Seeking a New Volunteer Treasurer
It has been my honor and pleasure to serve the past three years as the Treasurer and a Vestry member of the Church of St. Paul in the Desert. I have found this a wonderful way for me to give of my time and talent. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. Our by-laws state that I can only serve a three year term as Treasurer. While I will continue to serve on the Finance Committee and finish my last year of Vestry, I must look for a successor.
We are seeking a new volunteer Treasurer to oversee our parish’s financial health and manage the Episcopal Church canonical requirements. This vital leadership role involves partnering with the Co-Rectors, Parish Administrator, Bookkeeper and Vestry to guide our ministries, manage budgets, and ensure our resources are faithfully stewarded.
A Calling to Faithful Stewardship
In the Episcopal tradition, the role of a church Treasurer is much more than a standard secular accounting job; it is a vital ministry. The Treasurer acts as the chief financial steward for our congregation, ensuring that the financial resources entrusted to us are utilized ethically, transparently, and in direct alignment with our community’s mission and outreach goals.
Key Responsibilities
While our church retains a part-time Bookkeeper to manage day-to-day transaction entries, the Treasurer provides overarching strategic leadership. The core duties of this appointed Vestry position include:
- Budget Oversight: Collaborating with the Finance Committee and ministry leaders to draft and present the annual operating budget to the Vestry for approval.
- Financial Reporting: Presenting regular financial updates to the Vestry and congregation and ensuring compliance with all canonical and IRS reporting requirements.
- Internal Controls: Maintaining strong financial safeguards, which includes ensuring that all offerings and contributions are safely handled and accounted for.
- Asset Management: Overseeing bank accounts, managing cash flows, and working closely with our diocesan auditors.
The Finance Committee and staff will provide support for these responsibilities through the candidate’s delegation of these duties.
Who Are We Looking For?
We are searching for a faithful, detail-oriented individual with a background in finance, accounting, or business administration. Ideal candidates possess an understanding of The Episcopal Church operations and structures.
Most importantly, we need a collaborative leader who views their professional skills as a tangible way to serve the church. Because the Treasurer assists the Vestry in making informed, long-term decisions, strong communication skills and absolute confidentiality are mandatory.
How You Can Help
Finding the right person to steward our parish’s finances is a communal effort. We ask that everyone keep this search process in their prayers, asking for wisdom and discernment as our leadership seeks to fill this crucial position.
If you have a financial background and feel called to this ministry, or if you would like to nominate a fellow parishioner, please reach out to our Co-Rectors, Wardens, Treasurer or any member of the Vestry.
Together, we can ensure our parish remains financially stable and ready to do God’s work in our community.
–George Holliday, Treasurer
Join Us For
The Feast of the Transfiguration
(Transferred)
Wednesday, August 5th — 6PM
The work of the Strategic Plan Implementation Team runs on a program year basis, generally August/September through the following June. Annual goals are set by the Vestry under each of the Strategic Plan Objectives. We have just wrapped up our 2025/2026 year, the penultimate year of the Parish’s five-year Strategic Plan adopted in January 2023.
Here is the recap of a very successful year:
Objective 1:
Grow the Parish and Engage Parishioners in Discerning Growth Pathways
- 114 Sunday worship services and 44 Wednesday worship services between Pentecost 2025 and Pentecost 2026, not including special services, weddings and funerals.
- Third Service in Winter/Spring 2026 was a success with Average Sunday Attendance – “ASA”, a primary metric used by The Episcopal Church – +45 over the same February-May period in 2025 (this does not count online worshippers via the livestream).
- Year-round 2026 ASA likely will exceed 2025 ASA by perhaps 50 (this addition is more than the total in-person ASA of most Episcopal parishes).
- There is substantial room to grow the third service. This year it was basically shared only by word of mouth; going forward we plan to communicate the service more broadly to the community.
Objective 2:
Enrich Spiritual Formation, Pastoral Care, & Community Life
- Throughout the year, clergy have provided ongoing pastoral care through visits, phone calls, texts, emails, office appointments, hospital and home visits, and support during times of illness, grief, celebration, and transition.
- Lay Eucharistic Visitors (LEVs) made 104 visits bringing the sacrament to homebound and hospitalized parishioners between Pentecost 2025 and Pentecost 2026.
- Snowbird Chaplain provided additional pastoral care and is expected to return.
- 31 spiritual formation classes in the last program year
- 56 Flower Ministry visits between kick-off in November 2025 and Pentecost 2026.
Objective 3:
Empower Community Advocacy
- Laundry Love launched and was successful, weathered a setback and re-grouped, and was re-launched successfully. This outreach program has a bright future with committed volunteers.
- We are seeking to develop an additional 2-3 sustainable outreach programs.
- Vestry adopted a “New and Existing Ministry Assessment Tool” which is being implemented, first by our LGBTQ+ ministry. It will help us to design new programs and improve existing ones.
- Vestry also adopted a “Civic Engagement Policy,” establishing who may speak on behalf of the Parish in public forums and under what circumstances.
- The Parish continues to support diaconal formation and may be assigned a deacon in 2027.
Objective 4:
Empower Lay Members for Service & Leadership
- The Vestry’s five Standing Committees – Strategic Plan Implementation, Finance, Campus Care (Property, Buildings and Grounds), Human Resources, and Stewardship – continue to undertake critical work in their respective areas of expertise.
- Safe Church training set a record, with over 100 in-person parishioners trained on campus (plus many more trained through the online portal).
- The Vestry adopted a revised Confidentiality Agreement for Parish leadership and a new Conflict of Interest policy.
Objective 5:
Empower Staff to Advance the Church’s Mission
- Employee and Volunteer Handbooks were adopted. Volunteer Handbook will be implemented in the Fall of 2026.
- The HR Committee did great work on staff candidates for Parish Administrator and Director of Communications and Events. On-boarding of these new staff members proceeded smoothly.
- The Parish’s staffing model continues to evolve, reflecting strong leadership & adaptability. With communications moving to a vendor role, we now are seeking a Director of Parish Life & Engagement. Interviews will occur in August with on-boarding expected in September/October.
Objective 6:
Update Campus Infrastructure
- Parish Hall Refresh, IT upgrades and new Website are complete. The Kitchen is fully functional although we are awaiting final inspections, which are expected to occur in the next month or so.
- Final renovation of the Church apartment for occupancy by the Snowbird Chaplain and other visiting clergy was completed in January.
- 2 Step groups returned to the Parish Hall in February.
- Work on the “Grass Removal Project” to meet new state law prohibiting non-functional turf on commercial properties (including churches) is well underway.
- Safety & Security Taskforce work is underway.
- Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the refreshed Parish Hall and newly renovated Kitchen are under development and nearing completion
Objective 7:
Enhance Fiduciary Strength and Stability
- Annual Appeal exceeded pledge, participation and new donor goals. Pledge total: $920,828 exceeded $900,000 goal. Participation: 264 donors exceeded the goal of 250 pledges. New donors: 54 new donors exceeded 35 new donor goal.
- 2026 budget exceeds $1M for the second year in a row. We are currently overrunning revenue and underrunning expenses.
- Legacy Society membership and the Parish’s Permanent Endowment Fund continue to grow.
- Business Plan for the refreshed Parish Hall and newly renovated Kitchen are under development and nearing completion.
Thank you, St. Paul’s, for your shared participation with God’s Spirit here in this place!
–John Raposa, Senior Warden
Share Your Teaching Gift: 2026–2027 Formation Classes
All proposals are due by August 10.
St. Paul’s invites proposals for the 2026–2027 Spiritual Formation program year. A recent May–June 2026 Spiritual Formation Survey (66 responses, ~25% of average Sunday attendance) showed strong appreciation for last year’s program’s diverse offerings, especially the quality of instructors, book-based and interfaith discussions, and small-group conversation. Respondents expressed interest in future offerings including New Testament studies, Episcopal history, prayer and meditation practices, spirituality and aging, psychology and spirituality, social justice, LGBTQ+ inclusion, and arts-based spirituality. While in-person learning remains most valued for community-building, participants also emphasized the need for accessible online and hybrid options, along with stronger technical support for these formats. Overall, the feedback encourages a continued broad mix of theological, spiritual, and justice-focused programming alongside more reliable hybrid learning support.
Last year we offered over 30 intentional spiritual formation opportunities and are hoping to offer a wide-range of options for this coming year.
Flower Ministry
Each Monday, a small group of St. Paul’s parishioners gathers the flowers from Sunday worship, arranges them into bouquets, and delivers them to homebound parishioners or those who have experienced recent health challenges. These flowers are a tangible reminder that they are not alone, that they are deeply loved, and that this community holds them in prayer.
Perhaps you might feel called to join this small but meaningful ministry—we need you! If you’d like to learn more and see if this ministry might be right for you, please join us Mondays at 9:00 AM in the church office. You’ll receive a bouquet to deliver to someone in our community. Your presence truly makes a difference.
Upcoming Classes, Events & Services
Join St. Paul’s this Sunday for our Worship Service
The Tenth Sunday After Pentecost: Proper 13
August 2, 2026 · 10:30 AM
We live livestream our 10:30 AM Sunday Eucharist every week. You can view the livestream on the Watch Live Page, YouTube Channel, and Facebook Page.
Missed a Service?
No problem! You can watch previous services anytime.
Visit our YouTube channel to explore past sermons and special events at your convenience.
The next Book Club meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 4, at 2 PM
The Book Club will spend June and July reading the iconic book Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. There will be no July meeting. The next Book Club meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, at 2 PM. The meeting will be held in the Yucca Room in the parish hall on the church campus. Journey to the dusty little town of Lonesome Dove, where retired Texas Rangers Augustus McCrae and Woodrow Call undertake a perilous cattle drive to the untamed plains of Montana. Along the way, they face danger, adventure, and an unforgettable cast of characters.
Richly authentic and beautifully written, Lonesome Dove is a story of love, loss, and the unyielding spirit of the American West.
For more information, please contact Alan Zimmerman at alanzimmeran@icloud.com.
Upcoming Funerals
Saturday, August 8 at 11:00 AM — Jo Anne Adair
Saturday, August 22 at 11:00 AM — Jude Hoiseth
Prayers of the Church
For the Anglican Communion: The Most Reverend Dame Sarah Mullally, The Archbishop of Canterbury; pray for the Church of the Province of Uganda.
For the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri: The Right Reverend Deon K. Johnson, Bishop.
For the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego: The Right Reverend Doctor Susan Brown Snook, Bishop. For the clergy and people of Good Samaritan, San Diego.
For those commended to our prayers: Lori Miller, Sheree Troy, Margi McGrath, Tony Santamaria, Bridgette, Kemper Dudley, Jennifer Wallmark, Robert Blum, George Barros, Lynda Goldsby Nolan, Kristopher C., Georgia, Sandra Wipf, Joshua Wipf, Steven Tunnell, Mary Rush, Dorothy, Ruth, Lucy Youngren, Makenna Mattesi, Don & Mary Hamilton, Kathleen Krug, Rosendo Perez & Teresa Perez, Marysia, Pat, Beth Muccillo, Tatianne Simpson, Mark Bianco, Dick Burkett, Barbara Villani, Marla Mark, J. Martin Huber, Gaile Eckert, RC Eckert, David S., Nick K., Jim Rosenthal, Barry Brunetti, Karen Paddock, May Wallace, James Caraway, Mike Brunetti, Lou Armentrout, Janet Spiegel, Cynthia Lulo, Steve Horstman, Leon Walker, Pablo Villagomez, Sheri Marchand, Jon Kates, Laurence Wolfe, Jeff Bonnell, Karla Fuller, Jack Wehler, Irene Castillo, Latesa Anderson, Stefan Hill, Ed Iborg, Helen Zimmerman, Daniell Cornell & Family, Anna Marie Schaffer, Beverly Schaffer, Bridgette Oliver, David & Jen Moreno, Donna Depew, Clifford, Corrine, Sally Depew, Susan Cole, Carmen Vasquez, Diann Caddo, Maggie Dewitt, Ann Lonnie Tribble, Greg, Lynne, Paula & Bill, Diana Ruiz, Bill Davis, Gary Mercer, Cara Oliver, Bill McMillan, Steve Moore, Linda Staunch, Matt Maestra, Florence Tobin, Sophie Buckiss, Don Hamilton, Mary Hamilton, Ronnie Simpson, John Lasher, Richard Ammon, Rex Comer, Tom & Helen Amestoy, Warren Safely, The Rev. David Caffrey, Larry Stralow, Kai C., Kevin Fleming, Mick & Joan Dawson, Allan Coe & Rose Coslett, Michael Neill, Nesbit Hatch & Dennis Rexroad, Lori Miller; pray for all those for whom no prayers have been said. pray for all those for whom no prayers have been said.
For those who have died: Bob Barrie, Jackie Schneidwind, Valerie Winters, Barb Steeves, Terry Williams, Jo Anne Adair, Leslee Lafrantz, Jerry Miles Bland, Jude Hoiseth; Rest eternal grant to these, your servants, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the departed rest in peace. Amen.
For those celebrating anniversaries: August 3: Ed Walsh & Wayne Soucy, August 4: Carmen Vasquez & Julie Galperon, August 5: Edd Nazelrod-Woodward & Michael Nazelrod-Woodward.
For those with birthdays: August 2: Wayne Watson, Andrew Petras, Greg Hardman, August 3: Robert McElroy, August 6: Dennis Bennett.
If you would like to sponsor altar flowers for a future Sunday honoring a special person or event, you’ll find the sign-up book at the Welcome Table, or you can call the Parish Office at 760.320.7488 to reserve your sponsorship date(s).
Prayer List Update
We have recently taken time to review the names currently on our prayer list to ensure it remains current and meaningful. If you feel a name is missing, we warmly invite you to submit the names of those you would like us to include in prayer.
Please note that names will remain on the prayer list for four weeks. To be included in the weekly newsletter and printed materials, submissions must be received by 4:00 PM each Tuesday. Submissions received after the deadline will appear in the following week.
Thank you for helping us care for our community through prayer.
Prayer Request
Submit a name to our Prayer List, and our community will lift them up in prayer throughout the week.
Share your request and let us pray with you.
RequestRectors’ Discretionary Fund
The first Sunday of the month loose-plate offerings are designated for the Rectors’ Discretionary Fund (sometimes referred to as “Benevolence”). Checks may also be designated for the fund.
This instrument of mercy provides the clergy a financial pool to draw upon when parishioners, individuals in the community, or other community organizations ask for help. The traditional use of the discretionary fund is to assist the poor of the community. Examples for those in need include rent, utilities, medical bills, etc. Our fund balance is getting low as requests have gone up and we are heading out of season.
Thank you for your generosity!
Community & Outreach
Want to Get Involved?
St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church
Neighbors For Neighbors Volunteers Needed
Every fourth Thursday of the month, volunteers gather at approximately 7:30 AM to set-up, organize, bag and distribute food beginning at 9:30 AM to over 500 families from the greater Indio area. During summer months (June to September), food distribution will begin at 9:30 AM and continue thru 3 pm. These volunteers are vitally important to our outreach.
Please contact John Sanders at johnfsanders@mac.com to volunteer.
Want to Help Make St. Paul’s Campus & Buildings Better?
Have you ever been at church and noticed the same lightbulb has been out for weeks? Or reached for a handrail only to find it’s loose and wondered why it hasn’t been fixed? Maybe you’ve sat down in a pew and found the rack is missing cards, envelopes, or pens—and realized that unless someone reports it, no one knows it needs attention.
We invite you to use our Maintenance & Repair Request Form, available online.
If you see something on St. Paul’s campus that needs repairing, cleaning, sprucing up, or general attention, this form is the best and most effective way to make sure it gets addressed.
Submitting a request in real time allows:
Our sexton to handle day‑to‑day issues quickly
Our Campus Care Committee to track, prioritize, and plan for larger or ongoing needs
Your participation helps us stay organized, responsive, and good stewards of our sacred space.
The Episcopal Church’s
Immigration Toolkit
Shifting federal policy on immigration is already impacting people in all four of our counties. With this in mind, the Episcopal Church’s church-wide office routinely collects up-to-date immigration resources for congregations.
Visit the Immigration Action Toolkit to find ways your congregation can help migrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers.
The Episcopal Diocese of
San Diego’s Info
on Reporting Misconduct
The Episcopal Diocese of San Diego considers the reporting and investigation of misconduct to be of critical importance. Reporting enables the diocese to protect the complainant, the respondent, and the larger community. It also allows the diocese to assist with the spiritual, psychological, and emotional needs of all concerned during and after the report of misconduct. Please visit edsd.org/safe-church-safe-communities/reporting-misconduct/
Intake Officers:
Ms. Megan Callan, megan@mecallan.com
The Rev. Willy Crespo, frcrespo@gmail.com
Ms. Meredith Hardy, mlh8180@gmail.com
