St Stephen’s Church
Ninth Sunday after Trinity
9th August 2020
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ST STEPHEN’S CHURCH IS GATHERING VIRTUALLY
Your one-click location to find
the latest news and updates about worship,
programs, study groups, and pastoral care
during the COVID-19 crisis.
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FROM THE ASSOCIATE RECTOR |
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Jesus took some time apart to pray. His time with God did not close him off to the world, but inspired, restored him, and re-energized him to go to the help of the troubled disciples. Ideally, the time that we spend in prayer builds us up in our relationship with God and strengthens us to act in God’s name.
Peter had courage when his eyes were on Jesus, but he foundered when he got distracted by himself and his anxieties. Welcome to St Stephen’s, where we seek to keep our eyes on God as we weather tumultuous times.
— CTT+
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Sacred Ground Dialogue Circles On Race Take Off Across the Church
August 2020 update
Thousands of participants across the Episcopal Church are meeting together in Dialogue Circles to undertake the Sacred Ground program together in community. Open to all, the program was initially designed by a white Episcopalian to raise awareness about, and to encourage white Episcopalians to take action against, systemic racism in our church and society.
Dialogue Circles of no more than 14 people meet, usually bi-monthly, committing to work through the material together with a facilitator. As the material can be sensitive, and a high level of trust must be maintained, it is important that people choosing to participate in a group commit to meeting for the duration of the program. We want to roll out the program in a highly carefully planned, unrushed way so that participants feel safe to lower their guard, and are able to engage with the material with intentions toward transformation and deepening their sense of discipleship.
Sacred Ground is a film- and readings-based dialogue series on race, grounded in faith. Small groups are invited to walk through chapters of America’s history of race and racism, while weaving in threads of family story, economic class, political and regional identity.
The 10-part series is built around a powerful online curriculum of documentary films and readings that focus on Indigenous, Black, Latino, and Asian/Pacific American histories as they intersect with European American histories. The curriculum is not intended as a comprehensive summary, but rather a starting point for discussion as participants connect historical narratives with their own life experiences. “Sacred Ground is a time and opportunity to hear the story of our past with regard to race, to hear our stories of our pasts,” Presiding Bishop Michael Curry said in a video statement released with the curriculum’s February 2019 launch. “From the travail and the reality of all those stories may emerge hope for a new day.”
— CTT+
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The flowers at the altar this Sunday
are given by
Bonnie & Stephen Echerd
and with love and in celebration of
Barbara Berling’s birthday.
Floral donations support the livestream service.
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HEALING PRAYERS
The Healing Ministry Team continues to pray for those who are desirous of healing prayers for themselves, others, or any situation in the world. Virtually, we lay our hands on you and offer prayers of healing, comfort, discernment, and peace. If you desire prayers for yourself, for someone or something else, please contact us through the Rev’d Christine Trainor by email: christine[at]ststephenschurch.org.
All requests will be kept in strict confidence.
In addition to our prayers, we have small (2x4in) pocket prayer shawls available that we can mail out. These pocket prayer shawls can be kept in your pocket, purse, backpack, car, desk, or anywhere as a touchstone and reminder that through prayer, we are still together.
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A PRAYER FOR ESSENTIAL BUSINESSES AND WORKERS
Heavenly God, we pray for the essential businesses and essential workers in our communities. Please be present to all who need your loving protection—and to their loved ones and families—as they serve during this time of pandemic.
We pray for delivery drivers, mail carriers and package processors; for truckers and warehouse distribution workers; for farm workers, food producers, food service personnel, servers, and supermarket workers; for pharmacists and drugstore workers; for hardware store attendants and those who do repairs; for social workers, legal aid and civil rights lawyers; for refuse collectors, cleaners, and janitors; for mortuary and cemetery workers. For all those in critical trades that provide services, we need and on whom we rely.
We pray in gratitude and lift up to you all essential workers and ask that you continue to protect them from harm and comfort them in this time of uncertainty. AMEN.
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ONLINE STUDIES
Online Film Society
Donald Sung
Wednesdays at 4:00 pm
ONLINE PRAYER BREAKFAST
Saturdays, 8:00am
Join Father Schaper
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VISIT Together Apart,
THE ALMOST DAILY CLERGY BLOG, AT
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ABOUT LIVESTREAMING
& TWO TIPS
& AND SOME GOOD NEWS
Live Stream | We seek your feedback on your experience with the quality of the livestream. Are you having technical difficulties with livestream sound? Video? Glitches? Please email Elizabeth Gravely to let us know.
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A tip from Rod Hall: If you are having audio problems, try not watching the stream live but clicking on the url later — perhaps at 11:15 — and downloading the video. All service livestreams are archived and available on the livestreams page at ststephenschurch.org.
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Trouble connecting? If you log on to the Livestream prior to 10:00 am, and then have trouble with viewing at the 10:00 hour, refresh your browser and the livestream should reset to stream.
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August: Full Moon | poem offering from a parishioner
Even in chaos
The moonrise is a constant
Like beauty and the Holy.
Love is inside and outside;
Light that remains unshakeable.
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SUBSCRIBE TO ST STEPHEN’S CHURCH NEWS [formerly TIDINGS]:
THE WEEKLY, DIGITAL NEWSLETTER
OF ST STEPHEN’S CHURCH
Please stay connected. The [St Stephen’s Church News | formerly Tidings] digital newsletter currently serves as our primary, weekly communication. If you would like to receive this enews or are having problems receiving it, please email the office. It helps to put dee@ststephenschurch.org into your contacts, and to check your junk mail if you think you did not receive it. The news delivers at 6:00 am on Saturday mornings [i.e. Tidings] and provides the latest news on worship livestreams, bible studies, classes, groups, and programs at St Stephen’s Central.
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GIVING TO ST STEPHEN’S
PLEDGE CARDS
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Like St Stephen’s on Facebook.
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ST STEPHEN’S DIRECTORY
IS ONLINE
To protect parishioner information, access to the private information needed to logon is granted by calling or emailing the office. Once the login is granted, please refrain from sharing the information with anyone other than fellow parishioners.
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