Beloved Community,

Our Lenten journey is winding down, which is something of a liminal space for me. My soul longs for the stillness of God in preparation to greet the risen Christ again as if for the very first time. In reality, there is so much to do that finding that time is more challenging than I want and need it to be. That said, every year I do find some time, such as on the clergy retreat with Bishop Hughes or in spiritual practices - some new, some tried and true, some contemplative, some more lighthearted. One of the years I was in discernment for the priesthood, I sought and received Reconciliation of a Penitent, a vastly underused and extremely powerful practice in the Episcopal Church. I woke up the following morning with this poem almost fully formed in my head - or maybe it was my heart. My friend, Sue, of blessed memory, with whom I shared the poem soon after discovering it, asked another friend to create a beautiful handmade paper journal for me. That friend interpreted it this way:

Join us on Sunday, April 9th for

The Sunday of the Resurrection:

EASTER SUNDAY

8:00 am - Spoken Holy Eucharist

10:00 am - Festival Eucharist

11:30 am - Easter Egg Hunt

ALL are welcome.

Masks are optional.

At Communion, you may receive the wine by sipping from the cup,

or you may choose Communion in one kind only (the bread).

HELP EXPAND

THE GOOD NEWS GARDEN

We will be doubling the size of our garden to build on the success of last year and provide more produce to the Interfaith Food Bank of the Oranges.

We will "Grow the Good News" and hope you will choose to join us by donating plants or by helping with the build out and the planting when we’re ready.

SignUp to donate plants today!

CHRISTINE'S KITCHEN

When donor fatigue hit a sister parish in the Evelyn Underhill Region and the call to help was issued, St. Stephen's stepped up and offered to bridge the donation gap.

On April 1, we donated 90 lunches, 30 beyond the original ask, for Christine's Kitchen.

Thanks to all the generous donors and to

Deryck Rugbeer for coordinating our

collection and delivery.

April 6 - Maundy Thursday

6:30 pm - Holy Eucharist and Agape Supper

April 7 - Good Friday

12:00 noon - Contemplative Prayer Service

7:30 pm - Solemn Collects with Veneration of the Cross

April 8 - Holy Saturday

10:00 am to noon - Liturgy of Holy Saturday and Quiet Day

Christ Church in Short Hills Presents

The Requiem of Gabriel Fauré: A Concert of Remembrance

Sunday, April 23, 2023 at 4:00pm 

A Special Concert of Remembrance featuring Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem and Cantique de Jean Racine at Christ Church in Short Hills commemorates its 140th Anniversary and honors those lives lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Concert will feature the Christ Church Festival Choir, Orchestra, Organ and vocal soloists conducted by guest conductor and Christ Church parishioner George Mathew. The Christ Church Festival Choir, under the direction of Christ Church Organist and Choirmaster, Dr. Andrew Moore, will include choristers from the Community Congregational Church in Short Hills, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Millburn, Temple B’Nai Jeshrun and other area institutions. The Festival Orchestra will comprise distinguished artists from major New York orchestras including the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Orpheus. Short Hills resident and soprano Tharanga Goonetilleke, and baritone Charles Schneider will be the featured soloists for this performance of the Fauré Requiem. 

The Concert is presented free of charge; however, free will donations are welcome. Parking is available and a reception will follow the performance in the Parish Hall.

Full details are available here.

North Porch Women & Infants' Centers provides emergency aid, in the form of baby supplies, to mothers and infants in northern New Jersey, to help them stabilize and improve the quality of their lives.

Our collection bin is located outside the education building doors year-round. Donations can be dropped off at any time. Items of urgent need are:

• Enfamil 12.5 oz powdered baby formula and soy formula
• Diapers especially Large size diapers - 4, 5, 6 and Pull-ups of all sizes
• Baby wipes
• Jars of baby food all ages-fruit, veggie and 1st foods

If you would like to make a monetary donation to North Porch, please click here.

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry:

Easter 2023 Message

“We are here in a world struggling to find its soul, but the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not, cannot, and will not overcome it,” Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop and Primate Michael B. Curry said in his Easter 2023 message. “Jesus lives. He has been raised from the dead. That is the message of Easter, and that is the good news of great tidings.”

View message here.

TRINITY RETREAT CENTER

Trinity Retreat Center, located in the Northeast in West Cornwall, CT, offers a place of spirituality and gracious, authentic hospitality—where you can slow down, connect deeply with nature, experience the rhythm of a community, enjoy farm-to-table meals, discern direction for your life, and go home ready to make an even greater impact on the world.

Trinity Retreat Center is an Episcopal mission of Trinity Church Wall Street and is open to everyone, regardless of denomination or faith.

For more information, go to the Trinity Retreat Center's

Facebook page or website.