From Our Senior Warden:
Thinking Out Loud

They may see the good you do as self-serving:
Continue to do good.
They may see your generosity as grandstanding:
Continue to be generous.
They may see your warm and caring spirit as a sign of weakness:
Continue to be warm and caring .
For you see, in the end it is between you and God;
it was never between you and them.
 
There is unbelievable power in those few words, but I find a terrific challenge, too. There are countless ways to express the same truths. "You can't please all the people all the time" has always been my favorite.
    We live in a judgmental society and almost everyone stands willing to tell us our mistakes and errors.
    People love to find fault with the successful and powerful. There always seems to be a limit
on how good we should be in the eyes of others. Most of us probably remember the goody two shoes personalities getting picked on in elementary school, but the ugly truth is that syndrome also affects adults. We often get more than a little uncomfortable with really nice people who always seem to do the right thing at the right time. We say they are too good to be true. We just know they have an Achilles' heel somewhere. We often exult when that failing is exposed.
Too many of us hate to stand out from the crowd; and we push toward the mediocre because our society punishes the really good people.
    We want to hang back and avoid being judged. We get so concerned about how we are perceived that we fail to live up to our own personal standards and values for fear people will find us spooky or uppity.
If we go out front, if we advocate for values, fairness and ethical behavior we are bound to be judged. If doing the right thing matters to us, then we are going to suffer the attacks that all moral leaders do. And we are inevitably going to polarize.
    The people who admire us will line up on one side; and our critics will line up on the other. If we are particularly fortunate the sides will even out over time.
I am paraphrasing these words from an article in THE VENTURA COUNTY STAR. I strongly feel these words belong to us at St. Paul's and the Episcopal Church in general. My prayer is that I may see many sides of nations and religions even out in my life time.
    By the time you read this, the labyrinth within the meditation garden will be finished and ready to be dedicated by Bishop Romero on June 5. Many of our parishioners will be out of town at this time. Donna Ross will still be out of state. But, hopefully, Stephanie Day and Dorothea Thomsen will be able to attend.
    There will be a Diocesan convention in Salinas on June 18. I always enjoy hearing what is on the minds of my brothers and sisters in Christ concerning the future of this diocese. Won't you join me?
    We will be having a parish picnic on Sept. 25 at Shamel Park. Please mark your calendar.

We are not filling two needs at St. Paul's.     We need drivers for the "no longer driving population". We seem to be able to cover 8:00 a.m., but 10:30 is a problem. Please call the office (927-3239), Barbara Hagiwara (995-1032) or Anne Harris Smith (927-4644) if you need a ride or if you can drive. This is a very important ministry!
    The other problem is with coffee hour. People seem to feel it is their right to have refreshments awaiting them after the services. But this task seems to fall on just a few giving people. This does become expensive and annoying after a time. Once again, this problem is most prevalent at the 10:30 service. It has been suggested a Donation Can be put on the table, so at least the financial burden can be shared. REMINDER: CHECK THE BULLETIN BOARD FOR NEWS AND OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE.
    What do you think about a Movie Matinee once a month in June, July, August and September? Perhaps kick it off with an ice cream social. Or would you like to have neighborhood socials once a month - no dinners, maybe cake and coffee or tea and cookies. I was feeling, during this interim period without a priest, fellowship would be in order.
Peace be with you and also with that friend you bring to church.
            ~Barbara Hagiwara