At St. Stephen's, we believe that love begets love, and we strive to live out this belief through our various outreach and social justice ministries. By purchasing a t-shirt, not only will you be supporting our efforts to share God's love with all of God's people, but you'll also be promoting our beautiful Church on Main Street where love truly begets love!

Our t-shirts are available in a wide range of sizes, from Youth extra small to Adult 4x, and in standard and women's cut for adults. Our fundraiser ends on May 9th at 11:59PM, and we're only (20) t-shirts away from meeting our minimum requirement for printing.

So, we urge you to purchase a t-shirt today! Your support will make a difference!

SUNDAY WORSHIP

The Sixth Sunday of Easter

May 5 at 10:00am

ALL are welcome.

At Communion, you may receive the wine by sipping from the cup, reverently touching the base of the chalice, or you may choose Communion in one kind only (the bread).

Coffee Hour in the Parish Hall

after the service.

Our coffee hour hosts are:

Fran Taber and Kira Hanson

We will be discussing:



Beyond Magenta: Transgender and Nonbinary Teens Speak Out

by Susan Kuklin

Author and photographer Susan Kuklin met and interviewed six transgender or gender-neutral young adults and used her considerable skills to represent them thoughtfully and respectfully before, during, and after their personal acknowledgment of gender preference. Portraits, family photographs, and candid images grace the pages, augmenting the emotional and physical journey each youth has taken. Each honest discussion and disclosure, whether joyful or heartbreaking, is completely different from the other because of family dynamics, living situations, gender, and the transition these teens make in recognition of their true selves.

YEAR OF RENEWAL

A summary of information and the known dates of Rev. Paula’s sabbatical can be found on the St. Stephen’s website. Updates will be posted periodically.

NORTH JERSEY PRIDE FESTIVAL

Sunday, June 9

12:00 to 6:00pm

Memorial Park Amphitheatre

580 Valley Street, Maplewood

There will be live musical performances, 120+ vendors, a food court, a kid's zone and much more!

Stop by our booth, take a giveaway or

two, and help promote St. Stephen's,

The Church on Main Street where

LOVE begets LOVE!

For more info about the festival:

northjerseypride.org

FAMILY PROMISE RUN/WALK

The Family Promise of Essex County 5K Run/Walk and Team Stroll is scheduled for Sunday, May 5th at Brookdale Park in Montclair/Bloomfield. Family Promise is incorporating a Kids Fun Run this year, for those little feet that would like to run, but aren’t quite ready for a 5K.

Here is the Run/Walk registration website.



Please share the link with friends and family and encourage them to register.

Creativity Time is open to anyone from the community.

May 3 and June 7 in the

St. Mark’s Room.

Contact Rev. Bowie

 with any questions or if you are interested. Drop-ins welcome!



“Art is an act of the soul” – Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity

St. George's Episcopal Church in Maplewood and Calvary Episcopal Church in Summit are pleased to offer a service of worship for the community on Sunday, May 5, at 5:00 p.m. at St. George's. The service traces salvation history - the history of God’s faithfulness - through a series of readings, poetry, and music. All music, prayers, and poetry featured in this service is written by African American composers and poets. The choirs are joined by singers from the Episcopal Church of St. Andrew and Holy Communion in South Orange, soloists, organ, and a gospel combo.

The event will be live-streamed on the church's Facebook and YouTube accounts. You are invited to join either in person or online. Masks are optional for all in attendance. A freewill offering goes to benefit the music ministries at Calvary and St. George’s, which supports programs like this one. A festive reception will follow the service, sponsored by the Justice and Advocacy Ministry and the Absalom Jones Ministry for Black History and Culture.

Participating religious institutions in New York will open their doors to the public to showcase their buildings and histories through guided tours, lectures, and musical performances.

Click here for details:

https://nylandmarks.org/sacred-sites-open-house/

Your parish admin previously worked at NYLC and on several of their annual Sacred Sites events. She recommends that you save the date and get ready for this special event!

Racial Justice & Equity Pilgrimage

Saturday, June 8 at 8:45am

Grace Church, Madison

Join Bishop Hughes for a walking tour through the racial history of Madison, NJ.



The itinerary for this day-long pilgrimage has been developed by the Rev. George Dredden of the diocesan Racial Justice and Healing Commission, in conjunction with

Professor Jonathan Golden, Ph.D., Director of Drew University's Center on Religion, Culture and Conflict.

The pilgrimage will conclude no later than 4 PM. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.

Cost: $20 per person.

For more info.

TRINITY RETREAT CENTER

Trinity Retreat Center, located in the Northeast in West Cornwall, CT, offers a place of spirituality and gracious, authentic hospitality—where you can slow down, connect deeply with nature, experience the rhythm of a community, enjoy farm-to-table meals, discern direction for your life, and go home ready to make an even greater impact on the world.

Trinity Retreat Center is an Episcopal mission of Trinity Church Wall Street and is open to everyone, regardless of denomination or faith.

For more information, go to the Trinity Retreat Center's

Facebook page or website.

POP UP YOUTH MINISTRY

Pop Up is a welcoming ministry of the Diocese of Newark bringing together youth for fun activities, community, and faith formation. All youth grades 6-12 are encouraged to join the monthly events.

Follow popupym on Instagram

and Facebook.