From the Rector

Dear friends, 

Happy fall!

Yesterday was autumn equinox.  The days will start to get shorter, which makes me a little anxious. My memories of fall as a child were of excitement about the start of a new school year, the beautiful leaves changing color and then letting go of the trees, falling for me to rake and kick through on the sidewalks on my way to school, with the sounds that only rustling leaves make.  They are good memories.  The older I get, there’s a certain anxiety now – the hours of night begin to gain on the hours of sunlight.  The liturgical seasons are going to change very soon. The trees will be bare again, which is not nearly as beautiful to me as the colorful trees. The liturgical seasons change and Christmas seems just around the corner.  There are pros and cons I suppose.

I attended a zoom meeting this week with a guest speaker, Dr. Kevin Majeres, on presence.  One thing he mentioned that stuck with me was the reminder that re-framing is helpful in times of anxiety.  Anxious situations can be seen as opportunities.  I’ve been thinking about my slight anxiety over the beginning of fall.  I can easily reframe what makes me anxious as opportunities for growth and discovery.  

It works nicely for me – even as it applies to my faith. I can see the obstacles I’ve encountered and the ones I experience today as experiences that I have or will grow from – opportunites to learn, to be grateful, to love and be loved by God.     If you are anxious about anything at all today, try re-framing.  What opportunity might that negative or anxious situation provide? 

Blessings and peace in this beautiful season of fall,

Karen+

Worship This Sunday:

Sunday, Sep 25th, 10:00am – Holy Eucharist

 at St. Stephen's

LIVE STREAM WORSHIP SERVICE

BULLETIN

We continue to wear masks for our indoor services. 

************NEWS FLASH!**********

  St. Stephen’s church doors will be open every Sunday for worship. 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!

Donations for Hurricane Fiona relief

A statement from Angel Venagas, Program Officer, US Disaster Program, Episcopal Relief & Development: 

“Our partners are preparing for and assessing the needs in their communities while dealing with continued rain and flooding created by Hurricane Fiona “We stand ready to assist in the coming days and weeks.” You are welcome to leave a check in the offering plate on Sunday, made out to St. Stephen’s with ‘Fiona ERD’ in the memo line. Or you can contribute funds directly to Episcopal Relief and Development here:

https://support.episcopalrelief.org/hurricane-relief/

New Bible Study

Acts: Catching up with the Spirit 

We are doing a six-week study on the book of Acts with Biblical scholar, Matt Skinner.

Tuesday evenings via Zoom beginning Oct 4th at 7pm.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87517609914

Wednesday mornings, beginning Sept. 28th at 11:00, in person at St. John’s.

Books are available for purchase for $14 each. Pick up your book at St. Stephen’s after the service this Sunday.

Join us for our first annual harvest dinner fundraiser! Come join with your friends, family, and our beloved community for an evening of fun, food, and fellowship.

• When: 5 – 8:30pm | Sunday October 9, 2022
• 5-6pm: Reception, pumpkin decorating, and silent auction
• 6-7pm: Dinner
• 7-8pm: Dancing, pie auction, last chance at silent auction.
• 8-8:30pm: Announcing winners.

• Where: The New Labyrinth at 7269 Santa Teresa Blvd., San José, CA 95139

• How: Tickets are $25/adult and $5/child — buy them through our PayPal page here using your debit or credit card, or drop off a check at the office.

• What:
• Kegs and drinks donated by Rob van der Molen
• Grilling by Andy Lief and Trygve Thorsrud
• Harvest centerpieces from the community garden
• Pie auction with pies by Rowena Dizon-Burger, Jessica Dickinson Goodman, Janet Thorsrud, and more. Bidding starts at just $25!
• Basket auction with goodies from baker Akiko Mizhashi; delicacies from baker Kristen van der Molen; a bird basket from Janet Thorsrud; and more.
• Silent auction with kayaking lesson with Paula Scotney-Castle; website support Jessica Dickinson Goodman; a small project from Andy Lief and Vaquero Construction; original from artist Debbie Wolf; electrical work (hanging lights, etc) and computer upgrades from Trygve Thorsrud; a beautiful quilt from Terre; training and installation support from beekeeper Gavin; a baking lesson from Janet Thorsrud; a lovely watercolor from artists Susan Zaballos; and more!

If you’d like to donate an item to the silent auction or help to set-up or take-down the event, please reach out to the event co-chairs Janet (thorsrud@sbcglobal.net) and Jessica (jessica.dickinson.goodman@gmail.com).

Harvest Festival Pie Raffle Sign-Up Sheet

***We need more pies and baskets!***

Also if you have questions about volunteering, Ideas, or donations please contact Janet using the information above

Poem from the Garden

We had our first rain

of the season on

Sunday, thick and just

stormy enough to

settle the dust and

make the sages start

to perk up from their

grey-leafed summer slumber.

It may not rain

for weeks again, but

it was a beautiful

reminder that

plants need water, food and

light to grow; like us.

— Jessica Dickinson Goodman 

“Anyone who sees fallen leaves as dead has never watched them dancing on a windy day.”

-Shira Tamir

Kudos to:

-Suzanne for her beautiful preludes.

-Susan for serving on the altar guild.

-Jessica for working with the Calero students.

-Janet and Jessica for continued planning for the Harvest Festival.