St. Stephen's in-the-Field Episcopal Church
FRIDAY JOURNAL September 11th, 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 Service: September 13th, 2020 |
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Holy Eucharist, Rite II at 10:00am online |
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From the Rector
In remembrance of 9/11 let us pause and pray,
Loving God of Peace: On this anniversary of unbelievable sorrow, comfort those who mourn, and guide our hearts toward healing and hope. Remind us of the love of Christ, love which leapt over cultural and ethnic boundaries to feed the hungry, seek the lost and care for the least. Make of Your children, no matter how we name You, one human family, bound together in the work of justice and peacemaking. Make us one with the Light that shines in the darkness and illumines a path toward understanding and reconciliation. Let love be our genuine call. Amen
-The Rev. Dr. Jacqueline Lewis
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Sunday Worship
***New update – links to the bulletin and coffee hour are below!***
A separate email with links will no longer be sent out Saturday evening.
(The links will be in your Friday journal and on the front page of our website: www.ssitf.org)
This week Rev. Karen will preside the Holy Eucharist at St.John’s and shared with St. Stephen’s. The service will be posted on both our websites (www.ssitf.org and www.stjohndivinemorganhill.org) at 10:00am but is available any time after that.
I encourage you to set aside a special place, light a candle, and download the bulletin here as you prepare to worship.
Please send any special prayer requests and/or anniversaries and birthdays to Rev. Karen.
Join us for Coffee Hour at 11:00am on Zoom with this link.
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Reflections
This past Sunday, God reminded me of his awesome love and his placing of angels among us.
My son Nick and his wife Mandy were returning to Monterey from San Jose, where they had just purchased their very first brand new car. Mandy was driving the new car and Nick was following in their 2009 Nissan. It was 111 degrees and traffic was stop and go. Several cars had gotten between them, so Mandy couldn’t see Nick that well. Suddenly, Nick’s car just died in the middle lane near the San Juan Bautista exit. The truck in back of him was not paying attention, and rear ended him. Fortunately, traffic was barely moving, so there was no damage to the car, but the hit did move Nick’s car forward. The driver of the truck got out and said “What happened?” like it was Nick’s fault. Nick said, “You hit me.” The driver them proceeded to start to help Nick get his car to the shoulder. In the meantime, about six more people got out of their cars, and helped move Nick’s car over to the side. Nick said they were all like Superman to the rescue! He tried to call Mandy, but his phone was overheating, so all he managed to say was, “Car died, San Juan Bautista Exit, need help”. He couldn’t hear Mandy’s response, so he didn’t know if she was turning around to come back and help him. As he stood by the side of the road, in the 111 degree heat, a woman stopped and came over to him. “Would you like a bottle of water?”, she asked. Nick gladly accepted the bottled water, so kindly offered, and prepared to wait. Mandy had received his call for help and managed to get turned around, and find him by the side of the road.
Later that evening they returned to get their car and it started right up, after having cooled down. It was a nervous ride home, praying the car would make it, but they arrived safe and sound.
Nick called that evening to let me know what had happened. After being assured that he was ok, I just started thanking God for keeping him and Mandy safe. I thanked him for having all those angels here on earth that helped him in his time of need.
In this time of great turmoil, God reminds us that there still good, compassionate people, willing to help a stranger in need.
Praise God!
Susan
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Thanks to last week’s liturgy assistants! |
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WEDNESDAY MORNING PRAYER GROUP
Weekly Wednesday prayer group at 11:00am.
This is an opportunity to offer our prayers of thanksgivings, for healing for ourselves and others, and anything else on our hearts. Even if you don’t have a computer, you can join the Zoom meeting with your phone.
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WEDNESDAY EVENING COMPLINE
Begins at 7pm
Compline, the last Office of the day. End your day with a beautiful and short liturgy. All are welcome and please feel free to share the link with friends!
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Keeping the conversations going . . .
Pastoral Conversation About Race Thursdays @ 4:30pm
The Revs Karen Cuffie and Jani Wild will lead pastoral conversations on racism. There will be a brief introduction to the focus of the session followed by a video, discussion, and prayers. Please join us, there is no better way to learn, process and share together than in a faith community. Come join us next week by clicking on the following Zoom link:
Meeting ID: 835 7594 8022
Password: 748467
One tap mobile
+16699006833,,83575948022#,,1#,748467# US (San Jose
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Your faithful giving. . .
We rely on you to keep us current in paying our bills. If you haven’t yet, please mail your pledge checks or any other donations to the church office, or you can use the ‘Donate’ button on our website and pay with a credit card. We certainly understand if you are experiencing financial hardship at this time. If you are able, we appreciate any small offering you might consider making. Your financial stewardship is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much!
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How to help those impacted by wildfires and COVID-19 |
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The Bishop’s COVID-19 Fund has been expanded in response to the needs of communities impacted by the River, Carmel, Dolan, and Lightning Complex fires in Monterey, Santa Cruz, and Santa Clara counties. Gifts made to the "Bishop's COVID-19 and Disaster Relief Fund" will be distributed to those impacted by either the fires or by the COVID-19 virus, based on urgency of need.
To make a gift online, visit the “Donate” page at the diocesan website (click here) and choose "Bishop's COVID-19 and Disaster Relief Fund."
Or mail a check to:
Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real
PO Box 689
Salinas, CA 93902
Please state “Bishop’s COVID-19 and Disaster Relief Fund” in the memo area of checks. Thank you! Bishop Lucinda and diocesan staff are also working with Episcopal Relief & Development to secure financial assistance for those in need.
Santa Maria Urban Ministry is re-opening their clothes closet. St. Jude’s in Cupertino will have a parking lot collection day soon. Go ahead and get a head start on your Fall cleaning. More details will follow. Donated clothes should be laundered and in good condition. Men’s, women’s and children’s clothing are all accepted. Santa Maria has received a matching grant from the Valley Foundation of $50.000 through December 31, 2020. Anything you donate will have double the impact. We’ll keep you posted!
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Poem from the Garden
Here are the things we
need to give away
from the garden this
week: red and orange and
yellow-pink bouquets
of flowers; fresh corn,
ready for steaming
or big corn-husk dolls;
small sunflower seeds,
roasted and salted;
the last of this year's
grape harvest. If you
want any of this
please email me soon.
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“Jesus was not killed by atheism and anarchy. He was brought down by law and order allied with religion – which is always a deadly mix. Beware those who claim to know the mind of God and are prepared to use force, if necessary, to make others conform." -Barbara Brown Taylor
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Kudos to:
-Jessica for creating our pre-recorded service last week.
-All musicians who give of their gifts in our worship services.
-Janet and Trig for coordinating the new water pipes being installed in the Community Garden garden
-Margo, the Eswine Family, and Jessica & friends, for their work in the community garden and throughout the church campus.
-all who have given generously of their time, talent, and treasure – that’s YOU!
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Psalm of the Cosmos
Loving God, loving God,
all creation calls you blessed,
and so do we, and so do we.
Loving God,
all your creation calls you blessed.
Your spirit imprints the whole universe with life and mystery.
Yes, all creation proclaims your love.
We now join this chorus of praise.
Loving God,
all of nature calls you blessed,
and so do we.
For you have woven an intimate tapestry
and call it life
and called it good.
In love you have formed a universe
so diverse yet so related,
and into its web you call us forth
to walk the land and swim the sea
with all our natural brothers and sisters.
To the stars
we seem no more than blades of grass.
Yet to you, each of us,
as each blade of grass and each star,
is an irreplaceable treasure,
an essential companion on this journey of love.
Loving God, as you lure the whole world into salvation,
guide us with your Spirit
that we might not be only pilgrims on the earth,
but pilgrims with the earth,
journeying home to you.
Open our hearts to understand
the intimate relationship that you have with all creation.
Only with this faith can we hope
for tomorrow's children.
Amen. Alleluia!
Loving God, loving God,
all creation calls you blessed,
and so do we, and so do we.
Source unknown
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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 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.
Please submit prayer requests to Rev. Karen.
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Contact information for Rev. Karen: |
Personal phone for emergencies or urgent matters: 408-781-1826
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Editor's Note
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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