Upcoming Congregational Activities
Holy Week Service Schedule:
Sunday, March 20 –Palm Sunday, regular service times, 10:15am Ecumenical Blessing of the Palms at Thomas Moore Newman Center followed by festive procession to St. Stephen’s. Please meet at St. Stephen’s at 10am if you would like to join us!
Monday, March 21-Wednesday, March 23 –7:00pm Holy Week Services
Thursday, March 24 -7:00pm Maundy Thursday with Washing of Feet and Stripping of the Altar
Friday, March 25– 12:30pm and 7:00pm Good Friday Services with communion from the reserved sacrament
Saturday, March 26-9:00pm The Great Vigil of Easter
Sunday, March 27– 10:30am Easter Sunday service (there is no 8:30am service on this date) followed by an Easter Egg Hunt for the children!
TIME CHANGE!
This Sunday is Spring Forward for Daylight Savings Time. Please remember to turn your clocks FORWARD one hour on Saturday night.
Parish Office Closed March 10-15
Meghan will be away on personal business Thursday March 10 through Monday March 15. Regular office hours will resume on Tuesday, March 16.
Transition News
This is likely the last transition note that I will be writing as my time on vestry is coming to an end. For me this will create yet another void, just like the void that was created when Warren’s father died and we no longer had the responsibility for his care. Just like caring for him increased over time, so did the responsibilities of being Junior Warden. When George retired, the construction project logically belonged to the Junior Warden and we were fully committed to this project by that time. If it had not been for the architects, James Calhoun Architect, Inc. we would have fallen flat on our face trying to manage a $700,000 project. I have learned a lot along the way, and owe them a great deal of gratitude for never viewing my constant probing questions as irritating. I know it seems like this project will never end, but there is much evidence that it is finally coming together. Just like me, our building is aging and has a lot of day to day “boo-boos” that require attention. Yet, serving as Junior Warden has been a blessing to me; sure just like work, there were times that I just wanted it to be over, but also like work, most of the time I have enjoyed the responsibility very much. It has been an honor that the vestry would put their trust in me to serve in this capacity and this transition will be difficult.
-Mike Harbin, Junior Warden
Building News
This is a brief update about the construction project. The bore across High Street has been completed, and you can see the 2 pipes sticking out of the ground waiting to cross the OSU property to our property. The easement request to OSU has been approved and has been sent to the State of Ohio Administrative Department. It could languish there for up to 2 months, but OSU is sure it will be signed. The heat in the sanctuary has been off this week as they connect the new air handlers up to the heating system, yet another source of warmth in the winter. The outside units have been ordered and the concrete pad is to be poured shortly. Behind the scenes, the electric panels and conduit are being installed to power the new units. The organ is scheduled to be reinstalled next week and it should sound amazing. Sometime in late May, when you come to church you will need a sweater because it will be so cool in the sanctuary.
Annual Meeting Recap
Thank you to those who attended the Annual Meeting last Sunday. If you were unable to attend and would like a copy of the reports, please contact the Parish Office. Minutes of the meeting are attached below. At the meeting we elected four new Vestry members, Agnes Burris, Kaitlin Raver, Wayne Sheppard , and Rob Wood. In addition, Rae Fellows, Janet McNaughton, Norm Wernet, Mignonne Whitlow were elected as Delegates to Diocesan Convention, with Edward Lasseigne as an Alternate.
St. Stephen’s Parking
It has been brought to our attention that some cars may be parking in the lot just West of the St. Stephen’s lot on Sunday mornings. This is a reminder that the West lot belongs to OSU and we do NOT have permission to use it for parking! Please note: if you have OSU parking privileges through other means, this message may not apply to you! Thanks.
AWAKE, AWARE, ALIVE
- This Sunday, March 13 2016, is the fifth and final Sunday of this year’s ninth annual AWAKE Trade-In Bake sale. It has been awesome! If you have not gotten your contribution in, of non-food items such as soap, shampoo, toiletry items, etc., this is the Sunday to bring them in! And don’t forget that you can also bring in cans of fruit as well. All items go to Neighborhood Services, Inc., which helps people in need in our community.
- AWAKE and AWARE will meet this Sunday. Rae Fellows will lead the discussion in AWARE, as she talks about what teens/ youth can do for social justice, especially in regards to our local justice ministry known as BREAD.
- And do not forget………..the annual St. Stephen’s Children’s Easter Egg Hunt, on Easter Sunday, March 27, 2016. It will follow the 10:30 am worship service, and be held in the courtyard.
BREAD Issue Update
Jobs
While the overall unemployment rate in Columbus is down, poverty is increasing. Columbus is one of the most economically segregated cities with pockets of extreme wealth and extreme poverty. Many people are working at low-paying jobs that don’t allow them to support their families. There aren’t opportunities for people to progress from a job that pays minimum wage to one with better pay. Blue collar jobs have disappeared. People face transportation and childcare barriers. Too many people have their resume thrown away because they have a criminal background and still others can’t pass a drug test. People who have never had a job struggle to show up on time, communicate well with their coworkers, and navigate the social aspects of their job. The programs available to help people find jobs are uncoordinated and while there are some effective programs, their reach is limited. There’s a lack of accountability for programs to receive funding based on their outcomes.
Directory Update
We have a draft copy of the current directory at the back of the Sanctuary. Please look for your listing and update it as needed. If you are not in the directory, please write your information in on one of the blank pages! The deadline for updates is THIS Sunday, March 13.
Thank you!
-Meghan
NSI Donations for Easter
St. Stephen’s has been asked to collect cans or plastic bottles (no glass bottles) of fruit for the Easter baskets. Our goal is 400 cans/bottles of any kind of fruit, as of last Sunday we’ve collected 320 cans of fruit. Bring the fruit to church by Sunday, March 13.
For the Trade In Bake sale: Last Sunday you donated 120 personal items.
THIS SUNDAY, MARCH 13 is the last Sunday for both Fruit AND Personal Items.
Easter Flower Memorials
Envelopes are now in the pews for contributions to the Easter Flower arrangements. You may make donations in memory or in honor of loved ones. Names for memorials must be received by the parish office by noon on Tuesday, March 22.
Thanks, Meghan
Ecumenical Palm Sunday Processional
St. Stephen’s will be joining the Thomas Moore Newman Center and University Baptist for an ecumenical blessing of the palms before the 10:30am service on Palm Sunday. If you would like to join us, please meet at St. Stephen’s at 10am to walk over. The blessing will take place at 10:15 at the Newman Center, and then we will process back to St. Stephen’s. The usual 10:30am service will begin once the procession arrives. The church will be open at it usual time for those who would prefer not to join in the blessing of the palms.
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
Wooden Spoons
Cooking Tongs (not serving tongs)
Drawer organizer
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.
-Faith Perrizo, Jen Schmeid (Kitchen Koordinator)
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 (5055 Riverside Drive, Delaware, OH 43015 614-286-2826, mmesheppard@yahoo.com). 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.
Conversation: Farms, gardens and food
You are invited to connect with others who are passionate about farming, gardening and food.
Join with others from around the diocese at Gabriel’s Place on Saturday, March 19 at 10 a.m., to follow up on the conversation started at convention. We’ll have a chance to see Gabriel’s Place and learn a little about the great work they do. Robert and Erin Lockridge will share about their urban farming in Norwood, their pizza and pie Moriah Pie, and new Parish Farming Internship. We’ll also get to hear a little about the work at Procter Farm and CSA. There will be a chance for others to share about their work as well, so contact Aaron Wright at awright@diosohio.org if you’d like to share what you’re working on.
We’ll end with a potluck lunch, so bring something to share. Drinks will be provided. Please let Aaron know if you can make it and feel free to invite others.
Gabriel’s Place is located at 3618 Reading Road in Cincinnati. For further questions, contact Aaron Wright at awright@diosohio.org.
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
