A few weeks ago, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, Michael Curry and Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) issued a joint statement: For Such a Time as This: A Call to Prayer, Fasting, and Advocacy You can read about it and watch both presiding bishops’ messages by […]
Lent is best known for fasting. The 40 days (without the Sundays) is a season of penitence and reflection. It is one of the oldest traditions in the church, dating as far back as the early 4th Century. It began with a pair of interesting customs: Preparing new members for baptism Preparing notorious individuals and […]
This past Sunday we gathered for our annual meeting as a congregation. If you want to know more about what an annual meeting is, read last week’s post! This year’s meeting was well attended, positively received, and full of great news. The Presentation: We presented our reports in writing, voice, and visuals. We set up […]
What’s an Annual Meeting? Aside from the obvious, of course. Most churches have parish-wide meetings. St. Stephen’s is no exception. We have one annually at the beginning of the calendar year to do the most basic business of the church. We give reports of the year that was. We preview the year to come. We […]
Many of us grew up in households which were culturally Christian. We celebrated Christmas and dressed in white for Easter. We attended church on a regular basis and went to Sunday School when our parents made us. We prayed over meals at the dinner table and gave to outreach ministries at church. It seems that […]
To read or listen to the sermons, you may click on the links below or visit our sermon page! 1/8 – Baptism 1/15 – Invitation 1/22 – Adversity 1/29 – Respond 2/5 – Purpose 2/12 – Reconsider 2/19 – Choice 2/26 – Hope
Last November, we made a small change in our worship each week. Beginning in Advent, we have chosen to read only one lesson, rather than two. I wanted to share again why we are trying this out. On page 357 of the Book of Common Prayer, under the heading “Lessons” it says The people sit. […]