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.

From the Rector

Dear Friends,

I mentioned in a sermon once that I was fairly certain that I have developmental topographic disorientation, that is I have little if any sense of direction. It’s easy to get made fun of, or make fun of myself, for not being able to ‘find my way out of a cardboard box’, but I’ve read enough about topographic disorientation to know that it really is a thing.  

I was reminded of my challenge when I visited the same hospital and parked in the same parking garage three times this week.  Thankfully I had written directions to get to the particular room, but twice I had trouble getting back out to the entrance of the bldg. I used two different apps to get to the hospital that made slight changes in the route - enough to make finding the parking garage a nightmare.

If I have something really important to get to, not knowing the way, or getting lost, makes me anxious.  For most of us, not knowing our way, or feeling ‘lost’ when it comes to life in general is much worse.  There can be so many obstacles, barriers, and road blocks.  We are told that the Holy Spirit will guide us, but honestly, there are times when I wish the Holy Spirit operated more like the latest map app so that we could see the obstacles, stop signs, and traffic lights ahead of time and get to where we want to be faster and easier.  But that’s not how She operates. 

Our brains use both turn-by-turn directions and birds-eye methods to get to where we’re going and having both is best, but sometimes that’s just not enough.  We need God’s help. God doesn’t need maps because God can see everything all at once.  If you ever find a Holy Spirit map app, please let me know. I don’t think it would get rid of the obstacles in life, but it if it helps navigate through and around the obstacle with more clarity, I’m ready to download it!  

Blessings,

Karen+

Worship This Sunday:

Sunday, June 25th, 10:00am - Holy Eucharist and Baptism at St. Stephen's

LIVE STREAM WORSHIP SERVICE

BULLETIN

 

 St. Stephen’s church doors will be open every Sunday for worship. In-person services will continue to alternate with St. John’s but the live-stream from services at St. John’s will be projected at St. Stephen’s. Come to St. Stephen’s every Sunday!

COFFEE HOUR SIGN-UP SHEET

Diocesan Newsletter

Read about what’s going on in the diocese! Click on the link for this week’s

newsletter.

https://us3.campaign-archive.com/home/?u=99ebbaf4cee8d012c9edafe60&id=f789930ce7

Wednesday Book Group starts next week!



Every Wednesday, 11:00am, St. John’s

(please let Rev. Karen know if you would be interested in coming to a Tues or Thurs morning session at St. Stephen’s)

We will be reading and discussing “A Rabbi Talks With Jesus” by Jacob Neusner.  Everyone is responsible for purchasing their own book. Contact Rev. Karen if you need assistance.

Done!

The floor in the Parish Hall is complete!  New base boards will go in next week.)  It took two long days to do the work – twice as long as planned. It was much more difficult to remove the glue and other adhesive than first anticipated.  That, of course, increased the cost. All total, the bill added up to $2500 – still a reduced rate! 

The floor looks fantastic!  We will no longer have to deal with dirty stained worn out carpet and the space is much more attractive to people who are looking to rent the space for their events.  

If at all possible, please consider making a donation to help us cover the cost of the work.  No amount is too small! There are three ways you can contribute: Write a check to St. Stephen’s and indicate “parish hall floor” in the memo line of your check, put cash in an envelope marked for the parish hall floor in the plate on Sunday, or donate online at ssitf.org (click on the three lines at the top right of the home page and scroll down to ‘donate’).  Thank you for your help!

Updates and opportunities!

The lease for the church that has been renting our facility on Saturdays and Wednesday evenings has come to a close and they have decided not to renew. Their last Saturday for services is tomorrow, April 28th.   This means that we now have more flexibility to rent our space.  We have received requests to use our space for things like weddings, birthday parties, and other community gatherings but had to turn down because Saturdays were not available. 

There is also another church that is in the beginning stages of discerning whether our facility might serve their worship needs on Sunday afternoons.  

Our church, parish hall, and our beautiful grounds, including the labyrinth are all great venues for a variety of special events.  Please encourage friends to consider St. Stephen’s as a venue for their special event!  

To reserve a space or ask question, contact the office, office@ssitf.org or click on the link on our website https://www.ssitf.org/facility-rentals. 

Spread the word and pray for St. Stephen’s!

Contribute to disaster relief efforts for the devastation caused by the earthquake in Turkey-Syria by donating to:

Episcopal Relief and Development at 

https://support.episcopalrelief.org/syria-turkey-earthquake?_gl=1*1ybrxoe*_ga*MTE0NzA0NjQ1OS4xNjYzNzA5NTM4*_ga_5J3W6B8WL4*MTY3NTk3NjYzMi42LjAuMTY3NTk3NjYzMi4wLjAuMA  

Archbishop’s Earthquake Donation Relief Fund at https://afedj.org/give/give-online/

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

• June 25 Holy Eucharist - St. Stephen’s
• July 2 Holy Eucharist - St. John’s
• July 9 Holy Eucharist - St. Stephen’s
• July 16 Holy Eucharist - St. John’s
• July 23 Holy Eucharist - St. Stephen’s
• July 30 Bishop’s Visitation - St. Stephen’s

Fourth of July BBQ (July 9th, 2023)!

Join us for the delicious BBQ after service! To help cover food costs, please consider donating $10. Anything over cost will go to the general fund. Thank you!

Poem from the Garden

We have a load of

pavers, hauled Prius-

load by Prius-load

from Sunnyvale down

to our campus. They're

destined for the new

wheelchair accessible

raised garden beds,

which we'll be working

to complete this summer,

hip-high and full of

flowers, easy for

seated hands to reach.

— Jessica Dickinson Goodman

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day, saying, “I will try again tomorrow.”

-Mary Anne Radmacher

Kudos to:

-Rob for being our Super Jr. Warden 

-Andy for coordinating the refinishing of the Parish  Hall floor

-Jessica for coordinating our 1st Annual Pride Potluck

Contact Information for Rev. Karen.

Please use this new number to contact Rev. Karen for calls or texts:

408-781-1826