St. Paul's Episcopal Church Parish Profile

Our Vision We are a faithful people, seeking, serving, sharing Christ.

Our Mission St. Paul’s Episcopal Church of Yuma is comprised of a diverse membership.&nbsp;Each individual is on a spiritual journey taking up their cross and following Jesus Christ in his life of fearless love.

Our Community The City of Yuma is nestled in the southwest corner of Arizona on the Colorado River, bordering California and Mexico.&nbsp;Home to&nbsp;over&nbsp;100,000 year-round residents, our population nearly doubles during the winter season. Considered to be a metropolitan area, Yuma has a small-town feel, with many city and community events.&nbsp;Our culture and heritage are rooted in centuries of history. Skies are blue and the sun shines 310 days a year-perfect for outdoor activities.&nbsp;

Visitors Guide

Welcome To Yuma, Arizona - On The River's Edge

~In 1904, the United States Congress authorized the Yuma Reclamation Project which provided for the construction of dams on the Colorado River and irrigation canals for agriculture. These projects greatly increased Yuma’s population.

1906 Bishop Kenrick visits and purchases lots on 2nd Avenue.

Lay readers appointed by Bishop, and occasionally a priest is sent from Phoenix.

To provide a place for worship services in the Episcopal faith, the Episcopal Women’s Guild was organized in 1905. There were eight women in the founding group and, in the following three years, membership was increased by women whose husbands were connected with the reclamation project or with the expansion of businesses which came as the result of the population increase.

Woodman’s Hall on First Avenue is leased for Sunday morning services.

The Laguna Dam of the Yuma Project was completed in 1910 and its employees moved to Yuma.

Our Sunday service is celebrated at 10:00 am in English, and our Spanish language service follows at 12:30 pm. We are a diverse community committed to living out the message of Jesus Christ. Our message is one of hope for the oppressed, love for the outcast, home for the migrant, and peace for all people as we love fearlessly. ~The Episcopal Church celebrates diversity.&nbsp;We are young and old, male and female, gay and straight, single, married, divorced and widowed, Anglo, Latino, African, Asian, CEO and unemployed, student and teacher, rich and poor.&nbsp;We worship together as one family.

Our Community &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;St. Paul’s Episcopal Church is a parish in the Diocese of San Diego, California. The Church and spacious grounds are located on the corner of 16th street and 14th Avenue in Yuma, Arizona.&nbsp;The campus proper is approximately 6 acres containing 3 buildings, facing a lush green courtyard outlined with palm and olive trees overlooking a breath-taking desert setting.&nbsp;Membership consists of a growing Hispanic population, winter visitors, a military and civilian retirement group, working residents, and a few younger families.&nbsp;&nbsp;

This was a prosperous era for the Episcopal Women’s Guild, giving them sufficient funds to further the plans for the Episcopal Church in Yuma.  The church was named St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and was dedicated in December of 1909.

St. Paul's Cultural Center

It was dedicated on Christmas Eve 1961. St. Paul’s celebrated its 100th birthday in December of 2009.

Services continued in the building at 643 2nd Avenue for fifty-four years. A building fund campaign was begun in March of 1959 with the goal of raising $100,000 for a new, larger church. The new church was built at 1550 South 14th Avenue on land donated by Mr. and Mrs. F.C. “Frosty” Braden, Mr. &amp; Mrs. F.H. Johnson, and Dr. &amp; Mrs. John F. Stanley.

Marine Core Air Station Yuma

Yuma Proving Grounds Army Base Guide

Yuma Agriculture TV Commercial

Yuma is the County seat and hosts two prominent Defense Facilities, the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground and the Marine Corps Air Station Yuma. Additionally, Yuma is home to many industries; Agriculture, Tourism, Manufacturing, and Renewable Energy.&nbsp;Yuma’s $3.2 billion/year agribusiness supplies the United States with 80% of its winter, leafy vegetables while also being the largest producer of crops in the state of Arizona.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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Who We Have Been

Food Ministry - St. Paul’s, in partnership with the Yuma Community Food Bank, has established a distribution center, on the St Paul’s campus.

Prayers and Squares&nbsp;– An inter-denominational quilting ministry for the young, the old, seasoned sewers or beginners. Each requested quilt is blessed at the Altar during Worship Service then following service parishioners tie a knot on the quilt as they say a personal prayer. The quilt is then gifted to a person suffering from sickness, injury, and/or any other physical or emotional hardship. Recipients are blessed with God’s healing love through the power of prayer.

Financials St. Paul’s relies upon the continued generosity of its parishioners through annual stewardship pledging and “regular givers”.&nbsp;Notably St. Paul’s is debt free and holds liabilities and equity of $1,015,297.&nbsp;Approximately 75% of these funds are restricted assets including the land, buildings, and Endowment fund.&nbsp;The remaining 25% is comprised of the Operating budget (75%) and Ministries/Designated Projects (25%).&nbsp;We continue to look for savings on the operating expenses.

St Paul's Financials.pdf

Our Parishioners continue to give generously for special projects, fundraisers, and ministries.&nbsp;St. Paul’s has also been blessed by the generosity of individuals who have provided the funds for renovations as a memorial for loved ones.&nbsp;As a result of these many blessings, we have been able to expand the existing columbarium in the narthex, replace the air conditioning/heating system (2015), paint the exterior trim of our buildings (2018), renovate our classrooms (2018), and our parking lot is being resurfaced (2019).&nbsp;&nbsp;

Prayer for the Calling Process Almighty God, giver of every good gift.&nbsp;Look graciously on this committee, and so guide our minds as we work to choose a Rector for this parish, that we may receive a faithful pastor, who will care for your people and equip us for our ministries; Through Jesus Christ our Lord.&nbsp;Amen

Ministries ~The Outreach Ministry’s mission is to help others help themselves through a Christ-centered balance of assistance. This Ministry takes many forms and reaches far beyond the walls of St. Paul’s.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Blessing of the Animals - On the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, and in remembrance of his love for all creatures, the traditional blessing of the animals is held in the church courtyard. All polite pets are welcome. A free-will offering is donated to the Humane Society of Yuma.

Who We Are ~We are a church that is catholic but not Roman Catholic with the traditions of the Church of England, making us Anglicans.&nbsp;We share the traditional liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church, but hold to the belief regarding open communion, married clergy, and our own unique emphasis on the importance of Sacred Scripture, Tradition, and Reason.&nbsp;We are diverse and continually strive to be inclusive. ~We celebrate the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion, as well as the other five sacraments, in obedience to the teaching of Jesus Christ. What we stand for is most clearly evident in our forms of worship where, through Spirit-filled services with much congregational participation, we seek to give praise and thanks to God in the name of Jesus Christ. We welcome all.&nbsp;

Who We Hope To Be Gathering insight from our members through conversations and surveys has given us a clearer vision of who we hope to be at St. Paul’s.&nbsp;We have taken this time to reflect, seek, and grow within ourselves and to rely upon one another as never before.&nbsp;Under the leadership of our Interim Rector we have found a renewed spiritual life.&nbsp;We are developing a strong union between our two services. Our parish survey revealed that our top three priorities for St. Paul’s new leadership are: •&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Pastoral Care for the Congregation; •&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Growing Membership; and • Growing Out Reach Ministries.&nbsp;

Community Justice Board Program

Community Justice Board - St. Paul’s has partnered with the Yuma County Attorney and the Superior Court, Juvenile Division.&nbsp;Community Justice Boards (CJB) are for juveniles who are in trouble with the law for the first time. The goal is to reach these youngsters before it is too late. The Board assigns consequences to be completed by the juvenile. These Assignments make amends to the victim, help the juvenile think about his or her behavior and start the juvenile on the path to building skills to cope with life’s choices and problems.&nbsp;

Reconciliation through Restorative Justice

Concert Series – Many professional and amateur artists, some world renowned, from outside the community present wonderful performances.&nbsp;The concert series also provides a venue for local talented musicians. The season consists of eight concerts, one each month on a Sunday evening, beginning in October and ending in May.

Ancient Words

AWC's Yuma Youth Choir

Salvation Army - Each Christmas season, the members of St. Paul’s volunteer to Ring Bells for the local Salvation Army, as well as participate in the Angle Tree and, Adopt a Family programs.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Substance abuse support groups - Our facilities are available to several groups within the community that offer support and understanding to the family, friends, and affected individuals.

Wrapped in Love – Parish members knit and crochet baby blankets which are donated to local family crisis support agencies. In addition, squares are to be assembled and sent abroad.&nbsp;

Home - Yuma Elementary School District

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