December 29, 2021 Newsletter

December 229, 2021

This is a quiet week at St. Stephen's, with Rev. Paula on vacation until January 3rd and Maria taking some time off, as well. Rev. Paula would like to share this poem, by the theologian Howard Thurman, titled "The Work of Christmas."

When the song of the angels is stilled,

When the star in the sky is gone,

When the kings and princes are home,

When the shepherds are back with their flock,

The work of Christmas begins:

To find the lost,

To heal the broken,

To feed the hungry,

To release the prisoner,

To rebuild the nations,

To bring peace among brothers,

To make music in the heart.

Pastoral Care the Week of December 26th

Rev. Paula will be on vacation from the afternoon of December 26th through January 2nd, celebrating Christmas with her family. Rev. Karen will be providing pastoral care during that time. Karen can be reached at kkwae@optonline.net or 973.997.2722.

Financial Stewardship Pledge Campaign

As of today, we have received 26 pledges totaling $103,100! Thank you to all who have made this commitment to give in faith. This means we have only $16,900 to meet our 2022 pledge goal, though it would be great if we could meet our 2020 goal of $132,000. This year, in addition to regular pledges, we have about $10,000 in gifts to help offset flood recovery costs. The generosity of this parish is beautiful and faithful and is a major reason we are able to live our faith in the ways that we do.

We cannot be the faithful, vibrant community we are without all of us doing our part, including financially. Pledging so that we have an idea of how to build our budget for next year, is essential. If you have not received this year's pledge campaign letter, please let us know and we'll be sure to get a copy to you. The easiest way if you have a computer and access to the internet is to pledge online here. You can also give online, using Tithe.ly. If you'd rather submit a pledge by mail or in the offering plate, please let us know.

Happening at St. Stephen's This Week...

REMINDERS: Because of the HUGE increase in the rate of infection since the end of October, we have moved to The Liturgy of the Word with Music for our Sunday services. The music will be offered by a soloist (or in the case of Peter and Kira, a married couple).

We continue to follow safety precautions and lovingly require that you wear a mask over your nose and mouth at all times while in the building and maintain physical distance. Enter at the Narthex door (Christian Education building). Someone will welcome you and take your temperature. An usher will assist you with seating in the church.

Live-streamed to YouTube, Facebook, and via Zoom. Bulletins are available on the St. Stephen's website. All links can be found at the bottom of the newsletter.

Zoom passcode is SSM119.

The Sunday service will also be broadcast on HTTV (Comcast TV 36 and Verizon TV 33) on Tuesday at 6 AM and 3 PM.

ADVENT TO EPIPHANY DEVOTIONS

The daily devotions offered by the parishes in the Evelyn Underhill Region continue through the Feast of the Epiphany, which is January 6th.

We are looking ahead toward Lent and Easter and would love to know if you would like daily devotions then and, if so, if you prefer poetry, short reflections by popular authors (such as we did for many months in 2020), or theological reflections (such as we have been doing with our sister parishes). Please let Rev. Paula know via email.

Looking Ahead

PLEASE CHECK WEEKLY BECAUSE EVENTS MAY BE ADDED OR CHANGED.

DECEMBER

LIMITED OFFICE HOURS

During the last week of December,

the Church Office

will be open on Wednesday, Dec. 29.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

JANUARY

JAN 1

7:30pm - AA Meeting

JAN 2

10am - Sunday Worship

1pm - AA Meeting

JAN 3

7:30pm - MA Meeting

JAN 4

5pm - Women's Lectionary Study

JAN 5

8pm - AA Meeting

JAN 7

9am - Interfaith Bible Hour

JAN 8

7:30pm - AA Meeting

JAN 9

10am - Sunday Worship

1pm - AA Meeting

JAN 10

7:30pm - MA Meeting

JAN 11

7pm - Worship Committee Meeting

JAN 12

8pm - AA Meeting

JAN 15

7:30pm - AA Meeting

JAN 16

Communion for All

10am - Sunday Worship

11:30am - Vestry Meeting

1pm - AA Meeting

JAN 17

7:30pm - MA Meeting

JAN 18

5pm - Women's Lectionary Study

JAN 19

7:30pm - Finance Committee Meeting

8pm - AA Meeting

JAN 20

7pm - Preschool Committee Meeting

JAN 22

7:30pm - AA Meeting

JAN 23

10am - Sunday Worship

11:30am - Reading with the Rector

1pm - AA Meeting

JAN 24

7:30pm - MA Meeting

JAN 25

5pm - Women's Lectionary Study

JAN 26

8pm - AA Meeting

JAN 29

7:30pm - AA Meeting

JAN 30

10am - Sunday Worship

1pm - AA Meeting

JAN 31

7:30pm - MA Meeting

FEBRUARY

FEB 1

5pm - Women's Lectionary Study

FEB 2

8pm - AA Meeting

FEB 4

9am - Interfaith Bible Hour

FEB 5

7:30pm - AA Meeting

FEB 7

7:30pm - MA Meeting

FEB 9

10am - Sunday Worship

1pm - AA Meeting

FEB 13

10am - Sunday Worship

11:30am - Reading with the Rector

1pm - AA Meeting

FEB 14

7:30pm - MA Meeting

FEB 15

5pm - Women's Lectionary Study

FEB 16

7:30pm - Finance Committee Meeting

FEB 17

7pm - Preschool Committee Meeting

FEB 19

7:30pm - AA Meeting

FEB 20

Communion for All

10am - Sunday Worship

11:30am - Vestry Meeting

1pm - AA Meeting

FEB 21

7:30pm - MA Meeting

FEB 22

5pm - Women's Lectionary Study

FEB 23

8pm - AA Meeting

FEB 26

7:30pm - AA Meeting

FEB 27

10am - Sunday Worship

1pm - AA Meeting

FEB 28

7:30pm - MA Meeting

Other Happenings...

AA/MA* MEETINGS

Weekly AA/MA* meetings times are:

Sunday at 1:00pm

Monday at 7:30pm (NEW - MA* Meeting)

Wednesday at 8:00pm

Saturday at 7:30pm

Faithful Outreach

FAMILY PROMISE

Low-income families in this country are facing unprecedented social and economic challenges from the pandemic. Job losses, health care expenses, and child-care have all combined to raise the number of evictions. A donation can help Family Promise of Essex County to remain responsive to families’ emerging needs and its impact in our communities.

To read the Family Promise Newsletter, please click here.

APOSTLES' HOUSE

Apostles' House is devoted to providing comprehensive social services to homeless women with children and families at risk of homelessness in Newark and

Essex County.

Apostles' House is in need of canned goods and non-perishable food items.

A collection bin is located outside

the Narthex doors in the parking lot. Donations can be dropped off at any time.

If you would like to make a monetary donation to Apostles' House, please click here.

NORTH PORCH

North Porch 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.

North Porch URGENTLY needs:

Enfamil Infant Formula 12.5 oz containers (yellow label)
Baby wipes
Diapers size 4, 5, and 6
Jars of baby food – all ages – fruit, veggie and 1st foods

A collection bin is located outside

the Narthex doors in the parking lot. Donations can be dropped off at any time.

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

From Bishop Hughes & The Episcopal Church

THE BISHOP'S VLOG - Week of 12/15/21

This Christmas, how about spending some time being the gift?

What if we lowered our sense of importance and expectation about all the things that need to be done before Christmas, and instead of expecting things to go perfectly or to get the perfect thing or give the perfect thing, what if instead our focus was on the way we could be the gift this Christmas?

The VOICE Online Link -12/15/21

Upcoming Diocesan Events Link

DIOCESAN E-NEWSLETTERS

Sign up to get e-newsletters and important announcements directly from diocesan headquarters. Find out more and subscribe here.

Cross Roads Camp & Diocesan Youth Ministries

CROSS ROADS

CAMP & RETREAT CENTER

Check out all the fun and interesting year-round programs for children, adults and families.

Click here for more information.

POP UP YOUTH MINISTRY

Pop Up is a welcoming ministry of the Diocese of Newark bringing together youth for fun activities, community, and faith formation. All youth grades 6-12 are encouraged

to join the monthly events.

Follow YM on Instagram and Facebook at @popupym.

Resources During Covid

Journey Forward Guidelines

There are many, many resources available to parishes and individuals to help sustain our faith practices during this unprecedented time. See resources here. This is by no means a complete list, though it does cover many areas of need.

In this time of Crisis, there are resources that can help if you or someone you know needs assistance. Please contact NJ Mental Health Cares for free helpline telephone counseling or assistance. Call 866-202-4357.

TTY: 1-877-294-4356.

E-mail: help@njmentalhealthcares.org

Other resources are:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

1-800-273-8255

Crisis Text Line, 741741

NJ Hope Line (suicide prevention)

855-654-6735

Prayer List

Please keep the following St. Stephen's family

members and friends in your prayers...

Peggy Thompson

Felder Dorn

Donna Riggi

The Blanchard Family

The McManus Family

Bernard & Nathan

The Fitzgerald Family

Lucille B.

Jack Moreno

Jim Freeman

Mary Jo Zarance

Joseph G.

Kelly Olson

Linda Moran

Nicole & Emma

Ningyu Liu

Jamie Stack

KT Thalin

Mike Losito

Cara Lynn Cavin

Evan D. & Family

Alexandra Shuss

Donna Stadler Hostetler

Brian Roland

Renee Kleppinger

The Freeman Family

We pray for Lucas Robert Freeman, born too soon and living in eternal life.

If you would like to add someone to our prayer list, please email us at church@ststephensmillburn.org, or call (973) 376-0688 Ext. 32.

Anyone for whom we are praying will be on our prayer list for six weeks. If prayers are still needed beyond that time period, please let us know. Thank you.

Sunday Lectionary

January 2, 2022

The Second Sunday after Christmas

Ephesians 1:3-6,15-19a

Psalm 84:1-8

Luke 2:41-52

If you'd like to read the full lectionary for the week, you may do so here.

Giving with Tithe.ly

TITHE.LY

Giving with Tithe.ly is easy with options for recurring donations or one-time use for when you are away or not able to be in church (like all of us now due to COVID restrictions).

You can access Tithe.ly via their website or their app on your smart phone. Be sure to search for the correct account - "St. Stephen's Church Millburn." Once you have accessed the account page with our address, you will be instructed to follow the prompts.

Office Notes

Due to COVID restrictions, only teachers and staff are allowed to be in the building during school hours. If you need to visit the parish office/building for any reason, please contact us for an appointment. Thank you.