June 1, 2023 Highlights Newsletter

June 1, 2023

A Message from Rev. Paula

Beloved Community,

As I often do in late spring, I've been thinking a lot about season in our lives and how we transition from one to another. This has been especially poignant this year because of where my children are in their lives. Kevin just completed his MBA and moved to Colorado, where our daughter-in-law has been working since late April and his new job starts on October 1st. At the same time, we learned that Kathleen has at least one job offer in Denver as she winds down her year in the Episcopal Service Corps. And Sean recently signed a contract to teach in a different school, which means at least two more years living in China. All of these transitions are cause for great joy celebration and yet they also are bittersweet because they remind me that a huge part of my life is changed and continues to change. These wonderful humans God blessed Ron and me with don't need me in the same ways they used to, which means my identity is changing, too, in ways that I welcome, were bound to happen, and yet still take some getting used to.

By now you're probably wondering what this has to do with the photos of the Good News Garden and/or our common life. The short-ish answer is that when I was taking photos of the GNG this morning, I was reminded of how our perspective - in this case, literally where I was standing - influences how and what we see. In addition to how this is applicable theologically: What would our understanding of God and Christian life be if we were journeying with Jesus around the Galilee, holding onto to the promise of what is yet to come, i.e. the perspective of the picture on the left, in which the original beds are more visible than the newly built beds? How is it different because we live when and where we do and Jesus' life on earth is not something we can see clearly, i.e. the perspective on the right.

These photos also tell us something about history and hope, about roots and new life. Just behind where I was standing is a fence, which reminded me that the past is the past, what has been done is done. But the future is not constrained in the same way. Honoring and celebrating our roots and where we've been as the foundation to live well in the present, knowing we are moving into a future that is as yet unknowable is a good and faithful way to be true to who we are as people and as a community of faith.

Shalom,

Paula+

P.S. In case you're wondering, we will be building out the fence to enclose the garden, but didn't want to delay planting until that was done.

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

Join us on Trinity Sunday & Choir Appreciation Day

June 4th at 8am & 10am.

ALL are welcome.

At Communion, you may receive the wine by sipping from the cup, reverently touching the base of the chalice, or you may choose Communion in one kind only

(the bread).

You are invited to Coffee Hour and Fellowship in the Parish Hall immediately following our

10:00am service.

Coffee Hour host for Sunday:

Fran Taber

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

The Sunday service will also be broadcast on HTTV (Comcast TV 36 and

Verizon TV 33) on Tuesday at 6am and 3pm.

Looking Ahead

PLEASE CHECK WEEKLY BECAUSE EVENTS MAY BE ADDED OR CHANGED.

MAY

MAY 28

8am - Sunday Worship

10am - Sunday Worship

11:30am - Youth Group

1pm - AA Meeting

MAY 29

7:30pm - MA Meeting

MAY 30

7:30pm - Vestry Meeting

JUNE

JUN 2

5pm - Gun Violence Awareness event, Taylor Park

JUN 4

8am - Sunday Worship

10am - Sunday Worship

11:30am - Reading with the Rector

1pm - AA Meeting

JUN 5

7:30pm - MA Meeting

JUN 11

8am - Sunday Worship

10am - Sunday Worship Intergenerational Worship

11:30am - Youth Group

12pm - NJ Pride

1pm - AA Meeting

JUN 12

7:30pm - MA Meeting

JUN 15

7pm - Preschool Committee Meeting

JUN 17

Christine's Kitchen Hosting Day

9am - Diocesan Juneteenth Pilgrimage

JUN 18

8am - Sunday Worship

10am - Sunday Worship

11:30am - Vestry Meeting

1pm - AA Meeting

JUN 19

9am - Diocesan Juneteenth Pilgrimage

7:30pm - MA Meeting

JUN 21

7:30pm - Finance Committee Meeting

JUN 25

8am - NO SERVICE

10am - Sunday Worship

1pm - AA Meeting

JUN 26

7:30pm - MA Meeting

JULY

JUL 2

8am - Sunday Worship

10am - Sunday Worship

1pm - AA Meeting

JUL 3

7:30pm - MA Meeting

JUL 4

Parish Office Closed

JUN 9

8am - Sunday Worship

10am - Sunday Worship Intergenerational Worship

11:30am - Youth Group

1pm - AA Meeting

JUL 10

7:30pm - MA Meeting

JUL 16

8am - Sunday Worship

10am - Sunday Worship

11:30am - Vestry Meeting

1pm - AA Meeting

JUL 17

7:30pm - MA Meeting

JUL 19

7:30pm - Finance Committee Meeting

JUL 20

7pm - Preschool Committee Meeting

JUL 23

8am - Sunday Worship

10am - Sunday Worship

11:30am - Youth Group

1pm - AA Meeting

JUL 24

7:30pm - MA Meeting

JUL 30

8am - Sunday Worship

10am - Sunday Worship

1pm - AA Meeting

JUL 31

7:30pm - MA Meeting

OTHER IMPORTANT DATES

The Parish Office will be closed from May 29 to June 5.

Rev. Paula will be off-site for continuing ed from June 19 to 24,

then on vacation from June 25 to July 8.

Deacon Karen will provide emergency pastoral care in Rev. Paula's absence. In the event a priest is needed, Karen and Maria will know who to contact.

WORSHIP NOTES

On June 25th, Deacon Karen and Barbara Riedel will co-officiate our

10:00am - Liturgy of the Word worship service. There is no 8am service.

On July 2nd, Rev. Jane Rockman will officiate our

8am & 10am worship services.

Other Happenings...

NJ-Essex-Wear Orange Rally

National Gun Violence Awareness Day

Friday, June 2nd at 5pm

Taylor Park, Millburn

Mark your calendars and come out to honor the communities shattered by gun violence, all the people who are shot and killed, and hundreds more who are wounded, every day in our country.

Millburn High School's chapter of Students Demand Action

are helping to organize this event.

Come wearing orange and advocate for meaningful action to save lives!

READING WITH THE RECTOR

Sunday, June 4th

11:30am - 1:00pm

in the common room, or via Zoom

We will be discussing:

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

by Maya Angelou

The 1969 autobiography describing the young and early years of American writer and poet Maya Angelou. The first in a seven-volume series, it is a coming-of-age story that illustrates how strength of character and a love of literature can help overcome racism and trauma.

NORTH JERSEY PRIDE FESTIVAL

Join us at the festival!

Sunday, June 11

12:00 to 6:00pm

Memorial Park Amphitheatre

580 Valley Street

Maplewood

Stop by our booth, take a giveaway or two, and help represent St. Stephen's,

The Church on Main Street where LOVE begets LOVE!

For more info, click here.

PRISON MINISTRY SOCK DRIVE

Due: June 11

Upon incarceration at the jail you receive 2 pairs of socks. After that you will need someone to fill your account at the Commissary to buy more. White socks are always needed.

The Essex County Correctional Facility houses 1900 men. For Father’s Day we are giving each man a pair of white crew socks with a note inside. Jail regulations require that socks must be 100% WHITE CREW socks with NO logo, color, or markings of any kind, or any other style.

Socks need to arrive at Grace Church Nutley by Sunday, June 11 for delivery at the jail on June 12. Drop off can be at any time. Please identify your church.

Send your socks to:

Grace Church Nutley

200 Highfield Lane

Nutley NJ 07110

Or send a check to the same address made out to: “The Diocese of Newark” with Prison Ministry in the Memo line.

Thank you for your support to respect the dignity of every human being.

BUYING ONLINE

The links below may be helpful if ordering online via Amazon:

Yacht & Smith 72 pairs Men’s $83.53 (link )

Winterlace 48 Pairs Crew Socks for Men (size large)

$59.99 (link )

Gildan Men's Performance Crew Socks 12-Pairs $19.99 (link )

CHRISTINE'S KITCHEN HOSTING

June 17, 2023

It is time again to prepare for our semi-annual Christine's Kitchen hosting! Full service at the kitchen is still on hold, so it remains "lunch to go".

Our target is 180 bagged lunches. If we can each give 10 to 15 lunches each (see guidelines below), we can make the 180 that is the current ask from the soup kitchen director.

Flexibility: No need to commit to all items below if for instance you can only do drinks and not sandwiches, we can fill in the gaps and take care of the bagging too if needed.

Please reach out to Deryck Rugbeer at 201-452-9068, or turkeyen@gmail.com if you would like to provide lunches.

If you are unable to contribute to this event, our next hosting is July 29th.

SOUP KITCHEN GUIDELINES FOR LUNCHES TO GO

Sandwich lunches to go:

In each lunch, there should be at least a sandwich, a fruit, a snack, a dessert, and a drink.
There should be at least three types of sandwiches (e.g. roast beef, turkey, ham, Italian, corned beef, tuna, chicken salad, salami – you decide).
Label each bag with the type of sandwich. Group the sandwiches by type.
Include plasticware (fork, spoon, napkin) in each lunch, even if your menu doesn’t require utensils.
Lunches can be dropped off at Deryck's home before 10:30am on June 17th, or the night before.

COFFEE HOUR HOSTS NEEDED

Please consider hosting!

St. Stephen's provides the coffee, tea, juice, water, sugar/sweeteners, cups, plates, utensils, and napkins.

The host(s) provide milk and food

(sweet -or- savory | bought -or- made).

Our cleaning person will do the setup/cleanup, so we can all enjoy

the fellowship & goodies!

The Coffee Hour sign-up sheet is posted on the bulletin board in the narthex.

Evelyn Underhill Region.. and beyond

Calvary Episcopal Church in Summit

The Rainbow Connection: A Spectrum of Suites - an organ recital by Dr. Evan Cogswell

Sunday, June 11, 2023 at 3pm

Calvary's music director and organist, Dr. Evan Cogswell, will present a solo organ recital highlighting various styles of suites for the organ composed throughout the past century. Featuring organ suites by Florence Price, Calvin Hampton, Chelsea Chen, and Evan, along with works by Mark Miller and Christa Rakich. This diverse program highlights BIPOC and LGBTQ+ composers in honor of Pride Month.

Songs of Inclusion Concert & Sing-In

with Mark Miller

June 24, 2023

7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

United Methodist Church, Morristown

Raise your voices for Pride with songs of inclusion and God’s love led by composer and musician Mark A. Miller.

We will also be singing a brand-new commissioned hymn based on our Welcome Statement by lyricist Laurie Zelman and composed by Mark.

From Bishop Hughes & The Episcopal Church

NEW: Message from Bishop Hughes

Read her 5/22 message regarding the vandalism at Church of the Redeemer in Morristown. Bishop Hughes is away this week so the May 22nd vlog is the most recent.

The Voice Online Link - 5/31/23

DIOCESAN E-NEWSLETTERS

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

JUNETEENTH PILGRIMAGE 2023

WITH BISHOP HUGHES

Two opportunities to journey with Bishop Hughes and members of the diocesan justice commissions to visit sites in our diocese with history linked to slavery. Both pilgrimages began at 9:00 am in Teaneck and follow the same itinerary.

Saturday, June 17

Join Rev. Paula is on this day.

Monday, June 19

Join Karen and Kim on this day.

For full details and registration link, click here.

The registration deadline is:

June 9 at 5:00pm

Resources

In this time of Crisis, there are many 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

AA meetings are presented in Big Book format.

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

Jane Rossiter

Donna Stadler Hostetler

Ed Roman

Emma Simonich

Cathy Zimmerman

Juliet Tranberg

Lind Hostetler

Mary Ruth Stone

Nancy Landers

Anne Grenda

Eugene Foley

Evie Larson

Bruce and Sandra Swan

Ron Gadbois

The Roberson Family

Darla Shaw

Eve Anderson

Adam Moran

Paul

Melanie Cohn

Bruce Mailman

John Gadd

Kathleen Nelson

Cyndi Geller

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

Trinity Sunday

June 4, 2023

We are using the new lectionary,

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

Hosea 11:1-4
Psalm 135:5-6; 132:1-3
2 Peter 1:16-18
Matthew 28:16-20

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

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.

PARISH OFFICE HOURS

Tuesday - Friday

9:00am to 5:00pm

Important Links

Zoom Links

Sunday Worship

Meeting ID: 864 1664 1640

Passcode: SSM119

To call in, dial by your location:

+1 646 876 9923 US (New York)

Adult Formation

Meeting ID: 878 3014 4448