Congregational News & Events – Week of January 23, 2018

This Sunday at St. Stephen’s

January 28, 2018

Fourth Sunday after Epiphany

His work is full of majesty and splendor,

and his righteousness endures forever.

Psalm 111, Verse 3

Sunday Morning, January 28th Services

8:30am and 10:30 am – The Sanctuary

DSO Exodus Big Read Class 9:15am in Hobson Hall

Choir Rehearsal 8:30am in the Chapel.

Aware and Awake Childrens Program

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

Campus Ministry Wednesdays at 6:30 pm

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Witnesses to the Light

John the Baptizer proclaimed that he was not “The Light” but a witness to “The Light”. So we, too, in this holy season are privileged to be witnesses to the Light.

This year our Christmas / Epiphany special offering will go to Episcopal churches in remote regions of Puerto Rico who due to the hurricanes are still without electrical power and safe drinking water. Episcopal friends and family have banded together to bring water purification equipment and build cisterns which need no electricity to operate to the churches so that they might become community centers of renewal and hope.

Please make checks payable to “St. Stephen’s” with a note in the memo line “Christmas offering”.

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2018 Vestry and Convention Delegate Election Dates

Annual Meeting 2/4/17

Voting for Vestry and Convention Delegates will be January 28^th and February 4th. February 4th is our Annual Meeting.

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Soup & Study Continues, Sunday, 1/28/17

St. Stephen’s second Soup and Study of 2018 will be Sunday, January 28^st at 6:00pm in the Chapel. The topic is “Leap of Faith,” and will be hosted by Kaitlin Raver. A main dish will be provided. Please bring a side or dessert to share.

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2018 Parish Directories are Available!

The 2018 Parish Directory is complete and printed! Full-sized (8.5″x11″) and compact-sized (7″x8.5″) copies are available for pick up at the Welcome Table at the front of the Sanctuary and in a basket on the table by the north entrance of the Sanctuary.

If you would like a .pdf version of the directory to store on your computer or phone, please email the parish administrator at parishoffice@ststephens-columbus.org and she will forward one to you.

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DSO Big Read – Week 23

There are 3 opportunities to engage with the Exodus journey. Each begins with a very interesting video clip produced here in the diocese by people you may know as they show us what Exodus means to them where they are. Where will the road take you? Read below for dates and times:

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NSI Collection for January – Soup

Thank you to all St. Stephen’s parishioners who have contributed to NSI by donating food, toys or money to our collection efforts for this past holiday season. Your generosity is deeply appreciated, and helped NSI achieve the following:

For Christmas: 313 food baskets handed out to 1,051 individuals

For all of 2017: 10,472 households; 33,447 individuals helped with food

(For more info on how you can help NSI, please click on the following to access the January 2018 NSI Newsletter:

NSI January 2018 Newsletter

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Invite – Welcome – Connect

Update: Be a “Friend” of Our Church on Facebook

St. Stephens has a Facebook page. Maybe you didn’t even know that. If you are a Facebook member, you can find it at https://tinyurl.com/ycncaxkq.

Facebook could become an important way of helping potential new members find a way to worship with us, and you can help!

If you are on Facebook, go to the St. Stephen’s page by following the link above. “Like” our page so that our postings will appear in your Newsfeed. Next, click on “Following” and choose “See first” from the menu.

If you are already receiving posts from the St. Stephen’s page, you will need to make an adjustment to your Newsfeed. Under Facebook’s new anti-fake news policy, you will no longer see the posts of pages you have “Liked” at the top of your Newsfeed unless you choose to see them. To make the choice, click on the three dots to the right of Newsfeed. On the menu, select “Edit preferences.” A box will open. Click on the “Prioritize who to see first” link. There you will see all of your “Friends” and the pages of organizations you have “Liked.” Click on the picture representing the St. Stephen’s page. Then, if you wish, you can choose more friends and pages to see first, up to thirty. Click on “Done” and close the “Edit preferences” menu. Now you will always see the St. Stephen’s posts.

And so will all your “Friends” when you share a St. Stephen’s post. That’s the whole point. Some of your friends may have no church. Maybe something they read or a picture they see in a St. Stephen’s shared post may intrigue them and get them thinking. Maybe they might ask you to tell them about your church. Maybe they might just show up without asking! So if you see a St. Stephen’s post that you think will interest others, click on your “Share” button to let them see it.

Our “Invite Welcome Connect” work group would like to make our Facebook page more attractive to both members and newcomers. But we need writers, members who are willing to submit poems, meditations, stories and essays on a regular basis so that we can post them to the site and keep it fresh and lively, week after week. If you would be willing to write something for the site, either weekly or occasionally, please contact Elliott Bush at ejb4367@gmail.com. Submissions need to be no more than 800 words in order to meet Facebook guidelines. Contributions can be anonymous. You do not have to use Facebook to be a contributor. Our Facebook administrators will post your writing for you. Please let us know you want to share your talent with our members and potential members.

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BREAD Update

BREAD… rises!

The BREAD Justice Ministry Network meeting will be held after the 10:30 service on Sunday, February 25th. This is an important gathering of St. Stephen’s “justice warriors.” Are you a member of the Justice Ministry Network?

Well, you may be a network member if:

you went to a House Meeting last fall and said yes when your host asked you to be one
you invested in BREAD last year
you were part of a research committee for BREAD
you attended the Nehemiah Action in May and brought at least 3 people with you
you are new to justice work, but you have a nagging feeling that there is injustice in our world and in our community

Please put the network meeting on your calendar and come to Hobson Hall on February 25th!

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

Rae Fellows, Kaethe Sandman, Norm Wernet and Mignonne Whitlow

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Campus Ministry Worship

Campus Ministry Wednesdays at 6:30 pm

Campus Ministry Wednesday evenings resumes in the Chapel with dinner, discussion, and prayers.

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Book Club for February

Book Club News: Book Club is currently voting on the books for 2018 from a list suggested at the January meeting. If you aren’t on the book club mailing list and wish to have a copy of the list and/or vote, please contact Cynthia Whitacre (whitacrc@oclc.org). Votes are due by the end of the day February 14. In February we are meeting on Wednesday, February 21 at 6:30 PM at Julia and Wayne Sheppard’s home (614-286-2826, mmesheppard@yahoo.com). Note that this is the third Wednesday, a change from the normal 2^nd Wednesday just for this month. We’ll begin with a potluck meal (please bring food and/or beverage to share) followed by discussion of the book The Dogs of Littlefield by Suzanne Berne. All are welcome! Announcement of the books selected from the voting will be made at the February meeting.

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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.

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”!