Congregational News
Quick Dates
Campus Ministry Services Sundays at 6pm
Monday, Dec 26- Monday, Jan 2: OFFICE CLOSED, voice and email will be monitored
AWAKE/AWARE
Please note that there will be NO AWAKE or AWARE on January 1 and January 8 due to the Holidays.
Year End Financials
Please make sure that any financial gifts including pledge payments for calendar year 2016 are postmarked on or before December 31st, placed in the offering plate no later than Sunday, December 25th , or hand-delivered to the church office by making arrangements with the Parish Administrator at (614) 294-3749 in advance.
The IRS requires that all pledges or donations collected on the first Sunday in January (whether they are intended for your 2016 pledge AND regardless of the check date) be reported as 2017 contributions for income tax purposes. If you have any questions about this, please contact Wayne Sheppard at awsheppard@lovelandlaw.net , or 614-928-9107.
Christmas/Epiphany Offering
In this season of light breaking into the darkness of our lives, we have decided to expand the season of giving to include the weeks of Epiphany following Christmas. Please use one of the Christmas offering envelopes found in the pews or simply mark your check “Christmas/Epiphany offering”. This year the proceeds will be divided between refugee assistance and “Street News”, a project of the Coalition for the Homeless that employs 50 people to both write and personally sell the news on Columbus’ streets in order to prevent homelessness for those on the economic edge.
Book Club News
The next meeting of Book Club is at 6:30 PM on Wednesday, January 11, 2017. The January meeting is where everyone brings 1-2 book suggestions that they want to suggest for book club for the year. We’ll all share our ideas, resulting in a list. We’ll decide together on a book for February. After the list is compiled and shared, we’ll vote on the list to see what we’ll read and discuss throughout the year. This is a great meeting, since you hear about so many books that you may want to read, even if they don’t get selected for the book club. The only rules: books must be available in paperback OR readily available from the public library for borrowing. We’ll be meeting at Kaethe Sandman’s home. Please let Kaethe know in advance if you plan to attend. We’ll share a potluck dinner; please bring something (main dish, side dish, dessert, beverage) to share. Everyone is most welcome, and the January meeting is a great first meeting for anyone!
A Fond Farewell
Dear friends,
In preparation for the birth of our second child, Brian and I have given much consideration to the needs of our family. After much thought we have decided that I will not return to work after the baby is born, and have provided my resignation to the Rector, Wardens, and Vestry. I will remain with you through January 15 at which time I will take my leave. It has been a pleasure to work for St. Stephen’s for the past 5 years, and I leave behind many fond memories and connections. I wish you all the best as you continue forward through your transitions and I hope that our paths may cross again in the future, as God wishes.
With all of my best, and blessings,
Meghan Western
St. Stephen’s has been greatly blessed by Meghan’s cheerful spirit and “can do” attitude these past five years. During a parish transition the person on staff who feels it most is always the Parish Administrator. Despite enduring several transitions Meghan has met that stress with grace and we are in her debt. In thanksgiving for her meritorious service here and in anticipation for another young soul in her household we are offering everyone an opportunity to contribute to a purse for Meghan (who decided to resign now rather than take her well-earned maternity leave and then resign) and to present it to her at a festive coffee hour after the 10:30 am service on Sunday, January 15, 2017. Please mark any available envelope or note in the memo line of your check “Meghan’s purse” and we will combine all contributions into one large gift. Thank you.
Becky Michelfelder, Rector
Mulled Cider
We heard many requests for Dale’s mulled cider recipe on Christmas Day. It follows below!
Dale’s Mulled Cider (Wassail)
Place One Gallon of the finest Apple Cider in a Large Pot.
Add Eight whole Cinnamon Sticks, Ten whole Star Anise, a goodly Palm-full of whole Cloves (about 24), a goodly Palm-full of whole Allspice Berries (about 36), One Orange, sliced thin, including the peel.
Bring to a Boil for Ten Minutes. Reduce to a Slow Simmer for a minimum of One Hour.
Serve by Placing a Slice of fresh Orange, peel and all, in a Mug, and Ladling Piping Hot Cider over it. Fish one of the Cinnamon Sticks out of the Pot, if you like, and Add it to your Mug.
Careful not to Burn your Tongue!
Service Opportunities
NSI Donations for January
For the rest of December and all of January we will be collecting cans of soup.
BREAD NEWS
This part of BREAD’s yearly cycle is devoted to research on the problems and issues that we’ve identified. Those activities are ongoing and your BREAD team will report on those as we progress.
A little bit about how the BREAD organization operates at the individual congregational level — The St. Stephen’s BREAD team is four people: Rae Fellows, Kaethe Sandman, Norm Wernet, and Mignonne Whitlow. The BREAD team works with another group, the Justice Ministry Network. These JMN members (about a dozen people at St. Stephen’s) have committed to each bring three people to the Nehemiah Action in May and to support the work of BREAD. Everyone is invited to take a more active role: join the BREAD team or the Justice Ministry Network and together we can make our community a more just place for everyone. The BREAD team believes in the power of this ministry at St. Stephen’s and we are happy to talk with you about how to get involved!
