September 28, 2022 Highlights Newsletter

September 28, 2022

Happening at St. Stephen's This Week...

Welcome!

It's wonderful to be with each other in church and celebrate the Holy Eucharist with congregational singing. Masks are now optional at both services. The Community Risk Level for Essex County is green/low. We'll revisit this if the risk level changes.

Live-streamed to YouTube, Facebook, and via Zoom. Bulletins are available on the St. Stephen's website. All links can be found at the bottom of the newsletter. Zoom passcode is SSM119.

The Sunday service will also be broadcast on HTTV (Comcast TV 36 and Verizon TV 33) on Tuesday at 6am and 3pm.

Please join us for Sunday Worship at 8:00am and 10:00am

on October 2nd for the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost.

ALL are welcome!

Coffee Hour to follow the 10:00am service.

RALLY FOR CROSS ROADS

Saturday, October 1st

You are invited to come Rally for Cross Roads to race in the 5K or 2K on-site here at camp, followed by an afternoon of volleyball and other fun activities.

Schedule of events

8:00 – 9:00am: registration

9:15am: opening prayer

9:30am: 2k/5k begins

12:00pm: lunch

1:00pm: worship service

1:30 – 3:30pm: volleyball & other activities

3:30pm: award ceremony

People of all ages are invited to attend. (Participants under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.)

For more info, click here.

HOLY LAND PILGRIMAGE INFO MEETING

Sunday, October 2nd at 11:30am

We're going to the Holy Land in August 2024! We'd love you to come!

Join us for an information meeting, in-person or via Zoom.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87663246382?pwd=SXYrVzFsUW9Tand0TXZzQ0NycUkvdz09

Meeting ID: 876 6324 6382

Passcode: SSM119

COMMUNITY PET BLESSING

Sunday, October 2nd at 4:00pm

on the Lawn at St. Stephen's

119 Main Street, Millburn

Hosted by St. Stephen's Church, Millburn and Christ Church in Short Hills.

Join us as we celebrate the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint

of animals and the environment, by blessing your pets.

ALL in the community are invited

and all pets and their families are WELCOME.

To ensure the safety of all animals, pets should be in appropriate carriers or on secure leads.

If you can’t transport a pet or are grieving the loss of a special pet, you are invited to bring a photo or other token of remembrance.

In case of inclement weather, the service will move indoors.

Looking Ahead

PLEASE CHECK WEEKLY BECAUSE EVENTS MAY BE ADDED OR CHANGED.

OCTOBER

OCT 1

Rally for Cross Roads

OCT 2

8am - Sunday Worship

10am - Sunday Worship

11:30am - Holy Land Pilgrimage Info Meeting

1pm - AA Meeting

4pm - Community Pet Blessing

OCT 3

7pm - Small Group Summit

7:30pm - MA Meeting

OCT 4

5pm - Women's Lectionary Study

OCT 9

8am - Sunday Worship

10am - Second Sunday Intergenerational Worship/Finnerty baptism

11:30am - Youth Group

11:30am - Reading with the Rector

1pm - AA Meeting

OCT 10

7:30pm - MA Meeting

OCT 11

5pm - Women's Lectionary Study

OCT 16

8am - Sunday Worship

9am - Family Promise Walk for Change

10am - Sunday Worship

11:30am - Vestry Meeting

1pm - AA Meeting

OCT 17

7:30pm - MA Meeting

OCT 18

5pm - Women's Lectionary Study

OCT 19

7:30pm - Joint Vestry & Finance Committee Meeting

OCT 20

7pm - Preschool Committee Meeting

OCT 23

8am - Sunday Worship

10am - Sunday Worship

11:30am - Youth Group

1pm - AA Meeting

OCT 24

7:30pm - MA Meeting

OCT 25

5pm - Women's Lectionary Study

OCT 30

8am - Sunday Worship

10am - Sunday Worship

1pm - AA Meeting

OCT 31

7:30pm - MA Meeting

NOVEMBER

NOV 1

5pm - Women's Lectionary Study

NOV 4

9am - Interfaith Bible Hour

NOV 6

First Sunday of Advent

8am - Sunday Worship

10am - Sunday Worship

1pm - AA Meeting

NOV 7

7pm - Small Group Summit

7:30pm - MA Meeting

NOV 13

Second Sunday of Advent

8am - Sunday Worship

10am - Second Sunday Intergenerational Worship

11:30am - Reading with the Rector

12pm - Youth Group

1pm - AA Meeting

NOV 14

7:30pm - MA Meeting

NOV 16

7:30pm - Finance Committee Meeting

NOV 17

7pm - Preschool Committee Meeting

NOV 20

Third Sunday of Advent

8am - Sunday Worship

10am - Sunday Worship

11:30am - Vestry Meeting

1pm - AA Meeting

NOV 21

7:30pm - MA Meeting

NOV 27

Fourth Sunday of Advent

8am - Sunday Worship

10am - Sunday Worship

11:30am - Youth Group

1pm - AA Meeting

NOV 28

7:30pm - MA Meeting

NOV 29

5pm - Women's Lectionary Study

DECEMBER

DEC 2

9am - Interfaith Bible Hour

DEC 4

Fifth Sunday of Advent

8am - Sunday Worship

10am - Sunday Worship

1pm - AA Meeting

DEC 5

7pm - Small Group Summit

7:30pm - MA Meeting

DEC 11

Sixth Sunday of Advent

Bishop Hughes visit

10am - Second Sunday Intergenerational Worship

11:30am - Reading with the Rector

12pm - Youth Group

1pm - AA Meeting

DEC 12

7:30pm - MA Meeting

DEC 15

7pm - Preschool Committee Meeting

DEC 18

Seventh Sunday of Advent

8am - Sunday Worship

10am - Sunday Worship

11:30am - Vestry Meeting

1pm - AA Meeting

DEC 19

7:30pm - MA Meeting

DEC 21

7pm - Finance Committee Meeting

7:30pm - Longest Night Service

DEC 24

Christmas Eve

5pm - Family Service

9pm - Candlelight Service

DEC 25

Christmas Day

10am - Sunday Worship

1pm - AA Meeting

DEC 26

7:30pm - MA Meeting

PARISH OFFICE HOURS

Tuesday through Friday

9:00am to 5:00pm

THE PARISH OFFICE IS CLOSED:

October 11

October 25 - 28

November 24, 25, 29

December 13 - 16

December 27

Other Happenings...

READING WITH THE RECTOR

Sunday, October 9th

11:30am - 1:00pm

We will be discussing:

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

A Wrinkle in Time tells the story of Meg Murry, a girl who travels through time and space to save her father from evil forces. L’Engle, an Episcopalian, imbued her novel with religious elements and ideas.

We will meet in the Common Room, or you may join via Zoom.

FAMILY PROMISE

WALK FOR CHANGE 2022

Sunday, October 16th

in Verona Park, New Jersey

Family Promise of Essex County’s

WALK FOR CHANGE (WFC) is an annual fundraising event where volunteers from all over come together for a day of fun, good cheer and exercise, all in support of raising money for families experiencing or at-risk for homelessness.

This year the main event for the walk will take place at 9am on Sunday, October 16th, at Verona Park in Verona, New Jersey.

For details, click here.

From Bishop Hughes & The Episcopal Church

THE BISHOP'S VLOG

Beginning anew - 9/14/22

We are socialized that when September comes, we feel we should start thinking about beginning anew, says Bishop Hughes. And this year in particular the whole world is trying to figure out how to begin anew, due to the changes brought by the pandemic. Given all that, she encourages us to talk to one another about this time that we're in, and how we want it to reflect the priorities that, individually and collectively, we have come to know and value.

NEW: The Voice Online Link - 9/28/22

DIOCESAN E-NEWSLETTERS

Sign up to get e-newsletters and important announcements directly from diocesan headquarters. Find out more and subscribe here.

COMMISSION FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE SURVEY

"As part of our mission to support the diocese with resources and direction on social justice issues, the Commission for Justice and Peace needs to hear from you. Whether you are a parish leader or congregant, we want to learn what issues are important to you and what resources would help you or your parish become involved. Please take a few minutes to fill out the survey by clicking on this link:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6V3VPKX

Your input will help us to learn of the important work already underway and prioritize our activities for the future. Feel free to share the link with your congregation.

Survey will be open until Sept. 30th.

With thanks for your consideration."

-The Rev. Deacon Diane Riley and Jody Caldwell, Co-Leaders

Commission for Justice and Peace

WARDENS & TREASURERS'

ZOOM MEETING WITH

THE BISHOP

Thursday, October 13, 2022

7:00pm - 8:30pm

An email will be sent to all Church Wardens and Treasurers with sign-in instructions for this Zoom meeting.

Living Room Conversations: Healthy conversations in conflicted times

Saturday, October 22, 2022

8:30am - 1:15pm

St. Michael's, Wayne

Knowing how to have a healthy conversation in an environment of conflict is a skill that is useful in every aspect of life.

Becca Kearl, Executive Director of Living Room Conversations, will lead this half-day, in-person workshop. ALL are welcome to attend. Parishes are encouraged to send a group. Find out more here.

Resources

Journey Forward Guidelines

There are many, many resources available to parishes and individuals to help sustain our faith practices during this unprecedented time.

In this time of Crisis, there are resources that can help if you or someone you know needs assistance. Please contact NJ Mental Health Cares for free helpline telephone counseling or assistance. Call 866-202-4357.

TTY: 1-877-294-4356.

E-mail: help@njmentalhealthcares.org

Other resources are:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

1-800-273-8255

Crisis Text Line, 741741

NJ Hope Line (suicide prevention)

855-654-6735

A/MA MEETINGS

Weekly AA meetings:

Sunday at 1:00pm

Contact: Rob H. (516) 860-9062

For more information about Alcohol Anonymous, click here.

Weekly MA meeting:

Monday at 7:30pm

Contact: Max T. (212) 203-2542

Contact: Deana L. (908) 499-8997

MA meetings are presented in a rotating format:

Step - Speaker - Story from Life with Hope - Topic

For more information about Marijuana Anonymous, click here.

Prayer List

Please keep the following St. Stephen's family

members and friends in your prayers...

Peggy Thompson

Donna Riggi

The Blanchard Family

The McManus Family

Bernard & Nathan

Lucille B.

Jack Moreno

Joseph G.

Jane Rossiter

Mike Losito

Evan D. & Family

Donna Stadler Hostetler

Ed Roman

Emma Simonich

Inge Bass Mills

Jessica Rana

Cathy Zimmerman

Catherine Phan

Juliet Tranberg

Lind Hostetler

Mary Ruth Stone

Nancy Landers

Sandy Prince

Anne Grenda

Drew Johnson

Imani Nia

Eugene Foley

Roger Riedel

Evie

If you would like to add someone to our prayer list, please email us at church@ststephensmillburn.org, or call (973) 376-0688 Ext. 32.

Anyone for whom we are praying will be on our prayer list for six weeks. If prayers are still needed beyond that time period, please let us know. Thank you.

Sunday Lectionary

October 2, 2022

Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4

Psalm 37:1-10

2 Timothy 1:1-14

Luke 17:5-10

If you'd like to read the full lectionary for the week, you may do so here.

Giving with Tithe.ly

TITHE.LY

Giving with Tithe.ly is easy with options for recurring donations or one-time use for when you are away or not able to be in church (like all of us now due to COVID restrictions).

You can access Tithe.ly via their website or their app on your smart phone. Be sure to search for the correct account - "St. Stephen's Church Millburn." Once you have accessed the account page with our address, you will be instructed to follow the prompts.

Office Notes

Due to COVID restrictions, only teachers and staff are allowed to be in the building during school hours. If you need to visit the parish office/building for any reason, please contact us for an appointment. Thank you.