September 9, 2010

The Abundant Lite                 For September 12th In This Issue Wednesday Holy Communion From The Rector Featured Scripture Adult Choir retreat 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-Fr. Andrew Green Sunday Morning 10:30 a.m. Sermon-The Rev. Jonathan Abernethy-Deppe Children Welcome in Worship Childcare is available on Sunday Mornings Wednesday Holy Communion  Wednesday Evening Worship in the Library located in the parish office building. Everyone is invited to this informal service of reflection and Holy Communion. The service begins at 6:00 p.m.  This week 9-15-2010 we will remember James Chisholm, a new addition to our calendar of saints. 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 8 am sermon Click here to view last Sunday's 10:30 am 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 9, 2010 Minute Video From The Rector Remember and Pray This Saturday marks the 9th anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001. This despicable attack was a terrible tragedy - for those who died, for their families and loved ones, for our nation, and for the world. My personal contacts with the event are limited. A godfather of the first baby I baptized was one of the first responders who died when the towers fell. A friend in Palm Springs recounted his daughter calling him after she had left the South Tower and reached the Brooklyn Bridge and safety. I spent an afternoon in November 2001 with the vicar of St. Paul's Chapel and observed the ministry there and walked to "Ground Zero." Frankly, there are several connections that have been made in the years since, but this is not the place for that reflection. As we approach this anniversary and the country prepares to remember and pray, we have the distraction of a misguided Florida Pastor. I am offended when I hear of someone who wants to promote his agenda by destroying the sacred texts of another. I am disgusted when it is supposedly done in the name of Christ. This is not of Christ. Some of my peers have suggested reading a selection of the Qur'an as a part of our worship this week. I appreciate the intention of raising our awareness of the Qur'an, but I think that this, too, is misguided. I don't believe that we Christians are the best candidates for reflecting the sacred text of Islam. Our issues today are not about texts, they are about fear. Our faith has lots to say about dealing with fear. Simply, we are called to love. We are called to love our neighbors AND our enemies. This weekend we won't try to slip in a little of the Qur'an in our Christian worship, we will do what Christians do: We will remember, we will love, and we will pray. Please join us. Featured Scripture Luke 15:1-10 (NRSV) All the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to Jesus. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them." So he told them this parable: "Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, `Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. "Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, `Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.' Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." 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. 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 TONIGHT, SEPTEMBER 9TH To Serve and Guard the Earth A Six-Week Environmental Bible Study Thursdays 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Beginning September 9th Call the Parish Office to see if there is still room! 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. ___________________________________________ Blessing of the Animals Saturday, October 2 at 10:00 am All creatures great and small and their humans are invited to a special blessing to honor the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi at our annual Blessing of the Animals on Saturday, October 2nd at 10 a.m. Bring your favorite friend(s) to the Meditation Garden. Both human and animal treats will be served, medallions will be given to the blessed animals, and there will be much sniffing, licking and milling about! Animal Samaritans SPCA the non-profit organization serving the Coachella Valley and beyond will be sponsoring the event. Donations of dry or canned dog and cat food are suggested.  There will be an opportunity to remember beloved pets who have died. ___________________________________________ All Parish Bar-B-Q Saturday, October 9th Enjoy Chez Andrew's world famous barbeque meats and reconnect with one another at the All Parish Bar-B-Q! Come join the fun and fellowship at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 9th, as we break bread together and share our stories from the summer. Tickets are FREE and will be distributed at the Saturday and Sunday services in September and the first weekend in October. This is a not to be missed gathering! ___________________________________________ 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. __________________________________________ Women's "Spiritual Facelift" Retreat Saturday, October 23rd, 9:30 am - 3:30 pm A Day of Mindful, Soulful and Heartfelt "Rejuvenation" ... from the Inside Out! Come, seek, and find spiritual refreshment to restore, refresh, renew, and breathe new life into the beautiful self God has made you to be. To be held, Saturday, October 23rd. With registration at 9:30am to 10am. The Retreat Day immediately following from 10am to 3:30pm. at St. Paul's Episcopal Church. The cost is $30.00 by Oct 1st or $35.00 after Oct 1st. A lunch will be included. The facilitator is Linda Chandler Smith. Linda has Masters Degrees in Sociology, Religion/Spirituality, and Pastoral Counseling. She has been a Social Worker, Researcher, Public Speaker, Retreat Facilitator, Campus Minister, Artist, and Instructor of Theology, Ethics, Psychology and Contemporary Spirituality. Linda is currently a Spiritual Director and Lifestyle/Wellness Consultant in private practice and lives in Palm Springs, CA. For more information or to pre-register, call the parish office at 760.320.7488 ext. 0. ___________________________________________ Coffee Hour Ministry Coffee Hour Eileen Upton and Don MacLean are the hosts for the 8:00 a.m. Coffee Hour and The Zingg Family are the hosts for the 10:30 a.m. Coffee Hour. Thank you for providing nourishment for your fellow parishioners. 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 5th, Labor Day, Elaine Clermont and daughter, Simone, Paul Thompson, Michael Howard, James Kyle, Mark Leggett and Hap Blaisdell served desserts to 75 clients at the Desert SOS program located at Roy's Desert Resource Center. The desserts were provided by the above parishioners and Orin Ellingson. James was even called upon by the ladies to share the details of his date bars! Actually only 2-3 volunteers are needed to serve the dessert, but the the staff at Roy's is delighted to have St. Paul volunteers to serve the rest of the meal so they can do additional tasks in the kitchen. 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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