St. Stephen's in-the-Field Episcopal Church
FRIDAY JOURNAL June 12th, 2020
|
|
|
We the people of Saint Stephen's in-the Field
Seek to know Christ, to share Christ, and to serve Christ,
recognizing his presence in all people, and reaching out in love
to each other and to the world around us.
|
|
Sunday Services: June 14th, 2020
|
|
|
|
The 10:00 service will be via video on our website Sunday morning at 10:00
|
|
|
Reflections from your Sr. Warden
The other day, I went out for a walk around my neighborhood. I haven’t been very dedicated about walking lately. I haven’t been very good about getting into a routine. My days revolve around an 18 week old puppy. So, his routine is my routine and it is a little chaotic at times. Which is all the more reason to get out and walk! He has just finished all his shots, so now I can begin to take him with me. I love being outside. It calms me and I enjoy looking at people’s front gardens and hearing the sounds of life around me. People I passed all said hello and waved. We were all trying to make a connection with each other, which can be difficult in these times of social distancing. It actually made me a little sad for a moment, wishing for things to return to the way it used to be. Praying to God to hurry up and fix this! It is especially hard to remember that God works in his time, not mine.
But, as I think about it, one of the blessings of this time is a change in priorities. I am less concerned about how I look on the outside and more concerned about how I am on the inside. There has been time for reflection and prayer, to realize what is most important to me. What have I missed most? It is certainly not going to buy a new outfit or a new pair of shoes. It is the physical connection with my family and friends. It is the hugs and kisses, my two year old granddaughter’s head nestled on my shoulder. It is passing the peace at church, with hugs and handclasps.
It may never be that we are able to return to exactly the way it was before this virus appeared. In a lot of ways, I hope that we don’t. I hope that we will have become more compassionate, more accepting of our differences, more kind and loving towards all our fellow man. I pray that I am better than I was.
|
|
Sunday Worship
Our service this Sunday is Holy Eucharist at 10:00am. The service is posted on the website at 10:00am but is available any time after that.
We have new readers this week and new music. Come, let us worship together!
I encourage you to set aside a special place, light a candle, download the bulletin, and join us in worship by going to our St. Stephen’s website (
www.ssitf.org
) to view the video and download the bulletin.
I will also send a separate email with links to the bulletin and our virtual coffee hour in an email Saturday evening.
Special prayer requests to be added to our Sunday worship service can be sent to Rev. Karen or Dcn. Robin.
|
|
WEDNESDAY PRAYER SERVICE
Weekly Wednesday prayer group at 11:00am.
This is an opportunity to offer our prayers of thanksgivings, for healing for ourselves and others, and anything else on our hearts. Even if you don’t have a computer, you can join the Zoom meeting with your phone. The link will be on our website and in a reminder email Tuesday evening.
|
|
Keeping the conversations going. . .
Pastoral Conversation About Race Thursdays @ 4:30pm
The Revs Karen Cuffie and Jani Wild will lead pastoral conversations on racism. There will be a brief introduction to the focus of the session followed by discussion and prayers. Please join us, there is no better way to learn, process and share together than in a faith community. Next week there will be more breakout rooms to give more people a chance to talk.
Meeting ID: 835 7594 8022
Password: 748467
One tap mobile
+16699006833,,83575948022#,,1#,748467# US (San Jose
|
|
Re-entry Task Force
Dot Remson, Margo Westfall, Rob van der Molen, Eric Samson, and Jessica Dickinson Goodman have been working as our parish's Re-Entry Task Force, building a guide to how our community will continue to worship safely while there is no vaccine for COVID-19. They are following CDC, state, county, city, and the Bishop's guidance (
Pastoral Letter to the Diocese from Bishop Lucinda Ashby-English
– April 30, 2020 |
Pastoral Letter to the Diocese from Bishop Lucinda Ashby-Spanish
– April 30, 2020). The vestry will review the proposal, then the bishop will review it, and then the task force will be calling each member of the parish to go over how we can keep each other safe, as well as sharing a written plan by email. If you have any ideas you would like to share, please email the chair of the task force (
jessica.dickinson.goodman@gmail.com
). The vestry is reviewing the current draft at the June 11th meeting.
|
|
Vestry Update
The vestry met via Zoom on Thursday evening June 11. We held a fruitful discussion and shared personal stories regarding the current racial divide in our country. Rev. Karen will be leading weekly discussions on this topic each Thursday along with the Rev. Jani Wild of St. Andrews. In other business, the church’s finances continue to fare pretty well in spite of the pandemic and shut down. A big thank you to everyone who is keeping up with pledges!! The vestry discussed the possible necessity of not having a golf tournament or holding a very scaled back version, either of which would negatively impact SSITF’s revenues. However, with Karen’s salary and benefits now split with St. John’s Morgan Hill, the church will be better able to financially weather the storm. The final and most lengthy item of discussion centered around the Re-entry Task Force’s work to create a plan for us as we move into the different phases of re-entry. The final plan must have the bishop’s approval before being adopted. Stay tuned!
|
|
What’s a LOQUAT? Try them – they’re fresh and free!
Loquats
are a delicious fruit that taste like a combination of
mangos
and
peaches
. Their
sour
and
sweet
taste makes them perfect for using in
fruit salsa
.
We have an abundance that Jessica has harvested from our Community Garden and are very ready to eat Jessica is doing no-contact deliveries of shoe-boxed sized bunches this Sunday afternoon, so text her your addressat 650-804-9044 after the service. Please keep social distance and wear a mask if others are present.
Click on the picture for a delicious salsa recipe to try with your favorite chips or crackers!
|
|
Thanks to our readers last week!
|
|
|
|
Financial realities and how you can help . . .
|
Thank you to all who have continued to send in pledge checks! This has been extremely helpful. We rely on you to keep us current in paying our bills. If you haven’t yet, please mail your pledge checks or any other donations to the church office, or you can use the ‘Donate’ button on our website and pay with a credit card.
Thank you
very much!
|
|
Virtual Coffee Hour!
A few more people joined in our virtual coffee hour and it was great to see familiar faces. It would be so nice to see many more of you! There is no limit to the number of people. The link for Coffee Hour will be in a separate mailing with the bulletin! You are welcome to call me (Rev. Karen) before the meeting if you’re having trouble with the link.
|
|
Poem from the Garden
Have you ever knelt amidst seven foot tall
wildflowers that you grew from seed
and heard the bumblebees
eating their fill?
The trick about bumblebees is they are native to California
and therefore they prefer native flowers.
Most of the bees that you see are non-natives,
brought here for agricultural purposes,
who then escaped into the wild
where they bred and grew
and generally menaced-out the native bees.
But the native bumblebees are here
and they’re hungry
and when we plant things they want,
they will come.
And so I sat in the front bed of the new garden
and heard a rumble of bumblebees surrounding me.
It was hot work gardening in a mask and long sleeves,
the same long-sleeve grey National Park shirt
that I wore to protect myself from tear gas at city hall,
that I wear in the garden to protect myself from stray insect stings
and from sunburns (exceptionally white as I am).
And it’s for that necessary protection
against reasonable danger
that it makes sense to wear long sleeves,
both in a crowd of protesters and in a crowd of bumblebees.
But sensibility doesn’t stop it from being hot
so you have to move slower
and you have to have rest,
work together in the sun,
and feed yourself.
|
|
Food for thought:
June is LGBTQ Pride Month!
“Homosexuality was well known in the ancient world, well before Christ was born and Jesus never said a word about homosexuality. In all of his teachings about multiple things -– he never said that gay people should be condemned. I personally think it is very fine for gay people to be married in civil ceremonies.”
-Jimmy Carter
|
|
Kudos to:
-Re-entry Task Force
-Susan weeding center aisle in parking lot
-Janet for coordinating carpet cleaning
-Vestry for our meeting this week
-Sherrie for making extra masks
|
|
|
COVID-19 Fund established
In response to questions of how to give to the diocese following the Virtual Easter Service, a special Easter Offering has been established to support people in our diocese whose livelihoods have been impacted by shelter-at-home requirements. Donations can be made to the “Donate” web page at realepiscopal.org (
click here
). Choose "Bishop’s COVID-19 Fund" when making your online gift.
Or, mail checks to the diocesan offices at the address below. Please state “Bishop’s COVID-19 Fund” in the memo area of checks
Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real
PO Box 689
Salinas, CA 93902
Thank you for your support of those in need!
|
|
NEEDING PRAYER SUPPORT?
Prayer is one of those things we often think about, might feel inadequate about, believe in but might be unsure how to proceed. How we pray is sometimes unique to each of us. The Church provides help in many ways. If you find yourself in need, of any kind (emotional, physical, spiritual, guidance, etc) consider how St. Stephen's can support you:
* there is a prayer chain of committed pray-ers (who maintain confidentiality). Contact Robin, our Deacon, who will initiate that for you
* tell people about your answers to prayer! and the miracles you witness, or how prayer changes YOU.
|
|
Contact information for Rev. Karen:
|
Personal phone for emergencies or urgent matters: 408-781-1826
|
|
Contact information for Deacon Robin:
|
|
Editor's Note
Please send any announcements or articles you want to have included, to:
evan.bryan1@gmail.com
, by Thursday, 10am each week.
Evan Bryan
|
|
St. Stephen's in-the-Field Episcopal Church
7269 Santa Teresa Blvd; San Jose, CA 95139
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
