Newsletter, October 7

Reverend Sheelagh’s Thought for the Week: October 7, 2015

“What must I do” The rich man asks Jesus “to inherit eternal life?”  This story, where the rich young man boasts of his adherence to the commandments and the law, brings the realization that following Jesus is more that just following the law. It is not just the law; it is the spirit of the law that matters.  The young man, it turns out, is happy to follow the law, but is not willing to give up his wealth.  That is, it seems his line in the sand.  What then is ours?  How do we stand up and honor our faith as Christians? Where is the limit to what we will give? Like the young man, we have many other things that occupy our time and energy, and some that become gods in themselves. Finding a balance in our over busy lives, may just be the joy of giving a portion of our time, wealth, and expertize in gratitude for the gifts we have been blessed with.

Coffee hosting and flowers needed
Thanks to those who stepped up to host coffee hour! There is only one date
open in October, (October 25), so please sign up we’re on a roll!

Please let Eugene or Claire know if you want to donate flowers.  All dates are open in November – please consider taking ONE Sunday in memory of a loved one, or in thanksgiving for an event.  Flowers are priced at $40, $50 or $60 for the two vases.

Reminders

Serving at the Altar Sunday 10/11  & 10/18

UPCOMING EVENTS

Annual Fund Raising Breakfast

You are invited to the annual fundraising breakfast for the Interfaith Hospitality Network, October 14 from 8-9 am at Mayfair Farms. Learn more about the agency’s programs for the homeless and enjoy a continental breakfast. Please contact Tina Kelley at tinapetekate@yahoo.com or 917 439 9484
if you would like to attend. Thanks!
Tina Kelley co-author,
Almost Home: Helping Kids Move from Homelessness to Hope
(Wiley, Oct. 2012)
on Twitter, on Facebook, on poetry

History and Harvest Celebration

History and Harvest Celebration on Saturday, October 17 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The festival has been reinvented a bit and will include living history, characters dressed in 1920s garb (some you many even recognize), cooking demonstrations and much more.
More detail are available on the website, www.greenwoodgardens.org
A fun day for all, family and friends.  Please join us!

FRIENDS OF MUSIC AT ST. STEPHEN’S & ORGAN RECITAL SERIES
SUNDAY OCTOBER 18 AT 4 pm DAVID ENLOW

Our acclaimed Beckerath organ, designed for and installed at St. Stephen’s by the noted German organ builder Rudolph von Beckerath, has provided a long tradition of musical outreach now entering its 46th year.   With your help we can continue that tradition.   Please join us at this season’s three recitals, beginning SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18, AT 4 pm, with a Bach-centered program by international recitalist DAVID ENLOW.  Also please consider joining the Friends of Music, where contributions start at $30, and provide admission to all 3 recitals plus a program listing.   See details in our September email and in the organ recital brochures at the church entrance.   Questions?   See Peggy Thompson.

What happened to our drummers’ parents?
How criminal sentencing guidelines wrought havoc on urban families.

Come for a Book Discussion: From Micro to Macro.
Thursday, October 22 at 7:30pm in the Common Room.

Join us for an hour’s discussion of Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow  – how strategies to combat drug and crime undermined public policy and civil rights and damaged families in communities of color.  Reading the book not necessary. Thursday, October 22 at 7:30pm. There will be cookies!

Several of us have been reading The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander,  and want to learn more about the circumstances shaping the families whose children attend our drumming programs. Alexander examines the centrality of race in the war on drugs and the creation of a caste system targeting communities of color as changed forms of social control in response to the civil rights movement.

St. John Baptist on December 5, 2015
An Advent retreat, 10:00 – 4:00. Lunch provided. Contact Theresa Scharff 908 686 5489 if interested.

Cemetery Tour 2016 – Mark Your Calendars!

The next tour of St. Stephen’s Cemetery will be on Sunday afternoon, October 16, 2016, with a rain date of October 23. 2016.  This is over a year’s notice and is given to make sure that you avoid any conflict.

Our cemetery is a historic gem, and past tours have brought to life (through impersonators at grave sites) our township founders, a broadway actress, two Episcopal bishops, opera singers, a poet, local residents who served in the Civil War, area residents who served in  World War II, and other folks who played a part in our past. The 2016 tour will bring back some of these people and some other cemetery residents who will be new to the tour.
Many of you will be asked to help as our plans develop, but your immediate task is to see that the tour is on your calendar (and that no conflict worms its way into your schedule)!

Parish Directory

The new year brings an opportunity to update our parish directory and databases.  Claire has prepared a simple form that will help us check names, addresses, contact numbers and email.  It would also help us to have dates of baptism and confirmation (if applicable) to check the database.

Confirmation and Reception preparation:  Reverend Sheelagh is happy to provide Confirmation preparation to anyone wishing to be confirmed (must be a 9th Grader or older) or received into the Episcopal Church.  Even though the Episcopal Church regards Baptism as full initiation into Holy Communion, Reverend Sheelagh  is always willing to provide preparation for younger children prior to receiving Holy Communion if desired.
Please contact her at rector@ststephensmillburn.org for more information.
Our roving photographers will be snapping new pictures of us all for the Parish Family Board.

NOTICE

We now have an active online giving button on our website.  You can use this to make a one time donation (in case you are away from church), or set up your regular contributions.  See Rev Derek for more information.

If you would like an article put in the e-news, please e-mail Claire in the office atchurch@ststephensmillburn.org