WEEKLY UPDATE WEEK OF 04.22.19
Thursday April 25
7:30am Morning Prayer.
Sunday April 28
8am Holy Eucharist Rite I, the Rev. Linda Kaufman preaches and presides.
9:15 "Spiritual Direction – What is it and what to expect?" by Susan Walker. Many people ask about the ancient and ever new practice of spiritual guidance. This will be an opportunity to de-mystify the subject. Our discussion will be based on a brief article by Thomas Hart, “What to Expect in Christian Spiritual Direction” and my own experience as both seeker/directee and companion/director. For anyone interested in reading the article ahead of the forum, please email Susan and she will provide the reading: ˂susankwalker2@gmail.com˃.
10:10am Sharing the Gospel with Loaves and Fishes.
10:30am Funny Hat Sunday. Holy Eucharistic Rite II, the Rev. Linda Kaufman preaches and presides.
5:30pm Spanish Eucharist. Preaches and presides the Rev. Sam Dessórdi Leite.
Gleaning together for Loaves and Fishes
The Columbia Heights Farmers Market resumes Saturday, April 20 and offers us another opportunity to glean for fresh fruits and vegetables for our guests at Loaves and Fishes. If you are interested in helping pick up the produce on Saturday afternoons (arriving around 12:30pm and delivering boxes to SSI afterwards), please contact Donald Debevois at ˂donalddebe@gmail.com˃ or Michele Lewis-Muzzatti at ˂mlewis0513@aol.com˃. This program runs every Saturday until early December.
Sunday April 28 – Second Sunday of Easter (or Silly Hats Sunday!)
Several churches in our days have renewed the tradition of sharing funny stories, blowing bubbles and wearing silly hats on Sunday in observance of an old Easter custom called ‘risus paschalis’, Latin for the ‘Easter laugh’. Too often people live Lent with intensity but after Easter Day leave behind the joy of the Good News of the Resurrection. Silly Hats Sunday is commonly celebrated on the Second Sunday of Easter as a reminder that the season of Joy and Life continues until the Feast of Pentecost.
Saint Stephen´s Welcome Class
Are you new to Saint Stephen's or have you been here awhile and are interested in a deeper exploration of the Episcopal/Anglican tradition, Saint Stephen's history, liturgical and spiritual practices, and ways of living into your faith? Join us for the six-session Welcome Class, on Thursday evenings from May 9 through June 13. Classes meet from 7- 8:30pm in the Godly Play room off of the auditorium. Contact Elizabeth Finley at ˂ebfinley@verizon.netor˃ or Laura Moye at ˂soymoye@yahoo.com˃ to sign-up for the class. If you have questions, contact Elizabeth, Laura or Father Sam at ˂samdessordi@yahoo.co.uk˃
Annual meeting and vestry nominations
This year´s Annual Meeting will be Saturday, May 18 at 5:30pm, with a dinner to follow. At the Annual Meeting, we will discuss the business of the parish and elect vestry members.
The nominating committee is pleased to present the following candidates for the vestry:
Senior Warden - Brede Eschliman
Junior Warden - Michele Lewis-Muzzatti
Clerk - Liane Rozzell
Vestry member (filling an open 1-year term) - Cosby Hunt
Vestry member (3 year term) - Adan Luna
Vestry member (3 year term) - Colette Chabbott
Vestry member (3 year term) - Sarah Rogers
Please mark your calendar!
Sign-up for a small group
It's that time again. For those who haven't been a part of them before: Small groups are an opportunity for St. Stephen's folk, both longtime parishioners and newcomers, to get to know each other's lives and spiritual journeys. We meet every other week in parishioners' homes, to share a meal, informal discussion of some Christian spiritual reading, and prayer.
Groups will start in mid-to-late April and go through early-to-mid July. All four groups are intergenerational.
Monday nights, My Life with the Saints, by James Martin, SJ (led by Nicole Martinez Moore & Ted Lynch).
Tuesday nights, the week's scripture lessons from the lectionary (led by Lindsey Foss & Michele Lewis).
Wednesday nights, The Cross and the Lynching Tree, by James H Cone (led by Gay Gellhorn & Adam Smith).
Wednesday nights, Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I've Loved, by Kate Bowler (led by Betsy Shirley & Michael Sherrard).
Please note that everyone is expected to:
1) Show up consistently. Some conflicts are unavoidable, but since our goal is to build community and relationships, please don't sign up unless you expect to participate the majority of the time.
2) Share in providing food, including bringing a main dish at least once.
You can sign-up at http://tinyurl.com/yy8hmf6c
Sunday Forums
Sunday forums are about sharing your interests, your work, your passions with the parish. Forums are a means for building community as we get to know one another and learn and grow in our faith. Please consider how you might offer a Sunday forum this year. Contact Susan Walker at ˂susanwalker2@gmail.com˃. Next forums are:
May 5: "Christ beside me, Christ behind me, Christ beneath me, Christ within me. . .Etc!", by Martin Smith. In the ancient Celtic prayer St Patrick’s Breastplate (which we sing as the hymn “I bind unto myself today”) one verse spells out the various forms in which Christ is present to us. In our forum we will explore the physical metaphors through which we imagine presence. Each form of presence has quite different expectations and feelings associated with it, and each one suggests a distinct way of allowing Christ to connect with us in prayer. We will outline some prayer experiments to “try at home”.
