January 25, 2023 Full Newsletter

January 25, 2023

Message from Rev. Paula

Beloved Community,

On a wet and snowy afternoon, I wish I had a more typical message but, alas, I find myself knee (hip?) deep in things administrative today. Two of these are quite inspiring or hopeful, though not in the usual way.

The first is that I am reminded of how dazzlingly generous you are as I work with Maria and Steve to resolve the issues with the year-end tax statements. Our hope is that we have the issues resolved by end of day today so that we can reissue the statements tomorrow. If we are delayed beyond that timeframe, we will be sure to send an email as well as snail mail so that you have them by the January 31st deadline.

The second is to remind you that you are invited to participate in our listening session with the diocesan consultant on Sunday after the 10:00 service. This is your opportunity to share with your friends here, as well as with the diocesan strategic planning process, your hopes, dreams, and desires for the Church. If you are unable to be here in person, you can join using the Zoom worship link, which is further down in this newsletter.

The last thing to share today is that effective the end of this month, we will no longer be using Vanco for online giving. Very few people use it - We had only seven gifts in all of 2022. - and we pay a monthly fee whether anyone uses it or not. So, in the interest of good financial stewardship, we will stop using Vanco and continue with the other more used options: Tithe.ly online giving and checks.

Peace & Blessings,

Paula+

Health Precautions

All of New Jersey is at high risk for Covid infection and complications once again. We also continue to see higher rates of influenza and RSV than we have seen in a while. And, though strictly anecdotal, the cold virus(es) that are going around seem more severe than the usual. Some people, including some of you and our siblings in the Evelyn Underhill Region are catching more than one of these illnesses, often back-to-back. That said, we are not changing our approach to health precautions, but it does seem wise to remind you of what they are:

Both services are mask optional, with masking encouraged, especially during congregational singing. If you want to come to church and minimize risk a bit, the 8:00 service has much smaller attendance than the 10:00.
We will continue to offer the wine by drinking from the Common Cup, no intinction. If you would like to reverence the Cup, it is a fairly common practice to gently touch the cross at its base.
Whether you come for Communion or a blessing, please use the hand sanitizer in the pew and maintain a few feet of distance between households.

Financial Stewardship for 2023

Thank you to those who have pledged financial support of our ministries in 2023. This is a big help to the Finance Committee in building the budget.

A reminder to those who have not pledged yet: ALL of our ministries, both the visible and the behind the scenes ones, rely on your generosity in order to happen. We are at $108,836 in pledges, which is about $21,164 shy of what we need to do the things God is calling us to do. Please prayerfully consider making a pledge to support our ministries AND to express your gratitude to God for all the blessings of this life.

We will be terminating our account with Vanco effective January 31, 2023. Going forward, please use Tithe.ly for online giving, or mail checks to the St. Stephen's Parish Office at 119 Main Street, Millburn, NJ 07041.

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

Join us on Sunday, January 29th at 8:00am and 10:00am for the

Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany.

ALL are welcome.

Masks are optional.

At Communion, you may receive the wine by sipping from the cup,

or you may choose Communion in one kind only (the bread).

Diocesan Listening Session immediately following

the 10:00am service.

Coffee/Snacks will be

provided by our Vestry.

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 6am and 3pm.

DIOCESAN LISTENING SESSION AT ST. STEPHEN'S

Sunday, January 29th

11:00am – 12:30pm

Your attendance and participation are highly encouraged.

This is an important conversation that will help shape how the

Diocese of Newark structures its mission, ministries and how

it allocates various resources over the next several years.

This Listening Session will be facilitated by Nelson Diaz, a member

of the Diocese of Newark’s newly formed Strategic Visioning Team.

Join us in the Parish Hall, or via Zoom.

Zoom passcode: SSM119

The Strategic Visioning Team wants to hear from you, so please plan to be

a part of this conversation and share your thoughts about what the future

of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark should look like.

We will respond to questions about what we treasure about our congregation,

what opportunities and challenges we have, and what we might do

together as a Diocese.

Looking Ahead

PLEASE CHECK WEEKLY BECAUSE EVENTS MAY BE ADDED OR CHANGED.

JANUARY

JAN 29

8am - Sunday Worship

10am - Sunday Worship

1pm - AA Meeting

JAN 30

7:30pm - MA Meeting

JAN 31

7pm - Worship Committee Meeting

______________

PARISH OFFICE HOURS

Tuesday - Friday

9:00am to 5:00pm

______________

FEBRUARY

FEB 2

9am - Interfaith Bible Hour

FEB 5

8am - Sunday Worship

10am - Second Sunday

1pm - AA Meeting

FEB 6

7:30pm - MA Meeting

FEB 12

8am - Sunday Worship

10am - Sunday Worship Intergenerational Worship

11:30am - Reading with the Rector

11:30am - Youth Group

1pm - AA Meeting

FEB 13

7:30pm - MA Meeting

FEB 14

7pm - Monthly Women's Lectionary Discussion

FEB 15

7:30pm - Finance Committee Meeting

FEB 16

7pm - Preschool Committee Meeting

FEB 19

8am - Sunday Worship

10am - Sunday Worship

11:30am - Vestry Meeting

1pm - AA Meeting

FEB 20

7:30pm - MA Meeting

FEB 26

8am - Sunday Worship

10am - Sunday Worship

11:30am - Youth Group

1pm - AA Meeting

FEB 27

7:30pm - MA Meeting

MARCH

MAR 2

9am - Interfaith Bible Hour

MAR 5

8am - Sunday Worship

10am - Sunday Worship & Annual Meeting

1pm - AA Meeting

MAR 6

7:30pm - MA Meeting

MAR 12

8am - Sunday Worship

10am - Sunday Worship Intergenerational Worship

11:30am - Reading with the Rector

11:30am - Youth Group

1pm - AA Meeting

MAR 13

7:30pm - MA Meeting

MAR 14

7pm - Monthly Women's Lectionary Discussion

MAR 15

7:30pm - Finance Committee Meeting

MAR 16

7pm - Preschool Committee Meeting

MAR 19

8am - Sunday Worship

10am - Sunday Worship

11:30am - Vestry Meeting

1pm - AA Meeting

MAR 20

7:30pm - MA Meeting

MAR 26

8am - Sunday Worship

10am - Sunday Worship

11:30am - Youth Group

1pm - AA Meeting

MAR 27

7:30pm - MA Meeting

Other Happenings...

INTERFAITH BIBLE HOUR

We will meet with our friends from Christ Church in Short Hills and Congregation B'nai Jeshurun for Interfaith Bible Hour on the first THURSDAY of the month.

Please feel free to join us on Thursday, February 2nd at 9:00am even if you haven't before. We will be reading 1 Samuel this year.

Join us in-person at Temple B’nai Jeshurun, or via Zoom here.

The password is SSM119.

The meeting ID is 865 4375 6895.

Please email Rev. Paula at rector@ststephensmillburn.org

before 8:00am Friday morning for the pdf translation.

READING WITH THE RECTOR

Sunday, February 12th

11:30am - 1:00pm

in the common room, or via Zoom

We will be discussing:

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

A gripping, heart-wrenching, and wholly remarkable tale of coming-of-age in a South poisoned by virulent prejudice, it views a world of great beauty and savage inequities through the eyes of a young girl, as her father—a crusading local lawyer—risks everything to defend a black man unjustly accused of a terrible crime.

SOUPER SUNDAY

ATTENTION, AUFMERKSAMKEIT, SOUCI, ATENCION

Let's make 2023 an ABC year for the FOOD BARREL.

ABC: Avalanche of Big Contributions

Please bring cans of soup for our food barrel on Sunday, February 12th.

ALL kinds of soup are welcome and will be distributed by Apostles’ House, a non-profit devoted to providing comprehensive social services to homeless women and children and individuals or families at risk of homelessness in Newark and Essex Co.

Collection bins are available outside of the Narthex/Education Building doors in the parking lot for donations at any time.

Luna Stage, 555 Valley Road in West Orange, launches its 2023 season with Obie-winner and Pulitzer-nominee Nikkole Salter's Torn Asunder, a searing historical drama. Set in the years leading up to and immediately following emancipation, Torn Asunder is the story of a formerly enslaved woman's quest to reunite with her husband and son.

The play is inspired by Dr. Heather Andrea Williams' book Help Me Find My People, praised by the New York Times for its "revelation of the bonds forged by the collective grief and resilient love of a people finding themselves."

For details and tickets, click here.

Evelyn Underhill Region

You're Invited!

CONCERT

From Mozart to Ibert: Four Hands at the Piano

St. Paul’s

200 Main Street

Chatham

Friday, Jan. 27th

7pm

Featuring works by Bach, Mozart, Grieg, Ibert.

Donations will be accepted at the door.

ART EXHIBIT

Way of the Cross

St. George's

550 Ridgewood Rd.

Maplewood

Sunday, Jan. 29th 2pm-4pm

Join the conversation forum at 3pm with the artists.

CONCERT

Masters of Hawaiian Music Benefit Concert

St. Paul’s

200 Main Street

Chatham

Saturday, Feb. 25th

7pm

Doors open: 6:30pm

$25 / Adv tickets at

http://hawaii.brownpapertickets.com

$30 / Gen. Admission

at the door.

Faithful Outreach

North Porch Women & Infants' Centers 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.

Our collection bin is located outside the education building doors year-round. Donations can be dropped off at any time. Items of urgent need are:

Enfamil 12.5 oz powdered baby formula and soy formula
Diapers especially Large size diapers - 4, 5, 6 and Pull-ups of all sizes
Baby wipes
Jars of baby food all ages-fruit, veggie and 1st foods

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

FAMILY PROMISE

Family Promise of Essex County helps homeless and at-risk families achieve self-sufficiency by providing shelter, social services, and housing assistance through a community-based approach.

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 throughout Essex County.

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

Collection bins are located outside the Narthex/Education building doors and donations can

be dropped off at any time.

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

From Bishop Hughes & The Episcopal Church

THE BISHOP'S VLOG

NEW: What's next in the Strategic Visioning process? - 1/25/23

As we approach Diocesan Convention, Bishop Hughes talks about the Strategic Visioning process launched last fall – what's happened so far and what's next, including the Visioning team's Convention presentation.

NEW: The Voice Online Link - 1/25/23

DIOCESAN E-NEWSLETTERS

Sign up to receive important news, events and seasonal meditations from the Diocese of Newark. Find out more and subscribe here.

ANNUAL DIOCESAN CONVENTION

The 149th Annual Diocesan Convention will be held on Friday and Saturday, February 3 and 4 at the Hilton Meadowlands in East Rutherford.

Convention will also be broadcast on the diocesan YouTube channel: youtube.com/c/dionewark.

Find out more at the Convention web page.

Episcopal Parish Network (EPN)

38th Annual Conference

The Episcopal Parish Network invites you to attend the EPN's 38th Annual Conference in Jacksonville, Florida on March 8 - 11.

Attend for the workshops, connection and/or networking with other lay and clergy leaders.

This is the largest and most anticipated annual conference in The Episcopal Church!

Click here to learn more.

TRINITY RETREAT CENTER

Trinity Retreat Center, located in the Northeast in West Cornwall, CT, offers a place of spirituality and gracious, authentic hospitality—where you can slow down, connect deeply with nature, experience the rhythm of a community, enjoy farm-to-table meals, discern direction for your life, and go home ready to make an even greater impact on the world.

Trinity Retreat Center is an Episcopal mission of Trinity Church Wall Street and is open to everyone, regardless of denomination or faith.

For more information, go to the Trinity Retreat Center's Facebook page or click here.

Cross Roads Camp & Diocesan Youth Ministries

CROSS ROADS CAMP & RETREAT CENTER

Cross Roads Camp and Retreat Center is an inspiring and relaxing year-round retreat center offering comfortable facilities and professional programming for secular and spiritual groups of all ages. Located on 250 glorious acres atop the stunning mountain landscape of northwestern New Jersey, our cozy retreat centers and cabins house up to 300 people. Guests enjoy our beautiful hiking trails and an abundance of outdoor and indoor recreational areas including basketball, volleyball, soccer, football, and open space for field games.

To view Cross Roads' offerings,

click here.

CROSSROADS

ELEMENTARY YOUTH RETREAT

February 10-12, 2023

grades 3-5

Can't wait for summer to get here?

Youth Retreats at Cross Roads combine all the fun of camp during the summer including fun activities, Bible study, worship, delicious food, and time spent outside to create an awesome weekend for youth and their adult leaders.

Learn more here.

Deadline: Register by February 3rd.

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 popupym on Instagram

and Facebook.

Resources

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

A/MA MEETINGS

Weekly AA meetings:

Sunday at 1:00pm

Contact: Rob H. (516) 860-9062

For more information about Alcohol Anonymous, click here.

Weekly MA meeting:

Monday at 7:30pm

Contact: Max T. (212) 203-2542

Contact: Deana L. (908) 499-8997

MA meetings are presented in a rotating format:

Step - Speaker - Story from Life with Hope - Topic

For more information about Marijuana Anonymous, click here.

Prayer List

Please keep the following St. Stephen's family

members and friends in your prayers...

Peggy Thompson

Donna Riggi

The Blanchard Family

The McManus Family

Bernard & Nathan

Lucille B.

Jack Moreno

Joseph G.

Jane Rossiter

Mike Losito

Evan D. & Family

Donna Stadler Hostetler

Ed Roman

Emma Simonich

Inge Bass Mills

Jessica Rana

Cathy Zimmerman

Juliet Tranberg

Lind Hostetler

Mary Ruth Stone

Nancy Landers

Anne Grenda

Eugene Foley

Evie Larson

Sandra Swan

Ron Gadbois

Linda Clark

The Roberson Family

Darla Shaw

Linda Moran

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

The Fourth Sunday

after the Epiphany

We are using the new lectionary,

Wilda Gafney's A Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church, Year A.

Our bulletins are available 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.