St. Stephen's in-the-Field Episcopal Church

FRIDAY JOURNAL January 11th, 2019

Warbles from your Senior Warden

Last Sunday was Epiphany.  It was so much fun to share lunch and Epiphany cake with everyone!  One of the highlights of the service was the gift of stars. Karen laid out stars on a table and we were all asked to pick one.  On the reverse side was a word - a word for us to ponder for the future. The star I picked for St. Stephen's had the word truth on the back.  Truth - we need to be honest with ourselves and really consider what St. Stephen's purpose is in our relationship with the community and the world. My personal star had the word wonder.  I love the concept of wonder and so far it has really impacted me in so many ways.  When I received a diagnosis in July that was difficult for me to even rationalize, this St. Stephen's family really stepped up.  Prayers and support overflowed - and continues to overflow today. It sometimes has me filled with wonder at my great fortune to be a part of this community. I cannot write about wonder without mentioning Calvin and Ella.  Calvin is now 4 ½ and he learns things at such an amazing rate. Yesterday we played Dino-opoly, a game he received for Christmas.  He corrects my pronunciation of the dinosaur names and is so fully engaged in the facts. We have great conversations and I am amazed (and full of wonder) at all of the details that fill his head and excite him.  It is truly a wonderful thing. Ella is now 4 months old.  She has learned how to do raspberries!  She gets a twinkle in her eye, sticks out that little tongue and blows!  Somehow she is so proud and excited that she has learned this new trick. She is more aware of her surroundings every day and just drinks it all in.  We are all so wonderfully made and it is more evident as we observe babies and their fast learning curve than at any other time in our lives. What was on your star?  If you did not pick up a star, they are still available.  It is a great exercise in self-exploration and wonderful food for thought.  I welcome a discussion to ponder your word and what it could mean to you personally and to you in relation to St. Stephen's.  I welcome a discussion about the word truth and how taking that word seriously could maybe change our course. This Sunday at coffee hour we will discuss our next Hearts and Hands Sunday.  We will pick a day and pick projects. I loved the manna bags and hope we can do that again.  But that is up to the entire congregation. It was also fun to walk the neighborhood and meet some of our neighbors.  Last time we had an invitation to offer. What would we offer this time? The Sunday after that we will have our annual meeting.  This is sort of like a state of the union for our congregation.  I hope you can be there to listen and vote. Maybe you would like to run for an open position.  Maybe you would like to ask a question or two. The meeting is held immediately after the 10am service - just time to grab some coffee and a donut - and does not take more than an hour or so.  It is vital to our congregation to get input and to make sure that everyone understands what we are doing as a community. You fill me with wonder and awe every day.  There is so much that we can do to impact the world outside of our doors.  We can reach out with love and compassion to those in need. We can comfort those who suffer and celebrate the many gifts that life gives us every day.  We can be the light of the world to many and pass along hope and love to all. Many blessings dear family, Edy

• Sunday, January 13, 2019
  , we will have a parish wide coffee hour to decide on our projects, and project coordinators.
• Please come with your ideas!  It takes a village - we need everyone's input.
• Please consider and pray about how you would like to participate.
• Sunday, March, 24, 2019, Hearts & Hands Sunday (one service).

Annual Meeting!

 

Serving on the Vestry

 

  

The Communications Guild

The Communications Guild had its second meeting this Wednesday. We reviewed the Saint Stephens in-the-Field website with Rev. Karen and Deacon Robin and made a few changes and improvements right away. (Can you spot them?) We've generated a list of action items and will begin meeting regularly to incrementally improve the website. We also would like input from the community on what you use the website for, how you would like to improve it, and any other communications needs that you think you'd like Saint Stephens to focus on improving.

- Anthony Francis