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The Episcopal The Episcopal The Episcopal The Episcopal Church Welcomes Church Welcomes Church Welcomes Church Welcomes
YouYouYouYou
St. Paul’s at Midweek
Where GWhere GWhere GWhere Graceraceracerace happens & All are welcomehappens & All are welcomehappens & All are welcomehappens & All are welcome
Whoever you are, and wherever you find yourself on your journey of
Faith, we welcome you to our inclusive faith community.
www.stpaulsepiscopalbakersfield.org
2216 17th Street, Bakersfield CA 93301
661-869-1630
Wednesday – December 11, 2013
Saint Paul’s Saint Paul’s Saint Paul’s Saint Paul’s
Episcopal ChurchEpiscopal ChurchEpiscopal ChurchEpiscopal Church,,,, a part of the Anglican a part of the Anglican a part of the Anglican a part of the Anglican
CommunionCommunionCommunionCommunion
Advent Suppers & Adult Education Conversations with Fellow
Episcopalians
On Wednesdays of Advent from 6 to 8pm, we will have
potluck dinners in the Parish Hall and then watch and
discuss videos in conversation with
some leading voices in the Episcopal
Church. This week features a DVD
presentation by Bishop Gene
Robinson on “Justice and Compassion
in an Age of Demonization” Retired
bishop of the Diocese of New
Hampshire in the Episcopal Church in
the United States of America, Robinson is widely known
for being the first priest in an openly gay relationship to
be consecrated a bishop in a major Christian
denomination. The evening ends with the service of
Compline. Childcare is provided!
ADVENT SPEAKERS FORUM This Sunday we welcome Valerie
Schultz, columnist for the Bakersfield
Californian. She will speak on “The
Incarnational Journey of Marriage”
Valerie will reflect on the incarna-
tional significance of Advent and
how the sacrament of marriage is
woven with the incarnate love of
God, with reference to the book
Closer: Musings on Intimacy,
Marriage, and God.
The Sundays of Advent Advent Three “Gaudete Sunday”
December 15, 2013
8am
Taizé Holy
Eucharist
10am
Holy Eucharist
Sunday School, &
Childcare
11:30am
St. Paul’s Advent
Speakers Forum
This Sunday takes its common name from the Latin word Gaudete ("Rejoice"), the first word of the passage from the second reading (Philippians 4:4-6): “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice.” The Advent Candle is rose, a color symbolizing joy.
This SundayThis SundayThis SundayThis Sunday’s ’s ’s ’s 10am S10am S10am S10am Service:ervice:ervice:ervice: Celebrant: The Rev. Dr. Anne Benvenuti
Preacher: The Rev. Dr. Vernon Hill
Gospeller: The Rev. Dr. Tim Vivian, Priest-in-Charge
Eucharistic Ministers: Dee Whitley & Marilyn Metzgar
Lectors: Philip Holt & Cari Drake
Verger: Philip Holt
Crucifer: Cassie Deleersnyder
Torches: Nakiya Ayala & Poppy Stewart
Pianist: Jason Sliger
Choir Director: Christopher Borges
Altar Guild: Martin Brown & Jonathan Montaño
Greeters: Becky Rule and Tom & Kathy Harlan
Ushers: Greg Glenn & Paul McWilliams
Readings for Sunday Isaiah 35:1-10 Philippians 4:4-7
Luke 1: 26-38 Canticle 15
In the Communion of Saints and all holy women and
men, we remember the week of Dec 15
• Mon, Dec 16 - Ralph Adams Cram, 1942, and Richard Upjohn, 1878, Architects, and John LaFarge, Artist, 1910
• Tue, Dec 17 - William Lloyd Garrison, 1879, and Maria Stewart, 1879, Prophetic Witnesses
• Thu, Dec19 - Lillian Trasher, Missionary in Egypt, 1961
• Sat, Dec 21 - SAINT THOMAS THE APOSTLE
Diocesan Prayer Cycle - We pray for the work and
ministry of the Diocese of Haiti and, in our Diocese,
Those who serve the Diocese including the Altar Guild, Diocesan Council and Standing Committee
“Between the Wednesdays ““Between the Wednesdays ““Between the Wednesdays ““Between the Wednesdays “ at Stat Stat Stat St.... Paul’sPaul’sPaul’sPaul’s
Wednesday, Dec 11
8am Morning Prayer,
Grace Chapel
6pm Advent Potluck,
Program & Compline
Thursday, Dec 12
7pm Thomas Merton Reflection Group
Saturday, Dec 14
8am Habitat for Humanity Workday; Meet at
Church
Sunday, December 15
8am Taizé Holy Eucharist; Chapel
10am Holy Eucharist, Sunday School & Childcare
11:30am Advent Speakers Forum; Parish Hall
Monday, Dec 16
6:30pm Bishop’s Committee; Forum
Tuesday, Dec 17
7pm Choir Rehearsal; Choir Room
Next Wednesday, Dec 18
8am Morning Prayer, Grace Chapel
6pm Final 2013 Advent Soup Supper, Program &
Compline
For further information on all things “St. Paul’s”, go
to our website:
http://www.stpaulsepiscopalba
kersfield.org/index.html OR
CHURCH OFFICE HOURS . . . The office is open
Monday through Friday from 9am until 1pm. The
office phone is 661-869-1630.
Clergy Office Hours at St. Paul’s –
Tuesdays: Deb DeBoer, 10am to Noon
Fridays: Tim Vivian, 11am – 1pm
First Saint Paul's Baby!First Saint Paul's Baby!First Saint Paul's Baby!First Saint Paul's Baby!
Shaolin Marion-Francis Roberson arrived December 4, 2013 @ 8:30pm by caesarean. He weighed in at 6lbs 11oz and is almost 20 inches long. His name is pronounced Sh-ow-lin.
It is of Chinese origin and is the name of Buddhist monastery (temple) as well as a kung fu style. Thank you everyone for all your prayers, well wishes and love. We are forever grateful. ♥♥♥ you
all. Gina & David Roberson
New Altar-Table Vic Metzgar graciously built our lovely new Altar-Table.
It is customary in the Episcopal Church to bless anything
used in Christian worship. In this case, it is, by tradition
and rubric, the Bishop’s role to bless altar-tables (as
well as baptismal fonts). With the seating of Bishop
Rice on Saturday, March 29 at a special Convention and
Eucharist here at St. Paul’s, the blessing will probably
happen after that date. At that same time we will also
bless the refurbished torches used in our worship and
the Processional Cross Vic also made, and that is used in
the procession of our children to their classes each
Sunday.
POINSETTIASPOINSETTIASPOINSETTIASPOINSETTIAS
Help decorate the church for
Christmas. A donation of $10 will help provide for the purchase of Poinsettias. Contributions may be given to Jennifer Silvius, Heather Halka or Melinda Hill.
Year-End-Giving
Please make your charitable
gifts to Saint Paul’s
before December 31 in order
to claim a tax deduction for
2013. Envelopes must be postmarked no later
than December 31. Everyone served by our
mission and ministry will benefit from your
generous support. You may also benefit by giving
a gift of appreciated stock by saving on the
capital gains tax in addition to claiming a
charitable deduction.
Deadline is coming up soon!
Join the Integrity LGBT and Allies Winter
Retreat at ECCO!!
The Second Annual Winter Retreat for the San Joaquin Chapter of Integrity will be held at ECCO in Oakhurst on January 24 - 26, 2014. We are thrilled to have the Rev. Dr. Caroline 'Caro' Hall, President of Integrity USA, as our 2014 Retreat Leader. The retreat begins Friday evening, January 24th as we arrive at ECCO and gather for fellowship, snacks and a movie.
On Saturday, the Rev. Dr. Caro Hall, Integrity President, leads our retreat program throughout the day. On Sunday, after morning Eucharist (joined by our friends from St. Raphael's, Oakhurst) and free time, we enjoy lunch together before departure.
Accommodations at ECCO are $119 per person/double room and include 2 nights lodging and 5 meals. Registration deadline is Dec.15th. For questions or to register contact the Integrity - San Joaquin Diocesan Organizer, Jan Dunlap at 661.201.2630 or [email protected] .
About our Retreat Leader: One of Caro's passions is helping people who feel excluded from a Christian faith community because their beliefs don't fit the mold, to realize that Christianity is a lot bigger and broader than they thought and that God's abundant love is available to everyone. Her background is in social work and non-profit management. Caro is English but has lived in the U.S. for more than 20 years - most of them in Los Osos, where she is now priest-in-charge of St. Benedict's. She met her spouse at the Findhorn Foundation in Scotland where she lived for several years in the 1980s.
Caro is the author of the just-published "A Thorn in the Flesh: How Gay Sexuality is Changing the Episcopal Church". http://www.stbenslososos.org/A_Thorn_in_the_Flesh.pdf) . She also serves on the board of People of Faith for Justice http://peopleoffaithforjustice.org/home0.aspx (on the Central Coast), and is a founder of the Coalition of Welcoming Congregations http://cwcbay.org/ .
Plan nowPlan nowPlan nowPlan now for for for for Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas at at at at SSSSaint Paul’saint Paul’saint Paul’saint Paul’s Saturday, December 21 –
Saint Paul’s Parish
Christmas Party in the
Parish Hall.
Tuesday, December 24 – Christmas Eve
5pm Children’s Christmas Eve Eucharist
11pm Christmas Eve Festival Eucharist:
The Nativity of our Lord, Jesus Christ
with the St. Paul Choir and special music.
St. Paul'sSt. Paul'sSt. Paul'sSt. Paul's
PlannerPlannerPlannerPlanner
Saturday December 14th
Habitat for Humanity Work Day
Our next work day scheduled! Although we don’t yet know the location of the project (there are two possibilities Tehachapi & Bakersfield) the routine will be as
usual. We’ll meet at the church to form carpools for those interested. H4H expects us to be on site, signed in and ready to work by 8:30 am which means we will arrive on site no later than 8:15 am. No specific skills are necessary! Just bring your big heart, a pair of gloves and your willingness to help. There will be a job for you! Our work day will conclude between 11:00 – 11:30am. A catered lunch donated by a local restaurant will be provided to all interested volunteers. If you are interested in signing up for this workday please contact Philip Holt. Additionally, you must provide him with your email address to be placed on the H4H email distribution list. Updates including carpool departure times will be provided by email. Philip can be contacted at: [email protected] or 661.229.7101.
Heifers and Seedlings Heifers and Seedlings Heifers and Seedlings Heifers and Seedlings
and Goats! and Goats! and Goats! and Goats! Oh, my!Oh, my!Oh, my!Oh, my! Happy shoppers gave twice by filling their shopping baskets with Gifts of Hope at St. Paul's Heifer Living Gift Market. By honoring friends and relatives (or themselves!) with a donation to Heifer International, families
worldwide will receive gifts of livestock, trees and even a stove that will change their lives and empower the communities in which they live. St. Paul's Christmas list includes:
• 1 share of Women's Empowerment, providing training and assistance to set women on a path to prosperity
• 1 biogas stove, which uses manure, not wood, to allow clean cooking in small spaces
• 1 share of a Heifer
• 1 share of Fish Fingerlings
• 1 share of a Llama
• 3 Goats
• 4 shares of Goats
• 1 gift of Tree Seedlings
• 3 shares of Seedlings
• 1 Flock of Hope (chicks, ducks & goslings)
• 1 trio of Rabbits
• 6 gifts of Honeybees
• 8 flocks of Chicks
• $101 - to go where most needed + __________________________________________
$1301 - grand total of gifts to Heifer, Int.
Women of Saint Women of Saint Women of Saint Women of Saint Paul'sPaul'sPaul'sPaul's Sophia's Circus will hold her monthly meeting
on Saturday, December 21, at 9:30 am. We will gather at Cathy Bader's home for conversation, food, prayer, and more conversation! To RSVP or get directions contact Cathy at [email protected] or 589-3390. All women are welcome.
Ukrainian (Kyiv) Icon, Sophia, the Holy Wisdom, 1812.
A Thanksgiving—and Seasonal—Reflection —by Tim
This essay appeared last week in the Bakersfield Californian.
Early Thanksgiving morning I was blessed to be one of the hundreds of people assembling Thanksgiving dinners in the Costco parking lot on Rosedale Highway. We were taking part in Love for Thanksgiving, an annual program supported by many Bakersfield churches to provide Thanksgiving dinners to those in need. But as I worked and watched the joyous mayhem, I couldn't help but wonder: How many of the good people doing good there supported Rep. Kevin McCarthy's and Congress' vote to cut off or curtail food stamps for 23 million of their fellow citizens, vastly more people than we could feed on Thanksgiving? For the rest of the essay, go to http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/opinion/hot-topics/x1537525489/Saints-help-feed-the-hungry-rebels-ask-why-theyre-hungry
The Advent Conspiracy Advent Conspiracy was started in 2006 by five pastors who decided to make Christmas a revolutionary event by encouraging their faith communities to Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More and Love All. The response was overwhelming and the Conspiracy was born. http://www.adventconspiracy.org/
We all want our Christmas to be a lot of things. Full of joy. Memories. Happiness. Above all, we want it to be about Jesus. What we don't want is stress. Or debt. Or feeling like we "missed the moment." Advent Conspiracy is a movement designed to help us all slow down and experience a Christmas worth remembering. But doing this means doing things a little differently. A little creatively.
3. GIVE MORE We know what you're thinking. "Wait, didn't they just say I should spend less, and yet here they are telling me to give more? What gives?" The most powerful, memorable gift you can give to someone else is yourself. And nobody modeled this more than Jesus. So what does this look like for you? Tickets to a ball game or the theater? A movie night? The main point is simple: When it comes to spending time with those you love, it's all about quality, not quantity. Watch a message on Giving More Next week: LOVE ALL
Desmond Tutu: “Mandela: a ‘colossus of unimpeachable moral character’”
Never before in history was one human being so
universally acknowledged in his lifetime as the
embodiment of magnanimity and reconciliation as
Nelson Mandela was.
He set aside the bitterness of enduring 27 years in
apartheid prisons — and the weight of centuries of
colonial division, subjugation and repression — to
personify the spirit and practice of ubuntu, or human
kindness. He perfectly understood that people are
dependent on other people in order for individuals and
society to prosper. That was his dream for South Africa,
and the hope that he represented the world over. If it was
possible in South Africa, it was possible in Ireland, it was
possible in Bosnia and Rwanda, it was possible in
Colombia, it is possible in Israel and Palestine.
Of course, in the spirit of ubuntu, Madiba was quick to
point out that he alone could not take credit for the many
accolades that came his way and that he was surrounded
by people of integrity who were brighter and more
youthful than himself. That is only partially true.
The truth is that the 27 years Madiba, as he was
known, spent in the belly of the apartheid beast
deepened his compassion and capacity to empathize with
others. On top of the lessons about leadership and culture
to which he was exposed growing up, and his developing
a voice for young people in anti-apartheid politics, prison
seemed to add an understanding of the human condition.
For the rest of the essay, see http://gulfnews.com/opinions/columnists/nelson-mandela-colossus-of-moral-character-1.1264718
'For those that seek to make a change in the world,
whether global or local, one lesson of Nelson
Mandela's life is this:
You can.
You can make a difference.
You can stand up to insurmountable forces.
You can put up with far more than you think you can.
Your lever is far longer than you imagine it is, if you
choose to use it.
If you don't require the journey to be easy or
comfortable or safe, you can change the world.'
- Seth Godin
You are invited to St. Paul's Christmas Potluck &
Party Saturday, December 21
6 p.m. - 9 p.m. in Grace Hall at St. Paul's
Children's Program & visit from Santa Claus
Plan to join in the Christmas Cheer!
Please send announcements,
corrections and pictures to
� Melinda Hill at [email protected] for Midweek at Saint
Paul's � Fr. Vern at [email protected] for the
weekly bulletin � Lori Toia at [email protected] for the
website
Please send your information to all three of us!
