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.

Worship This Sunday:

Sunday, November 10th

10:00am - Morning Prayer

BULLETIN

 St. Stephen’s has an in-person worship service every Sunday at 10am. We alternate between Morning Prayer and Holy Eucharist. We are not live-streaming Morning Prayer services at this time. All Holy Eucharist services are live streamed. Links to the bulletin and YouTube video are provided for all Holy Eucharist services.

From the Vestry

A group from Gloria Dei Lutheran Church on White Road. They asked to come and walk the labyrinth as part of their bible study class.

Wednesday, November 20th:

Fundraiser lunch/dinner ALL DAY at Lazy Dog. You will need to take a flyer with you or you can order on line using the code at the bottom of the flyer. We don’t get credit if you use UbeEeats or other food delivery. You will have to pick up your food in person. We get 15% for all orders. Ask friends and neighbors to join us.

Saturday, December 7th:

We will sing Christmas carols and have treats after. You can walk the labyrinth at 6:30. Carols start at 7. This is a free community event.

Saturday, January 4th:

Epiphany dinner starting at 6:00pm. We are asking for $5 per person. Children under 5 are free.  

Dear Clergy and Wardens of the Diocese of El Camino Real,

The Bishop of Western North Carolina, +Jose McLoughlin , has sent an update on the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. His communication is very limited at this time, so updates are infrequent.



Power is still out in many areas, especially the mountains in the western part of the diocese. It is anticipated that power will not be restored until Friday. Flooding is extensive, as he says, historic, and most of the effort is being put into search and rescue at this time. Roads and bridges are washed out, so it is very hard to get into the remote areas.

Bishops in the eastern part of the country are accumulating supplies to take into that area, but most of it will need to wait until access is granted. Meanwhile, the best course of action for those in our diocese who wish to be of assistance is to donate to Episcopal Relief and Development. ER-D works to give long-term support in areas affected by disaster: support.episcopalrelief.org/hurricane-relief.

Thank you all. Let us keep praying for the people in the southeastern part of our country.

Faithfully,

+Lucinda

Diocesan Newsletter



Read about what’s going on in the diocese! Click below to subscribe to the diocesan newsletter that is emailed every two weeks.

Help with Wildfires in Northern California

The Park Fire near Chico is threatening many parishioners in our sister diocese of Northern California. It has grown to 393,012 acres and is only 18% contained. It is the fifth-largest wildfire in California history.

Many feel called to help those who are displaced by disaster. The primary need of people who are evacuated is money, allowing them to eat, travel to safety, settle down where it is safe and comfortable, and contact loved ones. Please prayerfully consider donating to the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California Disaster Resilience Fund if you are able. 100% of your donations go to help those in need. Click HERE to donate.

Presiding Bishop Elect prioritizes

Creation Care from the start . . .

The title of the recent Episcopal News Service (ENS) article reads:

"Presiding bishop-elect to forego installation at National Cathedral; scaled-back event to be held at church’s New York headquarters."

Read the full article HERE.

A Prayer in Times of Transition . . .

Assist us, Lord, in living hopefully into the future. In the face of change, help us to set unnecessary fears aside and to recognize our potential for creative response. Help us to develop a reasonable optimism when confronted by “the new” and to guard against our own defensiveness. Be with us as we remember and celebrate former times, and keep us from unreasonable yearning for them, which takes us from the work you have set before us in our time. All this we ask in the name of your Child, our Savior, Jesus Christ.



Amen.

A prayer for peace in the Middle East

God of mercy and compassion, of grace and reconciliation, pour your power upon all your children in the Middle East: Jews, Muslims and Christians, Palestinians and Israelis. Let hatred be turned into love, fear to trust, despair to hope, oppression to freedom, occupation to liberation, that violent encounters may be replaced by loving embraces, and peace and justice could be experienced by all. Amen.

(by The Reverend Said Ailabouni Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Chicago, IL.) 

You can help . . .

If you are interested in making donations to help with the relief efforts in Israel/Palestine, here are the links that were included in Bishop Lucinda's letter:

https://j-diocese.org/wordpress/

https://realepiscopal.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=99ebbaf4cee8d012c9edafe60&id=d91c439a3d&e=bcc1702497

Wednesday Book Group

Weekly Wednesday Bible Study

 11:00am, at St. John’s 

Meet the Disciples: A Five Part Bible Study

by John Birch

Most churchgoers will be able to name some of Jesus’ disciples, but far fewer can recall the name of all twelve, and in understanding the dynamics of that group of close followers, and how they went on to influence the spread of Jesus’ teaching in the world, it is useful to have in mind the bigger picture, even if we forget some of the detail. The journey that the disciples made with Jesus covered only a short period of time, possibly only three years, and that included teaching and intensive on-the-job training for what would be their future work.

Updates and opportunities!

We have space available to rent. If you know of any non-profit agencies or schools that need a space, let them know that St. Stephen’s has space. 



While it’s nice to have the flexibility to use the space ourselves, we need the income and so hope to find a new renter. 

Our church, parish hall, and our beautiful grounds, including the labyrinth are all great venues like for a variety of special events like receptions, birthday parties, quinceaneras, etc. 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 and pray for St. Stephen’s!

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

All Services begin at 10:00am, unless otherwise noted.

• Sunday, November 10th, Morning Prayer
• Sunday, November 17th, Holy Eucharist
• Sunday, November 24th, Morning Prayer
• Sunday, December 1st, Holy Eucharist
• Sunday, December 8th, Morning Prayer

Kudos:

• To the Calero Students for their help.

• To the gardener’s for making the Rainbow Garden look beautiful.



• To our Vestry for the continued hard work.

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.

Editor's Note  

Have an announcement?

Please send any announcements or articles you want to have included, to: kristenvdm@yahoo.com, by Thursday, 10am each week. 

Kristen van der Molen