Upcoming Congregational Activities
Sunday, April 3 After the 10:30am service: AWAKE/AWARE trip to the Wexner Center for the Arts
Saturday, April 9 2:00-4:00pm: Book Signing and discussion with The Rev. Cameron Miller
Tuesday, April 11 7:00pm, BREAD Justice Ministry Rally for all Justice Ministry Members at Tifereth Israel
Wednesday, April 12 6:30pm Book Club at the home of Wayne & Julia Sheppard
Friday, April 15 7:00-9:00pm: EASE Gallery opening
Sunday, April 17 after the 10:30am service: Celebration for Faith!
Sunday, April 17 ~12:30pm Stewardship of the Future
Friday, April 22: 10:00am – 4:00pm Red Cross Blood Drive
Saturday, April 23 10:30am Lecture/Discussion with Maia Kotrosits
Pastoral Care Coverage
Now that we have come to the end of the time we have an Interim Rector with us, we are planning liturgical and pastoral care coverage for the next few months. We have arranged for pastoral coverage in emergencies, and for times we need to struggle through a personal issue that can’t really wait. Deacon Pam Elwell has graciously agreed to be the coordinator for pastoral care calls. Several clergy will be available for pastoral care: The Rev. Bruce Smith, the Rev Deacon Sherm Everett, the Rev. Karl Stevens, and the Rev. Deacon Pam Elwell. Please call Pam first—she will know who is on call at any particular time. You can reach Pam by phone by calling the church at 614-294-3749 and pressing option 1.
Transition News
This week both the old and new Vestry met and new Vestry officers were elected. Shelley Boales was elected Clerk of the Vestry. Edward Lasseigne was elected to continue in his new role as Treasurer. Bernie Castell was elected Junior Warden. And, breaking with tradition (isn’t that how we tend to do things at St. Stephen’s?), we elected co-Senior Wardens: Joe Fowler and Wayne Sheppard will together be taking on the Senior Warden role. Apparently for official church business, we can only list a single senior warden, so Joe will be the one officially listed. However they will function as a team within the parish. Congratulations to all! I am grateful to hand things over to these terrific and dedicated people. On another note, the Vestry sadly accepted David Soland’s resignation from the Vestry. Joe Rutter has accepted an appointment by the Vestry to serve out the one year remaining on David’s term. Transition news in the future will be coming to you from your new wardens and from your search committee chairs.
-Cynthia Whitacre, Former Senior Warden
Ponderings of the Interim Rector
As I write my last Ponderings, I am filled with the sights and sounds of a glorious Holy Week and Easter at St. Stephen’s. Filled with images of our Palm Sunday procession to and from the Newman Center, the quiet of the weekday liturgies, the footwashing and stripping of the altar on Mauny Thursday, the solemnity of Good Friday, the new fire on Easter eve, the sunlight coming through the new windows, and the glorious sounds of organ, brass, and drums on Easter Morning…what images to have as we go into the future—you into yours and me into mine! I have been honored and blessed to have served St. Stephen’s as Interim Rector these past 15 months.
On the one hand, it has been a stressful time on several fronts—for all of you in transition between rectors and the ongoing discussion of mission and vision alongside issues of building maintenance and renovation. The approved renovations to add HVAC to the sanctuary ended up being more complicated and drawn out than anyone imagined (but the end is in sight!). But it has also been a time of great growth and blessings. The Nehemiah Action of the BREAD team met its 2015 goal of 52/1, the response to the Trade-in Bake sale in Lent garnered over 1,000 non-perishable items for the pantry, and several parish events and potlucks brought fellowship and joy among us! Many thanks to Sr. Warden Cynthia Whitacre, Jr. Warden Mike Harbin, and the vestry for their faithful leadership. Added to the normal stresses of being the interim rector during a transition, I had several significant deaths in my family and friends over the past nine months. Your condolences and prayers have been much appreciated.
As we proclaim “Alleluia! Christ is Risen!” and celebrate new life that comes from the power of God working in all things, may your new life be richly filled with many blessings as you call and welcome your new rector in 2016!
In Christ,
AWAKE, AWARE, ALIVE
- This Sunday, April 3, 2016, we will have our ‘PIZZA and ART’ event, in Hobson Hall, following the 10:30 am service. Pizza will be provided for lunch. We will then walk to the Wexner Center for the Arts (on the Ohio State University campus, about a two block walk) and view the art that was created by an artist who used ‘old stuff ‘and made new art. It fits in with Easter, and resurrection. Parents need to come and accompany their children, there will be plenty of pizza for parents as well. We would like to get a count of how many children and parents are coming. Please email/call/text Jeff Watters to RSVP. (740-243-0989)
- AWAKE will be happening this Sunday, during the 10:30 am service. What will we talk about the Sunday after Easter? Probably a lot, along with a story to read.
- AWARE will not meet during the 10:30 am service, but will meet to go to the Wexner Center as well. PIZZA! (and Mountain Dew, too?)
- Has everyone seen the pictures in the sanctuary of the Trade-In Bake Sale? Some of you are in them. Thanks to AWAKE photographer Chris Donaldson for doing this awesome photography.
- MAKE will be on Sunday, April 17, 2016.
BREAD Updates
April 11 — 7 pm, BREAD Justice Ministry Rally for all Justice Ministry Members at Tifereth Israel
May 9 — 7 pm, Nehemiah Action at the Celeste Center
More info to come!
Celebrating Faith’s Ministry
Faith’s last Sunday with us as Interim Rector will be Easter. She will be returning to worship with us Sunday, April 17th, and we will be hosting a party for her after the 10:30 service. The plan is for a buffet of finger foods with accompanying beverages. If you can help by providing a dish, setting up or cleaning up afterwards, please contact Lorraine Deal.
Clergy Schedule for April-June
Here is the clergy schedule for April-June for Sunday worship. I’m personally excited about all the great folks that will be coming to be with us and hope all of you can turn out for as many Sundays as possible for some great preaching.
April 3: Karl Stevens, Preacher and Celebrant
April 10: Cam Miller, Preacher and Celebrant
April 17: Bruce Smith, Preacher and Celebrant
April 24: Maia Kotrosits, Guest Preacher; Hanci Newberry, Celebrant
May 1: Pam Elwell, Preacher; Marjorie Menaul, Celebrant
May 8: Bruce Smith, Preacher and Celebrant
May 15, Sherm Everett, Preacher; Hanci Newberry, Celebrant
May 22, Karl Stevens, Preacher and Celebrant
May 29, David McCoy, Preacher and Celebrant
June 5, Sherm Everett, Preacher; Hanci Newberry, Celebrant
June 12, Susan Beem Beery, Preacher and Celebrant
June 19, Bruce Smith, Preacher and Celebrant
June 26, Karl Stevens, Preacher and Celebrant
You all know Karl, Hanci, Pam and Sherm. Bruce Smith has supplied for St. Stephen’s many times and his sense of humor always has me chuckling. Cam Miller was the Rector of St. Stephen’s in the 1990s. There will also be the opportunity on Saturday, April 9 to attend a book reading and signing for Cam’s newly published book. Maia Kotrosits is a professor of religion at Dennison University; it will be great to have her as our guest preacher, as well as have her speaking on Saturday, April 23. Publicity on both those Saturday events is forthcoming. You’ll remember Marjorie Menaul who supplied with us twice in December 2014. David McCoy was the Rector of St. Stephen’s in the 1980s and is our official Rector Emeritus. Susan Beem (now Beery) was an assistant at St. Stephen’s in the late 1980s. It will be a delight to welcome all of these folks to our parish and will, I hope, be thought provoking and fun.
Cynthia Whitacre, Senior Warden
NSI Donations for April
The item for the rest of March and all of April is any kind of pasta.
Kitchen Donations Needed!
Thanks to the Kitchen Krew for all their hard work on cleaning up, organizing, and planning for the future! We discovered that the following items are needed:
Small wisks
Small Bowls for Mixing
Large Cutting Board
Donations of these items would be appreciated: we are asking for new items and not something that folks have used and want to get rid of. Monetary donations are also accepted toward purchase of these items; please make a notation of “Kitchen needs” in your memo line.
-Jen Schmeid (Kitchen Koordinator)
Religionless Christianity: A Reflection on Christian Spirituality In Our Time
With a reading from “The Steam Room Diaries” and an opportunity for conversation and book signing: Cameron Miller, a former rector of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, will be on campus for a public conversation about Christian spirituality and reading from his new novel in the genre of spiritual fiction. Saturday, April 9th from 2:00 – 4:00 PM at St. Stephen’s. Cam will also be the preacher and celebrant on Sunday, April 10th at 8:30 & 10:30 AM.
For more information contact Shelley Boales
The Garden of Earthly Delights at EASE
Opening Reception 4/15 @ 7
April 15 – May 13.
An exhibition of glass-based works, The Garden of Earthly Delights presents the lush worlds of Joanna Manousis and Zac Weinberg.
Stewardship of the Future
The Stewardship Committee is presenting a workshop titled Stewardship of the Future as a part of the year long Stewardship campaign and part of the Gratitude Project. This program will be presented on April 17th, 2016 after the party for Faith, about 12:30. The program will take about an hour and will be located in the chapel.
This program is being presented by Lloyd Fisher, and he calls this talk Estate Planning 101 – Who Gets Aunt Mamie’s Bracelet. It will be a light-hearted look at common estate planning mistakes and misconceptions and a review of essential lifetime planning documents.
Lloyd is a retired partner of the Columbus law firm of Porter, Wright, Morris and Arthur, a former adjunct professor in the OSU College of Law and trust officer at the Huntington National Bank.
Special Speaker Maia Kotrosits, April 23&24
The St. Stephen’s Speaker Series continues April 23 & 24, with special speaker Maia Kotrosits. Ms. Kotrosits is Assistant Professor of Religion, Queer Studies, and Women’s and Gender Studies at Denison University, Granville, Ohio. She has written several academic articles, along with two books, and co-authored a book (with Hal Tuassig) titled, “Re-Reading The Gospel of Mark Amidst Trauma and Loss”. She will be speaking on Saturday, April 23, at 10:30 am, followed by a question and answer discussion, in the chapel. Coffee, tea, and donuts will be available. She will also be speaking in the April 24 Sunday worship services, both 8:30 and 10:30 am. Please mark it on your calendars for an informative and insightful time.
In order to assist Maia in preparing for the Saturday discussion, please RSVP Here!
Book Club News
The April book is Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome. The book is available for free download to lots of electronic devices if you have trouble obtaining it from a library. The April meeting will be on Wednesday, April 12 at 6:30 PM at Julia and Wayne Sheppard’s home. We’ll share a meal, followed by book discussion. Please bring food and/or beverage to share. Kindly let Julia and Wayne know in advance if you plan to attend. Everyone is welcome. If you want to get a head start on the book for May, it is Wolf in White Van by John Darnelle.
Reminder: If you’re mailing something to the church, especially time-sensitive materials, we recommend using the PO Box! St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, PO Box 82263
Columbus, OH 43202