to give the restaurant an exact headcount prior to the event. Questions? Do not hesitate to call Nancy at 760.656.4920, or text her at 516.353.2566.
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
Mid-week ServicesYou 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 Church of the Province of West Africa, The Most Reverend Dr. Cyril Kobina Ben-Smith, Archbishop and Primate.
For the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis, The Right Reverend Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, Bishop.
For the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, The Right Reverend Dr. Susan Brown Snook, Bishop; for the clergy and people of St. John’s, Indio.
For those commended to our prayers: Betsy Westaway, Susan & Bill B., Daniel & Cynthia K., Jenny K., Darcy Kelley, Don Willard, Darlene Winkler, Frank Boeshart & Family, Cleo Stewart, 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, 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: Ron Childers, Olivia Jackson, Billy Jackson, Carlotta Glover, Ralph Humphrey, Sylvester Bounds, Marcia Glover, Dennis DeLay.
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: May 15: Roger Allen, Bob Yeargan, Richard Cadieux, Sarah Williams Fay; May 17: Joan Dawson; May 18: Ben Palmer; May 19: Steve Moore; May 20: Robert Hettinger, Jane Thomas.
For those celebrating anniversaries: May 14: Rita Yribar & Robert McElroy; May 20: Joseph Casazza & Frank Dunn.
Today’s Altar Flowers are given to the Glory of God in honor of, and thanksgiving for all mothers, everywhere. Happy Mothers’ Day! “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 Weekly print deadline is Wednesday noon.
For next Sunday’s Lectionary readings, go to www.lectionarypage.net and click on May 21, 2023, The Seventh Sunday of Easter.
Upcoming Meetings & Events at St Paul’s
- Wednesday, May 17 – 6:00 PM – Ascension Day (transferred) – Choral Evensong.
- Wednesday, May 17 – 7:00 PM – Finance Committee – Parish Hall Conference Room.
- Friday, May 19 – 7:30 PM – Movie Night – “Heaven is for Real” – Parish Hall – (Note new date and time.)
- Wednesday, May 24 – 6:30 PM – Library – (The new Sunday Vestry meeting schedule begins in August.)
- Sunday, May 28 – Pentecost / Whitsunday. Go all out by dressing in RED!
- Thursday, June 1 – 5:00 PM – Billy Reed’s Restaurant, Palm Springs – End of Season Circle Supper.
- Sunday, June 4 – Trinity Sunday.
Upcoming Events at the PS Cultural Center
PALM SPRINGS CULTURAL CENTER AND INNER CIRCLE ARTS SOCIETY COLLABORATE FOR WORLD PREMIERE OF “MEDGAR X’N JAMES”
The Palm Springs Cultural Center is excited to announce its collaboration with the Inner Circle Arts Society, a premier Black owned arts group in Southern California, for the world premiere of “Medgar X’n James.” The original solo play, written by Inner Circle founder Joachim Moore, explores the lives and struggles of Medgar Evars, Malcolm X and James
Baldwin. The performances are scheduled for Friday, May 12 and Saturday, May 13 at 7pm at the Palm Springs Cultural Center.
Moore is known for his historical research and exploration of themes that are relevant now more than ever. Medgar X’n James offers a fresh, unique perspective on three of American history’s most important men. These are stories that must be told, as they are an honest exploration of the power, beauty and tragedy of the past, bringing to light essential truths about our present. Their voices need to be heard – and we’re fortunate to have them brought back within a younger
generation!
Tickets are available now, and we invite you to join us for an intimate, intense, and thought-provoking performance.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/medgarxnjames-tickets-540271305017
Desert Baroque Concerts
Margaret (Meg) Irwin-Brandon
Founder/Director, Desert Baroque
www.desertbaroque.com
Director Emerita, Arcadia Players
413-285-6881
Active Shooter Training
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
