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.

From the Rector

Dear Friends,

This Sunday is often called “Good Shepherd Sunday”.   With that in mind, you can probably guess which Psalm we will read.  Yes, Psalm 23 – The Lord is my shepherd . . .

Along with the comforting psalm, we’ll read about gates and sheep gone astray, sheep with keen ears, safe sheep, and of course a Shepherd.

Take a moment to listen to this stunning recording of Bobby McFerrin’s “23rd Psalm”.  Let the beautiful chanting and translation be a prayer.  That is what a psalm is after all – a song and a prayer.

May you be comforted by God’s never ending mercy and love!

"23rd Psalm"

Blessings,

Karen+

Worship This Sunday:

Sunday, April 30th, 10:00am - Holy Eucharist 

at St. John's

LIVE STREAM WORSHIP SERVICE

BULLETIN

  St. Stephen’s church doors will be open every Sunday for worship. In-person services will continue to alternate with St. John’s but the live-stream from services at St. John’s will be projected at St. Stephen’s. Come to St. Stephen’s every Sunday!

COFFEE HOUR SIGN-UP SHEET

Diocesan Newsletter

Read about what’s going on in the diocese! Click on the link for this week’s

newsletter.

https://us3.campaign-archive.com/home/?u=99ebbaf4cee8d012c9edafe60&id=f789930ce7

Updates and new opportunities!

The lease for the church that has been renting our facility on Saturdays and Wednesday evenings has come to a close and they have decided not to renew. Their last Saturday for services is tomorrow, April 28th. This means that we now have more flexibility to rent our space. We have received requests to use our space for things like weddings, birthday parties, and other community gatherings but had to turn down because Saturdays were not available. 

There is also another church that is in the beginning stages of discerning whether our facility might serve their worship needs on Sunday afternoons.  

Our church, parish hall, and our beautiful grounds, including the labyrinth are all great venues for a variety of special events. Please encourage friends to consider St. Stephen’s as a venue for their special event!  

To reserve a space or ask question, contact the office, office@ssitf.org or click on the link on our website https://www.ssitf.org/facility-rentals. 

Spread the word!

Contribute to disaster relief efforts for the devastation caused by the earthquake in Turkey-Syria by donating to:

Episcopal Relief and Development at 

https://support.episcopalrelief.org/syria-turkey-earthquake?_gl=1*1ybrxoe*_ga*MTE0NzA0NjQ1OS4xNjYzNzA5NTM4*_ga_5J3W6B8WL4*MTY3NTk3NjYzMi42LjAuMTY3NTk3NjYzMi4wLjAuMA  

Archbishop’s Earthquake Donation Relief Fund at https://afedj.org/give/give-online/

Poem from the Garden

What makes you plant a

tree in whose shade you 

will not sit, whose fruit

you cannot hope to

eat? Is it that you —

like me — were born into

a fruitful world and 

want to leave one just 

as verdant for your

children, can imagine 

their small, wild laughter

as they swing high on 

branches that were twigs

when you first knew them?

Jessica 

Some examples of potential dishes:

- A plate with raspberries, grapes, and blueberries for the bisexual pride flag

- A salad with lettuce, arugula, white radish, and black beans for the aromantic pride flag

- A jello mold with layers in baby blue, baby pink, clear, baby pink, and baby blue for the trans pride flag

- And of course, cupcakes with rainbow sprinkles can never go wrong!

Dishes will go on a long table arranged by flags, labeled please for common allergies (peanut butter, gluten, lactose, etc). The community gardeners will be donating colorful centerpieces that include green carnations and lavender sprigs. 

This should be a creative, joyful chance to celebrate Pride Month as a community and engage in the enriching fellowship that is sharing food and drink with friends old and new. In this moment, it feel more necessary than ever to be clear that queer and trans people are beloved members of and leaders in our community. We hope you can come to the service, the dedication, the potluck, or all three! The address is:  7269 Santa Teresa Blvd, San José, CA 95139. Please reach out to Jessica Dickinson Goodman with any questions (650-804-9044 | Jessica.dickinson.goodman@gmail.com). 

—

As always, feel free to edit!

My very best,

Jessica 

Jessica Katherine Creekmore Dickinson Goodman and Matthew Alexander Holmes would like to invite everyone at St. Stephen's in-the-Field and St. John the Divine to their son Alexander Oakes Creekmore Dickinson-Holmes's christening on Pentecost Sunday (May 28th, 2023) with reception to follow. RSVP here. Alexander was born November 17th, 2022 and will be baptized after he gets his COVID-19 vaccine at 6 months old. His godparents will also be attending: Aer van de Water of St. Thomas Sunnyvale, Grace Lane of All Saints' Palo Alto, Laura Holmes of Christ Community Church Milpitas, Sinéad Toolis Byrd of Mountain View and Christopher Holmes of Washington DC. Please plan to wear masks and red!

May 7th - Change the Story

On May 7th, the vestry has invited Yvonne Murray of Change the Story to come to speak during coffee hour. We are discerning if this is a partnership we would like to engage in -- to work with a young activist who can receive up to $10,000 for their social impact project as well as to receive education on inviting young people to our community. We're hoping Yvonne can share some more details, answer questions, and engage in some fellowship with us. We hope you come!

“The role of the church is to be a doctor and nurse, not judge and jury.”

-Pete Enns

Kudos to :

-Jessica for submitting an application for a Creation Care Grant. -Susan, Janet, and Rowena for cleaning out the outside storage closet and finding homes for the contents that can be used by people who need them.  

-Susan for assisting our guest priest.

-Janet for her bread-baking class at Jillian’s house.

Contact Information for Rev. Karen.

Please use this new number to contact Rev. Karen for calls or texts:

408-781-1826