August 12, 2018 Weekly Announcements – Saint Stephen's Episcopal Church

Congregational News & Events – Week of August 12, 2018

Sunday, August 12, 2018 – Twelvth Sunday after Pentecost

Service Times:

8:30am and 10:30am

Choir Rehearsal – 8:30 am in the Chapel – On break for summer

Adult Bible Discussion Class – 9:15am in Hobson Hall

10:30 am – Children, Youth, & Families Ministry – Hobson Hall – On break for summer

(Facilitated by Rachael Smith and Daniel Buey)

Midday Prayer (and Lunch) Wednesdays, 12:30pm in the Sanctuary/Hobson Hall

Campus Ministry – Wednesdays, 6:30pm in the Chapel

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Summer Worship Schedule

Due to popular demand worship times in the summer will remain the same as the rest of the year. The Bible Discussion Group at 9:15am will continue through the summer but The Choir and Thrive! will take a break.

Sunday, September 9, 2018

will be our Episcopal Visitation by Bishop Kenneth Price and the Feast of St. Stephen’s transferred. Mark it on your calendars now!

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Clinking Quarters

All quarters offered in the Sunday collection plates are used to support our outreach ministries, particularly to purchase the food for our twice yearly meal at St. John’s, Franklinton. Each time you donate a quarter, clink it on the side of the plate so we can be reminded of the needs of our community and the good works that your quarters help fund.

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Church Clean-Up – Sunday, August 12th Following 10:30am Service

The OSU students will be coming back next week, so let’s clean our church after the 10:30am service this Sunday, August 12, 2018 to welcome them! (Bring old clothes to change into after the service, if you want.) We can form two (2) crews: one crew to clean the Sanctuary, and one crew to clean the Kitchen. Also, rumor has it there will be pizza and beverages! “Cleanliness is next to Godliness” . . . well, let’s hope so, anyway! RSVP at parishoffice@ststephens-columbus.org or just show up.

Thanks – James Marquart

Calling football parking volunteers!

Two volunteers are needed to staff our parking lot during each of OSU’s home football games. The lot fills up very quickly, so the shift is only 2-3 hours.

This is a fun and easy way to help out at our biggest fundraiser of the year. Please contact Mikalene Guiser at mguiser@hotmail.com or 614-406-4224 to sign up for a game.

Sept. 1 vs Oregon State, Noon

Sept. 8 vs Rutgers, 3:30 PM

Sept. 22 vs Tulane, Time TBD

Oct. 6 vs Indiana, Time TBD

Oct. 13 vs Minnesota, Time TBD

Nov. 3 vs Nebraska, Time TBD

Nov. 24 vs Michigan, Noon

(TBD game start times will be updated as they become available.)

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“The F Word” is a traveling exhibit that will be on display at St. Stephen’s this fall, October 16-30. It will be installed in Hobson Hall and we will open the hall daily from 11am to 7pm to share the exhibit with our community. Please plan to view it and invite your friends and neighbors.

We will need volunteer docents to be present in Hobson so that we can offer this to our neighbors. If you are able to give a few hours of your time to be the face of St. Stephen’s, please contact Kaethe Sandman (anderson.sandman@gmail.com).

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Invite-Welcome-Connect News

We now have a literature kiosk in the Narthex, so the Welcome Table is no longer needed. Now there is more room for socializing after worship! To make that space even more usable, the IWC Workgroup would like to experiment with putting a pub table or two there. Folks could gather around the tables and have a place to put down their coffee and donut while socializing. If you have a pub table you are not using (a small table 42″ or a bit higher with a sturdy base), we would appreciate being able to borrow it so we can see if it adds to the fellowship. If it works, then we can look into buying a couple. Please call or email Elliott Bush if you can lend us a pub table. 740-398-6997; ejb4367@gmail.com.

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Calling All Poets!

If you write poetry and would enjoy meeting with other Episcopal poets to read and critique each other’s work, please contact the Rev. Karl Stevens (kpbstevens@gmail.com).

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House Manager Position opening

From time to time, St. Stephen’s hosts student recitals in the sanctuary. In order to accommodate their needs, a St. Stephen’s House Manager is required to open the building, set up microphones, stands, lights, etc. and then pick up and lock up after the event.

Three hour call – $50.00 per event

Please see Becky Michelfelder to apply.

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Sunday Morning Adult Bible Discussion for August 12, 2018

Everyone is invited to join us on Sunday mornings at 9:15 am in Hobson Hall for the discussion! On Sunday, August 12th, we will discuss pages 1-33 of “Introduction to the Bible,” by Gregory W. Dawes. If you do not have a copy of the book, you are invited to come and listen and join in the conversation.

You can contribute your questions and comments to the discussion or just listen if that is more comfortable. Looking forward to a thoughtful, sometimes deep, conversation on Sunday morning!

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NSI Food Pantry “Christmas in July” Appeal

Martin Butler, Executive Director of Neighborhood Services, Inc., is appealing to the community to participate in NSI’s Christmas in July campaign. If enough generous people provide NSI with just $5.50 for each of the next six months or a onetime $55.00 donation, NSI will have a solid base of funds they can draw on to serve our neighbors. NSI needs approximately $12,000 each month to pay rent, utilities and programming costs. Without additional help at this time, NSI will soon have to begin to implement some or all of the following: limiting the amount of food distributed; going from providing a seven day supply of food to a three day supply; only being open three days a week instead of four; serving only four zip codes and no one else in Franklin County, including the homeless; and potentially ending all holiday food programs – no Easter, Thanksgiving, or Christmas meals. Your generous contributions can help NSI continue its necessary service to our community. To read the full text of Martin’s appeal, please click on the below document link:

NSI Christmas in July Appeal

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NSI Collection for August: Cereal

For August, we’ll be collecting cereal, with a focus on nutrition rather than sugar.

Keep in mind: Diabetics often require lower carbohydrate levels, and brands like Special K (22 grams), Wheaties (22 grams), and Cheerios (20 grams) are recommended. Take time to read the nutrition label and opt for cereals with less than 30 grams of total carbohydrates per serving.

(Source: www.thediabetescouncil.com)

For more info on how you can continue to help NSI, please click on the link below to access the July 2018 NSI Newsletter: NSI July 2018 Newsletter

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Here Comes the Sun(flowers) . . .

Last April 29, after the celebration of Jeff Watters’ years of service at St. Stephen’s, the children of “Thrive” with the assistance of Rachael Smith and Pete Anderson planted sunflower seeds on the east wall of Hobson Hall out by Woodruff Ave.

This apparently is a GREAT place to grow sunflowers because they are up to the roof line! (Sexton James Marquart graciously allowed himself to be photographed and is shown for scale.)

When you are traveling west on Woodruff they really catch your eye and are a great advertisement for life at St. Stephen’s!

Next year let’s plant a whole wall of them!

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Save the Date!

Episcopal Night at the Symphony

Friday, November 9, 2018 – Ohio Theatre

Handel’s Messiah

Fr. Paul Williams of St. Andrew’s, Pickerington and Fr. Bruce Smith of St. James, Columbus serve as the Supreme Coordinating Committee of Episcopal Night at the Symphony and are pleased to announce that our next evening together will be for a performance of G.F. Handel’s beloved oratorio, “Messiah” at the Ohio Theater on Friday evening, November 9th, 2018. Ticket prices will be $50 per person and will include food and beverages at a 6:00pm reception in the Galbreath Pavilion, hopefully a visit by Symphony conductor Rossen Milanov and Chorus Director Ronald Jenkins, a pre-concert talk in the theater by Christopher Purdy and orchestra seating for the concert. (Such a deal… almost as good a deal as CAPA’s Summer Movie Series!) If you already have tickets for the concert, not to worry! You can still join us for the reception for $20 per person. We will begin taking ticket reservations around Labor Day, so please watch this space for more information. See you there. Hallelujah!

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BREAD Update

BREAD… rises!

Where can you invest $1 and get a return of $42?? (Legally…) – when you invest in BREAD.

BREAD leverages $42 from our local and county governments in programs to benefit our citizens for every dollar it takes to run the organization. You will not get a better return on investment anywhere else in town!

Here’s what an investment in BREAD buys for the community:

Jobs: At the Nehemiah Action, we celebrated passage of an ordinance championed by Columbus City Council member Elizabeth Brown to increase job opportunities for people with criminal backgrounds. BREAD also witnessed Ohio State University’s continued commitment to increase employment opportunities in the Linden area.

Gang Violence: BREAD celebrated the convening of the Safe Neighborhoods Initiative to reduce gang and gun violence. 15 gang members participated and none have been charged with criminal activity since November 2017.

You may write a check payable to BREAD and drop it in the St. Stephen’s offering, and it will get to the right place.

From your B.R.E.A.D. team:

Rae Fellows, Kaethe Sandman, Norm Wernet and Mignonne Whitlow

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Book Club for September

All are welcome to Club! Book Club usually meets on the second Wednesday of each month, if you wish to put in on your calendar for future months. BookClub’s September meeting will be announced soon. If you wish to read ahead, the September book is The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83¼ years old, published anonymously, translated from the Dutch by Hester Velmans.

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Calling St. Stephen’s Soul Sisters!

You are invited to participate in fellowship with the women of St. Stephen’s in the Spirit of Friendship, Encouragement, Support, Gratitude, Hope, and Love as we share a moment in life’s journey together. It is a time out from daily doings to just BE in Friendship over a cup of tea with conversations to feed the soul.

We meet twice monthly: the first Thursday morning of the month will offer a “Coffee Klatch” from 9:30-11:30am for those available to meet during the day (kiddos welcome)the third Thursday evening offers a “Girls Night Out or In” from 7:00-9:00pm.

August’s meet up dates and places:

THURSDAY, August 2 Meet @ Kaitlin Raver’s House from 9:30am to 10:30am

THURSDAY, August 16 Meet @ Grass Skirt Tiki Room, 105 N. Grant Ave., Columbus from 7-9pm

Always looking for monthly hosts and/or open to ideas for places to meet or excursion sites conducive to conversation & new experiences. Contact Kaitlin Raver, Coordinator, with any questions at kaitlinraver@gmail.com or (614) 956-8550 with any questions. Looking forward to spending some time with St. Stephen’s wonderful “Soul Sisters”!

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This month’s Notes from Honduras chronicles the challenges and triumphs of Hondurans who are currently navigating a nationwide transportation strike. To read more, please click on the below document link:

Notes From Honduras July 2018

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Support children’s rights with El Hogar!

Over the years at El Hogar, we’ve been asking: What are the fundamental needs of children? Today, we’re asking: What are the fundamental rights of children? And, how can we best protect the rights of the most vulnerable children in Honduras? Why do we care about the rights of children? It’s the morally right thing to do. It leads to a more literate, healthy, equitable, and prosperous society.

Poverty strips children of their rights. Although global prosperity overall has risen in recent years, it remains true that nearly half of the children in Honduras live in extreme poverty – in households earning less than $2 per day. Extreme poverty among children leads to hunger, illness, permanent cognitive injury, lack of education, child labor and trafficking, and death. And it persists over generations.

Poverty is a complex issue with many contributing factors. People need access to jobs, education, medical care, and safe living conditions. The cycle of poverty continues when generations of children have little or no access to these basic components of life. At El Hogar, we strive to provide these for our students, and to equip them with the tools to change the trajectory of their lives and those of future generations.

The reduction of poverty must begin with protecting the rights of children. Investing in children is a sound ethical and economic investment, with high rates of return. Through your involvement with El Hogar, you are working to defend the rights of our children and young people.

Make an investment in El Hogar’s children and young people today. Let’s give them all we can to become the best they can be. Let’s equip them to believe in themselves and face their challenges with the confidence of knowing they have rights, not just needs.

A group of generous donors has put forward a match of $5,000; every dollar you give by July 15^thwill be doubled!

Today, please invest in honoring, defending, and celebrating the rights of children. Investing in children offers the best assurance for achieving equitable and sustainable human development. You make all of this possible. Please give today!

Donation information can be found by clicking on the below link:

Donate to El Hogar

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El Hogar Newsletter for Spring/Summer 2018

Click on the link below to read the El Hogar Spring/Summer 2018 Newsletter:

http://www.elhogar.org/main/springsummer-2018-newsletter/

You can always find our blog at elhogarministries.wordpress.com!