Upcoming Congregational Activities
Monday, May 9: 5:00 – 6:00pm BREAD Nehemiah Action Potluck @ St Stephen’s
6:00pm Nehemiah Action at the Celeste Center
Wednesday, May 11: 6:30pm Book Club at the home of Jane Hoffelt
Meghan away on Vacation
The Parish Office will be closed Monday May 9-Thursday May 12 with regular hours resuming on Monday, May 16. During that time, if you need immediate Administrative assistance, please contact Joe Fowler, Sr. Warden.
Thanks!
Pastoral Care Coverage
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.
Transition News
Things continue to happen at St. Stephen’s as we have said good bye to Faith Perrizo as our Interim Rector and await the recommendation of the Search Committee for a new Rector. Our staff continues to meet weekly, and the Vestry will continue meeting on the 4th Monday of each month. The new windows on the West side of the church are completed, the organ has been taken away, refurbished, returned, and retuned. The air conditioning units and getting a new power supply to run them are still a work in progress. OSU has done a good deal of work on the landscaping behind the church. Please go out the back door and take a look when you have a chance. We have had several good visiting preachers and are looking forward to more in May. The Search Committee has been making semi-secret parish visits with unnamed candidates in undisclosed locations. They really are working hard, they just can’t give us any specifics about their progress at this time. The use of our building by outside groups ( The Taoist Tai Chi Society, the International Socialist Organization, and the African American Voices Gospel Choir are just a few examples) continues unabated.
Meghan Western, our Parish Administrator, will be on vacation the week of May 9th. Pam Elwell is coordinating pastoral emergencies, and Joe Fowler and Wayne Sheppard are available if something comes up that cannot wait until Meghan returns.
-Wayne Sheppard
Sunday, May 8
This Sunday, May 8, The Rev. Bruce Smith will be Celebrant and Preacher, and we welcome a trombone ensemble to the 10:30am worship service music!
AWAKE, AWARE, ALIVE
- AWAKE will meet with Rachael Smith to do crafts for Mother’s Day! AWAKE is the St. Stephen’s children’s program for ages 4-12 (and yes, we let those younger to come, when accompanied by a parent).
- AWARE will meet on the second of our ‘Five Sundays in May’. Last Sunday we talked about the ‘ups and downs’ that we all experience. AWARE is for our teens / youth. It is a place of safety and challenge. (and yes, one of these Sundays, we will have pizza).
- ALIVE, for adults, meets fifteen minutes following the 10:30 am service, in the chapel. You can get your coffee and donut(s) and join bus for a half hour of discussing ……….well, we have ventured into the gospel of Mark, and what is important insights that it has, and what it says. It’s great discussion, reasonably intelligent, and fun. Come and speak up!
BREAD Updates
Tuesday afternoon, BREAD’s Jobs and Economic Opportunity committee leaders met with 3 top officials in the administration of Mayor Ginther. They were excited by what we proposed, but not ready to make any commitments. It is clear that it will take the power of organized people to move Mayor Ginther to action. This morning, we sent 4 commitments we are looking for from the Mayor on Monday night with the goal to bring worker-owned businesses in low-income neighborhoods, including Linden and the Hilltop. This will create good jobs and capture wealth.
We introduced the Mayor’s staff to the Evergreen Collaborative, a model developed in Cleveland and being replicated in cities across the US. This model provides sustainable jobs and brings wealth to marginalized communities and could be part of the solution to long term poverty in Linden and the Hilltop. Local hospitals and universities spent BILLIONS of dollars each year – why not use that purchasing power to build wealth in Linden and Hilltop, instead of lining pockets of investors outside Ohio? The staff were interested. Now we need to push the administration to move forward with this strategy.
We need a big crowd Monday night, May 9, at the Celeste Center to encourage the Mayor to take the lead in bringing jobs and wealth building to our forgotten neighborhoods. BREAD rises!
What: BREAD’s Nehemiah Action
When: Monday, May 9th from 7:00-8:30pm
Where: Celeste Center, Ohio State Fairgrounds
The Nehemiah Action is the most important night of the year for our justice ministry at St. Stephen’s. And, as you know, “what does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).
At this very big assembly (3000 people or more) we will gather with our brothers and sisters to hold elected officials accountable for the acts of justice that will help level the playing field for all members of our community. There will be updates on BREAD’s concerns and we will lay out this year’s issue regarding Jobs and Economic Opportunity. As always, you can find more information on BREAD’s website, www.breadcolumbus.com or on their Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/BreadOrganization or by talking to anyone on our BREAD Team.
St. Stephen’s will host a potluck supper before the Action, and we’ll have a bus to take us all safely to and from the Celeste Center. There will be free parking at the Celeste Center if it’s more convenient for you to go directly to the meeting.
We need you at the Action! With your help, BREAD rises!
Your BREAD Team – Rae Fellows, Kaethe Sandman, Rachael Smith, Norm Wernet, Mignonne Whitlow
BREAD Potluck
The St. Stephen’s BREAD team will be hosting a potluck dinner just before the Nehemiah Action on Monday, May 9th from 5 to 6 p.m. We will provide the main dishes: roast chicken, rice and beans (vegetarian/gluten-free), and greens. As you are able, please bring a salad, side dish, or dessert to share.
Following the potluck, we will have a bus heading to the Celeste Center for the Nehemiah Action. We will leave St. Stephen’s around 6:00; registration for the Action begins at 6:15 with a 6:40 program start time. The bus will return to St. Stephen’s after the Action.
We want a great turnout, so please join us! Bring friends, enjoy a great meal, and by all means- get on the bus!
NSI Donations for May
The item for NSI for May is toilet paper.
Counting My Blessings
Thanks to our entire parish for all of your thoughts, prayers, and heartfelt expressions of caring. I am now cancer free and I wanted you all to know that. The prognosis is very good. I know that having that support behind me helped me to get through this time and I want to thank all of you. Love my church family!
Linda Richter
Book Club News
Everyone is welcome to attend once or regularly. The May book is Wolf in White Van by John Darnielle. The May meeting will be on Wednesday, May 11 at 6:30 PM at Jane Hoffelt’s home. We’ll share a meal, followed by book discussion. Please bring food and/or beverage to share. Kindly let Jane know in advance if you plan to attend. If you want to get a head start on the book for June, it is Learning to Walk in the Dark by Barbara Brown Taylor
Yasue Sakaoka’s Retrospective Exhibition
Highlights of the artist’s works from 45 years in Columbus will be at Upper Arlington Municipal Building Concourse Gallery from May 4-June 26.
Opening reception will be on Saturday, May 14 from 2:00–4:00 p.m. Everyone is
invited. Come one and come all.
EASE presents: The Garden of Earthly Delights
On view through May 14. Gallery hours Fridays 2-6 & Saturday 12-6
‘The Garden of Earthly Delights’ showcases the work of Zac Weinberg and Joanna Manousis; two Columbus based artists who work primarily in glass and mixed media. This exhibition marks the Columbus debut of Joanna Manousis who is represented by the Wexler Gallery in Philadelphia, PA. Many of the works included have been exhibited previously in such venues as:
Urban Glass Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Philadelphia Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA
Exhibit A, Corning, NY, USA
Miami University, Miami, OH
Collective Design Fair, Manhattan, NY
Wexler Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Crafts Council, London, UK
Burchfield Penny Art Center, Buffalo, NY, USA
Manousis’ work captures and animates liminal moments, revealing a world in which objects, beings and places are interconnected. ‘Reaching An Ulterior Realm’, an installation of 5 glass Mylar balloons in target for a sea of bronze arrows reflects both literally and metaphorically the fragility of life, while ‘Figs and Urns’, a rose window configuration of cast crystal spears containing recessed details of figs and urns coated with 24 carat gold mirror sheds light towards its viewer, echoing the ever-flowing cycle of life and death. This cycle is further embodied in ‘Fertile Ground’ and ‘Fertile Ground II,’ two free-standing sculptural pieces in which the bodies of taxidermy peacocks serve as “fertile ground” for intricate floral growths.
Through object making and performance, Weinberg questions established social norms concerning hierarchies of value and utility. By mining the histories of the materials he chooses to work with, Weinberg proposes alternative realities for existing forms. Weinberg’s ‘Fountain’, a blown glass enactment of the fountain from Hieronimus Bosch’s 16thc. painting ‘The Garden of Earthly Delights’, acts as a fantastical and exuberant foil to Manousis’ more calculated constructions while reinforcing the exhibition’s themes of life, death, fecundity, and fertility.
‘The Garden of Earthly Delight’s is Columbus’ chance to preview ‘Figs and Urns’ which will be showcased at Exhibit A Gallery to coincide with The Annual Glass Arts Society conference in Corning, NY.
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