Warden Kathy Mullins Weekly Update Dated 3/13/11

To St. Stephen's Parishioners:

SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICES

Sunday March 13 - 8 AM AND 10 AM  First Sunday in Lent The Rev. Cooper Conway, Interim Rector is the celebrant and preacher.

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

Sunday, March 13, 11:15 AM  Presentation about Seaman’s Church Institute

Wednesday, March 16 7:30 PM Vestry meeting at Kathy Mullins home

Thursday, March 17, 7:30 PM  Finance Committee meeting

Sunday, March 20  Coffee Hour   This is Bread Sunday

Sunday, March 20  11:15 AM  Lenten Forum led by Rev. Karen Eberhardt, Interim Deacon

ANNOUNCEMENTS
TIME CHANGE.  Remember Daylight Savings Time -- set your clocks ahead. Lose an hour's sleep but come to church on time.

LEARN ABOUT SEAMEN’S CHURCH INSTITUTE.  This Sunday we welcome the Rev. Marjorie D. Lindstrom, Chaplain & Field Education Supervisor at the Port Newark facility of the Seamen's Church Institute (SCI).  During the coffee hour she will tell us about the work and mission of SCI. In this area there are SCI facilities in Port Newark, Brooklyn, and on Water Street in New York City. Founded in 1834, the Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI) is North America’s largest mariner’s service agency. Though it is affiliated with the Episcopal Church, the organization is ecumenical in terms of staff, service and mission. SCI promotes safety, dignity, and improved working and living conditions for millions for men and women serving in the maritime workplace.

CHURCH MUSIC.  What do you think about the hymnal we use in worship, The Hymnal 1982?   The 77th General Convention. of the Episcopal Church said this:

The world of this new millennium is very different from that of the prior century, when The Hymnal 1982 and its predecessors were created.  Rapid liturgical, cultural and technological change continue to have an impact on the lives of all the faithful. A study of the need for a new hymnal for the Episcopal Church would explore sensitivity to expansive language, the diversity of worship styles, the richness of multicultural and global liturgical forms, and the enduring value of our Anglican musical heritage.  Assuming that a printed book as foundational, the group will also consider economical and efficient delivery vehicles for a new hymnal.   If the 77th General Convention decides to proceed with hymnal revision, the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music would then prepare texts for submission to the 79th Convention in 2015, with the goal of publishing a centenary hymnal for the Episcopal Church in 2018.

The Church Pension Group's Office of Research is assisting the Episcopal Church's Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music in fulfilling its General Convention mandate in Resolution B004 to determine whether a revision of The Hymnal 1982 is needed and wanted by the Episcopal Church.  Congregations, music directors, and clergy are invited to participate in the Hymnal Revision Feasibility Study, a landmark research study being conducted via online surveys and focus groups from fall 2010 to spring 2011.

Members of the congregation are encouraged to participate in this study by completing an online survey.  Each individual may complete the survey only once. The survey must be completed during a single session, so be sure you have enough time before you visit this URL <http://www.cpg.org/hymnalstudy2>.  This page offers links to three particular surveys appropriate to the roles of communicants (including some questions for choir members), music directors and clergy.  Spanish-version Hymnal Revision Feasibility Study surveys are also available on this page for Spanish-speaking members, music directors, and clergy in the Episcopal Church.  The deadline for completing the survey is April 30, 2011.

OSCAR PETERSON OIL PORTRAIT EXHIBIT.  Parishioner Oscar Peterson has been holed up in his studio painting, as he says, his fingers to the bone and his brushes to the ferrule,  preparing for his current exhibition.  He invites the St. Stephen's community to join him at his opening show and artist reception tomorrow, March 13 from 11 AM - 1 PM.  The show is being hosted by The Leon & Toby Cooperman JCC, in West Orange, NJ.  The exhibition is on view March 13 through April 24, 2011. A catalog and/or hand-out samples of the artists’ work will be available. For more information contact: The Leon & Toby Cooperman JCC Ross Family Campus, 760 Northfield Avenue, West Orange, NJ 07052 phone: 973-530-3400. Or contact Lisa Suss at 973-530-3413 or e-mail lsuss@jccmetrowest.org

Said Peterson, "I have quite a few new paintings and works on paper that you just have to see. Along with the art there will be good food, good drink, and hopefully – good press. Help spread the buzz. I’m really hoping to see you there and I appreciate all the support."

ENVIRONMENTAL MINISTRIES.  If you are interested in being a catalyst for Environmental Ministries at St. Stephen's, you will want to know about "Ground for Hope" a two-day workshop held in Philadelphia from April 10 - 11, 2011.  Our friends at GreenFaith, Interfaith Partners for the Environment, urge congregations to get involved. The program aims to inspire, educate and mobilize people of diverse religious backgrounds for environmental leadership.  Sessions on Sunday, April 10 will be held at the  Mishkan Shalom Synagogue, 4101 Freeland Avenue, Philadelphia.  There will be workshops on Energy Conservation Strategies & Resources for Houses of Worship; A comparison of Jewish and Christian Perspectives on The Bible and the Environment led by  Rabbi Arthur Waskow and Rev. Fletcher Harper; and a discussion of Seminarians, Seminaries and the Environment.  Later in the day groups will consider Religious-Environmental Education for Children & Teens; GreenWorship - Integrating Creation into Liturgy, led by the Rev. Fletcher Harper; and, Environmental Justice & Advocacy for Congregations.

Participants will convene Monday morning at The Friends Center, 1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia. The Friends Center began renovation in 2005 with the goal of becoming "A Showcase for Environmental Sustainability."  Monday evening from 6:30  to 9:00 PM there will be a Freedom Seder for the Earth held at Mother Bethel AME Church, 419 South 6th Street, Philadelphia.  To find out more, and/or register for the event, and to discover some interesting resources, visit:  <http://greenfaith.org/programs/ground-for-hope/ground-for-hope-philadelphia-event-schedule>.

FLOWERS DURING LENT.  This is just a reminder that there will be no flowers on the altar during Sundays in Lent. This has not been our practice in the past, but we are adding this observance this year.  If it is your custom to give memorial flowers on one of the five Sundays in Lent, this year, please consider honoring your loved one on his or her birthday in lieu of the anniversary of their death.

WHAT I ADDED DURING LENT.  The Lent-a-Hand program suggests a number of practices and programs that could help make Lent more meaningful for you.  Parishioners are encouraged to choose something to do during Lent that focuses thinking and actions in a positive direction.  You may choose to organize volunteers to tackle a project, dedicate your own time to a service project, participate in a study program, establish a daily discipline of prayer or spiritual reading, raise money for a particular endeavor, educate others about some area of need, or any other Lenten practice you choose. Be sure to visit the information table that will be set up during the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper.  You will find more details about projects and programs for you to consider, as well as opportunities to serve, deepen family traditions and to explore spiritual practice.  When you decide what you will pursue, grab a “hand” and sign your name and your commitment on the hand.  All the Lenten “Hands” will be posted on a bulletin board in the Narthex during Lent.

BREAD SUNDAY.  Next Sunday, on March 20,  the Coffee Hour will be all about our Daily Bread. The congregation is invited to bring some kind of bread to share with others – a loaf of bread, rolls, Danish, bagels, scones, muffins, rugelach, Irish soda bread – anything you can think up that is in the bread family.