For Sunday October 1, 2023
Our Guest Preacher Sunday, October 1, is Rabbi David Lazar
Our Guest Preacher Sunday, October 1, is Rabbi David LazarRabbi David is the Founding Director of Or Hamidbar – Light of the Desert, “a new kind of group – creating progressive Jewish spirituality in the desert.” He is deeply grounded in Jewish scholarship and learning, practice, and social engagement, and has led congregations in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Stockholm and at Temple Isaiah right here in Palm Springs. He is a long-time interfaith partner and friend of St. Paul’s. He will be speaking about angels from a Jewish perspective.
This past spring, Rabbi David attended our Palm/Passion Sunday service for the first time. We were able to share a bit about that encounter with the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego’s “Faith To Go” Podcast not long after. Please click on the following link and scroll to Podcast Extra – God Sighting PART ONE with the Rev. Dan Kline (June 02, 2023) to hear more about how this led to Rabbi David preaching today.
Listen to the Podcast
Book Study course with Rabbi David and Rev. Dan – “The Bible With and Without Jesus”
Thursdays in October and November – 3:30 – 5:00 PM – Library
Editors Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler show how and why Jews and Christians read many of the same Biblical texts – including passages from the Pentateuch, the Prophets, and the Psalms – differently. Exploring and explaining these diverse perspectives, they reveal more clearly Scripture’s beauty and power. Join us!
St. Paul is getting new nametags for Welcome Back Sunday!
St. Paul is getting new nametags for Welcome Back Sunday!Make sure you get your info submitted for the new tags. Info sheets will be in bulletins/narthex for the next few weeks.
Interested in Singing in a One-Off Volunteer Choir for Welcome Back Sunday, October 15 at 10:30AM?
We are a singing church, and MANY of you were in or would like to try out a volunteer choir. If that’s you, you are invited to stick around after the 10:30AM service this Sunday (Sept. 17) and head up to the choir loft. We will be meeting with a choir director who will be leading this one-time choir to sing for our Welcome Back Sunday. We need you! Experience or no experience necessary—this is a fun time to try something new. We hope you’ll join us.
Vestry Update
- The Vestry approved $250 to do a Waste Resource Audit. This audit will allow for St. Paul’s to discover whether it is feasible for us to become a community composting site.
- The Vestry approved renovating the on-campus apartment from the Capital Reserve Fund (not a part of the operating budget). This will be the first major renovation in over 30 years, with minimal to no updates having been done in the intervening years. The hope is that this apartment will be able to house staff now and in the future.
- The Vestry approved the annual Audit, which will be submitted to the Diocese for review.
Class: The Role of Faith & The Church in the Healing & Transformation of Lives
About the Instructor: The Rev. Dr. Louise Macatee was the former Director of Counseling at Campbell Hall, an Episcopal school in the Diocese of Los Angeles, where she served students and faculty for 28 years. She holds an M.Div. and D.Min. from Fuller Theological Seminary, as well as an MA in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Counseling from Pepperdine University. She is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and an ordained Episcopal priest.
Description of the Class: The structure of the course reflects three main components that map out a path of healing for seekers after wholeness. The components have yielded data that reflect on experiences that have worked to help those who have suffered wounds of all kinds, and they serve to help facilitate the healing that only Christ can bring. These components or dimensions each offer solace and strength as Jesus’ promise of liberation is more clearly and fully realized in a person’s life. These components reflect the quest for wholeness of Holocaust survivors, persons suffering traumatic loss of a loved one, and those who grew up in a home defined by parental addiction/alcoholism, mental illness, or abuse, to name only a few of the wounds that bind and diminish us. The three areas of work that have held growth for those and any who have suffered damage and carry wounds are Mourning, Meaning, and Hope. It is through the road of each of these that we hope to grow more in personal self-reflection and spiritual awareness, while enlarging our understanding of others and their needs and pain. From Jesus to Gloria Steinem, come learn about how Christ calls all of us to deeper healing.
Click here to indicate your interest in attending this class!
St Paul’s Book Club
The next Book Club meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 3, 2023, at 2 PM via Zoom. Meeting information will follow later. For October, Book Club has selected The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese. A stunning and magisterial novel of love, faith, and medicine, set in Kerala, South India, following three generations of a family seeking the answers to a strange secret.
New members are always welcome at Book Club. For more information, please contact Alan Zimmerman at
Sunday’s 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
Fresh flowers at the altar honor God and add to the beauty of our worship. 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 is suggested.
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 Nippon Sei Ko Kai (The Anglican Episcopal Church in Japan), The Most Reverend Luke Ken-ichi Muto, Archbishop.
For the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, The Right Reverend Ryan Spencer Reed, Bishop.
For the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, The Right Reverend Dr. Susan Brown Snook, Bishop; for the clergy and people of Grace, San Marcos; for Executive Council, Standing Committee, Commission on Ministry, Diocesan Committees and Ministries.
For those commended to our prayers: Marie Ratnam, Carolyn Scott, Phil Smith, Theo Goehring, Irvin Goehring, Heather S. Gordon, Bonnie Archer-Hatch, Timothy Overdurf, Jim Crumby, Ned Smith, Deborah Williams, Mary Ann Lee, Ed, Kenn Catterlin, John Hatton, John & Sheena Wilson, Johnny Maiden, Carson Tullio, Sherry Tullio, David Maiden, Lorrie Nichols, Kristy Nida, Glen Noteboom, José, Margherita & Judith Roa, Jake Williams, Sandy & Joe Williams, Wendy Vicory, Bonnie, Ken Van Horn, Amelia Grinstead, Chloe Grace Wilson Barton, Marilyn De Silva Currie, Donald Chase, Greg Gowdy, Tom Lutgen; pray for all those for whom no prayers have been said.
For those who have died: Antone (A.J.) Miller, The Rev. Dr. Sonia Waters, Nancy Hales, Nora Bain, Dana Gwinn, Lisa Hollis, Clay Hall.
In Memoriam – A funeral service for Brian Nealy will be held in St. Paul’s Memorial Garden Saturday, October 7, at 11:00 AM. Brian passed away August 5, 2023.
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: October 1: Peter Di Carlo, Jan Wacker; October 2: The Rev. Susan Green; October 3: Diane McClocklin; October 4: Stephen Pickard, Michael Patton, Steve Horstman; October 5: Isaiah Scott, Rick Bowers, Terry Houghtaling; October 6: Janae Chandrasena.
For those for whom flowers have been donated: Today’s Altar Flowers are sponsored by Peter Di Carlo in thanksgiving for his birthday and the birthday of his nephew, Vinnie (October 1).
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 October 8, 2023, The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost.
Upcoming Meetings & Events at St Paul’s
- Sunday, October 8 – St. Francis of Assisi (transferred) – 8:00 AM – Outdoor Mass (bring your pets to church) – 10:30 AM – Regular Mass (inside the church- no pets) – 4:00 – 5:00 PM – Pet Blessing – Memorial Garden.
- Sunday, October 15 – 10:30 AM – ONE SERVICE – Welcome Back Sunday – SAVE THE TIME & DATE!
- Wednesday, October 18 – 6:00 PM – St. Luke the Evangelist (transferred) – Celtic Healing Eucharist.
- Sunday, October 29 – All Saints’ Day (transferred).
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
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 suspect you’re not receiving all our weekly news and announcements, go to this subscription sign-up box and enter your email address. If you’re already properly registered on our distribution list, you will get a message confirming this. If you’re not, the system will accept your email address and ask you to validate your request. You should then be set to receive future email communications from St. Paul’s. And a reminder to all of us, as a rule, it’s always a good idea to check our spam/junk folders when looking for missing email.
