Beloved Community,

Holy and gracious God, you made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and we offer you thanks and praise for bringing us together this morning.

We thank you for the many diverse peoples and traditions you have gathered here. Open our eyes to see, our hearts to know, and our mouths to proclaim that our common humanity precedes our religious differences, and that our religious differences are the many and particular expressions of your universality.

Grant us inquiring minds, searching hearts, and curious spirits that we might deepen our own faith by learning of your ways from those who differ from us.  Open the borders of our hearts and minds, and guide us in the way of holy friendships, that we may learn to better love you, one another, and ourselves. 

We thank you for the gift of hospitality, for the food and drink of this morning and for those who prepared it. Bless this food and our time together that we might be nourished and strengthened in body and soul to do the work you give us to do; to love and serve all your people.

(The Rev. Michael K. Marsh)

There is so much in this prayer, it would take more time and space than this message allows.  So, for the moment I will share why this prayer resonated so deeply yesterday:

This is exactly why the Coalition of Religious Leaders was formed a little over a  year ago in response to a hate incident in the middle school and to the myriad incidents we read and hear about from all over the country.  The Coalition, a re-grouping of the (inactive) local clergy group, now includes clergy and lay people from the Jewish, Christian, Hindu, and Muslim communities.  All of us believe fully that we are "made of one blood" and we seek the kind of openness and awareness that will bring us together as we celebrate "the many and particular expressions of God's universality," a.k.a the ways in which we recognize God's image in all of God's people.  We're committed to spending time getting to know each other and building strong relationships.  The relationships in and of themselves are good and they mean we don't have to start from scratch should there be a need for us to respond to another incident.  (An aside: Did you know that active interfaith groups reduce the risk of hate crimes in a community?  I learned that the other day at an Interfaith Security Briefing with Homeland Security sponsored by Rep. Tom Malinowski.)

I could go on for a good long time expressing my excitement about all that this group is doing.  It is a privilege and an honor to serve as co-President with Rabbi Matthew Gewirtz this year.  Again, because this is not the right place to share all the news about the work we are doing (though ask me if you're interested), I will tell you that you will see, beginning with this issue, regular updates as well as invitations to join in interfaith events and events in the member communities that are open to all.  We'll post those in the "Special Invitations" section, as well as in the listing of events that follows, which will also be included in the service bulletin.  Keep an eye on the online Events Calendar because we'll soon be posting events there, too.

Peace & Blessings,

Paula+

Thank you to the 33 families/individuals who pledged their financial support of the parish.  We have a total commitment of $132,650, which is an increase of over $17,000 from last year.  This is good news because it means we can plan a balanced budget for 2020 that enables us to continue to do the work we have been doing.  This is great news because it means more people, including some folks who have not pledged recently, are expressing thanks to God for all the blessings of this life by committing to give in faith as we live our faith.

If you have pledged and would like envelopes, please let Doreen know if you did not note this on your pledge form.  If you haven't pledged but would like to do so, let us know.

We are grateful that some of you include year-end stock giving as part of your financial commitment to St. Stephen's.  Because of the way these gifts are received and managed, please alert Dave Van Houten ( bookkeeper@ststephensmillburn.org  or (973) 376-0699, ext. 33) to expect your gift.  This will ensure that it is accounted for properly.

JANUARY 1/24     5:30 pm       MLK Erev Shabbat Service at Congregation B'Nai Jeshurun 1/26     10 am           Youth Sunday 1/26     11:30 am     Reading with the Rector 1/26     12:30 pm     Harvest Festival at Christ Church in Short Hills 1/26     3 pm             Shall We Dance? Ballroom Dance Club 1/31-2/1                    Diocesan Convention FEBRUARY 2/2                              Souper Sunday, Food Barrel Collection 2/2        11:30 am     Reading with the Rector 2/2        3 pm             Shall We Dance? Ballroom Dance Club 2/5        12 Noon       First Wednesday Eucharist 2/7        9 am             Bakery Bible Hour at Congregation B'nai Jeshurun 2/9        10 am           St. Stephen's Annual Meeting (No 8 am service) 2/9        3 pm             Shall We Dance? Ballroom Dance Club 2/15      12 pm          Christine's Kitchen at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church 2/23      10 am          Youth Sunday (Camp Sunday, Special Guest) 2/23      4 pm            50th Anniversary Beckerath Organ Recital

Tithe.ly is a mobile-friendly app designed by a clergy person and used by thousands of congregations across the country.  With Tithe.ly, you can do one-time or recurring payments, as well as help with the nominal fee of using the service.  You can download the app from the App Store or Play Store, or you can do it online at tithe.ly/give. Enter St. Stephen's Church in the search menu and we should pop up.  You'll know it's  us if it says "St. Stephen's Church, Millburn, NJ 07041."

If anyone lost a set of keys during the holidays, please contact the parish office.