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A Message from Rev. Paula+
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Beloved Community,
This was said last week but it bears repeating: We are doing it! We are living our faith in and through these unprecedented times. We do it together. We have each other, we have God, and, most importantly, God has us.
We are starting to get the hang of being a virtual community, even as we continue to refine our techniques and processes. The big news today is that everything you need to know about how to join us for worship or any of the other ways we are staying connected is now in one place on our website: "Living Our Faith in a Time of Pandemic", which is on the top left of the homepage under our logo.
Under that tab you'll find the ways to join us for worship and the link to the bulletin. There are resources for Children and Families, including Saturday School and the new "Storytime with Rev. Paula". The information you need to join us for the Daily Prayers in Community, Reading with the Rector, and Bakery Bible Hour are there, too.
You will also find information on the Events Calendar page and on Facebook, where we've added a video playlist to help you find the things you want a bit more easily.
Peace & Blessings,
Paula+
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To read Bishop Hughes' Covid-19 guidelines, as well as other news from around the diocese, look
here.
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Behind the Scene at St. Stephen's
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Most of our work is focused on planning worship for Holy Week and Easter. Staff and lay leadership are meeting more regularly than usual via Zoom to stay on top of day-to-day activities and our financial stability. We continue to explore ways to stay connected to each other, the diocese and beyond.
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Connection and Common Worship
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As stated in Rev. Paula's message at the top of this newsletter, all the information you need to remain actively connected to St. Stephen's can be found on the website under the "Living Our Faith in a Time of Pandemic" tab on the top left. In addition, the ways to join in worship and other activities also is available on the Events Calendar on the website, under News & Events.
Be sure to check the website for information about our Holy Week and Easter Services. It is being updated as details are confirmed.
Audio recordings of the homilies are found
here.
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Resources from the Diocese and Beyond
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There are many, many resources available to parishes and individuals to help sustain our faith practices during this unprecedented time. This is by no means a complete list, though it does cover many areas of need.
The Diocese of Newark has a page dedicated to pastoral messages, informational updates and directives, and resources for use by parishes and people of faith. You'll find it here.
The Episcopal Church, nationally and internationally, has information on its website, including pastoral messages from Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry. You'll find it here.
The National Cathedral livestreams worship and hosts podcasts, all of which can be accessed here.
The Church Publishing Group has made available a free downloadable copy of The Book of Common Prayer. This is a wonderful way to encourage both a personal prayer discipline and as a support to online worship in which the liturgy is from the BCP.
Church Publishing has also made available until April 15th a wonderful children's book about Compline, Candle Walk by Karin Holsinger Sherman. If you listened to Rev. Paula's very first Facebook Live event the evening of March 20th, you heard her read this story. You'l find these and other resources on the company's website or here, an Episcopal News Service link.
Now might be the right time to sign up for a daily, weekly, or monthly devotion. A couple of our favorites are:
- The Society of St. John the Evangelist. The brothers offer wisdom in many ways so please do explore their website.
- The Center for Action and Contemplation, home of Richard Rohr. As with SSJE, this is a rich offering of resources so it is best to explore the website.
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Links to the Wider Church
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The Episcopal Diocese of Newark
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Giving with Tithe.ly is easy, with options for one-time or recurring donations. We encourage you to consider it at all times, but especially when you are away for any reason, like all of us now with the restrictions due to coronavirus.
There are two ways to do it: thru
tithe.ly.com
or the
tithe.ly
app on your smart phone. You'll want to search for St. Stephen's Church Millburn. Be sure to have the correct punctuation. You'll know you're there when you see: St. Stephen's Church Millburn and the address. Once you're at the church's page, follow the prompts.
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Office Hours and Contact Information
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Office hours: Until we are through this public health emergency, there are NO office hours. Please call Rev. Paula to arrange for pastoral care or if you have any reason to come to the office. She'll work with you to figure out a safe way to manage this.
Website: ststephensmillburn.org
Main email: church@ststephensmillburn.org
Doreen Schindler, Parish Administrator
can be reached at ext. 32 or
church@ststephensmillburn.org.
The Rev. Paula J. Toland, Rector can be reached at ext. 21 or
rector@ststephensmillburn.org.
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