Jinny Perrin leads singers from churches across Borrego Springs in Lloyd Larson’s cantata, Friday at 5:00 PM and Sunday at 3:30 PM Borrego Springs’ community Christmas cantata returns this December with Morning Star by Lloyd Larson, led by Virginia “Jinny” Sloan Perrin. Performances are Friday, December 11 at 5:00 PM and Sunday, December 13 at 3:30 PM at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, 2680 Country Club Drive. This is a return for Morning Star. The community choir last performed it in 2022, when more than 30 singers were joined by a chime choir and a flute trio. The cantata is about the hope of Christmas and Christ as the light of the world. It blends new music with familiar Christmas melodies, adds narration, and includes moments for the audience to sing along. Perrin, a longtime leader of Borrego’s music community, directs a choir of local singers from all over town, church members and community members alike. At a glance What: Morning Star, a Christmas cantata by Lloyd Larson Led by: Jinny Perrin When: Friday, December 11, 5:00 PM, and Sunday, December 13, 3:30 PM Where: St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, 2680 Country Club Drive, Borrego Springs Admission: All are welcome; Free Want to sing? Rehearsals are Mondays at 6:30 PM, and new voices are welcome. You don’t need to belong to a church to join.

Hello Friends and members,  Each year, close to the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, clergy from the churches of Borrego gather to bless animals people bring to the Christmas Circle. Many bring household pets, dogs, cats, sometimes tortoises and birds. Some even bring pictures of deceased beloved pets or of pets they cannot easily bring in. This year, Fr. David Madsen of St. Barnabas Episcopal, Pastor Mateo of Community United Methodist and Fr. Emilio Magana of St. Richard’s did prayers and blessings for 50-60 animals people brought in. Why do this? Decades ago, some larger churches, New York City’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine, began having blessings of animals on a day close to St. Francis’ feast on October 4. Francis, who died in 1226, was the founder of communities of brothers and sisters and lay people in Tuscany. These groups had a particular focus on assisting the poor, homeless, ill, in short, all people in need. The Borrego Ministers Association (BMA) has exactly the same focus. Francis had the extraordinary vision to see all of the world around us as united to us as family. He spoke of Sister Moon and Brother Sun for example. In his beautiful canticle or song of praise, he bursts into thanksgiving to God for all the wonders of nature around us. Francis also seems to have had an amazing ability to relate to animals. He talked a wolf in the town of Gubbio out of preying upon the shepherds and farmers. It’s reported that when Francis spoke to crowds that had gathered to hear about God’s love for them, that even the birds would sit quietly in the tree branches, seemingly listing to him. One Christmas, Francis got the townspeople to bring animals to a cave where he set up the first ever creche or nativity scene, complete with sheep, oxen and donkeys, there as in the cave and stable where the baby Jesus was born and put, wrapped up, into a feed trough or manger. Supposedly the domestic animals kept him warm with their breath. The UN, the EU and many other international organizations and religious leaders have recognized St. Francis as a holy man and made him a patron saint of the movement to save our environment, and reduce the damaging effects of climate change. People of all faiths and none at all respect Francis as a lover of all the natural world. So it is fitting that our pets are blessed on this day, following his example of love.

By: Fr Michael Plekon - St. Barnabas Episcopal Church , BMA Co-Chair Jeanne and I have been in Borrego for over a dozen years, not long enough, I know, to be a “Borregan,” but long enough to have Borrego seep into my heart. I am a retired Episcopal priest, serving at St. Barnabas, and an Emeritus Professor of The City University of New York. For years I wrote for The Borrego Sun and do that now for the Borrego News. My friend, the Rev. Laura Brecht, former rector at St. Barnabas, welcomed me into work with the Borrego Ministers Association (BMA), where I have served as co-chair and president for some years now. My training in sociology, teaching and writing, and being a parish priest for over forty years has gifted me with a wealth of experience, especially in outreach work assisting neighbors in need. The title here is a riff on one of my recent books, Community as Church, Church as Community. As human beings, there are things we absolutely need to survive and, more than that, thrive. Food, water, shelter and clothing first come to mind. But from birth we need care, the presence and compassion of others—parents, family members, neighbors, teachers and friends. As seniors, many of us hear and also know deep in our bones that we cannot live without other people, without networks of friends and neighbors, people for us to care for and who care for us. Friends who are homebound for various reasons need visits from friends and family. Social connections make for good health and longevity as much as good food, exercise and sleep. Aristotle said humans are social creatures, and the great literature we read in school, from the scriptures and Shakespeare on down, says the same. We are as good as the circle of people to whom we belong, and my presence adds to the life of that circle of friends. Community is what this very word means: coming together as one. Community can seem to be in short supply nowadays. People move around, relocate to new jobs and towns. Kids feel this when they lose neighborhood and school friends. Older people feel the loss of those they shared so much with over the years as age, illness and death absent these dear ones. Many groups that gave the belonging of community have disappeared: neighborhood associations, bowling leagues, PTAs, sewing circles, hobby groups and the like. People work too many hours and have too many obligations in their lives. I have argued in things I wrote that churches remain as enduring communities—of faith, worship, song and the works of love, that is, listening to and caring for others. It should be no surprise that the central and recurring ritual, or sacrament, in Christianity is Holy Communion, the sharing of bread and cup as Jesus shared with his friends at the Last Supper and throughout his years of teaching and healing.  I have served a half-dozen congregations over many decades as a priest, all in different towns. But never have I ever seen such a network of communities as there are in this small desert town of Borrego Springs. I cannot jam a book’s worth of observation and commentary into these lines, but I can, like a good guide, point out some major aspects. First, look around at the variety of groups that exist to help others: the Community Resource Center (CRC), BASIC, the BMA, Rotary, the Soroptimists, the Endowment Fund, and a host of village committees and groups focused on bettering life here in the valley. I can’t list them all. There are five food banks each month. Hundreds of households—four to five hundred—receive groceries provided by the Cushman-Jacobs San Diego Food Bank and Feeding San Diego. Last month the BMA distributed $18,000 worth of food coupons, providing $50 each month to participating households through funds contributed to the BMA. Rotary, Soroptimists, the Art Guild and Sylvia Maas, among others, gave dozens of scholarships for continuing higher education to our young people. Did you catch why this quiltwork of nonprofits—or better yet, interconnected communities—exists? To be there for others: neighbors trying to cope with food insecurity and young people just starting out in life. Much more comes out of these groups, including training caregivers, providing travel subsidies for regular medical treatment, offering language classes and immigration counseling, and, very importantly, supporting affordable housing. The other aspect of the vibrant community life and activity of these groups is the wonderful individuals who lead and connect them. These are our town’s social hubs or connectors, often members of several nonprofit and caregiving organizations. They have immense reserves of compassion and energy and are the intuitive go-to people those in crisis seek out. They provide important information, and even if they cannot come up with solutions themselves, they know where else to go. They are tireless in seeking funding, whether through grants or by encouraging others to provide direct assistance. Often, someone is identified with a specific organization—Rotary, the CRC, the Endowment Fund, Soroptimists or the BMA—but on closer look that same person will have overlapping membership and connections in several others. We know and revere these folks. They are the glue that holds together not only these assisting communities but also the people who depend on them. They are very often caregivers to the distressed and needy sisters and brothers here. I have not named these social connectors. I don’t need to. You very likely know them and others like them. I was asked to write a bit about community here and perhaps will do so again. When you encounter one of these social connecting friends, say thanks. Better yet, find your place with one of the caregiving communities. Do something good.

Summer temperatures in Borrego Springs can be more than uncomfortable—they can become dangerous, especially for seniors, families with young children, people with medical conditions and anyone without reliable air conditioning. If your air conditioner has stopped working, your home is becoming too hot, or you're struggling to stay cool, the Borrego Ministers Association encourages you to reach out. Every situation is different. Some residents may need help replacing or repairing an air conditioner, while others may simply need information about available community resources. The first step is having a conversation. There are no income requirements or applications just to ask questions or discuss your situation. If the BMA can't provide assistance directly, volunteers may be able to connect you with other local resources. "No one should feel they have to face extreme heat alone," the organization says. "We're here to listen and help however we can." To start the conversation, call 646-753-1771 or email info@borregoministersassociation.org .