Warbles from your Senior Warden
 

It's almost May. May and June are big milestone months. Graduations, weddings, vacations... I get to go to Phoenix and celebrate Jonah's graduation from high school! Time flies and milestones are markers of the time that has fled.
 
But don't be sad or dismayed. I remember Jonah as a baby and a toddler, but I embrace the fact that he is growing into a wonderful young man. I am so proud of him and all that he has accomplished.
 
How do you think Jesus felt as he achieved milestones in his ministry? Did he watch the disciples as they grew in ministry with pride or with humor or with dismay? In Bible Study we are reading about the disciples and hearing some of the backstory of their lives as well as what happened to them after the first Easter and what they did with their lives. If Jesus was not proud of them just prior to his crucifixion, I bet he was smiling on them as they spread the word afterwards.
 
Sometimes the disciples went off of the path, but they came around and served. What milestones do we have ahead of us at St. Stephen's? There are still plans - working ever so slowly - for a permanent labyrinth and enhanced field (lighting, trees, benches, etc) What are your dreams for St. Stephen's? What would you like to see - either activities or enhancements? Please share your ideas with the vestry. Let's create some goals that we can look back on in the near future.
 
Our City Forest is working with the City of San Jose and they are planting new trees all along Santa Teresa. We will get 4 or 5 trees planted on our hillside by the sidewalk. This is all from grant money awarded to the City. Wait - I can hear some of you gasping - who will maintain, will our sign still be visible, etc. Our City Forest will maintain the trees for the first 3 full years! Yes - they are planning on where to plant the trees to make sure that our sign is still visible. What a gift!
 
May this gift be an inspiration to all of us. Let me know if you would like to help/observe Our City Forest in action when they plant our new trees. I am excited that our property is included in this plan. And since there are no electrical or power lines in the hillside location, we can have some really beautiful trees planted there.
 
Enjoy the milestones your family may be celebrating in the coming months. Let them inspire you.
 
Blessings,
Edy
Sunday Services: April 29, Fifth  Sunday of Easter           
 
                                       
  
                           
                8 am   Holy Eucharist 
              10  am   Holy Eucharist 
                            Nursery Care
                            Sunday School
 
              PLEASE JOIN US !!

 
 
Server Schedule for Sunday, April 29 & May 6 , 2018
(click above to access Server Schedule)  

May is vacation time for our clergy!
 
Just so you know:

Robin will be serving the Bishop this coming Sunday (April 29).

Ernie is on vacation from May 4 - May 18 so we will have The Rev. Karen Cuffie in for supply on May 6  and we will have Morning Prayer on May 13 (you can get out a little early for your Mother's Day Brunch!)

Robin will be on vacation and not in church with us on May 13 and May 20.

Have fun and gets lots of rest!! We will miss you.


Santa Maria Urban Ministry  

The next trip will be May 5th. Please plan to join us then.

Also, please remember to bring socks to donate to Santa Maria. Homeless folks badly need socks!

                                                                        -- Janet Thorsrud
    
Lent Madness 2019 Nominations

Nominationtide has arrived!
 
The Supreme Executive Committee of Lent Madness wishes everyone a most blessed season of Nominationtide! For the next week, we will  accept saintly nominations for Lent Madness 2019.  This holy season will run from Monday, April 23, at 8:00 am Eastern Time and conclude on Monday, April 30 at 8:00 am.

As we highlighted in a recent post, there are several Pharisaic rules and regulations in place to successfully nominate a saint. For easy reference, we are reprinting them here:
  1. The nominee must, in fact, be dead.
  2. The nominee must be on the official calendar of saintly commemorations of some church.
  3. We will accept only one nominee per person.*
  4. You must tell us WHY you are nominating the one person that you enter.*
  5. Your deceased pet, as wonderful as she or he may have been, is not eligible.
  6. The ONLY way to nominate a saint will be to leave a comment on this post.
  7. That means comments left on Facebook or Twitter don't count.
  8. Scott and Tim may or may not be open to bribes.
* This is a new guideline as the SEC has received huge lists from individuals in the past.

    
Museum Field Trip
The museum trip on April 20 th has been changed. It's now going to be on Friday May 25 th . We are going to Carmel to see an exhibit of Eyvind Earle's works. Take a look at the website.  www.gallery21.com
We will leave the church at 10 and will try to be back around 3pm.
                                                                                      -- Janet Thorsrud
Save the date: May 19
th
This is the day of the send off brunch for Julie and Logan before they head off to Arizona. It will be a drop in when you can.
Stay as long as you like between the hours of 10 till 2. The brunch will be at Janet Thorsrud's house. The  address is 198 Giddings Ct.

Continued Pastoral Care Need
Our good friend and St. Stephen's family member Jim Glancey could use your support. He has gangrene and is in a lot of pain. He is at home and would welcome a phone call, visit, or card. We have offered to provide a few meals and Jim will let Dottie Chin know what meals would be best. If you are interested in providing a meal, please contact Dottie Chin.
Bible Study at St. Stephen's
by Edy Unthank

Ou r next bible study session will be "Meet the Disciples." Why did Jesus choose the 12? What did he see in them specifically? He did not invite 2 or 3. He did not invite 150 - he invited these specific 12 men. 


Join us for our next meeting on Tuesday May 1 at 10:00 AM at the church. 

What can you teach?
There is an effort to reach out to the St. Stephen's community by offering a summer camp this year. The plan is to offer enrichment sessions to children from the ages of 5 to 12.  Please tell us if you have a passion to teach any art or crafts, sing, music, sports, building, or helping kinders to improve their reading, cooking, stand on your head and rub your tummy.....ok maybe not that one, but you get the idea.
We are looking for teachers and helpers.  Let Ann Little, Monica Moniz or Janet Thorsrud know if you are interested.  We are in the plansning stage now and need to wrap it up soon.  Reach out to us and let us know. 

St. Stephen's in-the-Field Episcopal Church
7269 Santa Teresa Blvd; San Jose, CA 95139
www.ssitf.org    office@ssitf.org 
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