We welcome as friends everyone, of any race, gender, creed, denomination,
political affiliation, or
sexual orientation, 
for all of  us
"are one in Christ Jesus" 
(Galatians 3:28) 

All Are Welcome! ¡Todos están Bienvenidos!

St. Paul's Episcopal Church of Bakersfield welcomes you to worship.  We invite you to join our inclusive community as we deepen our awareness of the presence of Jesus Christ in us through the Episcopal tradition of inclusivity, worship, and service.  We welcome all to share His joy and love with us, rejoicing in the transforming power of the Spirit.​


This Week 
by The Rev'd Luis Rodriguez,
Priest-in-Charge
​

                                       
      I gathered last Saturday in the mountains surrounding Tehachapi with our current Eucharistic Ministers and with those discerning a call to this ministry. Mal Schleh and Debbie Spaine graciously hosted us in their beautiful home, and we spoke about the significance of their ministry. The Canons of the Episcopal Church describe the ministry like this: “A Eucharistic Minister is a lay person authorized to administer the Consecrated Elements at a Celebration of Holy Eucharist. A Eucharistic Minister should normally act under the direction of a Deacon, if any, or otherwise, the Member of the Clergy or other leader exercising oversight of the congregation or other community of faith.” (III.4.6) However – as one of our EMs observed – the Canons only tell us what the ministry is, it does not tell us what it means. His question rather stumped us because we are often so concerned with the duties and functions of Eucharistic Ministers that the deeper significance of their work is not considered. Thankfully sparked some meaningful conversation as we discerned words to express this deeper meaning.  We came up with this: “The Eucharistic Minister enables the feeding of God’s people with Christ’s Body and Blood in the name of Christ and his Church.” Reflecting on this later, I thought to myself that this ministry is about feeding Christ’s Body with Christ’s Body that it might strengthen to be Christ’s Body in the world. The circular nature of both statements I found profoundly enticing, as they did not provide definition so much as draw us to contemplate this profound mystery of Christ feeding his people with his own Body and thus be transformed to be his Body. This is a deep mystery.

      This entire conversation made me consider how often we reduce our ministries – any ministries – to the purely functional; how often we consider ministry as just a job to do that needs doing, without intentionally reflecting on its deeper significance in the light of God’s people, in light of God’s Church, and in the light of God’s mission. More and more I am coming to understand intentionality and reflection as key in all that we do. Discerning a need and the creating a job to meet it will never lead us to see our work in the greater context of God’s vision for us, or in the greater context of our deepest identity as Christians and children of God. It’s the difference between a job and calling. It also made me consider how this is not just limited to what we do in church, but really how we carry out our work generally, whether as a teacher or a nurse or a security guard or any sort of service provider. How intentional are we about what we do, and to what extent do we see what we do – whatever we do – as ministry, work that reflects and rejoices in God’s presence in the world.

      Some of the work we did up at Tehachapi was about more carefully considering the importance of intentionality in the ministry of Eucharistic Ministers at St. Paul. It was about discerning how we can carry out this ministry in ways that better and more intentionally enable people’s prayer, but also to make known the presence of Christ in our midst. We spoke about the incredible privilege it is to serve in this way, and how to grow more deeply in the spirituality of this important ministry.

      Where or how are you being called to serve? Are you taking jobs on simply because there is no one else to do them, or are finding where you are really called? Ministry is more than just about filling a void or a need, but about intentionally participating in the making of both God and God’s vision for creation known. How might God be calling you to put your gifts and efforts to this work?
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Updated 08/28/2019
Join us for
Holy Eucharist Services
Sundays 10 am
(Child care & Sunday School available)
followed by Coffee Hour in Grace Hall

​St. Paul's Episcopal Church
2216 17th Street
Bakersfield, CA 93301
(661) 869-1630
Email St. Paul's
Church Office Hours:
​Monday-Thursday  from 9am to 1pm.
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Upcoming Events

Friday, August 30
Margaret Ward, Margaret Clitherow, Anne Line, Martyrs, 1588, 1586, and 1601
        9.00am Morning Prayer
        10.00am Internment (Cecil John Bailey)
Sunday, September 1, 2019
The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost
       
        Eucharist 8am
        Eucharist 10am
        Food Co-op 12pm-2pm

Tuesday, September 3
Phoebe, Deacon 
        8.30am Morning Prayer (Chapel)

Wednesday, September 4
Paul Jones, Bishop, 1941
       
        8.30am Morning Prayer (Chapel)
        9.00am Eucharist (Chapel)

Thursday, September 5

Friday, September 6

Saturday, September 7
 
Sunday, September 8
The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

        Eucharist 8am
        Eucharist 10am
        Food Co-op 12-2pm