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,

It was a joy and blessing to be able to attend PRIDEFEST 2023 in Morgan Hill on June 1! The Pride Month kick-off and flag-raising was exciting, inspiring, and hopeful. Exciting because of the energy in the air and on the lawn at the Morgan Hill Civic Center. Children, grandparents, pets, neighbors, city officials, and clergy greeted one another with hugs, handshakes, and fist bumps. Inspiring because we got to hear from a diverse group of youth, young adults, and not so young adults explain what the colors on the Progress Pride flag stood for and share a little of their own amazing stories that included heartbreak and healing and courage. Hopeful because their stories are being told, and people are listening and learning and celebrating together!  

At the core of this wonderful event was love – loving and being loved. It breaks my heart to know that, in the name of Christianity, so many people in the LGBTQI+ community have been hurt by the church. They are told over and over that they are not accepted, they are not welcome, they are wrong, God doesn’t approve of their ‘lifestyle’ or ‘choice’, or even worse, God doesn’t love them.  

In the Episcopal tradition we have the Baptismal Covenant that we renew corporately at certain times in the liturgical year, but are called to live it out in our personal lives at all times. In it we promise “to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves”. We promise “to strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being”. And most importantly we acknowledge that we need God’s help to accomplish them.  

As a white, Christian clergywoman of privilege, with five black children, some of whose gender identity is represented on the Pride flag that we proudly raised at the Civic Center, I was deeply grateful to see that more and more people in Morgan Hill are openly supporting one another with courageous love. Loving all people matters to me and I might not be all that great at it all the time, but I keep striving. Jesus did say after all “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” (John 13:34, NRSV).   

Blessings,

Karen+

Worship This Sunday:

Sunday, June 11th, 10:00am - Holy Eucharist and Baptism at St. Stephen'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

Wednesday Book Group

Every Wednesday – 11:00am, St. John’s

(please let Rev. Karen know if you would be interested in coming to a Tues or Thurs morning session at St. Stephen’s)

We will be reading and discussing “A Rabbi Talks With Jesus” by Jacob Neusner. Everyone is responsible for purchasing their own book. Contact Rev. Karen if you need assistance.

Almost done . . .

Thanks to Janet and Boy Scout Troop 212 from the Quick Silver District (Scout Master Michael Spencer) for taking out the carpet in the Parish Hall! Now that we know exactly what was underneath, it is clear that the rest of the work to remove old glue and proper refinishing of the concrete need to be done professionally. Andy has found someone who will do the work for us at a significantly reduced price of $1,500. Any help you can give to help cover the cost of this expense would be greatly appreciated – no matter the amount. Every little bit helps. There are three ways you can contribute if you’re interested in donating any amount: Write a check to St. Stephen’s and indicate “parish hall floor” in the memo line of your check, put cash in an envelope marked for the parish hall floor in the plate on Sunday, or donate online at ssitf.org (click on the three lines at the top right of the home page and scroll down to ‘donate’).

Updates and 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 and pray for St. Stephen’s!

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/

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

• June 11 Blessing and naming the St. Stephen’s community garden followed by a Pride Potluck on the Labyrinth on June 

• June 18 Holy Eucharist - St. John’s, Fathers’ Day

• June 25 Holy Eucharist - St. Stephen’s

• July 2 Holy Eucharist - St. John’s

• July 9 Holy Eucharist - St. Stephen’s

• July 16 Holy Eucharist - St. John’s

• July 23 Holy Eucharist - St. Stephen’s

• July 30 Bishop’s Visitation - St. Stephen’s

Poem from the Garden

The garden is a 

place. Mickie came 

by to loosen the 

compost with his old

pitchfork to make it 

easier for us to

shovel into our

wheelbarrows before

going to the farmers’

market, “She’s got 

to have her strawberries,”

he said with a smile. 

Mickey is a neighbor;

our garden is a place.

— Jessica Dickinson Goodman

Garden Blessing and Pride Potluck

June 11th

(following the 10am Service)



St. Stephen’s in-the-Field, we will be formally naming and blessing the expanded community garden at 11am. Immediately following the dedication, from 11:30am - 12:30pm, we will be hosting our first annual Pride Potluck.

Please try to bring an item in the colors of one of the pride flags (but anything edible will be enjoyed!). Note: while beloved by the long-standing communities they represent, most of these flags were designed since 2010, so if you don’t recognize them it’s fine! Here is a quick glossary for unfamiliar terms: 

https://www.hrc.org/resources/glossary-of-terms

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). 

Your children are not

A masterpiece

That you create.

They are their own masterpieces

Creating themselves

And you have been given

The privilege 

Of watching them

Be the artist. 

-J. Warren Welch

Kudos to :

-All who helped clean out the back patio outside the office. 

-The Altar Guild. 

-Our greeters.

Contact Information for Rev. Karen.

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

408-781-1826