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St. Stephen's in-the-Fi
eld Episcopal Church
FRIDAY JOURNAL
April 20
, 2018
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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.
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As we move from the wonder and awe of the Resurrection to the exuberance of Pentecost, I have been pondering the nature of the church itself. This is because I am reading a marvelous book called Becoming a Blessed Church: forming a church of spiritual purpose, presence, and power, by N. Graham Standish. As I turn the pages I find myself both exhilarated and challenged.
One the one hand, as Standish says, "too many churches focus only on function, on doing the activities of church, and not on the fact that at their heart churches are meant to be spiritual communities in which people form a relationship with and experience God." These churches never get around to addressing what Standish describes as the "more basic issues: What is God saying to me through the Scripture about how to live my life? What is God saying to me about what God is doing in my life, especially in the face of my suffering? How is God calling me to love others and to reach out to those who are suffering, both near and throughout the world, and who are in need of God's love as well as mine?"
The alternative to this negative view of church is a church empowered and inspired by the Holy Spirit, one that looks for God's guidance in all things, and recognizes God's hand at work in our lives. God's hand is there whenever we reach out to help another, whenever we experience a moment of peace, gratitude, or clarity of purpose. It is there whenever we decide to turn to God for direction, consolation, or strength. It is there when we pray or when we call out to God in either joy or sorrow. It is there whenever we simply recognize that it has been there all along. Once we begin to do such things, evidence of God in our lives begins to appear everywhere. Even our deepest longing for God is evidence of God's presence! It is the churches that follow this course and encourage their members to do the same, Standish says, that grow in the spirit - and very often grow in numbers too. This is what he calls "the Blessed Church."
What strikes me as I read is how much St. Stephen's is a Blessed Church. I believe that we really do recognize the many ways that God is present in our lives, present in our worship, present in our community, and present in our relationships. This is a beautiful thing to see. It was probably most apparent to me during that lovely incident which I referred to in a sermon a few weeks back that occurred several weeks ago when a homeless woman came to our service and was invited to come forward for prayers of healing. As she knelt at the altar, the entire congregation reached out to lay hands on her, and the dear woman began to cry. How long had it been since she had been touched with such love, such respect? How long had it been since she had experienced herself as a beloved child of God? We gave her that, and in doing so, we blessed her - and in the process blessed ourselves too.
Truly, St. Stephen is a "Blessed Church." I feel honored to be part of it.
Peace and grace
Ernie+
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Sunday Services: April 22, Fouth
Sunday of Easter
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8 am Holy Eucharist
10
am Holy Eucharist
Nursery Care
Sunday School
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Santa Maria Urban
Ministry
There will NOT be a trip to SMUM this week. Susan broke her arm and is recovering from surgery, and
Ann and I already had plans.
The next trip will be May 5th. Please plan to join us then.
-- Janet Thorsrud
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We made $103 on Gift Card orders this past week. Great job everyone!
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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
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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.
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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.
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Sr Elaine Coutu came to St Stephen's on Feb 18 to tell us about "Get on the Bus", a program which "brings children and their caregivers from throughout the State of California to visit their mothers and fathers in prison." In past years, St Stephen's has helped "Get on the Bus" by donating backpack materials for the children's bus trips to the prisons. This year "Get on the Bus" has determined that they will only accept financial donations.
Please consider making a financial donation to this important program. Continual contact with families helps to lower the recidivism rate of those who are incarcerated. If you wish to make a donation, please either make a check out to St Stephen's with "Get on the Bus" in the memo line, or make your check directly to "Get on the Bus". We will gather checks throughout April and then forward all checks to Sr Elaine.
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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 April 24 at 10:00 AM at the church.
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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.
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St. Stephen's in-the-Field Episcopal Church
7269 Santa Teresa Blvd; San Jose, CA 95139
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