December 1, 2021 Full Newsletter

December 1, 2021

Message from Rev. Paula

Beloved Community,

So often these past 21 months, I have felt as if I am somehow separate from the world and my life, watching it pass me from behind the precautions that are in place to keep us as healthy and safe as possible. I was feeling this way the other day when I took this picture from the doorway of my office, looking out onto the back parking lot. What struck me then was the color, at the same vibrant and dying. And then, because I am basically a hopeful, optimistic person, I went into what I sometimes think of as "Easter people mode" - that place when I'm reminded that there is new life always, often springing forth from the most unexpected, even death-holding places. I realized, as I have just as often as I've felt somehow separate these past 21 months, that the most faithful part of me, the most faithful part of us is what has and does and will sustain us.

And then I felt the profound gratitude I have felt so often for all of you and all of the ways we continue to live our faith so well despite all the challenges we've faced. Somehow - likely because we are deeply faithful people - we have found the way to honor the past and the most important of our traditions, live pretty fully into the present with an amazing creativity and nimbleness, while remaining hopeful and curious about what is coming next. Which leads me to some good news - some very good news.

Karen Eberhardt, whom many of you already know and love as the gentle, compassionate presence in our community or as Kim's wife or, if you've been here long enough, as The Rev. Deacon Karen Eberhardt, will be living into her diaconal call in new and more visible ways. Though she will not be officially deployed here by the Bishop, Bishop Hughes as given us her blessing to welcome Karen in a new way into this community she has loved for over twenty years. Beginning now, Karen will be taking a more visible role in our services, such as proclaiming the Gospel, extending the invitation to Confession, and dismissing us to go out to serve the world. She and I, with the advice and counsel of the Vestry, will be discerning how her gifts for pastoral care, Christian formation, and preaching will enhance our ministries and help us to live faithfully into the future to which God is calling us.

I invite your prayers for Karen and for all of us as we enter into this new relationship together, with the Bishop's blessing and by the grace of God. If you're curious about what a deacon is or what they do or how what they do is different than what a priest does, please don't hesitate to ask. I know both of us would be more than happy to talk about it. If you can't wait to have a conversation, check out the ordination services in The Book of Common Prayer, which are found on pages 525 (priest) and 537 (deacon). The specifics of each order are included in The Examination and The Consecration pages, which are found on pages 531 and 543, respectively.

Peace & Blessings,

Paula+

Financial Stewardship Pledge Campaign

By now, you should have received this year's pledge campaign letter. If you have not, please let us know and we'll be sure to get a copy to you.

The long and the short of it? We cannot be the faithful, vibrant community we are without all of us doing our part, including financially. Pledging so that we have an idea of how to build our budget for next year, is essential. The easiest way if you have a computer and access to the internet is to pledge online here. You can also give online, using Tithe.ly. If you'd rather submit a pledge by mail or in the offering plate, let us know. We'll be sure you have a pledge card.

Happening at St. Stephen's This Week...

Please join us for our Fifth Sunday of Advent worship on December 5th at 10:00am.

ALL are welcome!

WELCOME!

Join us as we continue our observation of an extended Advent of seven weeks, rather than four. This is a return to the Advent observance of the Church from its beginnings until just a few hundred years ago. Extending Advent in this way moves it from the "season of preparation" for Christmas to an observance of the full promise and realization of God's dream, helping us to engage more fully in Christ's mission of peace, justice, and the integrity of creation. We enter the new year mindful of God's work in creation through all time as we look ahead with hopeful anticipation to a more peaceful and just world and the fulfillment of God's promise to all people.

REMINDERS: We continue to follow safety precautions and lovingly require that you wear a mask over your nose and mouth at all times while in the building and maintain physical distance. Enter at the Narthex door (Christian Education building). Someone will welcome you and take your temperature. An usher will assist you with seating in the church.

Live-streamed to YouTube, Facebook, and via Zoom. Bulletins are available on the St. Stephen's website. All links can be found at the bottom of the newsletter.

Zoom passcode is SSM119.

The Sunday service will also be broadcast on HTTV (Comcast TV 36 and Verizon TV 33) on Tuesday at 6 AM and 3 PM.

ADVENT TO EPIPHANY DEVOTIONS

St. Stephen’s is a member of the Evelyn Underhill region- a small group of congregations in a geographic area gathered together by a bishop to support and care for one another in their ministry. This year, the congregations of our region are collaborating together in a shared Advent Devotional: Advent with Evelyn Underhill, edited by Christopher L. Webber. Daily during Advent and Christmas (November 7th – January 5th), a recorded devotional will be emailed out to everyone in our parishes via a special email group, so that we may pray and reflect together, wherever we may be. These will be about five minutes long. If you don’t want the daily devotions, let us know. For those who wish to purchase the devotional to follow along, you may do so through Church Publishing at www.churchpublishing.org or from Amazon.

EVELYN UNDERHILL ADVENT DISCUSSION

In addition to our daily devotion recordings, our region’s clergy will host a weekly

Zoom group to discuss and reflect on the week’s reflections. These Zoom gatherings will occur on the last four Thursdays of Advent -- Dec. 2nd, Dec. 9th, Dec. 16th, and Dec. 23rd from 7pm-8pm.

To access the Zoom meeting, enter:

Meeting ID: 899 6538 6150

Passcode: 034756

INTERFAITH BIBLE HOUR

On Friday, December 3rd at 9:00am, we will meet via Zoom with our friends from Christ Church in Short Hills and Temple B'nai Jeshurun. We will be finishing the Book of Genesis, focusing on the lives of Joseph and Jacob.

Join us via Zoom here.

Meeting ID: 865 4375 6895

Passcode: SSM119.

Please feel free to join us even if you haven't before.

If you'd like a copy of the text, please call or text Rev. Paula before 8am on Friday morning.

WEEKLY WOMEN'S LECTIONARY

STUDY

Please join us for a weekly study of a new lectionary available to the Episcopal Church and approved by Bishop Hughes. Our next session is on Tuesday, December 7th. We will meet via Zoom from 5:00 to 6:00 pm to study A Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church, Year W by Wilda Gafney.

This thought-provoking lectionary invites and challenges us to explore

differently the familiar stories of Scripture and how they shape and inform our faith today, while also expanding our understanding of what

it means to be made in the image of God through the use of non-gendered language for God.

The Gafney lectionary YEAR W is available at BN.com, Amazon, and ChurchPublishing.org. If you want to participate in this discussion and find the cost of the book prohibitive, please talk to Rev. Paula. No one should sit this out because of the cost of purchasing the book.

Looking Ahead

PLEASE CHECK WEEKLY BECAUSE EVENTS MAY BE ADDED OR CHANGED.

DECEMBER

DEC 2

7pm - Evelyn Underhill Advent Discussion

DEC 3

9am - Interfaith Bible

Hour

DEC 5

5th Sun of Advent

10am - Sunday Worship

11:30am - Advent Series

DEC 7

5pm - Women's Lectionary Study

DEC 9

7pm - Evelyn Underhill Advent Discussion

DEC 12

6th Sun of Advent

10am - Sunday Worship

11:30am - Advent Series

1pm - AA Meeting

DEC 13

7:30pm - AA Meeting

DEC 14

5pm - Women's Lectionary Study

DEC 15

7:30pm - Finance Committee Meeting

8pm - AA Meeting

DEC 16

7pm - Preschool Committee Meeting

7pm - Evelyn Underhill Advent Discussion

DEC 18

7:30pm - AA Meeting

DEC 19

7th Sunday of Advent

Communion for All

10am - Sunday Worship

11:30am - Vestry Meeting

1pm - AA Meeting

DEC 20

7:30pm - AA Meeting

DEC 21

5pm - Women's Lectionary Study

7:30pm - Blue Christmas

DEC 22

8pm - AA Meeting

DEC 23

7pm - Evelyn Underhill Advent Discussion

DEC 24

Christmas Eve Services

5pm & 9pm

DEC 25

10am - Christmas Day Service

7:30pm - AA Meeting

DEC 26

10am - Sunday Worship

1pm - AA Meeting

DEC 27

7:30pm - AA Meeting

DEC 28

5pm - Women's Lectionary Study

DEC 29

8pm - AA Meeting

JANUARY

JAN 1

7:30pm - AA Meeting

JAN 2

10am - Sunday Worship

1pm - AA Meeting

JAN 3

7:30pm - AA Meeting

JAN 4

5pm - Women's Lectionary Study

JAN 5

8pm - AA Meeting

JAN 7

9am - Interfaith Bible Hour

JAN 8

7:30pm - AA Meeting

JAN 9

10am - Sunday Worship

11am - Epiphany Open House at the Rectory

1pm - AA Meeting

JAN 10

7:30pm - AA Meeting

JAN 11

7pm - Worship Committee Meeting

JAN 12

8pm - AA Meeting

JAN 15

7:30pm - AA Meeting

JAN 16

Communion for All

10am - Sunday Worship

11:30am - Vestry Meeting

1pm - AA Meeting

JAN 17

7:30pm - AA Meeting

JAN 18

5pm - Women's Lectionary Study

JAN 19

7:30pm - Finance Committee Meeting

8pm - AA Meeting

JAN 20

7pm - Preschool Committee Meeting

JAN 22

7:30pm - AA Meeting

JAN 23

10am - Sunday Worship

11:30am - Reading with the Rector

1pm - AA Meeting

JAN 24

7:30pm - AA Meeting

JAN 25

5pm - Women's Lectionary Study

JAN 26

8pm - AA Meeting

JAN 29

7:30pm - AA Meeting

JAN 30

10am - Sunday Worship

1pm - AA Meeting

JAN 31

7:30pm - AA Meeting

FEBRUARY

FEB 1

5pm - Women's Lectionary Study

FEB 2

8pm - AA Meeting

FEB 4

9am - Interfaith Bible Hour

FEB 5

7:30pm - AA Meeting

FEB 9

10am - Sunday Worship

1pm - AA Meeting

FEB 13

10am - Sunday Worship

11:30am - Reading with the Rector

1pm - AA Meeting

FEB 14

7:30pm - AA Meeting

FEB 15

5pm - Women's Lectionary Study

FEB 16

7:30pm - Finance Committee Meeting

FEB 17

7pm - Preschool Committee Meeting

FEB 19

7:30pm - AA Meeting

FEB 20

Communion for All

10am - Sunday Worship

11:30am - Vestry Meeting

1pm - AA Meeting

FEB 21

7:30pm - AA Meeting

FEB 22

5pm - Women's Lectionary Study

FEB 23

8pm - AA Meeting

FEB 26

7:30pm - AA Meeting

FEB 27

10am - Sunday Worship

1pm - AA Meeting

FEB 28

7:30pm - AA Meeting

Other Happenings...

GIFT CARD COLLECTION FOR OUR DRUMMING CAMP FAMILIES

Due: Sunday, December 12, 2021

As part of our Christmas celebration,

we are delighted to be supporting our

Drumming Camp children!

We are kindly requesting donations of VISA or TARGET gift cards

(denominations of $10, $20 or $25)

this year for approximately 10-13 children.

Please forward your gift card donations to the

St. Stephen's Church Office

(119 Main Street, Millburn, NJ 07041)

by Sunday, December 12th.

If you have any questions, please email Maryalice at maryalice_chech@yahoo.com.

Many thanks!

Your generosity is greatly appreciated and will help bring joy

to these children during the Christmas season.

DONATIONS FOR CHRISTMAS FLOWERS

Due: December 15, 2021

Please help make St. Stephen's festive this Christmas!

All donations will assist in the purchase of flowers for our Church and all donors will receive acknowledgement in our Christmas bulletin.

Donations can be sent to the

St. Stephen's Church Office

(119 Main Street, Millburn, NJ 07041)

by Sunday, December 15th.

If you have any questions, please call 973-376-0688, Ext.32, or email church@stsstephensmillburn.org.

AA MEETINGS

Weekly AA meetings will resume at St. Stephen's on December 12th.

Weekly meeting times are:

Sunday at 1:00pm
Monday at 7:30pm (NEW)
Wednesday at 8:00pm
Saturday at 7:30pm

COMMUNION FOR ALL

Communion for All is available on the third Sunday of each month.

If you would like Communion to be delivered to you or to be provided to you after church service on Sunday, December 19, please call or email the Church Office by 11:00am on Friday 12/17.

Rev. Paula or another member of the congregation will deliver Communion and a prayer to you on Sunday afternoon.

HELP Needed: Family Promise (IHN) Holiday Party

Family Promise is hosting a Holiday Open House for its guest families on Friday, 12/17 and are looking for:

Santa Claus

If you happen to own a Santa suit and want to help from 3:00pm to 6:30pm on that day, Family Promise would really appreciate it. They are observing social distancing and mask wearing. Each family will sign-up for a specific time slot to avoid overcrowding at any given time.

Volunteers to help parents and children choose holiday gifts and direct them to gift wrapping tables. Additionally, volunteers will be needed to help families bring the items to their vehicles that afternoon.

Greeters to welcome guests and track the number of guests on the 2nd floor.

Volunteers to wrap gifts – Gift Wrapping during the actual Open House 3:00pm to 6:30pm (gifts that parents and children pick out at the Open House) OR Gift Wrapping earlier that day – 12:30 to 3:00pm to wrap gifts that are in the office for clients. All volunteers who are wrapping should bring scissors, tape, ribbons, name tags, wrapping paper, bows, etc.

Assistance with decorating and setting up the office AND the upstairs room where the holiday festivities will take place. Family Promise would like to schedule a day for decorating the week of December 6th.

Assistance setting up the day of the festivities – set-up would take place the morning of Friday, December 17th.

This event will take place at Family Promise Essex County, 46 Park St, Montclair, NJ 07042.

If you would like to volunteer, please contact Melissa Perales at 973-746-1400,

Ext. 104, or email melissa@fpessexnj.org.

Faithful Outreach

FAMILY PROMISE

Low-income families in this country are facing unprecedented social and economic challenges from the pandemic. Job losses, health care expenses, and child-care have all combined to raise the number of evictions. A donation can help Family Promise of Essex County to remain responsive to families’ emerging needs and its impact in our communities.

To read the Family Promise Newsletter, please click here.

APOSTLES' HOUSE

Apostles' House is devoted to providing comprehensive social services to homeless women with children and families at risk of homelessness in Newark and

Essex County.

Apostles' House is in need of canned goods and non-perishable food items.

A collection bin is located outside

the Narthex doors in the parking lot. Donations can be dropped off at any time.

If you would like to make a monetary donation to Apostles' House, please click here.

NORTH PORCH

North Porch provides emergency aid, in the form of baby supplies, to mothers and infants in northern New Jersey, to help them stabilize and improve the quality of their lives.

North Porch URGENTLY needs:

Enfamil Infant Formula 12.5 oz containers (yellow label)
Baby wipes
Diapers size 4, 5, and 6
Jars of baby food – all ages – fruit, veggie and 1st foods

A collection bin is located outside

the Narthex doors in the parking lot. Donations can be dropped off at any time.

If you would like to make a monetary donation to North Porch, please click here.

From Bishop Hughes & The Episcopal Church

THE BISHOP'S VLOG - Week of 12/1/21

NEW: This Advent, look for the hope – and be the hope.

Bishop Hughes asks us: "Consider how you can look for the hope. Look for the hope that is Jesus in your life or Jesus in the world. And not only look for the hope – how can you be the hope? In what ways can you offer the hope to someone else?"

NEW: The VOICE Online Link - 12/1/21

Upcoming Diocesan Events Link

DIOCESAN E-NEWSLETTERS

Sign up to get e-newsletters and important announcements directly from diocesan headquarters. Find out more and subscribe here.

Cross Roads Camp & Diocesan Youth Ministries

CROSS ROADS

CAMP & RETREAT CENTER

Check out all the fun and interesting year-round programs for children, adults and families.

Click here for more information.

POP UP YOUTH MINISTRY

Pop Up is a welcoming ministry of the Diocese of Newark bringing together youth for fun activities, community, and faith formation. All youth grades 6-12 are encouraged

to join the monthly events.

Follow YM on Instagram and Facebook at @popupym.

Resources During Covid

Journey Forward Guidelines

There are many, many resources available to parishes and individuals to help sustain our faith practices during this unprecedented time. See resources here. This is by no means a complete list, though it does cover many areas of need.

In this time of Crisis, there are resources that can help if you or someone you know needs assistance. Please contact NJ Mental Health Cares for free helpline telephone counseling or assistance. Call 866-202-4357.

TTY: 1-877-294-4356.

E-mail: help@njmentalhealthcares.org

Other resources are:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

1-800-273-8255

Crisis Text Line, 741741

NJ Hope Line (suicide prevention)

855-654-6735

Prayer List

Please keep the following St. Stephen's family

members and friends in your prayers...

Peggy Thompson

Felder Dorn

Donna Riggi

The Blanchard Family

The McManus Family

Bernard & Nathan

The Fitzgerald Family

Lucille B.

Jack Moreno

Jim Freeman

The May Family

Mary Jo Zarance

Joseph G.

Kelly Olson

Linda Moran

Jane Rossiter

Greg Shuss

Nicole & Emma

Ningyu Liu

Jamie Stack

KT Thalin

Mike Losito

Cara Lynn Cavin

Evan D. & Family

Alexandra Shuss

Harold Williams

Ruth Pitts

Donna Stadler Hostetler

If you would like to add someone to our prayer list, please email us at church@ststephensmillburn.org, or call (973) 376-0688 Ext. 32.

Anyone for whom we are praying will be on our prayer list for six weeks. If prayers are still needed beyond that time period, please let us know. Thank you.

Sunday Lectionary

ADVENT 5

KEY OF DAVID SUNDAY

December 5, 2021

Baruch 5:1-9

Philippians 1:3-11

Luke 3:1-6

If you'd like to read the full lectionary for the week, you may do so here.

Giving with Tithe.ly

TITHE.LY

Giving with Tithe.ly is easy with options for recurring donations or one-time use for when you are away or not able to be in church (like all of us now due to COVID restrictions).

You can access Tithe.ly via their website or their app on your smart phone. Be sure to search for the correct account - "St. Stephen's Church Millburn." Once you have accessed the account page with our address, you will be instructed to follow the prompts.

Office Notes

Due to COVID restrictions, only teachers and staff are allowed to be in the building during school hours. If you need to visit the parish office/building for any reason, please contact us for an appointment. Thank you.