The Abundant Life – September 16, 2022

St. Paul’s Ukrainian Refugee Care Exploration

GOOD NEWS: Our Ukrainian Refugee Care Program is now off and running! After many conversations to gage whether there was enough interest in the parish to consider this ministry, the Social Justice Ministry appointed a Ukrainian Care Team (UCT) this past spring. The UCT’s first step was to assess the resources available to us (e.g. diocesan, other non-profits, and civic) and then to ascertain some possible options for providing Ukrainian refugee care. After careful research, the team made a proposal to the Social Justice Ministry at its monthly meeting on September 7, and that proposal was unanimously adopted.

WHERE TO START: There are currently at least two Ukrainian refugee families in the west valley sponsored by individuals (not currently connected with St. Paul’s). The refugees and sponsors exhibited a tremendous amount of determination as they sought to work through significant red tape. Our research indicated that one of those families (the Darahans), and their sponsor (Brittany) were off to a good start and would appreciate our proposed support. The Darahan family is temporarily living in Brittany’s home in Cathedral City. It consists of Serge (father), Kate (wife) and Diane (12-year-old daughter). Serge is an IT specialist in website design and is still working remotely part time for his old employer in Ukraine. Kate is an accountant. Diane is enrolled in middle school. One might consider them an upper-class professional family. They are nominally proficient in English and are working to expand those capabilities. They funded their own way to the U.S. Should we connect with Brittany and the Darahans, St. Paul’s would have no on-going financial commitment. We could learn a lot about what it takes to sponsor a Ukrainian refugee family by helping them get established here in our community in a tertiary supportive role. In other words, this seems like a good place to start our Ukrainian Care Program.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?:  Serge and Kate are in the  process of getting green cards, and they have good temporary living quarters. Although St. Paul’s has made no financial commitment, we as individuals can help them with related immediate needs, including helping them find jobs in their career fields and affordable permanent housing. Even easier, we can made donations to a GoFundMe account (https://gofund.me/c5631e04) that has been established for their benefit to purchase a car, etc. Other needs are likely to arise, but these are their needs NOW.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

• Please check out the website https://welcome.us for a broad coverage of in-point information. There are hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian families and individuals hoping to find refuge in the U.S. WELCOME.US has an on-going registry of Ukrainians anxious to enter the U.S. This includes people of a wide range of backgrounds and persuasions, including LGBTQ+. You’re invited to check out the website and see if something resonates with you.
• Please reach out to the UTC co-chairs, John Sanders () and Hap Blaisdell (), should you have any further questions.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS for the following events at St. Paul’s

• Sunday, October 9 – We’re calling it “Welcome Back Sunday,” and we consider it the unofficial launch of our new church Season.  By then, our hot weather will have subsided somewhat, and we’ll begin to see the return of our “snowbird” and seasonal worshipers.  It promises to be a festive day at St. Paul’s. We will be worshiping together in one fantastic service at 10:30 AM, followed by potluck fellowship, a ministry fair, and the directory photo shoot.  You won’t want to miss this Sunday! Our Strategic Planning Consultant, along with the Co-rectors, will be sharing some exciting news about St. Paul’s and our future! We hope you can be a part of it.
• Sunday, Sept. 18 – Daughters of the King Liturgy of Blessing at the 10:30 service
• Wednesday, Sept. 28, 6:00 PM – Feast of St. Michael & All Angeles (transferred) Evensong
• Sunday, Oct. 2 – The Feast of St. Francis (transferred) – 4:00 pet blessing in the Memorial Garden
• Sunday, October 16 3:00 PM – dedication and blessing of The Linda Curea Memorial Rodgers Organ

Interested in Confirmation/Reception? – Register now for our preparatory classes at .  The sessions will be taught by a variety of clergy from St. Paul’s and the curriculum promises an interesting learning experience.

Social Justice Ministry – Elementary School Support – We have purchased backpacks that were blessed in church last Sunday.  They will be filled with school supplies and given to a low-income elementary school.  If you would like to donate toward the purchase of backpack items, please give to the “school backpack project” or contact Lena Granet 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 .

Daughters of the King

St. Paul’s Chapter of the Daughters of the King (DOK) will be offering preparation for admitting new members starting in October. Our order is open to all women who desire a closer walk with the Lord. If you would like more information about the Daughters of the King, contact Patty Kiker at or 214-497-3034, Bonnie Stroock at , or Karen Nelson at . Requests for prayers to be added to the DOK confidential list can be emailed to .

Sunset Labyrinth Walk September 21st

Sunday School Craft Supplies Needed

Do you have any craft supplies you’re not using that you’d like to donate to the children’s ministry? Fabric scraps, wooden blocks, pipe cleaners, felt, glue, or anything else that’s in good condition? Please bring what you have to the church on Sunday (or call the church for a drop-off this week). Sunday School teachers will be planning the new year next week and would love to get creative with teaching projects.

Book Club

The next Book Club meeting will be held Tuesday, October 4, 2022, at 1:00 PM via Zoom.  Meeting information will follow later. For October, Book Club has selected Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont by Elizabeth Taylor. Mrs. Palfrey, an elegant, genteel widow came from Scotland to London to take up residence at the Claremont hotel. Though she has high hopes for the cosmopolitan pleasures of living in a big city, she soon is filled with a sense of uneasiness and gloom.

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

Summer Mid-week Services

Throughout the summer, 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 open at 5:00 PM for silent, socially distanced personal prayer.

Prayer Vigil at the Salton Sea October 10th

Desert AIDS Walk, October 29, 7:30 AM – 1:00 PM, Ruth Hardy Park

Registration starts at 7:30; the Walk will leave the park at 9:00 AM.  Saint Paul’s has supported the Desert AIDS Project for over 30 years, providing donors and board members, and by participating in events. Please join us as part of the Community and register with our team. This year we will also be joined by contingents from St. Margaret’s and St. John’s.  Take Action and walk on Saturday, October 29, 2022. Make an Impact by donating or collecting donations for Desert AIDS Project.  You can also register at desertaidsproject.org or contact George at .  Donations can be made at the information table set up in the Columbarium colonnade outside the church before and after services. Alternatively, you can give online or in the offering plate.  AIDS Walk tee shirts are available for purchase from the Desert AIDS Project for $25.

New Testament I at the EDSD School for Ministry on Zoom this fall.

Online offerings from the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego School for Ministry are currently in transition. This fall, New Testament I will be offered completely online only, via Zoom. David Moseley, PhD will be teaching this course.  He is a much beloved instructor who teaches all scripture classes at the school. The sessions will be held on Monday evenings from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM, from September 12 to December 5. The link to their website is EDSD: » School for Ministry.  For more information, contact Andrew Trofka at 920.619.6392 or .

Parish Directory Project

Work continues on the update of our member database for a new Parish Directory we plan to publish later this year.  Volunteers are calling parishioners to confirm the contact information we have on file for each household. You can also update your information by completing the form you’ll find inserted in today’s bulletins. Please place your completed form in the basket in the Narthex as you leave today.

The Directory will also include member photographs. We have arranged for a photo shoot on site, after services on Sunday, October 9, to capture informal, outdoor photos of each parishioner. If you won’t be available that day, please contact the Parish Office at 760.320.7488 to learn of alternative options.

Prayers of the Church

For the Anglican Communion, and for the Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby; for Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil (Alglican Episcopal Church of Brazil), Naudal Alves Gomes, Primate.

For the Episcopal Diocese of Easton, The Rt. Rev. Santosh Marray, Bishop.

For the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, The Rt. Rev. Dr. Susan Brown Snook, Bishop; for the clergy and people of St. Mark’s, San Diego; for our Ecumenical partnerships on the International Day of Peace, September 21.

For those commended to our prayers: Jane Huerter, Tom O’Mara, Karl, Megan, Gordon Berry, Sr., Betty Dasteel, The Rev. Canon Victoria Hatch, Greg Gowdy, Robin Griffen-McLaughlin, The Rev. Deborah Seles, William Kennedy, Terry Moran, Uta Born, Nicole Phillips, Noble Pereira, Frank Riviers, Geraldine Rosato, David Smitherman, Jeff Peck, Wayne Watson, McLeaman Legg, Woody Wood & Doug Hairgrove, Martin Page, Don & Mary Hamilton, Roy Cody, Gale Enger & George Barros, Tony Ellerd, Josh Brown, Dirk Beach-Barrow, AJ Miller, Jim Randolph, the families and friends of Terry Harrington and Mike Lang, Ryker Alexander, Dick Hoffman, Tom Lutgen, Brian Nealy; pray for all those for whom no prayers have been said.

For those who have died: Eric Edgington, Harold Benjamin, James Booty, Stella Patti Grossman, Jim McCrae, Werner Futterer, Mike Baltazar, Helen & Charles Falconio, Joe Migocki, Terry Harrington, Mike Lang, Marolyn Harvey. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.  Amen.

For those with birthdays: September 19: Dirk Beach-Barrow, Allan Coe, Jon Coates; September 21: Andy Jessup, Joe Lopez; September 24: Edwin Clock, Frank Stahl, Roland Lampela, Richard Kiker.

For those celebrating anniversaries: September 24: Andy Johnson & Robby Robinson.

Correction: Last week’s announcements incorrectly listed September 11 as the anniversary of Stan Bisho & Craig Coleman. The correct date is September 13.  We regret the error.

For those for whom flowers have been donated: Today’s Altar Flowers are sponsored by Br. John Westaway, in loving memory of his mother, frequent visitor and friend of St. Paul’s, Norma Westaway, and to commemorate what would have been her 94^th birthday (September 16).

St. Paul’s Chapter of The Order of The Daughters of the King has sponsored Altar Flowers today in thanksgiving for the Service of Rededication of local members.

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 September 25, The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost.

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.  To date, donations processed through our church have totaled $1,918.

COVID-19 and Masking at St. Paul’s Update

Please click here to read the latest update regarding masking at St. Paul’s.

The following changes will take effect in our public worship on Sunday May 1, 2022:

+ 8:00AM – vaccine and mask required

+ 10:30AM (& Wednesday nights) – vaccine and mask strongly recommended

In addition to the changes mentioned above, the following will continue:

+ Funerals, which often have many guests from out of state, will be mask required services (we will not check for vaccinations)

+ Ushers, altar ministers, lectors, and clergy will continue to remain masked unless reading, preaching, or celebrating the Eucharist. Staff singers/choir/ensembles will continue to remain masked during the services

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