PARISH PROFILE
 
Let us begin with St. Paul's Mission Statement:

    In response to the good news of Jesus Christ,
We welcome everyone to our loving church family
    as we reflect on the scriptures and worship our
    Lord through prayer, Holy Communion, and
    service to Cambria and the wider world.

THE DIOCESE OF EL CAMINO REAL

Part of the Diocese of California until 1980, The Diocese of EI Camino Real stretches through five counties containing 56 congregations worshiping in eight languages. The diocese is very diverse; from the high-tech industries in Silicon Valley and Palo Alto in the north to the rich agricultural valleys in Nipomo and Arroyo Grande in the south, to the beauty of the Pacific beach cities to the west and the inland cities along Highway 101 to the east. The opportunities to grow and make a difference are great. The diocese has had two bishops since it's formation and is now in a transition period while the Standing Committee is leading a search for a new Bishop of EI Camino Real.

On September 16, 2004, following Diocesan Council's approval of the financial details of the Letter of Agreement, the Standing Committee appointed the Rt. Rev. Sylvestre Romero, currently Bishop of Belize, as the Assisting Bishop for the Diocese of EI Camino Real. Bishop Romero was born in Belize on December 31, 1944 and grew up in Belize City as a Roman Catholic. He became a member of the Anglican Church, as a teenager, when he went to Guatemala, and eventually met and married his wife Evangelina, a Guatemalan. They have four grown children.

The Assisting Bishop received a Bachelor's Degree in Theology in Guatemala, where he was ordained priest and served for 12 years. In 1986 he moved to California and began serving as Assistant Rector of St. Philip's in San Jose, where his son Rev. Silvestre Romero Jr. is now the rector. During his time in San Jose, Bishop Romero earned his Master's of Divinity from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley. After finishing his studies, he served the Diocese of EI Camino Real as its Hispanic Missioner. He was ordained Bishop of the Anglican Church in Belize on January 25,1994. He will begin serving the Diocese of EI Camino Real full-time in December 2004. The Diocesan offices are located in Seaside adjacent to Monterey, California.

ST. PAUL'S HISTORY

The seed of St. Paul's church was planted in 1956 when several local Episcopalians gathered together to organize a mission church in Cambria. The small group met in one another's homes, and by November, 1957, they had a membership of 13 confirmed persons and were duly instituted as St. Paul's Mission of Cambria by Bishop Shires of the Diocese of California.

By 1959, St. Paul's had grown to 27 members and had begun a Sunday School. Soon the congregation was too large to meet in a home, so they moved their services into community buildings. Eventually Sunday services were held in the Masonic Hall.

From the beginning, the group was determined to find land upon which they could build their church. In July, 1959, they were offered one acre of property at 2700 Eton Road, and they obtained the financing to purchase the property, which they paid off before the first payment was due.

The women of the church did not want to sit idle, so they organized "St. Catherine's Guild" in November, 1957. They did their part by raising funds for the mission through table-setting contests, teas, fashion shows, and food sales. Today the group is a part of Episcopal Church Women.

Groundbreaking ceremonies were held July 1, 1962, just five years after being recognized as a mission and three years after purchasing the land. The building was built entirely by volunteers working mainly on Saturdays. Easter, 1963, marked the day of the first service in the church.

Bishop James Pike of the Diocese of California dedicated the building to the glory of God and in honor of St. Paul on May 9, 1964. The mortgage on the building was paid by June, 1971. Bishop Millard consecrated the property and conducted a "mortgage burning". A new parish hall was completed by 1987, and Senior Nutrition and Meals on Wheels were the first occupants, and they continue to serve daily hot meals.

Today St. Paul's is a small church with a mature congregation of approximately 90 members. Last year, parishioners pledging came to 53 households. Many visitors attend the church throughout the year.

There are approximately 10 other churches serving the citizens of Cambria, and we would like to strengthen our relationship with all the other churches who have similar interests and goals, to further serve the community at large.

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

St. Paul's clearly has many strengths, but it also has its weaknesses.

Among the church's strengths are:

There is great closeness and support of each other, with no divisive cliques. The church has a sound administration with many willing volunteers. Our members are faithful in their attendance. Pledging is strong and rarely does anyone fail to fulfill a pledge.  There is a heavy emphasis on outreach among the congregation.

Our weaknesses are acknowledged:

As a congregation and individually, we are not good at evangelism. We have experienced difficulty with growth and are finding it hard to maintain membership due to mortality and members' moving away. We are a group markedly older than the norm. There is a feeling of detachment from other churches and sense there is a lack of knowledge of St. Paul's in the wider community. Involvement in the community is a priority for our new rector.

St. Paul's has lost several large contributors to death and relocation, but we have ample reserve funds to use to cover this deficit. We have projected deficits before, as we are conservative in our budgeting, but have actually run surpluses. The projected 2005 deficit, however, would be our largest, which is one reason that we are stressing growth as an objective for the future.

Our Narrative Budget is available on the Search page.

SERVICE
Service to others, through many programs at St. Paul's and our members' involvement in other organizations, continues to be strong and quite remarkable considering the small size of our parish.

ADOPT A HIGHWAY cleans up trash one mile north and one mile south of the Village of Harmony. Cal Trans provides the bags, vests, safety helmets and safety training video. Eight volunteers enjoy the walk about six times a year.

OUTREACH COMMITTEE has 5 members, two of whom are replaced each year at the parish's annual meeting. Established in February 2002, the committee supervises the Outreach Fund, an endowed investment fund, separate from all other parish funds.  The principle is retained by the fund. Only the interest earned each year is expended on outreach agencies and programs as recommended by the committee, and approved by the vestry.

CARES (Cambria Adult Resources Education and Support), a licensed adult day care center held in the parish hall, was founded by members of St. Paul's. Although it is now sponsored by a coalition of nine community churches and organizations, St. Paul's is among the current sponsors, is represented on its board and provides several volunteers. This program offers a cost-effective method of helping seniors remain in their homes, and gives respite for the caregivers. It is held 4 days per week.

C.A.N. (Cambria Anonymous Neighbors) FOOD DISTRIBUTION, is a group of volunteers who collect food each week and help distribute it to the needy who come to the Joslyn Recreation Center the first Thursday of each month. St. Paul's has become one of the largest contributors of food for this very important cause.

CAREGIVERS SUPPORT GROUP meets at St. Paul's Library on the first and third Thursday of each month. A Registered Nurse works with this group.

ST. PAUL'S HELPERS are members of the congregation who volunteer their services to members and friends of the parish. They provide transportation, a meal, and run errands for the homebound. Each month a different coordinator volunteers to connect people needing assistance with a helper.

SENIOR NUTRITION AND MEALS ON WHEELS provides 13 to 20 meals five days a week in our Parish Hall. Also, Meals on Wheels delivers about 18 meals from this program. Volunteers throughout the community help with this service.

LAY EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS from St. Paul's visit Bayside Care Center in Morro Bay every Sunday afternoon, where they lead a Communion service with hymns for the residents. They also take Communion to homebound parishioners.

THE LABYRINTH TEAM is not active at this time, but it is hoped this important community outreach program can be reactivated in the near future. A large, rollout, canvas labyrinth was donated to St. Paul's and has been used often throughout the years for all faiths to experience.

HABIT AT FOR HUMANITY has been of interest to the congregation for sometime but has had a slow start. Work has finally begun on the first home on Alban Place and the group is seeking volunteer skilled carpenters and also families for two houses to be built in Cambria by 2006.

As you can see, service is important to St. Paul's, and a majority of the congregation want to continue with their many outreach programs. They look forward to guidance and encouragement from their new rector.

FELLOWSHIP

Groups active, within the church, are:

NEEDLE & LOOM GROUP meets at 1:00 p.m. in members' homes on Fridays to knit, needlepoint, and share this hobby with others in the community.

THURSDAY MEN'S GROUP meets two Thursday mornings a month at 8:00 a.m. at the Redwood Cafe to visit, over breakfast, with the men of St. Paul's and friends from other faiths and interests in Cambria.

EPISCOPAL CHURCH WOMEN (ECW) is a very active group of St. Paul's women who meet on the second Tuesday of each month for a pot-luck luncheon, fellowship and a program. Their fund raising projects are very successful. The United Thank Offering ingathering results in $800.00 to $900.00 annually. The "Mitford Tea" held bi-annually earned over $5,000.00 in 2004, with all profits going to support the CARES program. The annual Rummage Sale has earned between $3,500.00 and $4,500.00 in each of the last three years, with proceeds going primarily to outreach programs and some to parish needs.

THE LUNCH BUNCH is a group of parish women and their friends who meet once a month at various area restaurants for food and companionship.

THE HOSPITALITY COMMITTEE is made up of many hard working and dedicated men and women of St. Paul's who coordinate pot lucks, prepare special function meals, host teas, coffee hours and various receptions.

WORSHIP

SERVICES AT ST. PAUL'S

St. Paul's has always had two services on Sunday Morning. Early church at 8:00 a.m. is a traditional service, without music.

The second service at 10:30 a.m., has music and choir (except during the summer).

Holy Communion is offered every Sunday at both services.

On the first Sunday of the month, we have a combined service at 9:30 a.m.

Coffee Hours are popular at St. Paul's and are held following each service. Individual volunteers host the various coffee hours.

Wednesday Night Services are held at 5:00 p.m. This is a simple, short service -- sometimes Holy Communion, other times Evening Prayer. Prayers for healing are offered. Dress is casual.

ALTAR GUILD members prepare the church and altar for worship services.
They purchase supplies, order flowers, set up and clear the altar, launder the linens, care for all articles used at the altar, and prepare kits for home communion. Usually, teams of two are responsible for one Sunday a month. One member is currently preparing for all Wednesday evening services. Monthly meetings of the guild are held on the fourth Thursday at 10:00 a.m. in the church library.

MUSIC: a director of music, who is also the choir director, and a choir of 10 to 12 regular members provide music for the 10:30 a.m. service (and the 9:30 a.m. service the first Sunday of each month). Hymns, Taize chants, and other occasional music are chosen by the Rector. There is usually one rehearsal each week and a warm-up before singing the service. Guitar, violin, or flute are sometimes included.

THE VESTRY OF ST. PAUL'S

Barbara Hagiwara, Senior Warden; Connie Gannon, Junior Warden; Jim Wilson, Clerk; Stevely Anderson; Bill Blundell; Sue Johnson; Betty Malone; and Anne Harris-Smith. Lou Ann Carter is Treasurer, and Phyllis Golowka and Frank Michel are Co-Treasurers.

ST. PAUL'S SEARCH COMMITTEE.

The members of St. Paul's Search Committee are: Bill Baker, Chairman /Spokesperson, Courtney Brockman, Bob Clunie, Anne Hubbard, Barbara Marks, Carol Schutz and Linda Turner.

St. Paul's Episcopal Church of Cambria is actively searching for a new rector to join our congregation, to be our preacher and leader to guide us in our search for the Good News of our Savior Jesus Christ.