Women who Wonder will meet Tuesday, March 21. Join us for a time of meditation on scripture followed by lively conversation. It's never too late to learn and reflect on the women who knew Jesus! Dinner in the Chapter Room at 6:00 p.m. offers the opportunity to get to know each other better. We will be finished by 8:00. If you have questions, email [email protected]. 

When I was doing my undergraduate work at the University of Costa Rica one of the courses in the core curriculum was Principles of Marketing. One of the topics that came
up during the semester was subliminal advertising. This form of advertising was highly hailed as an unacceptable way of influencing a person’s mindset in regards to a particular product. Subliminal advertising is when a hidden message is flashed inside a commercial for such a short time that the viewer will not notice it, though it will be registered in your mind and subconscious. From what I heard in that class, what competitors of the companies who used this form of advertising were more upset about was that they had an unfair advantage in an otherwise fair market. 

In recent weeks I started using the term subliminal evangelism as I reflect on ways in which we as Christians should go about sharing God’s Good News with the world. As Christians in the Bay Area we are constantly facing the fact that we are living at a time and in the place where conversations about God are hard to come by and even when we do have them, we have to tiptoe around a mounting number of sensitivities. I sometimes think that the image of the cross is as fearful a symbol to some members of our neighboring communities as it was for those who lived in first century Rome. What also comes to mind is verse four of psalm 137 that reads: Now how shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land. Though Oakland and the Bay Area are the native or even very long term homeland for many, it may also seem like an alien land for evangelism. So, how can we evangelize in a land that sees such witness as foreign? Here is where subliminality comes in (and it goes along the lines of Jesus’s command to not stand at the street corners to let your piety be known by all). My suggestion is that the Gospel message needs to be at the tip of our tongues, be central to our actions and be what binds our relationships. We need not smack people on the head with the Bible and its teachings, but rather we need to reach their subconscious, the deepest recesses of their hearts and minds. Effective evangelism does not come from the ability to quote chapter and verse but rather living them 24/7/365. 

The message we deliver as Christians, as God’s people in the world, ought to be so deeply embedded in us that we are ourselves unaware of the moments in which it is revealed. However, others will notice that a message has been delivered even if they are not certain of exactly what it is or the long term effect it will have on their own lives and their desire to be in relationship with God. ​

Dear Friends in Christ: 

For the last 22 months, the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles has been in a process that will lead to the election and consecration of a Bishop Coadjutor to serve as the successor of Bishop Jon Bruno, who requested this election at their 2014 Diocesan Convention. 
The Search Committee for the next Bishop Coadjutor of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles invited me to be on the list of candidates and I accepted the invitation. The slate of nominees was published last month. 

Karla and I have entered this process with hearts and minds set on deep and faithful prayer as we try to discern God's call for our family. We are certain that whatever God is calling us to do will be of full commitment to the proclamation of the Gospel, whether it be a continued ministry with St. Paul's, Oakland, or a new one in the Diocese of Los Angeles. 

I will spare you the details of the process that leads to the election of a Bishop Coadjutor and encourage you instead to visit the website set up by the Diocese of Los Angeles. 
As always, I am available to answer questions as I am able. I ask for special prayers for the Diocese of Los Angeles, for those who have been invited to be a part of this continued discernment and for the other communities receiving similar announcements today. Let's move forward knowing that God's will shall be done in our lives and throughout the whole Church. 

In Christ, 
Mauricio+

September 18, 2016
Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 20; Track 2)
SERVICE S-278 Gloria; S-114 Sanctus; S-164 Agnus
PSALM 113 Hallelujah! Give praise, you servants of the LORD
HYMNS 375 Give praise and glory unto God Du Lebensbrot, Herr Jesu Christ
LEVAS 68 I’ve decided to make Jesus My Choice
596 Judge eternal, throned in splendor Komm, o komm, du Geist des Lebens
INTROIT Lord Jesus Christ, be present now -- J.S.Bach
OFFERTORY Almighty and everlasting God -- Gibbons
COMMUNION Adoramus te, Christe -- de Lassus
Event Date and Time: 
Sun, 09/18/2016 - 10:00am - 12:00pm

Following the 10:00AM service on Sunday, September 18th, join us for the Parish Ministry Fair! We’ll be meeting in the courtyard. You can find out about all the wonderful ways St. Paul's lives out the Gospel and cares for our neighbors and ourselves. There will be sign ups to participate in all these ministries like Altar Guild, The Pantry of Hope, FaithQuest, Ushers, and many, many more!
Following the fair, join us for a morning of learning and prayer in community.  The theme will be "Spiritual Nourishment 101 for Volunteers," and will include training for various ministries. You'll come away refreshed and ready to grow in faith!
Event Date and Time: 
Sun, 09/18/2016 - 11:45am - 1:00pm