May 5th, 2017
THE MESSENGER
News from St. Stephen's Episcopal Church

Welcome to St. Stephen's Messenger! This is a resource for you to stay connected with what God is inviting us to be part of in our church community, our neighborhoods, and our Diocese. There are handy contacts, calendar information, links with further information, and various articles throughout the month for you to receive relevant information each week. We look forward to seeing you at church and in the world!
~The Rev. Danae Ashley, Priest-in-Charge
Quick Links and Other Information
St. Stephen's Website St. Stephen's Calendar St. Stephen's Staff
Stewardship Episcopal News Service Contact Us
Our Presiding Bishop Bishop's Blog Episcopal Relief & Develop.
Submit Bulletin Articles Submit E-Messenger Articles Ask The Vestry
Volunteer for Teen Feed Prayer Requests (Prayer Chain)
If you have Prayer Request, send an e-mail to the link above or call Betsey Blossey
at 206-707-8374.
St. Stephen's Office Hours:
We are open Tuesdays through Thursdays 9AM - 11:30AM and 1PM - 5PM
Annual Parish Event listing
CURRENT VESTRY
 
Nancy Ellison, Senior Warden                      Anne Adams, Junior Warden
Monty McGovern, Treasurer                         Mary Montgomery, Clerk
Will Glueck                                                     Charlie Kahle
Debby Kearnes                                               Bill Montgomery
Diane Stipp
Calendar for the Week of May 7th , 2017
Maintenance and Repair Job Ticket Book
 
 
A maintenance and repair job ticket binder will be placed in the narthex in order to help track ongoing repairs and maintenance. If you happen to notice a maintenance item (something broken or in need of attention by the Junior Warden), please note the item on a job ticket (with date). This will be a great help in taking care of our wonderful facilities.
 
Thank you!  

Musings of Mother Danae
 

MAY 2017
 
A soldier asked Abba Mius if God accepted repentance.
After the old man had taught him many things, he said to the soldier, "Tell me, my dear, if your cloak is torn do you throw it away?"
The soldier replied, "No. I mend it and use it again."
The old man said to him, "If you are so careful about your cloak, will not God be equally careful about his creature?" -From the Desert Fathers.
 
            We come from a great tradition of caring: God caring for us and us caring for each other and the world. On May 1st, a little girl from the pre-school in our building brought the office May Day flowers-a sweet gesture of caring to strange adults she's only seen in passing around the building. Receiving this unexpected gift reminded me of the ways that God cares for us when we feel like we deserve it, but especially when we do not. The delight in receiving care, even in the smallest of ways, feeds the soul hope that there is more to life than where we might be in an ordinary moment. Caring transforms the ordinary into extraordinary, doesn't it? How we mend ourselves and each other through gestures of helping born from knowing God's care is a miracle and a sacrament (with a small 's') in daily life.

            Through the decades, St. Stephen's has been a place where people have come when they needed a tangible sign of God's care. Through the human touch in worship, a myriad of ministries, and gathering to create community, they have received the blessing of our caring God. While care is received within these walls, we also know that we have the pleasure and responsibility to share God's love well beyond them. In fact, one of the reasons that pagans were attracted to the early Christian communities was because they observed how Christians treated each other and those around them-with the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This is still our mission today. Trends come and go, the world has made huge advancements in science and technology, we have more information at our fingertips than ever before, and still, people haven't changed. We need each other and we need to know the God that loves us.

             On May 31st, we are celebrating 75 years of gathering in our Chapel to be transformed and sent out to spread God's love to our neighbors. The Chapel's first service was held on Easter Day 1942, in the midst of World War II and much uncertainty. At that time, we had been a faithful community since 1920, coming out of another tumultuous time-World War I-as well as going through the Great Depression. A newspaper article from 1942 stated that St. Stephen's "was to be 'a community center for the entire Laurelhurst district'" (Veblen, 1992). What a mission for our church! What a call for us to be God's caring hands for all of Laurelhurst and, in our own uncertain times, this still is our call. I pray that you will join us for the celebration and be renewed in the mission to be Jesus' hands and feet in this world!

~Be peace, be light, be love! Mo. Danae+
 

Blast from the Past!
This month, we're going to share with you some historical documentation about our parish. Did you know that we have a wonderful Diocesan Archivist, Diane Wells? She gave us this information in preparation for the Chapel's 75th anniversary. We will share a new tidbit each week that we hope you will enjoy!
 
From the Journal of the Diocese of Olympia, 1921
At Laurelhurst a Sunday school has been established [1920] by Mr. A.J. Quigley, and occasional church services are also being held by clergymen from Seattle parishes; it was my privilege to conduct a Thanksgiving service one Sunday afternoon in November at Laurelhurst, at which a large and appreciative congregation was present.
 

Preaching/Presiding Schedule
 
May 7
Presider: The Rev. Carla Robinson
Preacher: The Rev. Carla Robinson
 
May 14
Presider: The Rev. Danae Ashley
Preacher: The Rev. Danae Ashley
 
May 21
Presider: The Rev. Lucas Mix
Preacher: The Rev. Lucas Mix
 
May 28
Presider: The Rev. Danae Ashley
Preacher: The Rev. Danae Ashley

Pastoral Update: The Rev. Guy Sherman

The Rev. Guy Sherman was back at home on Monday evening after feeling faint and having unexplained pain on Sunday at the end of the 10:30 service. He spent the night at Swedish, Cherry Hill, and tests were inconclusive. He is feeling just fine now and will follow up with his doctors. Fr. Sherman appreciates the concern and care St. Stephen's gave him and is looking forward to being back with us again on June 25th. 

Musical Theater Camp


St. Stephen's Episcopal Church is offering the inaugural season of summer theater in what we hope will be many more. We invite your teens to experience an ecumenical musical theater camp this summer.
 
Godspell is a musical based on the Gospel According to Saint Matthew, and originally opened off Broadway in 1971.
 
Rehearsals will be at St Stephen's Church weekdays July 31-August 18 (10am to 1pm) with performances August 19 & 20. 
 
Auditions for solo parts will be held in June. Tuition is $200 and the camp is open to youth ages 13-17 regardless of church affiliation.
 
To pay on-line go to:
 
     

Adult Forum Schedule

   
May
7
Community Time
 
 
14
Listening to Our Neighbors' Stories: Faith Community Visit Group 4
 
 
21
Chance and God
The Rev. Lucas Mix
 
28
No Forum                 (Memorial Day Weekend)
 

Caring in the Community Opportunity: Ride to Church Needed!
 
 
 
We have a parishioner who lives near the church on 43rd Avenue NE and needs a ride each week to the 10:30 service. If you would be willing to be put on a rotating schedule to provide a ride, please contact Mo. Danae: revdanae@ststephens-seattle.org, 206.522.7144 ext. 302, or talk to me at church. Please do so as soon as possible so we can create a schedule.


Do You or Someone You Know Need a Visit from a Lay Eucharistic Visitor?
 
St. Stephen's is in the final stages of getting a Lay Eucharistic Visitor (LEV) team together and we are compiling a list of those who are homebound that cannot make it to church and would appreciate a visit with or without communion. One of our LEVs will have a service dog, so please let us know if it is acceptable for a service dog to come to your home. LEVs will begin a visit rotation beginning in June. Please contact Mo. Danae if you or someone you know would appreciate being on the LEV rotation: revdanae@ststephens-seattle.org or 206.522.7144 ext. 302.

75th Chapel Anniversary Celebration

Chapel Entry
 
St. Stephen's Chapel Celebrates 75 Years!
May 31, 2017 @ 7:00 PM
The Rt. Rev. Greg Rickel, Bishop of the Diocese of Olympia, Presiding
 
St. Stephen's Chapel celebrates 75 years of gathering community to be transformed and sent out to share God's love. Come celebrate with us! A joyful communion service will begin at 7:00 pm, followed by a reception where items of the history of the Chapel will be on display. Our Chapel has been part of many weddings, baptisms, confirmations, funerals, and other special spiritual formation, and we hope to see old friends and new at the celebration!
Helping our Neighbors
 
More families continue to move into the newly renovated supported housing at Sand Point. Your donations of pillows and blankets, kitchen and bath furnishings continue to give them much needed support - a volume that required 7 deliveries! We have also made 2 deliveries each to Chaplains on the Harbor and to Operation Nightwatch as well as 4 to The Elizabeth Gregory Home. You are making a big difference with your generosity! Thank you, thank you!!
The Food Drive continues. Since September we have donated over 1100 pounds to North Helpline Food Bank Lake City, almost 300 pounds to the Cherry Street Food Bank and now 280 to the University District Food Bank. As summer approaches, remember peanut butter and other easy sandwich spreads plus Mac & Cheese are favorites of kids home during the summer who used to get a free lunch during the school year.
Lists of who we support and what they need are in the main Narthex. Questions? Give me a call at 206.522.1501.   Thanks, all!    
Jack Irby
Outreach Team
 
Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13.



 


 
 












April delivery of donations to (Elizabeth Gregory Home)                                                              (Operation Nightwatch)




(Sand Point Housing)
Help Children in Need
 
baby-blocks2.jpgCan you help?  
Open Arms Perinatal Services urgently need disposable diapers in all sizes. 
Please help us to meet this need.
 
Our speaker at our March 9th ECW meeting was Dila Perera the Executive Director of Open Arms. She shared with us stories of the women that they serve. Open Arms serves over 200 pregnant women and their infants each year by offering perinatal and early parenting support services to meet the unique needs of each family through highly qualified, culturally versatile doulas. The unique award-winning programs include everything from baby supplies to doula support in 17 different languages. All clients are low-income, 75% are women of color, 53% are refugees or immigrants and 5% are homeless. 
 
Dila also shared how we can help. There is an urgent need for disposable diapers in all sizes. The diaper packages can even be open if you have a child or grandchild that has outgrown a size. Please help us fill the red bins with diapers for our neighbors in need.    


Men's Breakfast
The upcoming Men's potluck breakfast is Wednesday May 8th at 8 am in the Parish Hall Kitchen.
Book Group Meeting
 
Our next book will be "Crooked Heart" by Lisa Evans. It is a novel about a 10 yr old boy evacuated from London during WW2, and his experiences in the country.
We will meet Monday May 8, at 7 PM at the home of Marilyn Anderson at 4712 46th Ave. NE.

Stewardship Update
Update on 2016 Stewardship Campaign

As of April 5th we have $239,705.90 in pledges, or roughly 72% of our target of $335,000.  Stewardship is particularly important this year as are in the midst of preparing a budget that we hope can support a new fulltime rector.  Many thanks to those who have submitted their pledges.  Please, if you have not done so, submit your pledge as soon as possible.  We have fewer pledgers than we did at this point last year and EVERY pledge helps, no matter how small!  Send an email to our accountant Neil at
neil@ststephens-seattle.org or call the office at 522-7144.  Blessings on all of you.

Monty McGovern, Stewardship Chair

Community Happenings / Across the Diocese
For More information about Across the Diocese events please click HERE.   



Cathedral Day

St. Mark's Cathedral, Seattle | May 13, 10:00am - 3:00pm | FREE
Come for a special service of diocesan confirmations, stay for afternoon of fun games and activities for all ages.  Lunch provided by food trucks.  New this year:  Selfie Station with the Bishop!  Register today!

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Episcopal Community Action and GiveBig 2017!

May 10, 2017
Please mark your calendar for the May 10, 2017 day of giving to benefit Episcopal Community Action. ECA gives funds to assist ministries that help us live out our mission of being Christ to our world. Please plan to support these ministries through the GiveBig 2017 day of giving. Join together with me in making a difference in the lives of all the people that are touched by the 26 different ministries supported by ECA. For more information please email the office of Stewardship and Development at stewardship@ecww.org or call (206) 325-4200 ext. 2041.

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Crisis Intervention Training

St. Paul, Mt. Vernon | May 20, 9:00am - 1:00pm | $10
Learn strategies for safe, compassionate, positive, and helpful responses to difficult situations.
This training addresses effective ways to approach and respond to people in crisis, particular those suffering from mental illness and drug abuse.
Renee Balodis-Cox, a certified trainer in Edgework methodology, will teach effective ways to approach and respond to those in crisis, particularly those suffering from mental illness and drug abuse. You will learn strategies for safe, positive, and helpful responses to situations that can be dangerous. We hope the training gives you more confidence and compassion in dealing with those in crisis.
Light refreshments provided.

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Choir School Summer Camp
Saint Mark's Cathedral, Seattle | July 10-14 | $250 Tuition (Scholarships Available)
Saint Mark's welcomes all boys and girls from rising 3rd grade - 8th grade who are interested in singing music of the Christian faith in the striking cathedral setting, while growing as musicians and children of God. Camp activities include: joyful singing of glorious music; daily guests specializing in art, drumming, and composition; field trips and outdoor activities; visual art projects; organ demonstration and piano/organ lessons; daily sung Morning Prayer; a closing Evensong service and Sunday morning service in the Cathedral.

First Sunday's Soup and Service

St. Andrew's House Retreat and Conference Center, Union | First Sundays, 6:00pm
Join St. Andrew's House on the first Sunday of every month for a soup dinner, followed by evening prayer.

Birthdays and Anniversaries
balloons.jpg
May Birthdays:

Betty Blossey, David Griffin, Laurel Percy, Katie Romoser.

May Anniversaries:

The Baylors.

If you would like your birthday or anniversary shown in the Messenger, please contact Neil Munson at neil@ststephens-seattle.org or call the office at (206) 522-7144 Ex. 300.
Weekly Prayer and Reading
For Sunday May 7th, The 4th Sunday of Easter.
 
O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.



  • Acts 2:42-47 
  • 1 Peter 2:19-25 
  • John 10:1-10 
  • Psalm 23