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St. Paul's
at Midweek
January 12, 2022
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Whoever you are,
and wherever you find yourself on your journey of faith,
we welcome you to our inclusive faith community.
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The Coming Week
at St. Paul's
January 16, 2022
The Second Sunday
after the Epiphany
The 10am service will also be live-streamed via our Facebook page.
Monday, January 17
Anthony of Egypt, Monastic, 356
Tuesday, January 18
Confession of Saint Peter
the Apostle
January 23, 2022
The Third Sunday
after the Epiphany
8am Eucharist (Rite 1)
10am Eucharist
The 10am service will also be live-streamed via our Facebook page.
Next Bishop's
Committee Meeting:
None currently scheduled
Parochial Annual Meeting
January 23 2022
following 10am Eucharist
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Finding the
Sunday Readings
Did you know you can always find the readings for Sunday by following this link?
Did you find two sets of readings for the Sunday? If there are two "tracks",
at St. Paul's we are using "Track 2".
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This Week
by Raven Oyedeji
Bishop's Committee Member
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Many people might describe 2021 as a bit of a dumpster fire. Part of my New Year’s resolution is to look back on last year and take inventory of what went well. For me, and I’m sure for many people, it’s easy to the recount negative events and circumstances. It can be a challenge trying to acknowledge the positive experiences I’ve had: I’ve spent more time communicating with my family; I began spending more time with friends (masked, vaxxed or boostered), and I transitioned into my dream job. I was also fortunate enough to see my nephew begin his first job and embrace personal responsibility; I also got to celebrate successes and milestones of my friends. I was able to call on my St. Paul’s family. Now this is only an anecdotal rundown and I encourage you to make a tally of your positive experiences from 2021. And if 2021 was indeed a dumpster fire, may 2022 be the phoenix rising that we need. |
The Order of the Daughters of the King is an order for women whose mission is the extension of Christ’s Kingdom through prayer, service and evangelism. At the St. Paul's the order serves our community through their prayers and acts of service.
Do you have a special concern you'd like the Daughters to pray for? Contact Kathy Harlan who heads our parish chapter. You can also contact her for further information on the DOK, or you can visit the Order's website here. The Daughters of the King are also at the front of church during the distribution of communion to pray with you for your needs and concerns.
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St. Paul's Food Pantry is up and running, and serving those in need on regular basis. Its doors are open on the 1st, 3rd and 5th (if there is one) Monday of every month. If you have any questions are want to find out how you can help contact either Jan Dunlap or Dcn Cathy Kline.
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Getting in Touch
Although mail will be regularly collected, the parish office will be closed until further notice.
However, if you have questions or concerns,
you can reach Fr. Luis by email
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Why is the Créche Still Up? |
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When you come into church this Sunday you may wonder why the crèche is still up. Isn't Christmas over? As we celebrate the Christmas/Epiphany season our focus is on the manifestation of God’s Light in the person of Jesus, who is both human and divine. And while not a lot of people realize it, the end of this seasonal cycle comes with the Feast of the Presentation on 2 February. It is then we celebrate forty days after Jesus birth and commemorate his being presented in the Temple. It is then we rejoice with the old man Simeon who recognizes Jesus as “a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to [God’s] people Israel.” (Luke 2:32) Christmas/Epiphany has only begun. We have many days to continue our observance and contemplate its significance. The crèche will remain until February 2 as a reminder that the Christmas event is an ongoing process through which God is constantly revealing his glory in the world, most particularly through his people. |
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Preparation for Confirmation
and Reception
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The Bishop will be making his annual visitation on Sunday, February 27. It is at this time that the Bishop celebrates confirmations and receives people into the communion of the Episcopal Church. A number of people have indicated a desire to be confirmed or received. In preparation there will be a series of four evening gatherings. Each night will we come together at 6pm to say Evening Prayer and at 6.30pm to celebrate the Eucharist. Afterwards will be a presentation on some aspect of Christian faith and/or our Episcopal tradition. This will be a time also to ask question and enter into conversation. At the same time, anyone can attend, whether considering confirmation/reception or not. The evenings are open to everyone. The dates for these gatherings are January 25 and February 1 (Tuesdays) and February 7 and February 21 (Mondays). If you have any questions, get with touch with Fr. Luis.
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Upcoming Parochial
Annual Meeting
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The Parochial Annual Meeting will be Sunday, January 23, after our 10am Eucharist. This is a crucial event in our parish life where reports are received from our various ministries, the budget for the coming year (and approved by our Bishop's Committee) is presented, our Priest-in-Charge makes his report, and elections are held for new Bishop's Committee members.
For 2022 there are three open positions on the Bishop's Committee. Do you know someone who would be a good servant for our parish? Consider nominating him or her; also, one can self-nominate.
You can find the Bishop's Committee main responsibilities here.
You can find the qualifications and responsibilities for Bishop's Committee members here.
Bishop's Committee nomination forms can be accessed here.
We also be electing three Deanery Representatives who also serve as Delegates to our Diocesan Convention.
Representatives/Delegates nomination forms (with qualifications and responsibilities) can be found here.
The deadline for all nominations has been extended to Sunday, January 16, 2022
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Most Recent COVID Guidelines
from the Diocese
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As we continue to live through the COVID crisis our diocese continues to discern ways through these times. To that end, new guidelines have been issued by our Bishop. You can can find these here. What does this mean for us at St. Paul's? It means that we can return to congregational singing (albeit masked) and we can return to a social hour after our Sunday worship. We have once again resumed congregational singing, and our first coffee hour will be at our Parochial Annual Meeting on Sunday, January 23. While the guidelines relax the more stringent guidelines, please be aware that masking will still continue during worship and other gatherings, and that for the foreseeable future Eucharist will remain one kind. If you have any questions, please see Fr. Luis.
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As part of its ministry, St Paul's Creation Care Committee offers tips and practical information for more responsible use of our natural resources, as well as advertising and promoting ways we can get involved in this increasingly important aspect of Christian stewardship.
While the holidays are a wonderful time for family and celebration, they can produce a lot of waste.
From large meals, to gifts, to decor (and so much more!) the holidays are a time of celebration and fun. But they can also be a time of waste! Americans produce more waste during the holiday season than they do the rest of the year – and lots of it goes straight to our landfills. That said, there are plenty of ways to celebrate the season sustainably! Join us as we dive into some of our favorite tips for reducing your holiday waste.
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Father in heaven, who at the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him with the Holy Spirit: Grant that all who are baptized into his Name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly confess him as Lord and Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
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In Our Prayers
Remember in your prayers Louis, Michaela, all those living with the effects of COVID-19, and all who are in sorrow, sickness, or any kind of need.
Remember all the recently departed, among them, Luke McKenzie, Edith Deloris Steel, Claudia Trujillo, Desmond Tutu, bishop, Betty White; also all those whose year's mind falls at this time.
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Monthly Prayer Diary
You can access the
Prayer Diary for January here.
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Jill Hamilton-Bunch
Emi Sperber
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Connecting with St. Paul's
and The Episcopal Church
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Church Office
(661) 869-1630
Priest-in-Charge
The Rev'd Luis Rodriguez
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Bishop's Warden
Junior Warden
Michael Dunham
Midweek
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