September 2,2010

The Abundant Lite                 For September 5th In This Issue From The Rector Featured Scripture Wednesday Holy Communion Adult Choir retreat Donate Glasses Family and Children's Ministry Meeting Mark Your Calendar! Coffee Hour Gift Acknowledgements Scheduling Event Space Education for Ministry Pakistan Relief Dessert at Desert SOS Information Please Our Church History Church Bulletin Deadline Rides To Worship Worship Schedule All Services include Holy Communion Saturday Evening 4:00 p.m. Sermon-Fr. Andrew Green Sunday Morning 8:00 a.m. Sermon-The Rev. Canon Victoria Hatch Sunday Morning 10:30 a.m. Sermon-Fr. Andrew Green Children Welcome in Worship Childcare is available on Sunday Mornings Watch Sermons View recent sermons and other video material on-line. We post the sermons from Sunday's services on YouTube.  Our YouTube Channel is named: stpaulinthedesert Click here to view last Sunday's sermon TidBits 2010 Flower Signup Sheets are now available in Hogarth Hall.  Please reserve your special day of remembrance before it is taken. Calendar Connection Find out what is on the schedule at St. Paul In The Desert anytime from your own computer. Just click on this link and connect with the Parish Calendar and Calendar of Outside Meetings (AA, NA, OA, etc.) Emergency Contacts During summer vacation periods when various clergy members may be vacationing, refer to the following contact numbers: Call the main switchboard, (760) 320-7488, during business hours (Tues-Fri, 9:00-4:30 except during lunch, 11:30-1:00) After hours call, (760) 323-4028, to reach the Priest on Call when the church office is closed. Hospital Visits If you are admitted to the hospital and would like a clergy visit or wish to receive Holy Communion during your hospital stay, please contact the church office at (760) 320-7488, ext. 0, or have a family member or friend call on your behalf.  Privacy laws prohibit the hospital from notifying us directly regarding patient admissions. Quick Links Be Informed Anglican Communion The Episcopal Church Diocese of San Diego Episcopal Life-Online Make A Difference Episcopal Relief and Development Episcopal Public Policy Network Global Reconciliation The Well In The Desert Dorcas House Think, Reflect, Pray Our Bishop Blogs Daily Prayer The Episcopal Cafe Thinking Anglicans Theolog The Painted Prayerbook Listen to Sermons Housekeeping Secure Giving and Statement Changes Join Our List Contact Information The Church of St. Paul in the Desert -- -- -- 125 W El Alameda Palm Springs, CA 92262 -- -- -- Ph. 760.320.7488 Fax: 760.416.2441 Email: info@stpaulinthedesert.com September 2, 2010 Minute Video From The Rector Estimate New Life Jesus is very clear. The responsibilities of being part of the family of his followers trump the obligations of a disciple's birth family. I can see how this would sound like a cult. I don't think it is, but it is a matter of context. The context of Jesus and his disciples was much more like Afghanistan than Palm Springs. What I have read about the culture of 1st Century Palestine, has similarities to what I hear about Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India on NPR. (For 1st Century culture, see Malina & Rohrbaugh, Social Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels.) So when Jesus talks about putting faith before family, he is not suggesting that we "keep in touch" less. He is challenging the fundamental organization of social interaction. He warns them to estimate the cost/risk before they commit because the stakes are so high. How does this translate into our context? We have family obligations. We have social status responsibilities. Do they rule our lives? We have the responsibility of being a consumer. We have the responsibility of being a citizen. Some have the obligations that come from being in the stage of life when they believe they are done with responsibilities. I think Jesus invites us to estimate just how important these competing obligations are. How do they stack up with God? Do we start with God and examine the others or do we start with the others and examine God? This is scary stuff. Thank God, I don't have to do it alone. It is part of what it means to be living the Abundant Life of Jesus - with a community of fellow followers. Join us. Featured Scripture Luke 14:25-33 (NRSV) Now large crowds were traveling with Jesus; and he turned and said to them, "Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, saying, `This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.' Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions." Wednesday Holy Communion  Wednesday Holy Communion Resumes After Summer Hiatus Wednesday Evening Worship resumed Wednesday, September 1st in the Parish Library located in the parish office building. All parishioners are invited to this informal service of reflection and Holy Communion. The service begins at 6:00 p.m. Adult Choir Retreat The Adult Choir -is preparing for our annual retreat to begin the new season. This year we will be going to the Los Angeles Diocesan Retreat Center at Echo Park in LA. The retreat begins Friday night, September 17th and continues through noon on Sunday, September 19th. It should prove to be a wonderful time of learning new music and sharing stories, and is a great way for new singers to become an integrated part of this dedicated group. New singers are always welcome! Please contact Nathan through the church office if you would like to join in this adventure at 760.320.7488 ext. 225. Donate Glasses To Help The Needy See Put those old, tired spectacles to good use by donating them THIS FRIDAY, September 3, to the "Jeepers Peepers" collection drive. Postal carriers will pick up used eyeglasses from mailboxes in Cathedral City and Palm Springs this Friday and pass them on to local Lions Clubs. You may also bring them to the main post offices in those cities. Family and Children's Ministry-Godly Play Godly Play, the name of our children's Sunday School, will start on Sept. 12th at 10:30 and end at 11:30. This will enable the children to take Communion with their parents. We invite St. Paul families to bring their young children to our first lesson and invite a friend or neighbor to come along and learn about Godly Play. Godly Play teaches children the art of using Christian language - parable, sacred story, silence and liturgical action - helping them become more fully aware of the mystery of God's presence in their lives. Godly Play is a creative and imaginative approach to Christian nurture. For more information about the committee, contact Bonnie Stroock at 760.324.7949. Mark Your Calendar! Upcoming Events You Won't Want To Miss! __________________________________________ BEGINNING IN LESS THAN A WEEK! The Environmental Bible Study Begins To Serve and Guard the Earth A Six-Week Environmental Bible Study Thursdays 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Beginning September 9th SIGN UP SOON - SPACE IS LIMITED Join Br. Michael-Gregory Norrie for a Bible study focusing on Stewardship of God's Creation. Each session explores one of the days of creation from Genesis, offering several avenues of exploration: Scripture, theology, and environmental practice. Participants will be invited to compare their own story with that of the creation story in Genesis and this fragile earth, our island home. Space is limited. To pre-register, call the church office at (760) 320-7488, ext. 0. Bring your Bibles! All other class materials will be provided. ___________________________________________ Altar Guild Kick-off Dinner The Altar Guild will hold a kick-off dinner to officially begin the season on Sunday, September 12th, at 4:00 p.m. in the Stergis Building (the building with the bell tower) at Desert Regional Medical Center. This will be a buffet at a cost of $17.50 per person. All current Altar Guild members, spouses, friends and anyone interested in joining the Altar Guild are welcome to attend. Please RSVP to Kathy Kilmer, 760.325.0332 or kmkcc@aol.com by Wednesday, September 8th. ___________________________________________ First Corinthians Creating the New Community in Christ Beginning Wednesday, September 15th. A 12 week class that will explore the 1st Letter of St. Paul to the Christians in Corinth. As we study this letter, we will also reflect on our life as a Community in Christ. Taught by Father Andrew Green. Wednesday evenings from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. There is a sign-up sheet in the Parish Hall and at the parish office. You may call the parish office to sign up, at 760.320.7488 ext. 0. There is a required text, Paul for Everyone: 1 Corinthians, and is available in the parish office for $10.00. ___________________________________________ SAVE THE DATES!! With fall fast approaching, the ABUNDANT LIVING ACTION TEAM and the ACTION TEAM ASSOCIATES would like you to make note of these very important upcoming dates: Saturday, October 9th,is our All Parish Barbeque where we will reconnect with one another while enjoying Chez Andrew's world famous barbeque meats! Come join the fun and fellowship as we break bread together and share our stories from the summer. Tickets are complimentary and will be distributed at the Saturday and Sunday services in September following Labor Day and the first weekend in October. This is a not to be missed gathering! November 13th and 14th, On Saturday and Sunday evening, we will kick off our 2011 Stewardship Campaign with our Festive Dinners. People are still talking about the fun, fellowship and speaker from last year. You'll be hearing more about the dinners in the weeks to come. November 20th and 21st, On Saturday and Sunday, we hold our Celebration Weekend Services. At all 3 services we will reflect upon the blessings of God's Abundance in our lives and make a commitment of our treasure to support the mission and ministry of St. Paul in the Desert. Don't miss any of these upcoming events! For more information, please contact Br. Michael-Gregory Norrie at 760.320.7488 x224 or John Westaway at 760.322.7277. ___________________________________________ Adult Education Offerings Coming This Fall - Sundays @ 9:15 Episcopal 101, 201, and 301   Oct. 17, 24, and 31 Episcopal 101 - "An Introduction to the Episcopal Church" w/Br. Michael-Gregory Norrie   Nov. 7, 14, and 21 Episcopal 201 - "The Creeds: We Believe" w/Canon Victoria Hatch   Nov. 28, Dec. 5 and 12 Episcopal 301 - "Worship in the Anglican Tradition" w/Fr. Andrew Green   To pre-register for one or more of these classes, call the church office at 760.320.7488, ext. 0. __________________________________________ Coffee Hour Ministry Coffee Hour The Clermonts are the hosts for the 10:30 a.m. Coffee Hour. There is no host for the 8:00 a.m. coffee hour. Be sure to welcome our newest members. Coffee Hour Host(s) are always welcome to present their "Favorite Dishes" at the Sunday coffee hours. Sign up in Hogarth Hall to host Sunday's 8:00 or 10:30 a.m. Coffee Hour. Contact Ray Kelley at 760.778.1725 for info. Gift Acknowledgements ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS JULY AND AUGUST- 2010 GIFTS The Parish is grateful to all of its regular pledgers for their steadfast generosity. We also acknowledge the special gifts listed below:   DISCRETIONARY FUND: CLERGY SPECIAL EXPENSE Howard and Jo Ann Bergdoll Hap Blaisdell Frank Crosthwaite Mark and Victoria Kramer Viola Whiting Matthew Wolfe PARISH SPECIAL PROJECTS Matthew Wolfe EPISCOPAL RELIEF & DEVELOPMENT Pakistan Flood Relief 2010 Lou Armentrout and Mick Welch The Rev. Dr. D. David and Kaye Clemons Bette Knutson Oz and Ruth Kraus Bonnie and Fred Stroock Beverly Zwach GIFTS Anonymous Donation of furniture for Parish Office Hap Blaisdell Donation of fans for Parish Hall Linda Curea In memory of Nick Curea's 80th anniversary of his birth of August 18, 1930 Patricia Roth In memory of Ransom Crabb Patricia Minton Sivcovich Donation of Rose food & church key fund Drs. Eileen Upton and Don MacLean In honor of Eileen's birthday William Vilhauer In memory of Robert Williams Valerie Winters Donation of pillows, drapes with hardware and rug for parish office MUSIC Hal Groat and Barney Rosenstine Ron Kubler Patricia Minton Sivcovich PRAYER SHAWLS Suzanne Fisher Donation of 2 personally made shawls UNITED THANK OFFERING Hal Groat and Barney Rosenstine WELL IN THE DESERT Bob Edgerly and Bob Warburton Mary Lou Feenstra Ray Gregory and Eric Ornelas Oz and Ruth Kraus Marylou Owen Meeting Space and Parish Events To schedule meeting space- -for your group or ministry, please contact Br. Michael-Gregory at 760.320.7488, ext. 224, or email him at ministry.stpauls@dc.rr.com. He will reserve the space and will enter your meeting date, time, and location on the Parish's Master Calendar. The library and conference room are often utilized by staff during office hours and classes and other meetings are held in these rooms both during office hours and in the evenings and weekends. The chapel (located in the parish hall) and the condo (behind the church office) are also frequently used by parishioners and outside groups. It will be important for individuals and groups who wish to hold a meeting at the church to reserve meeting space in advance, particularly as we kick-off our fall programs, to ensure that the location you want is, in fact, available. Thank you. Education for Ministry - EfM Carry Out Your Call-To-Ministry Every baptized person is called to ministry. The Education for Ministry (EfM) program provides people with the education to carry out that ministry. EfM is for is a four-year program offered through the School of Theology at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. EfM offers theological education that delves deeper into Scripture, Tradition, and Reason. We are exploring the possibility of starting an EfM group at St. Paul's, if there is enough interest. (A minimum of six students is required to start a group.) Tuition is $350 per student, and the class will meet once a week for nine months of the year. In addition, students will need a Bible and may wish to obtain additional reading materials suggested in the bibliographies.We would love to have you join us! Contact Br. Michael-Gregory Norrie at 760-320-7488, ext. 224 to let him know you are interested. Pakistan Relief Episcopal Relief and Development Fund After three weeks of what appear to be the heaviest monsoon rains in 35 years, over a third of Pakistan is now under water. According to recent estimates, nearly 14 million people are affected, and the figures are rising. The death toll has reached over 1,600 and around 2 million people are homeless. Donations to the Pakistan fund provide emergency relief in the aftermath of recent flooding throughout the country. ERD's support is delivering food, water, shelter and medicine to vulnerable people. Disaster response activities will help vulnerable people in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, Balochistan and Sindh. Please donate to ERD's efforts to assist the people in Pakistan by donating today. Make out your check to St. Paul in the Desert. In the comment section, write ERD-Pakistan. We will mail a combined check from St. Paul's to the ERD-Pakistan Fund. Or, you can go to er-d.org/donate, or call 800.334.7626, ext. 5129, or mail to ERD-Pakistan, P.O. Box 7058, Merrifield, VA 22116-7058. Dessert at Desert SOS St. Paul in the Desert serves Dessert at Desert SOS On Monday, September 6th, which is Labor Day, Roy's Resource Center will need the goodwill of others more than ever. With most thinking of the holiday and going away for the long weekend, the clients at Desert SOS are still looking forward to the desserts provided by St. Paul's. St. Paul's involvement is to provide and serve dessert on the first and third Monday evening to the 60+/- men, women and CHILDREN enrolled in the program. Signup sheets are posted in the Parish Hall for those of you who would like to serve and/or provide desserts. You may also contact Hap Blaisdel for more information at (760) 323-5726. Newcomers:  Information Please! Any changes in your contact information? In September we will be gearing up for a whole new program year and will be inviting you to join us in a series of Newcomer events that we believe you will find informative and enjoyable.  For us to invite you to these events, we will need your current and accurate contact information.  Please send your current information to vjwinters@dc.rr.com or if you are at church, please fill out the "Update Info" card in the pew pocket and place in the plate or give to an usher. Thank you. I Love To Tell The Story Our Church History An exciting new project is taking shape to document the history of St. Paul in the Desert.  We are seeking photographs of the church building and its members from the past 71 years.  If you have photographs you would like to share with the archivist, please tag the photos with your name, the year (if you know it), and the names of the church members in the photos.  Bring the photos to the church and we will digitally scan them and return them safely to you.  In addition, we are looking for stories about the building of the church, its history, and member anecdotes.  Thank you for helping us bring a bit of our church's past out of the attic and into the light. Church Bulletin Bulletin Announcements To be included in announcements, submissions must be received by Tuesday 10 a.m. You may call Valerie Winters at 320-7488, ext. 227 or email at vjwinters@dc.rr.com Rides To Worship Needed Can you be a "Worship-Pool" provider? If you would be able to give a ride to church occasionally, to a member who is without transportation, please contact Br. Michael-Gregory. (760-320-7488 x224)

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