St Stephen’s Church Tidings
Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity
13th September 2020
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ST STEPHEN’S CHURCH GATHERS VIRTUALLY
Everyone’s welcome. Nobody’s perfect. Anything’s possible.
Your one-click location to find
the latest news and updates about worship,
programs, study groups, and pastoral care
during the COVID-19 crisis.
Please read about the new YouTube Channel below.
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We Have Moved Our Streaming Platform to YouTube |
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Thank you for tuning into livestream services and messages from St Stephen’s Church. We have moved streaming off of the Vimeo platform onto YouTube. YouTube offers a much more substantial, faster tracking, and far-reaching platform.
Please Subscribe, and ask everyone you know to subscribe, to our YouTube channel:
To Subscribe to St Stephen’s YouTube Channel
- Click the subscribe button
- You will be asked to sign in. Click on the words Sign In.
- Your Google accounts will be listed. Choose one that is listed or choose, ’Other Account.’
- At this point, if you do not have a Google Account, you may create one here. Follow those instructions.
- Once you have created an account and/or signed in, click on the little bell in the upper right corner. Choose ’Manage Notifications’ to receive notices about when content is added to St Stephen’s Channel. From time to time important short videos are added to the channel, and you can receive alerts about these, and any changes with Sunday livestreams.
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Join In This Sunday For A Zoom Coffee Hour
Grab a cup of coffee after the livestream worship service this Sunday and join in for a social hour! Donald Sung and Richard Schaper will co-host a casual conversation to connect with friends and see faces you may have been missing. We are giving this format a try this Sunday as a way of bringing members and newcomers together. Join in when you can following the service. The gathering will run until 11:45 am.
Here is information to join in:
ID for Meeting: 819 791 7691
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“Then Peter came up and said to him, ‘Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.’”
When Jesus responds to Peter who wants to know how many times to forgive someone and says “seventy times seven,” it’s not a command he’s cracking but a joke. Doling out forgiveness measure by measure is a petty and calculating business. How much to forgive? How little? The importance of math notwithstanding, Jesus taught that forgiveness and arithmetic have as much to do with each other as love and the quadratic formula. What is more comic, Peter guessing the answer to his question is 7 or us earnestly doing the math and believing the answer is 490?
As I write, it’s noon and the sky is as dark as it is before cock crow. It looks as if we’re all living in the movie Blade Runner. Keep looking up. Let’s keep laughing, especially at ourselves. Welcome to St Stephen’s..
— PCE+
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The flowers at the altar this Sunday,
13th September 2020, are given by
Melody & C.J. Key
who married 23 years ago today.
Each anniversary we thank God
for being the ultimate matchmaker
and giving us the gift of love.
Floral donations support the
livestream service.
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Regathering for In-Person Worship Update | 12th September 2020
Preparations for in-person worship continue. We plan to run a trial service and then re-open for worship in the courtyard on Sunday, September 27th (dependent on safety precautions relating to COVID regulations and AQI due to wildfires).
The outdoor worship service envisioned will offer 18 reserved spots. We will offer reservations through Eventbrite. The reservation process will begin at noon on Monday, September 21 and close Thursday, September 24th, giving the office time to prepare for set up and check-in on Sunday. Reservations must be made through the Eventbrite system only, as the office needs to manage reservations through a single system. Instructions on how to reserve spots will be provided closer to the re-opening date.
Check-in for the service will be at 8 am, with worship beginning at 8:15. A word liturgy, the service will combine prayers and music with a focus on scripture and preaching. Brief and accessible, the worship service aspires to appeal to all ages. While we hope to be able to offer holy eucharist/communion before too long, and are preparing for a safe method of distribution, we are still awaiting episcopal approval for the sharing of this sacrament.
All reservations will be made directly through an Eventbrite link, and we are still working out a system which ensures that all who want to come will have a fair opportunity to reserve a spot(s) over time. Seating will be assigned. Social distancing will be observed, and masks must be worn at all times. People will not be permitted to congregate before or after the service.
The livestream service will continue at 10am. Please stay tuned as we ready to regather.
— CTT+
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Sunday, 13th September, 9:00 - 10:00am Zoom
Slow Religion: The Foundations of Christian Faith in the 21st Century
Where is God in the Whirlwind or Our Exile of Today?
The Slow Religion: The Foundations of Christian Faith studies explore the core beliefs and experiences of the Christian faith, and invite reflection within our 21st Century/Covid-19 pandemic context. The series is led by Joe Jennings and the Rev’d Zoila Schoenbrun, and is organized into two sets: first, the historical context and development of the faith; and, second topical examinations of belief and how to apply those today. The Topics include: God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, Incarnation, Resurrection, Forgiveness of Sins and Eternal Life. Each subject will include a brief presentation to give historical and textual content, readings in the Bible, creeds and prayers from multiple sources, and then questions for reflection and discussion. The next discussion will be on 20th September.
Pre-Christian Origins and Context
Pre-Christian context for the new religion: Greek, Pagan, and Jewish views of God, early creeds and prayer life. Sources include the Old Testament and Roman and Greek texts. We will reflect on how do we respond when God seems distant, and modernity attempts to crowd out religious faith?
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Special Meeting of the Vestry: Anti-Racism Efforts at St Stephen’s
The vestry of St Stephen’s Church met for a special, extended session on Monday, August 31 to discuss ideas for expanding ways to work against racism in our local community, and in the wider church and society. Vestry members and officers expressed a variety of opinions and proposed a host of ideas. It was a good, honest, open, and, albeit at times, hard conversation.
We are all digesting the meeting and planning the next steps of action. We are working to make our preaching, teaching, and anti-racism activity more visible on public platforms. Please watch for more news about how your leadership is responding as we clarify and implement an anti-racism strategy.
— CTT+
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On Racism and Black Lives: Loving the Lord our God and Loving our Neighbor as Ourselves
St Stephen’s Church seeks and serves Christ in all persons. We are committed in our baptism to loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves. With God’s help, we strive for justice and peace among all people, and we respect the dignity of every human being; therefore, we oppose racism of every kind, and we’re focused on Black lives now. To learn more, we invite you to see the following sermons, in pdf manuscript and video formats, by clicking below:
The Rev’d Phillip C Ellsworth, Jr, Rector
A sermon preached 7th June 2020
The Rev’d Christine Tully Trainor, Associate Rector
A sermon preached 31st May 2020
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Sacred Ground Dialogue Circles | New Group May Be Added
The Sacred Ground Dialogue Circles have met together for their introductory and first sessions of the film-and readings-based program offered through the Episcopal Church. Two groups will meet from early September through early February to dive more deeply into conversations about racism in our church and society.
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Online Studies
Online Film Society
Donald Sung
Wednesdays at 4:00 pm
Final Zoom 16th September
Slow Religion | Sunday
Joe Jennings & the Rev’d Zoila Schoenbrun
13th September, 9:00 - 10:00 am Zoom
Slow Religion: The Foundations of Christian Faith in the 21st Century
Next Session, 20th September
Online Prayer Breakfast
Saturdays, 8:00am
Join the Rev’d Richard Schaper
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Visit Together Apart,
The almost daily Clergy Blog, at
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About Livestreaming
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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St Stephen’s has moved the livestream channel to YouTube. All upcoming livestreams, as well as revised links for 8.23.20 and 8.16.20 are available on this channel. If you subscribe, you can always doublecheck for the most current version of the Sunday livestream, as well as view those archived since the changeover. Go to https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXrUQn_EzrgXLZTVE2Aq1UQ, and save this in your browser favorites.
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All service livestreams from Vimeo are archived and available on the livestreams page at ststephenschurch.org. The YouTube link will remain constant until we have 100 subscribers which will give us our own unique url. All videos from 8.16.20 forward will be on that channel, and you will see the current Sunday date listed to click start. The static link to the St Stephen’s Channel will remain at the top of the website livestreams page.
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Save the Date: Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s Virtual Visit to DioCal
On 27th September 2020, Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael Curry will be visiting (virtually) the Diocese of California. Bishop Curry will be the guest preacher at Grace Cathedral’s 11am Choral Eucharist. He will also be speaking live with Bishop Marc at a special 12:30 pm Forum. Both events are being planned with the entire diocese in mind. Stay tuned for more details about how to participate.
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A Prayer for those affected by disaster
O God of compassion, we pray for those who have been devastated by these wildfires, and this hurricane. We remember those who have lost their lives so suddenly. We hold in our hearts the families forever changed by grief and loss. Bring them consolation and comfort. Surround them with our prayer for strength. Bless those who have survived and heal their memories of trauma and devastation. May they have the courage to face the long road of rebuilding ahead.
We ask your blessing on all those who have lost their homes, their livelihoods, their security, and their hope. Bless the work of relief agencies and those proving emergency assistance. May their work be guided by the grace and strength that comes from you alone.
Help us respond with generosity in prayer, in assistance, in aid to the best of our abilities. Keep our hearts focused on the needs of those affected, even after the crisis is over. We ask this in Jesus’s name. Amen.
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Fire Relief Response
At last count, 560 wildfires currently raged across the state of California. According to Cal Fire, the mass of land burned in the past seven days is larger than the size of Rhode Island, already more than triple the area burned during a typical fire season. Thousands have been evacuated and displaced, during a pandemic. You need only step outside, or sniff the smoky air seeping into your home to know that many of us, and our neighbors face great risk and loss.
The generosity many of you have shown was needed and heartwarming. However, relief providers signal that the amount of donated items organizations have received has become overwhelming and difficult to manage.
— CTT+
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Hurricane Laura
As the Episcopal Relief Development acts quickly to assist those impacted by #Hurricane Laura and other devastating storms, we urgently ask for your support. Make a donation to our hurricane relief fund and help us assist Episcopal dioceses in the Gulf Coast, who have extensive experience responding to disasters — not to mention powerful communications networks.
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Subscribe to St Stephen’s Church Tidings
The Weekly Digital Newsletter
Please stay connected. The St Stephen’s Church 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 Tidings [note that the weekly enews was renamed St Stephen's Church News when the COVID-19 crisis first hit, and up until three weeks ago. It is once again called Tidings, and delivers at 6:00 am on Saturday mornings, and provides the latest news on worship livestreams, bible studies, classes, regathering, surveys, groups, and all the programs listed on St Stephen’s Central.
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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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