The Abundant Life – November 23, 2022

Saturday, November 26, 6:00 PM

Celebrate the start of the Liturgical New Year at the MOGO Silent Disco Tour. Join us for a mobile disco you’ll never forget Saturday, November 26, 6:00 PM. All ages are welcome; under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Anyone who would like to see us off is welcome to join us for a New Year’s toast! $20 per person due at sign-up to hold your reservation. As of today, there is only one opening remaining!

For more information, or to sign up, contact Nancy Antonius

Ribbon Cutting – Sunday, November 27

Join the Kitchen Care Team following the 10:30 Service as we kick off the liturgical New Year and celebrate the reopening of our remodeled kitchen with a Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS for the following events!

• Thursday, November 24 – 10:30 AM – Thanksgiving Eucharist – church
• Saturday, November 26 – 6:00 PM – MOGO Silent Disco Tour
• Sunday, November 27 (Advent I) – Immediately following the 10:30 service – Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to celebrate the reopening of our kitchen
• Sunday, November 27 – Noon to 2:00 PM – “Last Call!” – (library) – Come visit the library to browse and check out books.
• Wednesday, November 30 – 10:00 AM – Social Justice Ministry – Sundries and Clothing Distribution
• Sunday, December 4 – 3:00 PM – Advent Lessons & Carols – church
• Tuesday, December 6 – 3:00 – 7:00 PM – Parish Office Holiday Open House
• Friday & Saturday, December 9 & 10 – EDSD Good News Festival with Presiding Bishop Michael Curry – San Diego – More information at https://www.thegoodnewsfestival.com

Don’t forget to wear polka dots the next three weeks!

Download our Fall 2022 Church calendar! (PDF)

Advent Lessons & Carols

Sunday, December 3 – 3:00 PM

Join us for the sounds of the season at St. Paul’s! More details to follow.

Parish Office Holiday Open House

Tuesday, December 6 – 3:00–7:00 PM

Come visit the offices and celebrate the holidays with the staff of St. Paul’s! Check out the recently remodeled Music Cottage, enjoy holiday music, and chat with one another about all things Holidays.  Drop in when you can, whether for a moment or the entire afternoon!

Winter Coat Donations Needed

Now that cooler weather has arrived in the desert, the Social Justice Ministry is seeking donations of new or gently used winter coats and jackets to distribute to our needy neighbors. Winter hats, scarves and gloves are also appreciated. Remember, donated used clothing should first be dry cleaned. Please place your donated items in the collection “barrels” located in the narthex.

Latino & Social Justice Ministries

The Latino Ministry and Social Justice Ministry have scheduled a joint off-site meeting for Wednesday, December 7, 5:30 PM, at the home of Lena and John Granet.  The evening will begin with a light dinner followed by a simple spoken Eucharist and a planning session. Please RSVP to Lena at or call 760.969.8431.

Best of the Desert

On Sunday, December 11^th, the Desert Sun will be publishing The Best of the Desert Special Section recognizing the top three in each category, with special recognition for the first-place winner. The winner will be announced on December 6^th. Thank you all for voting and helping St. Paul’s to be recognized as one of the top three best places to worship in the Coachella Valley!

The Desert Baroque 2022-2023 Concert Season

Opens December 2 with “The Expansion of Time” as we explore two centuries of the beloved tune, “Folies d’Espagna” as heard in Spain, France, and Germany.  Alice Robbins, Viola da gamba and our own Margaret Irwin-Brandon, harpsichord are featured.  The 2023 Concerts are scheduled for “First Fridays” at 7:00 PM (January 6, February 3, March 3) with an additional concert scheduled for March 31, all presented at The Artists Center at the Galen, 72567 Highway 111, Palm Desert, CA.  Tickets on sale now at Eventbrite.com

Mid-week Services

Come worship with us at Evening Prayer or, for select weeks, a simple spoken Mass (Contemplative Eucharist), one or the other, offered Wednesdays at 6:00 PM. The church will be open the hour prior (5:00-6:00 PM) for silent, socially distanced personal prayer. Come and rest.

NOTE:  There will not be a Wednesday evening service November 23. We will worship on Thursday, November 24, Thanksgiving Day at 10:30 AM.

Book Club

The next Book Club meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 6, 2022, at 1:00 PM, via Zoom. Meeting information will follow later. For December, Book Club has selected Less by Andrew Sean Greer. A struggling novelist travels the world to avoid an awkward wedding in this hilarious Pulitzer Prize-winning novel full of lyricism and beauty.

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

St. Paul’s Ridesharing

Several St. Paul’s parishioners need an occasional ride to church. If you would like to be part of a team of rotation rideshare drivers, please email

Prayers of the Church

For the Anglican Communion, and for the Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby; for the Nippon Sei Ko Kai – the Anglican Episcopal Church in Japan, The Most Reverend Luke Ken-ichi Muto Primate and Archbishop.

For the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama, The Right Reverend Dr. Glenda S. Curry, Bishop.

For the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, The Right Reverend Dr. Susan Brown Snook, Bishop; for the clergy and people of Christ the King, Alpine; for the growth of discipleship in the diocese.

For those commended to our prayers: John Lasher, Gale Enger, Marie Ratnam, Robert Menifee, Maria Medina, AJ Miller, Tom Ranier, Nuan Pan & Burt, Adair, Genie Bell, Maria, Cat Conner, Frank Riviers, Gary Koch, Terri & Judi Miller-Steele, Joe Christopher, Angela Fairbanks, Jody Collins, Bonnie Ong, Jeff Bonnell, John Ketcham, Betty Spencer, Tom Lutgen, Brian Nealy; pray for all those for whom no prayers have been said. 

For those who have died: Kenneth Roy, Ronald Roy, Abdulio Medina, Frederick Swann, Joe Callanan, David De St. Cyr, Covert E. “Pete” Parnell, III, Gene Cipriano, Emanuel Manning, Christopher Manning, Laurine Di Rocco, Richard Johnson, William Allen, Gwendolyn Franklin. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.  Amen. 

For those with birthdays: November 27: Luis Valdez, Alan Glass; November 28: Allan Offermann; November 30: Rosalie Markley, Zachary Scott; December 2: Gary Price.

For those celebrating their anniversary: November 28: Peter Smurthwaite & Patrick Von Bargen.

For those for whom flowers have been donated: Today’s Altar Flowers are sponsored by Peter Smurthwaite & Patrick Von Bargen to commemorate their wedding anniversary, and by Valerie Rogers, in loving memory of her husband, Bob Rogers, on the 40^th anniversary of their marriage.  Today’s Narthex Flowers are sponsored by Cheryl & Ray Kelley, in loving memory of Cheryl’s dad, Nathan Balin.

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.stpaulsps.org, and click on “This Week’s Scriptures” in the Worship Services box. From the calendar, select December 4, the Second Sunday of Advent.

Coffee/Social Hour Hospitality

For those wishing to sponsor refreshments for a specific Sunday Coffee Hour, please call or stop by the Parish Office to sign up. All our hospitality procedures and protocols are subject to any CDC guidelines and mandates that Bishop Susan may put into place, depending on prevailing COVID conditions.

The Abundant Life E-List

If you are not a current subscriber to our weekly electronic newsletter, it’s easy to sign up.  Just go to www.stpaulsps.org, scroll down to find “Join Our E-Mail List,” enter your email address – and you’re all set.  You will receive the newsletter each week, usually on Fridays.

If the newsletter ends up in your spam/junk folder, simply add to your email address book.

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

Episcopal Relief & Development

Episcopal Relief & Development is mobilizing with Anglican agencies and other partners to provide humanitarian assistance to people fleeing the violence in Ukraine. Working through the Action by Churches Together Alliance (ACT Alliance), Episcopal Relief & Development will provide cash, blankets, hygiene supplies and other needed assistance. Please pray for all those affected. To donate directly to Episcopal Relief & Development’s Ukraine Crisis Response Fund, visit  (https://support.episcopalrelief.org/).  If you prefer, you can donate through St. Paul’s Parish.  Be sure to designate “ERD Ukraine” on your check or cash envelope.

Sunday 8:00 AM Service Vaccination/Masking Update

St. Paul’s Vestry recently revised the vaccination/masking requirements for Sunday 8:00 AM Worship and dispensed with the pre-service check-in requirement.  Masks and Vaccines are strongly recommended, but no longer required. Altar ministers, clergy and ushers will continue masking.

Episcopal News Services

Subscribe to the Weekly Newsletter of the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego – The EDSD News is full of event announcements, church news, death notices, clergy changes, bishop-related notes, and current opportunities for service. Go to https://edsd.org/communications/ and scroll to the bottom of the page where you’ll find space to add your name and email address.  Then click on SIGN UP TODAY. You’ll receive the EDSD News on Wednesday, every week.

Want the latest news from the National Episcopal News Service?

Subscribe for free at episcopalnewsservice.org/signup