The liturgical celebration of Peter's confession, a major feast in the Prayer Book calendar, is celebrated this Thursday on January 18. Join us tonight for a Vigil Eucharist to celebrate the Feast of the Confession of Saint Peter the Apostle. Evening Prayer will be recited at 6pm, followed by the Eucharist at 6.30pm. Both services will be held in the Chapel. All are welcome to participate.

St. Paul's Annual Meeting

January 21

The Parochial Annual Meeting will be THIS Sunday, January 21, after our 10am Eucharist. This is one of the most important days in our common parish life where reports are made of the previous year's ministries, the budget for the coming year is presented, our Priest-in-Charge makes his report, and elections are held for new Bishop's Committee members and Deanery Representatives who will serve as Delegates to Diocesan Convention. All members of St Paul's are asked to make every effort to be at the meeting. If you have any questions contact either Fr. Luis or Martin Brown, our Bishop’s Warden.

Thursday, January 25

Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul

Thursday, January 25, is the feast of the Conversion of St Paul, one of the principal feasts commemorating our parish's patron. We will be keeping the feast with Evening Prayer at 6pm and Eucharist at 6.30pm. Both will be in our chapel. After the Eucharist we hope to go on to The Padre to continue celebrating with drinks and food. Everyone is invited. If you have any questions, speak with Fr. Luis.

Winter Wonderland

St. Paul's Annual Dinner & Fundraiser

Saturday, February 3, 2024

It's that time of year again to enjoy a winter evening filled with fun and food! Join us and invite your family and friends for a wonderful night of great food and drink, a silent auction, and a raffle. Get your tickets now! (under the "St. Paul's Special Events" section in Vanco). Contact Cindy Smith to buy tickets or if you have any questions.

Food Pantry Needs

Our St. Paul’s community response to our food pantry needs have been so generous. This Monday was another busy distribution day at our St. Paul’s food pantry. Our shelves are looking bare. Please consider donating some items for this coming Monday’s outreach. We are most in need of:

Cereal, Canned Chicken, Peanut butter, Chili, Hearty soups, Chef Boyardee, Crackers, Fruit cups, Cup of soup beef, Top ramen;

combs, toothbrushes, and bottled water.

If possible, all canned items should have pop-tops.

Thank you for supporting this vital ministry and remember you can continue to make donations of socks, hats, and gloves throughout the winter. If you have any questions, contact Jan Dunlap.

Leading them Home: Enhancing the Ministry for the Terminally Ill

As many of you know, Martin Brown is a postulant in the ordination process. As a part of his Context for Ministry he will be hosting a series of three talks on Death and Dying: How we can enrich our encounters with others who are transitioning through dying process. In these presentations he will give information regarding the dying process with some of the challenges caregivers may face and explore ways to provide meaningful visits as well as provide help as needed. If you are interested in attending, please see dates and links below. You are welcome to ask Martin more specifics about this project via email or when you see him at church.

Jan 25: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87690618227

Feb 08: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87259761956

Forward Day by Day

The "Forward Day by Day" devotional booklets for February, March, and April are available now. Many people use this publication as part of their regular prayer life. If you do or would like to, be sure to pick one up in the narthex.

Why is the Christmas Crèche Still Up?

When you come into church this 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.

Blessing of Homes and Marking Lintels in Epiphanytide

It is traditional early in Epiphanytide to bless homes and particularly to mark with blessed chalk the lintel of one’s door with the initials of the wise men (C[asper], B[althasar], M[elchior]) and the current year. Blessed chalk for marking the lintels of our homes (along with a short order is service) is still available in the narthex. See Fr. Luis if you have any questions.

Central Valley Events

Advocated by the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin

LGBTQ TOWN HALL

Thursday, January 18, 2024.

Doors: 5:30 pm. Start: 6:00 pm. Tower Theatre.

Come share and discuss important issues impacting the Central Valley LGBTQ+ community.

Presented by the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus. Sponsored by Councilmember Annalisa Perea.

RSVP requested – http://tinyurl.com/THFresnoLGBTQ

In Our Prayers...

As we begin a new quarter the parish prayer list has again be revised. All names from last quarter have been removed. If you would like a name added on the list, please contact Fr. Luis.

Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory, that he may be known, worshipped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

In Our Prayers

Remember in your prayers Grace, Warren, Lorraine, Emily, Rohana, Roberto, Maureen, Joan, and all those in any kind of need.

Remember in your prayers the recently departed, among them, Phyllis Bloomquist and Rosana Rivera; as well as those whose year's mind falls at this time, among them, Chanelle Bryant, Jose Antonio Reyes, Lincoln Slaughter, Mariam Stepaniam, Amanda Gaona, and Malcom Chun, priest.

Monthly Prayer Diary

You can access the

Prayer Diary for January here

Altar Guild

The task of making the Eucharist possible is entrusted to the Altar Guild, a volunteer group of women and men in our parish who assist the Priest-in-Charge in creating beautiful worship services as well as all other services or ceremonies such as funerals and weddings. Altar Guild members care for the altar, vestments, altar linens of the parish, and eucharistic instruments. We are currently looking for more volunteers who can help for a few hours once a month.

For more information on how to get started, contact Jan Dunlap.

Daughters of the King

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 Cathy Henry 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.

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"