Week of 2.3.20
Wednesday, February 5
7:30pm Taizé Service in the church.
Thursday, February 6
7:30pm Choir Rehearsal in the Auditorium.
Sunday, February 9
8am Holy Eucharist Rite I, The Rev. Sam Dessórdi Leite presides and preaches.
9:15am Forum: The Rev. Kevin Feltz presents, The Non-Canonical Gospels. Please see below for the description.
10:10am Sharing the Gospel with Loaves and Fishes.
10:30am Holy Eucharist Rite II, The Rev. Sam Dessórdi Leite presides and preaches.
5:30pm Misa Alegría (Spanish language liturgy). The Rev. Sam Dessórdi Leite preaches and presides.
Upcoming Forums
February 16 – Kevin Feltz presents, The Non-Canonical Gospels. There are multiple ancient documents that relate stories of Jesus, such as the Gospel of Peter and the Gospel of Thomas. We will review a few, share some readings, and discuss why they were not included in the Biblical Canon.
Celebrate with the The PanTones
On Sunday, February 23, the last Sunday before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, we will celebrate Epiphany, the season of light and mission, with a visit from The PanTones. This local steel drum group, including our own Falan Yinug, Michele Lewis, and Luciano Muzzatti, will play as part of the 10:30 service, adding to the festive flavor with their unique sound and rhythm. They have played before, and we are glad to have them back. Come to worship with them, stay after for a festive coffee hour with more music, and, if you need still more, there is a workshop with the group after the service! Please contact Falan Yinug <fyinug@yahoo.com> or 202-400-4926 for more details.
Name Tags
The name tag racks in the back of church have been cleaned and updated with new alpha-dividers. If you have a name tag, hopefully you can find it and store it more easily. If you would like a name tag (highly encouraged) add your name to the name tag request form anchored to the name tag rack with a pencil. New name tags will be placed on the table in front of the name tag racks-after which you can store your name tag in its right spot on the rack.
Dinner for late 30s / 40s / 50s - February 8
Come join fellow St. Stephen's folks in their late 30s, 40s, and 50s for a dinner on Saturday, February 8 at 6pm to build community among those of us in our middle years. Partners are welcome. Dinner will be at Falan and Louise Yinug's (1248 D St. NE). Please RSVP to Falan fyinug@yahoo.com or 202-400-4926.
Nuevo Amanecer – May 12-15, 2020.
Supporting ministry within the Latino/Hispanic Community
The National Office of Latino/Hispanic Ministries and Kanuga Center partner in offering the biannual Nuevo Amanecer conference for those who are already involved in Latino Ministry as well as those that are interested in becoming involved. The conference brings together many successful and dynamic leaders involved in Latino Ministries; offers workshops that provide training that can be implemented in any parish; as well as keynote addresses that promise to inspire everyone. The conference is offered bilingually through simultaneous interpretation so that no one is left out and nothing is repeated. 2020 Keynotes speakers are: The Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry, The Rev. Canon Anthony Guillén, The Rt. Rev. José Antonio McLoughlin, Ana Victoria Lantigua Zaya and Damaris De Jesus Carrasquillo, Ph.D.
Registration and discounts here: <http://bit.ly/397FMMI>
Support Immigrants Facing Deportation
St. Stephen's is a Sanctuary church and a member of the Congregation Action Network, which supports immigrants in DC, and the Washington Interfaith Network, which advocates for community issues like affordable housing and support for immigrants.
CAN and WIN are working together to increase support for immigrants facing deportation. Last year, we got the city to set aside a $2.5 million legal fund for immigrants. This year, we are going further in asking the mayor to:
Increase the legal services fund from $2.5M to $5M
Change the grants from one-year to multi-year so that legal aid nonprofits can better hire and retain lawyers
Make sure DC residents detained by ICE can access representation
Our success last year was due in large part to showing up at the mayor's budget forums. Please come out again this year - it requires no preparation, it's low pressure, and the impact is huge.
Tuesday, February 18, 6:30pm, Edgewood Recreation Center, 301 Franklin Street, NE
Thursday, February 20, 6:30pm, UDC Student Center, 4200 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Saturday, February 22, 11:00am, Kenilworth Recreation Center, 4321 Ord Street, NE
Reach out to Sandra Moore <sandraelizabethmoore@gmail.com> if you can come so we can get a good headcount and figure out rides.
Success! Stopping Coordination between DC Jail and ICE
Last December, many of you wrote letters advocating for an end to cooperation between jails/local law enforcement and ICE. Previously, DC jail would hand over undocumented immigrants to ICE for deportation, in violation of DC's stated commitment to being a sanctuary city. The law was passed and word coming from people who have been in DC jail is that cooperation has in fact ended! The next step is to make the temporary bill permanent. The hearing will be on March 12, more details to come.
