WELCOME TO
ST. STEPHEN'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH
1445 Norview Ave, Norfolk VA 23513
Phone 757-855-2788
SaintStephens@yahoo.com
Mission of St. Stephen's:
To be a People in Holy Fellowship for the purpose of the Mission of Christ.
Holy Eucharist - Sunday 10:00 am
Christian Formation - 9:00 am
For Adults and Children
Mid-week Eucharist - Tuesday 10:00 am
Our Building is Handicapped Accessible
CELEBRATIONS:
FEBRUARY CELEBRATIONS
Anne Girucky 2
Carole Phillips 2
Olivia Hartman 11
Ricky Barrio 17
Nina Hartman 18
Barbara Coley 19
Viva Mae Woodley 26
PLEASE PRAY FOR:
Please pray for Elizabeth, Viva Mae, Noah and his family, Harry, Kenneth, Marjorie, Tom, Chris, Dick, Sherran,
Jim, Keith, Cheryl, Louise, Lena, Chuck, Joan, Dale, Hank, Susan, Bill, Becky’s family, conflicted people in the Middle East, victims of disasters and violence throughout the world, and the Armed Forces of America.
Jim, Keith, Cheryl, Louise, Lena, Chuck, Joan, Dale, Hank, Susan, Bill, Becky’s family, conflicted people in the Middle East, victims of disasters and violence throughout the world, and the Armed Forces of America.
St. Stephen's Chronicles
January 2011 Newsletter
A MESSAGE FROM THE RECTOR
Another year has gone! It seems 2011 went by like a puff of smoke. Physicists say that the universe is expanding at an exponential rate. I wonder if time is also fleeting at an
exponential rate. Maybe we just don’t realize it because we are in it. It seems just yesterday that we were welcoming the first daffodils of spring. The rapid movement of time makes me more and more aware of the importance of making every day, indeed every minute, count and not wasting any of it frivolously. That doesn’t mean that we have to be doing, doing every minute. It means that we have to “be” every minute,
present to whatever God is offering to us through the power of the Holy Spirit. This may be an opportunity to
make the difference in someone’s life, the experience of joy that comes in seeing a glorious sunset, a time to put our feet up and relax with a good book, or to just sit in the garden quietly and listen to the song of a bird. Being in touch with God through prayer and daily reading of scripture can open us up to the movement of the Holy Spirit in ways that may amaze us. Today I have been working on my sermon for the fourth Sunday of Advent. The Gospel for this Sunday is the story of the Annunciation to Mary and I have been once again struck by the awesomeness of this story. God’s choice of someone
as ordinary as Mary to be the mother of Jesus, who would change the world, means that God might choose any of us ordinary mortals as vessels through which the extraordinary might happen. That is an astounding idea! As we move into a new year, my prayer for all of us is that when God speaks we will be listening, that our imaginations may be expanded to include the possibility of the seemingly impossible and that our response, like Mary’s, may always be, “Here am I, Lord! Let it be with me according to your word.”
Happy New Year to you all,
Gwynn
THE LIGHTER SIDE: Bulletin Bloopers
The 3rd verse of Blessed Assurance will be sung without musical accomplishment.
The “Over 60s Choir” will disband for the summer with the thanks of the entire church.
A song fest was hell at church last Sunday.
Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.
Today’s Sermon: “How Much Can a Man Drink?” with hymns from a full choir.
Mrs. Crutchfield and Mrs. Rankin will sing a duet, “The Lord Knows Why.”
Next Sunday we will have a soloist for the morning service. The pastor will then speak on “It’s a Terrible Experience.
Ask the Church Mouse: What is The Presentation all about?
“The Presentation of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple” is a feast day celebrated on February 2, which is 40 days after Christmas.
In keeping with Jewish law, Jesus was presented to the Lord and Mary was purified.
This feast day was first celebrated in the 4th century in Jerusalem, and was brought to Rome about 300 years later.
In Luke 2:22-39, we read that Simeon (whom the Holy Spirit had told would not die before he saw the Lord’s Messiah) took Jesus and praised God with these words, called The Song of Simeon or Nunc dimittis in Latin:
Lord, you now have set your servant free
to go in peace as you have promised;
For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior,
whom you have prepared for all the world to see:
A Light to enlighten the nations,
and the glory of your people Israel.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.
Amen.
We say or sing this during Evening Prayer, Rite 2 (BCP p. 120).
Sources: An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church,
The Book of Common Prayer
A MESSAGE FROM THE RECTOR
Another year has gone! It seems 2011 went by like a puff of smoke. Physicists say that the universe is expanding at an exponential rate. I wonder if time is also fleeting at an
exponential rate. Maybe we just don’t realize it because we are in it. It seems just yesterday that we were welcoming the first daffodils of spring. The rapid movement of time makes me more and more aware of the importance of making every day, indeed every minute, count and not wasting any of it frivolously. That doesn’t mean that we have to be doing, doing every minute. It means that we have to “be” every minute,
present to whatever God is offering to us through the power of the Holy Spirit. This may be an opportunity to
make the difference in someone’s life, the experience of joy that comes in seeing a glorious sunset, a time to put our feet up and relax with a good book, or to just sit in the garden quietly and listen to the song of a bird. Being in touch with God through prayer and daily reading of scripture can open us up to the movement of the Holy Spirit in ways that may amaze us. Today I have been working on my sermon for the fourth Sunday of Advent. The Gospel for this Sunday is the story of the Annunciation to Mary and I have been once again struck by the awesomeness of this story. God’s choice of someone
as ordinary as Mary to be the mother of Jesus, who would change the world, means that God might choose any of us ordinary mortals as vessels through which the extraordinary might happen. That is an astounding idea! As we move into a new year, my prayer for all of us is that when God speaks we will be listening, that our imaginations may be expanded to include the possibility of the seemingly impossible and that our response, like Mary’s, may always be, “Here am I, Lord! Let it be with me according to your word.”
Happy New Year to you all,
Gwynn
THE LIGHTER SIDE: Bulletin Bloopers
The 3rd verse of Blessed Assurance will be sung without musical accomplishment.
The “Over 60s Choir” will disband for the summer with the thanks of the entire church.
A song fest was hell at church last Sunday.
Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.
Today’s Sermon: “How Much Can a Man Drink?” with hymns from a full choir.
Mrs. Crutchfield and Mrs. Rankin will sing a duet, “The Lord Knows Why.”
Next Sunday we will have a soloist for the morning service. The pastor will then speak on “It’s a Terrible Experience.
Altar Flowers and Sanctuary Candle
The new calendar for Altar Flowers and the Sanctuary Candle is in the hall. Flowers are $40, and Anita’s magic makes them last a whole month! The Sanctuary Candle is $20 per month. Hurry to reserve your flowers and candle.
Mission News
The Mission of the Holy Spirit was recently awarded a grant from the Diocese of Southern Virginia’s Seeds of Hope Foundation. The funds will be used for the “Healthy Choices” program: Old Dominion University nursing student volunteers will teach Mission participants about healthy eating habits, exercise and more, and a Health Fair is planned for April.
Ask the Church Mouse: What is The Presentation all about?
“The Presentation of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple” is a feast day celebrated on February 2, which is 40 days after Christmas.
In keeping with Jewish law, Jesus was presented to the Lord and Mary was purified.
This feast day was first celebrated in the 4th century in Jerusalem, and was brought to Rome about 300 years later.
In Luke 2:22-39, we read that Simeon (whom the Holy Spirit had told would not die before he saw the Lord’s Messiah) took Jesus and praised God with these words, called The Song of Simeon or Nunc dimittis in Latin:
Lord, you now have set your servant free
to go in peace as you have promised;
For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior,
whom you have prepared for all the world to see:
A Light to enlighten the nations,
and the glory of your people Israel.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.
Amen.
We say or sing this during Evening Prayer, Rite 2 (BCP p. 120).
Sources: An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church,
The Book of Common Prayer
