St. Paul's at Midweek December 2, 2020

Whoever you are, and wherever you find yourself on your journey of faith, we welcome you to our inclusive faith community.

The Coming Week at St. Paul's While public worship in the church continues to be suspended, a number of services and opportunities for fellowship and study are being offered December 6, 2020 The Second Sunday of Advent 10am Morning Prayer (from our Cathedral via Facebook and YouTube) 6.00pm Evening Prayer (from our chapel via Facebook and YouTube) Monday, December 7 Saint Ambrose of Milan 10.30am Coffee (or Tea) Morning Tuesday, December 8 Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary 5.00pm Rosary 6.30pm Advent Retreat with The Cloud of Unknowing Wednesday, December 9 6.30pm Close-Up: Representation of LGBT People in Cinema December 13, 2020 The Third Sunday of Advent 10am Morning Prayer (from our Cathedral via Facebook and YouTube) 6.00pm Evening Prayer (from our chapel via Facebook and YouTube) Morning Prayer will continue to be recited privately at 8.30am for the well-being of our city, the nation, and the world, and for all those living with the effects and consequences of COVID-19 Please note, that due to the present health crisis, our Food Co-op Ministry will be closed until further notice. 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". Getting in Touch Although mail will be regularly collected, the parish office will be closed until further notice. However, you can reach our Parish Administrator via email. Alternatively, you can also email Fr. Luis. This Week by Rev'd Luis Rodriguez. Priest-in-Charge Our Advent observance has begun, and as good Episcopalians I don’t need to tell you that one of Advent’s central themes is expectation. It is about waiting. Nevertheless, waiting and expectation have taken on altogether new dimensions as we live through the COVID pandemic. We find ourselves waiting for all sorts of things we rarely in the past thought we’d have to wait for; from when next a needed product will return to the shelves of our local Target to when we might next see a friend or gather for worship. In some ways waiting – having to wait – can be difficult as we consistently find our desires and wills frustrated. Nevertheless, it is how we cope with the frustration that reveals most about who we are. It is our reactions to the difficult and challenging which give to us a picture of our inner workings and which often reveal our character. As such this touches another key theme of Advent: apocalypse. Apocalypse is a heavy-laden word with all kinds of cultural baggage, but at its core – as I was reminded by a colleague’s sermon this past Sunday – is the idea of revelation. After all, the Greek word from which it comes means literally to uncover, and hence, to reveal. In the Scriptures apocalypse suggests that the curtain of the façades of everyday life (which we so often take for reality) is drawn back to show what is really happening, who is really in control, what is really “going down”, as it were. If Advent is a time for waiting, it is also a time to reflect on God’s apocalypse, when he will reveal in its fulness the realty of his will and purposes, the reality of his reign of mercy, justice and peace. More immediately and in our present context, Advent offers us the opportunity to reflect on what the challenges of waiting reveal about ourselves. What arises from our frustrated will and desires? When the curtain of the façades of our life is drawn back to reveal our inner workings do we like what we see, or do we find ourselves embarrassed and ashamed? This sort of inner inventory is part of Advent too, as wait and prepare not only to celebrate Jesus’ coming as an infant at Christmas, but as our judge at the end of time. It is then that the curtain will be pulled back on our lives and we be revealed (exposed?) for what we are and have been. If you are anything like me, it can feel a frightening prospect. Still, Advent offers us the opportunity to begin that work now. It’s why the Advent readings counsel us to keep awake and be prepared and why they feature John the Baptist – the forerunner – who calls us to prepare the way the Lord which is always the way of unvarnished truth. Living in these days is not easy. Nevertheless, the very difficulties we face and our reactions to them may be the light we need to uncover the darker aspects of our lives, and that’s a theme of Advent too – light. Eventually, if we expect to come into the nearer presence of God, then we must be willing to be revealed in his light, that light by which our lives and deeds will be uncovered. I wish you the best as you continue to walk the Advent journey particularly during these strange and difficult times. However, I pray also that we might each hear the voice and invitation of God inherent in the unfolding of these day – however difficult – and move more deeply into the inner work of renewal and transformation so that, as St. Paul writes “[we] may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.” (1 Thessalonians 3:13)

Stewardship Update ---------------------- We Are Supporting St. Paul's

From Fr. Luis The sum of our pledged giving for 2021 continues to grow. At last count it numbered 29 "pledging units" - that's 29 individuals and households - who have committed to the financial support of St. Paul's, and the new total is $106, 960. That is more than $15,000 over last year's pledged amount! Response to Our Extra-Ordinary Gift appeal has been generous with over $8,000 given to meet the costs of improving our campus. Yes, it is short of our goal, but gifts may continue to come in. We focused our campaign this year on how we might each complete the statement I/We Support St. Paul's Because..., and while responses varied as we saw in our short videos, I believe each expressed a commitment to the life of St. Paul's because they felt the world to be a better place by what we do and who are as a community. Indeed, the fact that our committed giving for the coming year has surpassed that of this year (not to mention the extra-ordinary gifts) speaks to this reality. And all during a horrific pandemic! In the midst of a serious health crisis the inner health of St. Paul's is more than promising. To all those who have made their pledge or made an extra-ordinary gift, please accept my thanks and the thanks of all your sisters and brothers at St. Paul's. While we are still not able to gather in person, your commitment will make possible our common life in the coming year when we will be able to return to a more accustomed pattern of worship and ministry. Of course if you have not yet made your pledge you are still able to do so. If you would like more information on our stewardship campaign you can download a copy of the my stewardship letter here. If you have any questions about giving, please contact Brian Whitfield our Senior Warden or Diane Mangum our Pledge Officer, and remember if you have not received a pledge card you can access one here.

The Week's Highlights and Looking Ahead

• Coffee Morning: December 7, 10.30am • Rosary: December 8, 5pm • The Cloud of Unknowing Retreat: December 8, 6.30pm • Close-Up: December 9, 6.30 pm • Parish Annual Meeting: January 3, 2020, 11.30pm • Alarm Codes Change

Worship and Prayer

Sunday Worship at St Paul's During the present health crisis Sunday worship continues at St. Paul's. In the morning you are encouraged to join online worship from our cathedral in Fresno. This can be accessed here. In the evenings at 6pm via Facebook and YouTube Evening Prayer is led by Fr. Luis from our chapel. Check this out on our Facebook page by clicking here, and be sure to follow us if you aren't already. If you watch via YouTube, please subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Praying at St Paul's Remember, the Church's round of prayer continues are our members are encouraged to continue to gather in spirit on or around 8.30am to say Morning Prayer. If you are not too familiar with Daily Office and the Prayer Book, Morning and Evening Prayer are easily found online. St. Bede's Breviary is highly recommended, and can be accessed here. You can access our Parochial Prayer Dairy here, and if you have found the non-Scriptural readings helpful you can download the Universalis app and just click through to Spiritual Readings. This last is a Roman Catholic site and there is a small charge for the app. Continue faithful in prayer in these time, and if you any questions please contact Fr. Luis.

Wednesdays as Days of Special Devotion As a parish, remember we are keeping Wednesdays as days of fasting and prayer for the pandemic of COVID-19, but also and perhaps more disturbing pandemic of self-centeredness, which as our Presiding Bishop preached "has been the root cause of every humanly created evil that has ever hurt or harmed any child of God or even the earth itself." While fasting is technically going without food, Fr. Luis has asked that we fast each Wednesday of this summer by doing "something to frustrate our appetites", whatever that appetite may be. Also we are asked each Wednesday to pray the Great Litany beginning on page 148 of the Book of Common Prayer. You can also find an alternate version of the Great Litany here. As Fr. Luis wrote, "The journey away from ourselves is the journey towards the other, and hence community. Spiritual disciplines like fasting and prayer are the first steps towards spiritually-motivated action and solidarity. I hope we can take these steps together, and discover where the Spirit will lead us."

Rosary for the Feast of the Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Tuesday, December 8, is the feast of the Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. At 5.00pm (via Zoom), St Paul's Marian Society (Bakersfield) is hosting a recitation of the rosary. As with all Society events everyone is invited. If you are not familiar with the rosary, it is an old spiritual practice of prayers and reflection on key biblical events; the purpose of which is to quiet the mind and open our hearts to the mysteries revealed in those events. Consider joining in this coming Tuesday. The Zoom invitation is here. The passcode is ourlady.

Remember in Your Prayers

Collect of the Week Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. In Our Prayers Remember in your prayers Penny, Sandra, Jan, the Soliz family, Zack, Kyle, Kris, Jude, Walter, Hank, and also all those living with the effects of COVID-19, and all who are in sorrow, sickness, or any kind of need. Remember the recently departed. Remember also all those whose year's mind falls at this time. Monthly Prayer Diary Remember you can alway still access the November Prayer Diary here, You can access the December Prayer Diary here

Calling Volunteers for Online Worship As we continue to live into these days of online worship, we also continue to discern ways in which our common life can continue and flourish. Part of this is still enabling a sense of corporate worship even while we remain distanced physically. To that end we are looking for volunteers to lead parts of our Sunday evening service. This would entail making a recording of yourself doing a reading or leading intercessions. This can be done relatively easily on one's phone, tablet or computer. If you would like to volunteer for this ministry or have any questions, please contact Fr. Luis.

Education and Formation

Advent "Retreat" with The Cloud of Unknowing "We cannot think our way to God because God can be loved but not thought." -The Cloud of Unknowing During Advent Fr. Luis is leading an online "retreat" focusing on the anonymous 14th century spiritual classic, The Cloud of Unknowing. Originally written in Middle English, it "expresses a message that has inspired such great religious thinkers as St. John of the Cross and Teilhard de Chardin, as well as countless others in search of God. Offering a practical guide to the life of contemplation, the author explains that ordinary thoughts and earthly concepts must be buried beneath a 'cloud of forgetting,' while our love must rise towards a God hidden 'in the cloud of unknowing'" It touches on themes of humility, prayer, and above all, love. Various editions of The Cloud of Unknowing exist, but for facility of conversation we will be using this edition (click here). It is a new and very readable translation which "brings the Middle English classic into a striking modern idiom that conveys the intimacy and immediacy of the author's voice as the original readers might have experienced it." We will meet via Zoom on four consecutive Tuesdays at 6.30pm. Our next meeting is December 8. Each evening there is an address, but also opportunity for reflection and to consider questions the book might raise. We will round off our time with Compline. (A digital order of service can be accessed here.) Please read chapters 16-34 for our next meeting. You can access the Zoom meetings using this link.

Close-Up: Representation of LGBT People in Cinema

On Wednesday, December 9 (yes, this is a change from our regular second Tuesday of the month), we continue our series - via Zoom - called Close-Up: Representation of LGBT People in Cinema. Each session features a film (or occasionally a documentary) as the focus of a presentation and conversation. The featured film is advertised well before the meeting with links to where it can be bought, rented and/or streamed. This month's featured film is Transamerica (2005) a classic American road film with a trans-twist. Just a week before her vaginoplasty, “Sabrina ‘Bree’ Osbourne (Felicity Huffman) learns she has a 17 year-old in jail in New York . Her therapist refuses to sign the necessary paperwork for Bree’s surgery until she faces her past, and so she travels to New York to meet her son Toby (Kevin Zegers) where they end up stranded with no means to fly back to California. Thus begins a cross-country trip back to the west coast which becomes a journey of discovery for both parent and child.  The film was well received and garnered professional acclamation with a number of nominations and awards, including Oscar nominations for Best Actress (Felicity Huffman) and Best Original Song (Dolly Parton for Travelin’ Thru). At the Cannes Film Festival Felicity Huffman received the award for Best Actress. The film can be accessed on Amazon Prime, and while it is not free it can be rented for a nominal cost. Again, the next session of Close-Up will be Wednesday, December 9, and begins at 6.30pm. You can access the Zoom meeting via this link.

Parish News and Information

Alarm Codes Change As part the ongoing care and security of our campus all the alarm codes will be changed and/or updated this Thursday (December 3). Codes will be assigned to all those with specific need or responsibility, and those persons will be contacted by Friday morning with their new code. No current codes will continue to be valid. Please contact Fr. Luis with any questions.

Parish Annual Meeting January 3, 2021 at 11.30am Via Zoom

We are already beginning to look forward to our Parish's Annual Meeting. It is scheduled for Sunday, January 3, at 11.30am, and it will be via Zoom. If you attended our Diocesan Convention you know that Zoom worked well as a platform for meetings like this. Like our Diocesan Convention we will be addressing solely the most vital of issues like the Priest-in- Charge's report and the budget. Nevertheless it will be a chance for us to gather together and affirm our common life. Please put the date and time in your calendar. The Zoom link will be published soon and attendant information well before the meeting.

St. Paul's Advent (Online) Calendar During Advent we make a conscious preparation for our celebration of Christmas, but perhaps more importantly for Christ's return at the end of the age. Advent calendars are a traditional way to mark the days as we approach Christmas. Like many of the traditions we associate now with Christmas, Advent Calendars first appeared in Germany in the early 19th century. Developed by German Lutherans, the early Advent Calendars had were made of card and behind each little window was a Scripture passage. Of course, today's have chocolate, toys, or any number of other treats. Nevertheless, their aim stays the same: to mark the days until the coming the of the Lord. This year St. Paul's is featuring its own Advent calendar on Facebook as part of our preparation for Christmas. We all miss our buildings and campus, but how well do you know them? Can you recognize small details of our church home? Each day beginning this Sunday an image will be published on our St. Paul's Facebook page. Each image will be a small detail of our campus: a small part of stained glass, the corner of a pew. Can you figure out what it is? Some will be easier than others. You will then be able to open the "window" via a click to reveal the bigger picture that places the detail in context. Along with the bigger picture there may be some interesting facts to learn or a passage of Scripture to contemplate. Remember to "like" our Facebook page so that the Advent calendar appears in your feed. Best wishes for a blessed Advent; may your faith in the Lord's coming bring you peace, joy, and comfort.

Creation Care Parish Meeting The Creation Care Commission began about two months ago. You may have read some of the information that April Brown and I have put in Midweek. We believe this is an important issue for us as a faith community. There are many challenges facing all of us and it is easy to feel overwhelmed. We are hoping that during this holiday season we can all take some time to reflect on what care for our planet means to our faith. In January we would like to hold a virtual meeting with members of St. Paul’s to discern our path forward. We are interested in ideas big and small. Please consider getting involved and bring forth your idea’s. Feel free to email me with your thoughts. Stay safe, Mike Dunham

Vanco - A New Way of E-Giving to St. Paul's

You’ll notice a new “donate” button on the St. Paul’s website. We’re changing our e-giving platform from Network for Good to Vanco, which partners with our pledge system Servant Keeper. What are the advantages to working with Vanco? First, all donations and pledges get directly deposited to St. Paul’s bank account. We won’t have to wait 1 - 1 ½ months for a check to be sent. Second, for all check writers - you can set up your monthly pledge or any recurring donation to be taken out of your account automatically, which means you don’t have to write out a check or mail a check - saving you precious time. Lastly, using Vanco - you do not need to set up any kind of “account” to use it. It’s completely optional to set up a profile. One advantage from the church’s perspective is that Vanco works with Servant Keeper (SK), so any donation instantly gets credited to a parishioner’s SK profile, ready for the year-end contribution statements.   Like most e-giving platforms, there is a processing fee of 2.75% (for debit/credit cards; 1% for checking accounts). When inputting your payment information, there is the option for the donor to help St. Paul’s offset the processing fee by adding it to your donation. This is optional though, so it is completely up to the donor. At St. Paul’s, we appreciate any and all donations! Also, you can download the GivePlus app (through App Store/Google Play) if you’d rather use your smartphone to manage donations. Once downloaded, you can search for St. Paul’s by entering our zip code (93301) or St. Paul’s Episcopal Bakersfield. Just scroll through till you find us! Once you find us, you can proceed to setting up your donations.   If you have ANY questions, feel free to email Diane Mangum at didi93307@gmail.com. She has used the app and the online site and can help with any questions.

Fellowship and Connection

Monday Morning Coffee (or Tea) Hour As we continue sheltering in place and physical-distancing (when did these become verbs?) we become all too aware of the importance of our fellowship at St. Paul's. While it's not exactly the same as gathering in Grace Hall or joining Fr. Luis for coffee at Blue Oak, we are still going to try to gather each week via Zoom. Get yourself a cup of tea or coffee this coming Monday, December 7, at 10.30am, and click onto Zoom via your phone, tablet or computer, and let's chat. The Zoom invitation link is here. See you then, and if you have any questions, get in touch with Fr. Luis.

Children's Sunday ZOOM Time

Our Children's Zoom Time meets this Sunday, December 6, at noon. This is a chance for the younger members of our congregation to get together for fellowship, prayer, and Christian formation. Click here for the Zoom link. If you can any questions contact Lori Toia.

St. Paul's Sunday Afternoon Social Our monthly Sunday Afternoon Zoom Social meets this Sunday, December 6, at 2pm. Join members of St. Paul's for a time of fellowship and conversation during these COVID-times. Click here for the Zoom link. If you have any questions contact Lori Toia or Fr. Luis.

Are You in Need of Anything? Are you or someone you know in need of food or other essentials but are unable to get out? Are you in a high risk group and anxious about going out to get what what you need? Please email Fr. Luis. Volunteers are at the ready to help out in any way they can. Please, please, please get in touch. We are all in this together.

Youth Ministries of St. Paul We are happy to announce the re-launch of our youth ministries at St. Paul’s! We have so many exciting upcoming events for our youth. If you are the parent of a child ages 5-18, please join our Youth Ministries messaging service. You will NOT receive any spam messages. This messaging service allows you to send messages directly to our youth leadership and to receive info on upcoming events. Text this message- "@youth2216" - to 81010.

Poetry Corner Nearby Bells by Jack Hernandez This morning waking to fog, embracing its chaste mood, not flinging into the day, I wait for stillness to say listen to the nearby bells telling you that time doesn’t care if it is light or dark when and where it passes ungrasped. Then I get up and set the stage to say my lines for routine’s play, and as the fog slowly lifts I wonder if I have clarity or will walk my usual way.

December Birthdays

Andy Troup Steve Gamboa Poppy Stewart Cynthia Sosa Martha Jarrett Gwendolyn Mangum December 7 December 9 December 9 December 21 December 24 December 29

News and Information from our Diocese and the Wider Church

SJRAISE, The Diocesan Immigration Commission has a new monthly newsletter? You can check it out HERE and subscribe at the bottom, or email Deacon Angela at dioadmin@diosanjoaquin.org to be added!

Community News and Information

Evicted in Kern a report published by Faith in the Valley Did you know that an estimated 20,000 Kern households, including 24,000 children are in danger of facing eviction due to relying on income from industries that have been impacted by COVID-19? This important report by our community partner, Faith in the Valley highlights an important dimension of the housing crisis in our county. You can access the entire report here.

Community TRUSTT The next meeting of Community TRUSTT will be Monday, November 9 at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom.  We will be discussing the work of Bakersfield Police Department Community Collaborative, including information on how you can participate. The Zoom link is:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89091483604. In the meantime, you can share your thoughts through the Listening Sessions planned for Saturday, November 7th at noon. A final Listening Session is scheduled for Tuesday, November 10th at 7pm. All sessions will be available via Zoom. Please email yourvoice@bakersfieldpd.us to request the Zoom links. Community TRUSTT is committed to improving relations with local law enforcement. TRUSTT is an acronym for “Together, Rebuilding Unity, Seeking Trust and Transparency.”  Members of the community and representatives of each branch of local law enforcement, including BPD, KCSO, Probation, KC District Attorney, Juvenile Court and KC High School District Police, participate. We advocate for best practices in 21st Century Policing and highlight the experience of those most negatively affected by law enforcement, including communities of color and all minority groups. Our dialog is civil and direct. Currently, we are focusing on issues surrounding juveniles and gang enhancement charges. We are advocating for Independent Expert Review of the Bakersfield Police Department. For more information, please contact Marilyn Droppers at 661.204.1987 or marilyndroppers@gmail.com.

Kern Welcoming and Extending Solidarity to Immigrant (KWESI) Through KWESI those living at the Mesa Verde Detention Center right here in Bakersfield find fellowship and hope. KWESI volunteers are regular visitors to those detained at Mesa Verde and are also an important link for them to world outside. Consider giving some of your time to this the important work. To volunteer call either call Jeannie Parent at (661) 877-1894I or Eddy Laine at (661) 345-4736. To get a better sense of the work being done by KWESI, click here to see a recent update newsletter.

Connecting with St. Paul's and The Episcopal Church

St. Paul's Website St. Paul's Facebook page The Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin The Episcopal Church Episcopal News Service

If you need to speak with Fr. Luis, our Priest-in-Charge, please call the main office at (661) 869-1630.

Want to Get in Touch?

Church Office (661) 869-1630 stpauls@stpaulsepiscopalbakersfield.org Priest-in-Charge The Rev'd Luis Rodriguez frluis@stpaulsepiscopalbakersfield.org follow Fr. Luis on facebook Senior Warden Brian Whitfield: bwhitfie@gmail.com

Junior Warden Michael Dunham michaelwdunham1962@gmail.com Parish Administrator Lily Guerra parishadmin@stpaulsepiscopalbakersfield.org Midweek frluis@stpaulsepiscopalbakersfield.org