St. Stephen's in-the-Field Episcopal Church
FRIDAY JOURNAL February 12th, 2021
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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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Sunday Service: February 14th, 2021 |
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Holy Eucharist, Rite II at 10:00am online |
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From the Rector
Dear Friends,
Richard Rohr’s daily meditation on Feb 10th referred to the hymn that is in our hymnal: “There is a balm in Gilead”. The prophet Jeremiah endured abysmal times and, as scripture says, he cried out to God, “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? (Jer 8:22).
Howard Thurman, (1899-1981) a black author, theologian, and activist wrote about the spiritual with new insight:
“The slave caught the mood. . .and did an amazing thing. He straightened the question mark to and exclamation point. There “is” balm in Gilead! . . .The basic insight here is one of optimism. . .. It is an optimism that uses the pessimism of life as raw material out of which it creates its own strength.” (Deep River: Reflections on the Religious Insight of Certain of Negro Spirituals, Howard Thurman)
One thing Black History Month reminds us of is the heinousness of slavery. The pain slaves endured, physical and psychological, as well as the oppression of black people that continues to exist today. Howard Thurman gave hopeful insight in dark and troubled times – the hope that can always be like a balm, even in San Jose!
If you have The Hymnal 1982 at home, take it out and turn to Hymn 676 and read it, and if you’re so inclined, sing it out loud.
In these times, may you know the hope that you have in Jesus’ eternal love.
Peace,
Karen+
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Sunday Worship
Our service this Sunday is Holy Eucharist, pre-recorded at St. John’s. The service will be posted on our website at 10:00 and can be viewed any time after that.
I encourage you to set aside a special place, light a candle as you prepare to worship
Click HERE for the bulletin
Please send any special prayer requests and/or anniversaries and birthdays to Rev. Karen. (revkaren@ssitf.org)
*** Due to the increased rate of COVID diagnosis and deaths, all of our services will be pre-recorded until at least March 1st . Please stay safe, staying home when possible, keeping distant when you must go out, and wear a mask to protect yourself and the community.
Giving glory to God together is up to us, wherever we are on Sunday! For most, if not all of us, we can do that in our homes – under a roof that keeps us warm. If you need help finding the service on our website, please let Rev. Karen know!
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Join us for Coffee Hour at 11:00am on Zoom with this link.
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Ash Wednesday
Our Ash Wednesday Service will be a joint pre-recorded service with St. John’s and Advent Lutheran Church in Morgan Hill. The service will be posted and ready for viewing at 7pm.
Come to the church to pick up ashes on Tues from 5–6pm and Wed from 11:00am-12:pm. for the Wed evening service.
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Centering Prayer on Wednesdays in Lent
Lent is a wonderful time to learn more about Centering Prayer as a spiritual discipline. The introduction to a weekly program focused on centering prayer will be given at the Ash Wednesday service and then will continue every Wednesday in Lent via Zoom. A link will be sent next Friday.
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Zentangle for Lent
St. Thomas is offering a new Lenten meditative practice called Zentangle. Zentangle is an easy and fun way to make beautiful images by drawing structured patterns called tangles. Abby O’Connell will be conducting a Zentangle workshop on Saturday, February 20th from 2-4pm.
You will need:
-white paper (cut into 4x4” squares)
-a black roller ball pen
-an old fashioned wooden pencil (sharpened)
-a Q-tip.
Join the workshop with this link to the zoom mtg:
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ANNUAL MEETING
First, thanks to everyone who made it to the Annual Meeting last Sunday. It was nice to be together! It was a time of celebration and business and. . . . it was great to see so many of you!
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Help!
After the last big rain we had, we discovered a leak in the roof. Some of the bricks in the center aisle have been affected. As you can imagine, roofers are busy this time of year and we have not been able to find anyone that can come take a look. Please let Rev. Karen, Jessica, or Andy known of a roofer that you know and could recommend. Even if you don’t know any, it would be helpful if you can make some calls to see if one could come and take a look. We don’t want any bricks to be damaged. Thank you for your help!
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WEDNESDAY MORNING PRAYER GROUP
***There is no morning prayer group 2/17.***
This is an opportunity to offer our prayers of thanksgivings, for healing for ourselves and others, and anything else on our hearts. Even if you don’t have a computer, you can join the Zoom meeting with your phone.
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WEDNESDAY EVENING COMPLINE
***Due to the Ash Wednesday Service, there is no Compline on 2/17***
Compline, the last Office of the day. End your day with a beautiful and short liturgy. All are welcome and please feel free to share the link with friends!
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Keeping the conversations going. . .
The Rev. Jani Wild and I are facilitating Pastoral Conversations on Racism and yesterday was our 38th week of gathering to learn and talk about a broad spectrum of subjects concerning race in our country. We follow the same format (a brief introduction followed by a short video, discussion, and prayers ) every week with a different focus. Last week we discussed reparations.
Please come join us next Thursday at 4:30. Whether it’s the 1st time or the 18th time you’ve attended, please come to learn, process, and share together in a safe space with a faith community.
Bring a friend or family member – all are welcome – by clicking the Zoom link below.
Meeting ID: 835 7594 8022
Password: 748467
One tap mobile
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Thanks to last week’s liturgy assistants! |
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Peter’s mother-in-law: Kaylyn |
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Poem from the Garden
I built a stumpery
of succulents whose roots
sip water shallowly
and don't bother oaks' shoots;
a habitat for newts
to hunt their beetle prey,
a place for them to scoot
away from the sun's rays.
The sycamore logs' grey,
blue, pale-green mottled bark --
that time will flake away --
covers white hardwood, stark
against the leaves of jade,
aloes in this new glade.
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(Ida B. Wells was a prominent African-American journalist, activist, and researcher, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.)
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Kudos to:
-Out newest vestry members:
Rob van der Mollen and Gregg Hall!
-Thanks to our retiring vestry members:
Janet Thorsrud, Anthony Francis, and Susan Zaballos.
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New Contact Information for Rev. Karen!
Please use this new number to contact Rev. Karen for calls or texts:
(669)270-7479
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NEEDING PRAYER SUPPORT?
Prayer is one of those things we often think about, might feel inadequate about, believe in but might be unsure how to proceed. How we pray is sometimes unique to each of us. The Church provides help in many ways. If you find yourself in need, of any kind (emotional, physical, spiritual, guidance, etc) consider how St. Stephen's can support you:
* there is a prayer chain of committed pray-ers (who maintain confidentiality).
* tell people about your answers to prayer! and the miracles you witness, or how prayer changes YOU.
Please submit prayer requests to Rev. Karen.
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Contact information for Rev. Karen: |
Personal phone for emergencies or urgent matters: 408-781-1826
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Editor's Note
Please send any announcements or articles you want to have included, to: evan.bryan1@gmail.com, by Thursday, 10am each week.
Evan Bryan
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St. Stephen's in-the-Field Episcopal Church
7269 Santa Teresa Blvd; San Jose, CA 95139
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