St. Stephen's in-the-Field Episcopal Church
FRIDAY JOURNAL March 20th, 2020
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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.
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Sunday Services: March 22, 2020
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The 10:00 service will be via video on our website Sunday morning at 10:00
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Message from Rev. Karen
Dear friends,
What a time we find ourselves! We've always said we need to be the church outside our walls and so, here we are, outside the walls and yet I never expected this. I never imagined this. What is vital right now, in addition to all the precautions and shelter in place order, is to stay connected, to remember that we are the body of Christ wherever we are, and to remember that God is with us.
Communication is important and there are five easy ways we can communicate with one another:
-Zoom meetings
. Zoom meetings are easy to join and you don't need a membership or login, you just need to click on the link that I send through emails. The glitch is that Zoom isn't supported by Safari, which is the browser that you use to connect with the internet. If you use Safari, you'll need to download another browser like Google Chrome or Firefox. I realize all this might sound like Greek to many of you, but you can email me and I will walk you through it, or I'll get someone else to help. This week there was a Lenten Soup Supper Wednesday evening. We got to talk to Edy! We also had a Vestry meeting!
-Facebook
. If you already have a Facebook account, follow our St. Stephen's page! I often receive inspirational things from The Episcopal Church page and many others for Episcopalians that I pass on to our St. Stephen's Facebook account. If you don't have a Facebook account, this would be a good time to create one, even if only temporarily. You can delete it when all this is over.
-Our St. Stephen's website
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www.ssitf.org
There's lots of information there and you can watch the Sunday service at 10:00. We had some glitches last week but are learning as we go along! (We didn't learn this in seminary!)
-Email.
Check your email every day. You'll be getting more than the Friday Journal. Check your spam folder too. Sometimes email ends up there. I have no idea why, but if you check it, you might find an email from 'office@ssitf.org, which is where you Constant Content emails are from.
-Telephone
- the old fashioned way. Sometimes hearing someone's voice can be a source of comfort. It's a great way to find out if someone needs help. If you don't know how to help, call someone else.
I'm praying for you all!
Peace,
Karen+
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A video message from Bishop Lucinda
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"Speaking from her home via Zoom, Bishop Lucinda Ashby discusses how to carry on our pilgrimage during a pandemic, meeting virtually with clergy, and plans for an online Easter service. "It is a time of gift and a time of challenge ... we weren't trained for this, but we are equipped for it. Because we have this single thought: we love our neighbor and we love God."
Walking the Way with you,
+Lucinda
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This is a new recurring section of our newsletter. In this time of uncertainty, don't be afraid to ask questions. Email Rev. Karen at
revkaren@ssitf.org
. We might not know all the answers, but even that can help sometimes! I'll let others know the questions I've been asked (without naming who asked them) and give the best answer I can.
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Dust Bunnies in the Basket: Finding God in Lent & Easter
by Tim Schenck
Please feel free to join us on Thursday mornings via Zoom from 10:00-11:00. Rev. Karen will send out an email with the link on Wednesday night or Thursday morning
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Growing in God's Grace
Do you have a photo of you in childhood or young adulthood (baby years through early 20's)? Well it's not too late to submit it for our Parish Hall bulletin board!
The Sunday school students have been learning about Jesus as he grows up, and we'd also like to show YOU as you were growing in God's Grace.
Please make sure not to label with your name on the front. That way we can all have fun guessing who everyone is!
Copies only please (and can be on regular paper; doesn't have to be on photo paper) since we'll need to put glue or staples on it.
Submissions accepted through March. Any questions, please ask Rowena:
heyrufus@heyrufus.com or text 408-317-8262.
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GIFT CARD ORDERS
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Fundraisers
California Pizza Kitchen is still doing take out to be used for our fundraiser!
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I have planted the row-crops I'd found for the garden in black
plastic pots in my backyard, so they will be seedlings by the time
county supervisors lift the order to shelter-in-place.
We'll have Navajo Blue Corn sprouts and Appaloosa beans sprigs.
If you would like to grow a plant for the community beds
text me your address and I will mail you a few seeds: like the
tiny red strawberry corn kernels and flat white Waltham squash
seeds and small smooth black Hopi Dye Sunflower seeds and sweet corn.
If you, like me, are trapped at home and wish to help, you can build
planters (two and a half feet high and one foot square) and we'll plant
them in a row beside the rose fence. We need birdhouses too
for the bluebirds and black phoebes nesting as we wait this out.
Loquat fruit will still blush to orange, the grape leaves will keep growing,
whether we plant or build or not, the risen apricot will keep showing.
Jessica won't be hosting time in the garden until the shelter-in-place is lifted, but she has all of the garden seeds with her, so if you're inclined to plant something that may be sprouting by April 7, 2020, text her at 650-804-9044 and she'll mail you some seeds. Arike and she prepped the garden to live without human hands on Monday before the midnight deadline, so everything there should be fine for the duration.
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Food for thought. . .
Bishop Barbara C. Harris has a saying that we
are 'an Easter people in a Good Friday world."
How relevant this is today!
Barbara Harris, the first female bishop in the Anglican Church, died last week at the age of 89.
She marched for civil rights in the South and worked as a PR executive before being ordained as an Episcopal priest at age 50. Read more about her here:
www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/barbara-c-harris-first
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-Maria, Janet, Trig, and Robin for helping make and post the video of our service last Sunday.
-All who made phone calls this week to check in everyone
-Jessica for disinfecting all the garden tools
-Rowena for the link to the article about Bishop Barbara Harris
-All who are doing their part to helping stop COVID-19
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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 Biddings book at the back of the sanctuary where you can write in things before the service starts
* there is a prayer chain of committed pray-ers (who maintain confidentiality). Contact Robin, our Deacon, who will initiate that for you
* there is prayer at the altar every Sunday, where we all join you in the privacy of your need with the Priest
* there is a kneeling prayer station at the side of the church with candles, prayer book, all available anytime, not just Sundays
* turn to your neighbors and friends in church to share what's on your heart, ask for support in speaking to God about your needs (and tell them the updates next week!)
* tell people about your answers to prayer! and the miracles you witness, or how prayer changes YOU.
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Contact information for Rev. Karen:
Personal phone for emergencies or urgent matters: 408-781-1826
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Contact information for Deacon Robin:
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Please send any announcements or articles you want to have included, to:
evan.bryan1@gmail.com, by Thursday, 10am each week.
Evan Bryan
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St. Stephen's in-the-Field Episcopal Church
7269 Santa Teresa Blvd; San Jose, CA 95139
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