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W e l c o m e t o Saint Stephen’s in the Season of P e n t e c o s t , a season of com-munity forma-tion and spiritu-al growth. After Jesus ascended into heaven, the Holy Spirit came down on the day of Pentecost to bless the disci-p l e s a s t h e y g a t h e r e d f o r prayer. The Holy S p i r i t w o u l d continue to be their guide as they figured out what it meant to be a community that followed the teachings & ex-ample of Christ.

Sixth Sunday

after Pentecost

2021

4th of July

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Welcome to Worship at St. Stephen’s! You will notice that this bulletin indicates moments in the service where it is customary to sit, stand, and kneel. These are only customs, and if you find that you are uncomfort-able in any of these postures, please pay attention to your body and change your prayer posture as needed.

If you are interested in becoming more involved with St. Stephen’s, please fill out one of the welcome cards at the usher’s table. It’s our priest’s practice to invite newcomers to coffee or lunch, so after you fill out a card you can expect to be contacted soon.

The Arps Garage is closed for the summer. You can park in our lot, on the north side of Woodruff Avenue (the same side of the street that the church is on), or in the Lane Av-enue, Tuttle, or Ohio Union South garages. Parking in the garages is free. Simply pick up a parking sticker from one of the ushers.

Saint Stephen’s is a B.R.E.A.D. church, joining with 40 diverse congregations to act power-fully on local issues of justice and fairness. Learn more at www.breadcolumbus.org.

Saint Stephen’s is a founding member of Neighborhood Services, Inc. (NSI) , a community food pantry serving the campus area. You can learn more about NSI at www.neighbor-hoodservicesinc.org.

Celebrant & Preacher: The Rev. Karl Stevens

Lectors: Eric Peters & Norm Wernet

Intercessor: Molly Cooke

Organist/Choir Master: Dennis Davenport

Cantor: Liz Hecker

Cyber Sacristans: Daniel Buey & Molly Cooke

Altar Guild: Rae Fellows

Cover Painting: Jesus of Arrupe College, Janet McKenzie, oil on canvas, 21st c.

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Throughout the service, the people’s responses are in italics.

Prelude

Announcements The people stand for the Processional Hymn. Put a mask on and feel free to sing along! You will see some people bow or not to the cross as it processes. This is custom but not obligatory.

Processional Hymn #1 (LEVAS) Lift Every Voice and Sing The sheet music for this Sunday's hymns can be found in the separate hymn leaflet.

Lift ev’ry voice and sing, Till earth and heaven ring, Ring with the harmonies of liberty; Let our rejoicing rise High as the list’ning skies, Let it resound loud as the rolling sea. Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us; Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us; Facing the rising sun Of our new day begun, Let us march on till victory is won.

Stony the road we trod, Bitter the chast’ning rod, Felt in the days when hope unborn had died; Yet with a steady beat, Have not our weary feet Come to the place for which our fathers sighed? We have come over away that with tears has been watered; We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered; Out from the gloomy past, Till now we stand at last Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.

God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, Thou who hast brought us thus far on the way; Thou who hast by thy might,

We know that many of you are new to worsh ip in the Episcopal Church. Use this column to learn about why we do what we do when we gather together for prayer and praise.

We have a vast tradition of hymns and songs to draw upon, from every century and every place in the world. If a hymn number is listed without a n y l e t t e r s i n parenthesis, it ’s f r o m t h e b l u e H y m n a l 1 9 8 2 , which you can find in the pew racks. If there are letters in parenthesis after the hymn number, that means the hymn came from a n a l t e r n a t e source, and we will provide copies of it at the greeter’s table, if you want to fol low along with the music.

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Led us into the light, Keep us forever in the path, we pray. Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met thee; Lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget thee, Shadowed beneath Thy hand, May we forever stand, True to our God, true to our native land.

Words: James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938) Music: J. Rosamond Johnson (1873-1954).

Opening Acclamation Blessed be the one, holy, and living God. Glory to God for ever and ever.

Prayer for Children as They Go to Children’s Church

Mothering God, you see your children growing up in an unsteady and confusing world: Show them that your ways give more life than the ways of the world, and that following you is better than chasing after selfish goals. Help them to take failure, not as a measure of their worth, but as a chance for a new start. Give them strength to hold their faith in you, and to keep alive their joy in your creation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Gloria Sung by the Cantor, and everybody else! Please put on your mask before singing.

Glory to God in the highest, and peace to God’s people on earth. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory, Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Children’s Church is located on the second f loor of Hobson Hall. St. Stephen’s is com-pliant with Safe Church guidelines.

There are a num-b e r o f a n c i e n t hymns that have been used by the church in worship. M a n y o f t h e s e hymns drew upon scripture, and the Gloria, which has been sung since the second centu-ry, is no exception. T h e w o r d s a r e drawn from the proclamation of the angels to the s h e p h e r d s , a n-nouncing Jesus’s birth in Luke 2:14.

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Collect for the Day God be with you. And also with you. Let us pray. 

God of the People, in whose Name the founders of this country won liberty for themselves and for us, and lit the torch of freedom for nations then unborn: Grant that we and all the people of this land may have grace to maintain our liberties in righteousness and peace; through Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The people sit.

A Reading from Deuteronomy The Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe, who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them with food and clothing.  You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.  You shall fear the Lord your God; God alone you shall worship; to God you shall hold fast, and by God's name you shall swear. God is your praise; God is your understanding of divinity, who has done for you these great and awesome things that your own eyes have seen.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people. Thanks be to God.

Psalm 145 The asterisk lets us know when to speak if we're reading by half verse.

I will exalt you, O God my sovereign, * and bless your name for ever and ever.

Every day will I bless you * and praise your name for ever and ever.

Great are you, O Lord, and greatly to be praised; * there is no end to your greatness.

A collect is a prayer that “collects” the t h o u g h t s a n d hopes of the con-gregation. Each Sunday has its own assigned collect, which states the theme that most if not all of the lec-tionary readings will be addressing.

T h e E p i s c o p a l Church fo l lows The Revised Com-mon Lectionary, w h i c h a s s i g n s Sunday readings throug hout the year. Right now we are in Year B, and the Gospel of Mark will feature promi-n e n t l y i n t h e months to come. The Gospel of John is scattered across all three liturgical years, depending on the Sunday. In general, the other readings corre-s p o n d t o t h e events and teach-ings in the Gospel. The Readings con-sist of a passage from the Old or New Testament and a Psalm. Jesus was Jewish, and so much of what he t a u g h t w a s i n-spired by centuries of Jewish thinkers and sages. Chris-tianity has always

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One generation shall praise your works to another * and shall declare your power.

I will ponder the glorious splendor of your majesty * and all your marvelous works.

They shall speak of the might of your wondrous acts, * and I will tell of your greatness.

They shall publish the remembrance of your great goodness; * they shall sing of your righteous deeds.

O Lord, you are gracious and full of compassion, * slow to anger and of great kindness.

You are loving to everyone * and your compassion is over all your works.

Let America Be America Again by Langston Hughes

Let America be America again. Let it be the dream it used to be. Let it be the pioneer on the plain Seeking a home where he himself is free.

(America never was America to me.)

Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed— Let it be that great strong land of love Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme That any man be crushed by one above.

(It never was America to me.)

O, let my land be a land where Liberty Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath, But opportunity is real, and life is free, Equality is in the air we breathe.

(There’s never been equality for me, Nor freedom in this “homeland of the free.”)

Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark? And who are you that draws your veil across the stars?

I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart,

affirmed the need to stay connected to these Jewish roots.

The Psalms also come out of the Jewish tradition. T h e y w e r e t h e worship songs of ancient Israel. Lis-ten to the words, and you'll notice that Psalms often express anger, sor-row, and resent-ment, as well as joy and thanksgiving. All of our emotions are present in the Psalms, and they teach us that it's okay to bring our whole selves into our worship of God.

The poems that we frequently use in worship comment on the scripture readings, just like the hymns do. At St. Stephen’s, we have a dedicated group of poetry-pickers who meet every six weeks or so to talk about the l e c t i o n a r y a n d choose the poems that we use in worship.

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I am the Negro bearing slavery’s scars. I am the red man driven from the land, I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek— And finding only the same old stupid plan Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak.

O, let America be America again— The land that never has been yet— And yet must be—the land where every man is free. The land that’s mine—the poor man’s, Indian’s, Negro’s, ME— Who made America, Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain, Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain, Must bring back our mighty dream again.

Sure, call me any ugly name you choose— The steel of freedom does not stain. From those who live like leeches on the people’s lives, We must take back our land again, America!

O, yes, I say it plain, America never was America to me, And yet I swear this oath— America will be!

Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death, The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies, We, the people, must redeem The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers. The mountains and the endless plain— All, all the stretch of these great green states— And make America again!

Hear what the spirit is saying to God’s people. Thanks be to God.

The people stand and sing. Please wear a mask while singing!

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Gospel Hymn #194 (LEVAS) Lead Me, Guide Me

Refrain

Lead me, guide me, along the way, For if you lead me, I cannot stray Lord, let me walk each day with Thee. Lead me, Oh Lord, lead me.

I am weak and I need thy strength and power To help me over my weakest hour; Help me through the darkness thy face to see, Lead me, Oh Lord, lead me.

Refrain

Help me tread in the paths of righteousness, be my aid when satan and sin oppress; I am putting all my trust in thee. Lead me, Oh Lord, lead me.

Refrain

I am lost if you take your hand from me, I am blind without thy light to see; Lord, just always let me thy servant be. Lead me, Oh Lord, lead me.

Refrain

Words: Doris M. Akers (b. 1922) Music: Doris M. Akers; arr. Richard Smallwood

The Gospel The Holy Gospel of Our Savior Jesus Christ According To Matthew Glory to You, O Christ.

You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of God in heaven; for God makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same? And

As we sing the Gospel Hymn, we bring the Gospel to the center of the church because it is the center of our lives and worship.

There are four G o sp e l s in t h e New Testament. Three of them are synoptic, a word that means “with one eye.” These three Gospels were drawn from the same sources and tell many of the same stories, with different emphasis depending on the Gospel. The fourth Gospel, the Gospel of John, was writ-ten for a specific, and now vanished, Christian commu-nity, that had a very different set of concerns and i d e a s t h a n t h e communities that are addressed in t h e s y n o p t i c Gospels.

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if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly and intimate God is perfect.

The Gospel of Our Savior. Praise to you, O Christ.

The people sit for the Homily.

The Homily

The people stand for the Affirmation of Faith.

Affirmation of Faith

We give our hearts to one God, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We give our hearts to one Savior, Jesus Christ, God’s self-revelation, eternally begotten, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with God; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became truly human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; after forty days he ascended into heaven. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his beloved community will have no end. We give our hearts to the Holy Spirit, the giver of life, who proceeds from God, who with God’s self-revelation in Christ is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We give our hearts to one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Remain standing or kneel.

The Prayers of the People In peace, let us pray to God, saying “Hear our prayer.”

Since the Council of Nicea in 325 C.E., Christ ians have been saying an af-firmation of faith as part of their worship. Saying such affirmations together connects us to the whole his-tory of the Christ-ian church. They affirm the Doctrine of the Trinity — the belief that God can be described as a relationship, as well as being described as three persons. They are corporate statements of belief and, as individuals, we have a variety of ways of understand-ing them.

The homily is a time of exploring how the readings relate to and in-form our daily liv-ing.

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We offer prayers of thanksgiving and name these blessings in our lives...

God, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

We offer prayers for the universal church, its members and its missions, especially...

God, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

We offer prayers for the nation, and all in authority, especially...

God, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

We offer prayers for the welfare of the world, especially...

God, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

We offer prayers for the concerns of our local community, especially…

God, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

We offer prayers for those who suffer, and those in any trouble, especially...

God, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

We offer prayers for those in extended care facilities, especially...

God, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

We offer prayers for the departed, especially...

God, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

Celebrant: Almighty God, by your Holy Spirit you have made us one with your saints in heaven and on earth: Grant that in our earthly pilgrimage we may always be supported by this

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our concerns for others, we forget to give thanks for their presence in our lives. Although the Book of Common Prayer places the thanksgiving for the blessings in our lives at the end of the prayers, our parish chooses to put them first, so that we can be re-minded that God’s love and gracious-ness are preemi-nent.

We pray for every-thing — for our community, for our nat ion , for the w o r l d , a n d f o r everyone who has a s k e d u s f o r prayers. Requesting prayers is simple. Fill out the prayer request form that you’ll find on the lecture stand near the greeting table with as much in-formation as you would like us to have. We’ll collect them and add your p raye r s t o o u r weekly prayer list. The list goes out on Tuesday to a dedicated group of people who will pray for you and your loved ones

Although we are created good, we all miss the mark sometimes when interacting with each other, our own selves, the world, and with God. Confession is an opportunity to reset, to be forgiv-en for our mis-takes, and to af-firm our willing-ness to try again.

Sharing the Peace is an act of recon-ciliation in which the body of Christ heals the wounds we inf lict upon each other. It is an act of personal blessing prior to the Eucharist. We are instructed in Matthew, Chapter 5, that “if you enter your place of wor-ship and, about to make an offering, you suddenly re-member a grudge a friend has against you, abandon your offering, leave im-mediately, go to this fr iend and

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fellowship of love and prayer, and know ourselves to be surrounded by their witness to your power and mercy. We ask this for the sake of Jesus Christ, in whom all our intercessions are acceptable through the Spirit, and who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

Confession & Absolution

Almighty and merciful God, we have sinned against you, in thought, word and deed. We have not loved you with all our heart. We have not loved others as our Savior Christ loves us. We are truly sorry. In your mercy forgive what we have been, help us to amend what we are, and direct what we shall be; that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.

Through the cross of Christ, God have mercy on you, pardon you and set you free. Know that you are forgiven and be at peace. God strengthen you in all goodness and keep you in life eternal.

If you have been kneeling, stand for the peace.

The Peace The peace of God be with you. And also with you.

Offertory Hymn #165 (LEVAS) Higher Ground I’m pressing on the upward way, New heights I’m gaining every day; Still praying as I onward bound, “Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”

Refrain: Lord, lift me up, and let me stand By faith, on heaven’s table land; A higher plane than I have found, Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

My heart has no desire to stay Where doubts arise and fears dismay;

throug hout the week. The list is also used during our Sunday morn-ing services.

make things right.” S h a r i n g G o d ’ s peace gives us an o p p o r t u n i t y t o make things right.

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Though some may dwell where these abound, My prayer, my aim is higher ground.

Refrain

I want to live above the world, Though satan’s darts at me are hurled; For faith has caught a joyful sound, The song of saints on higher ground.

Refrain

I want to scale the utmost height, And catch a gleam of glory bright; But still I’ll pray till heav’n I’ve found, “Lord, lead me on the higher ground.”

Refrain

Words: Johnson Oatman, Jr. (1860-1948) Music: Charles H. Gabriel (1856-1932).

The Holy Eucharist Please stand.

God be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise.

It is truly right, and good and joyful, to give you thanks, all-holy God, source of life and fountain of mercy. You have filled us and all creation with your blessing and fed us with your constant love; you have redeemed us in Jesus Christ and knit us into one body. Through your Spirit you replenish us and call us to fullness of life.

Therefore, joining with Angels and Archangels and with the faithful of every generation, we lift our voices with all creation as we sing:

The cantor will sing the Sanctus.

The text of the S a n c t u s c o m e s from the Revela-tion to Saint John and from Isaiah. It is the song that the seraphim sing to each other while worshipping the throne of God. But w h a t w e r e seraphim? They were composite creatures, heaven-ly beings with hu-man faces who had wings that were covered in eyes. Because they were made up of many creatures , they stand in for all of the creatures on earth. When we sing the Sanctus, w e , l i k e t h e seraphim, represent all earthly crea-tures, speaking for them and praising God with them.

Why do we empha-size “one bread, one body”? We believe in Jesus as the only Son of God. We all share in one bread, repre-senting the one body of Jesus, and one cup, memorializing the blood of Christ that was shed for our salvation.

What do we believe is happening to the bread and wine to-

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Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed are you, gracious God, creator of the universe and giver of life. You formed us in your own image and called us to dwell in your infinite love. You gave the world into our care that we might be your faithful stewards and show forth your bountiful grace. But we failed to honor your image in one another and in ourselves; we would not see your goodness in the world around us; and so we violated your creation, abused one another, and rejected your love. Yet you never ceased to care for us, and prepared the way of salvation for all people.

Through Abraham and Sarah you called us into covenant with you. You delivered us from slavery, sustained us in the wilderness, and raised up prophets to renew your promise of salvation. Then, in the fullness of time, you sent your eternal Word, made mortal flesh in Jesus. Born into the human family, and dwelling among us, he revealed your glory. Giving himself freely to death on the cross, he triumphed over evil, opening the way of freedom and life.

On the night before he died for us, Our Savior Jesus Christ took bread, and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his friends, and said: “Take, eat: This is my Body which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.”

As supper was ending, Jesus took the cup of wine, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and said: “Drink this, all of you: This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is poured out for you and for all for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.”

Therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith:

Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.

Remembering his death and resurrection, we now present to you from your creation this bread and this wine. By your Holy Spirit may they be for us the Body and Blood of our Savior Jesus Christ. Grant that we who share these gifts may be filled

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with the Holy Spirit and live as Christ’s Body in the world. Bring us into the everlasting heritage of your daughters and sons, that with Stephen & Hilda and all your saints, past, present, and yet to come, we may praise your Name for ever.

Through Christ and with Christ and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, to you be honor, glory, and praise, for ever and ever. Amen.

And now as our Saviour Christ has taught us, we are bold to say:

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil, for the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.

The Breaking of the Bread Alleluia. Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us; Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia.

The Gifts of God for the People of God. Take them in remembrance that Christ died for you, and feed on him in your hearts by faith, with thanksgiving.

The Bread is given to the communicants with these words

The Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ keep you in everlasting life.

Please stand and remain standing until the end of the service.

Postcommunion Prayer

God of abundance, you have fed us with the bread of life and cup of salvation; you have united us with Christ and one another; and you have made us one with all your people in heaven and on earth. Now send us forth in the power of your Spirit, that we may proclaim your redeeming love to the world and continue for ever in the risen life of Christ our Savior. Amen.

wards the end of the Eucharistic prayer? Jesus is spiritually present in the ele-ments we share dur-ing Holy Commu-nion. Our interpre-tations of what this means may differ from person to per-son. We may un-derstand this liter-ally or figuratively. R e g a r d l e s s , we know this to be Christ’s true pres-ence.

At St. Stephen’s, we have an “open table,” meaning that you are invited to receive the Eucharist re-gardless of where you are on your faith journey. To receive communion, come forward down the center aisle when invited by the priest. The priest will place the bread in your palm. If you choose, you can dip the wafer into the wine in the chalice, taking care not to get your fingers in the wine. To receive a gluten free wafer, extend your hands, palm down, when receiv-ing communion. If

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Blessing The Wisdom of God the Love of God and the Grace of God strengthen you to be Christ’s hands and heart in this world, in the name of the Holy Trinity. Amen.

Closing Hymn #181 (LEVAS) Amazing Grace Amazing grace! how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found, Was blind, but now I see.

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved; How precious did that grace appear The hour I first believed!

The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope secures; He will my shield and portion be As long as life endures.

Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come; ’Tis grace that brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home.

When we’ve been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we’d first begun.

Words: Stanzas 1-4, John Newton (1725-1807; Stanza 5, Ascr. John Rees, c. 1859 Music: New Britain, CM, Virginia Harmony, 1831; harm. John Barnard (b. 1948)

Dismissal Let us bless the Lord. Alleluia, Alleluia. Thanks be to God. Alleluia, Alleluia.

Postlude

you would like a blessing from the priest in lieu of par-taking in the Eu-charist, please cross your hands over your chest.

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Parish News Make Your Sunday Offering with Your Phone It’s easy! At the Offertory, just open the camera app on your phone and point it at the QR code below. You’ll be prompted to open a secure website where you can make an online donation.

Reception for Patricia Rose on July 11th Patricia will begin her residency with us on July 1st. Since we’re sharing her with St. Edwards in Whitehall, she’ll be with them two Sundays a month and with us two Sundays a month. Her first Sunday with us will be on July 11th, and we want to welcome her with a special reception. So mark your calendars!

Coffee Hour Hosts Needed Community and Fellowship begins with YOU! Want an easy way to get involved and participate at  St. Stephen's? Share your favorite breakfast treat or brunch dishes and recipes on any given Sunday!  If baking & cooking are not your thing, bring a fruit offering  or volunteer to host the coffee table.  Service opportunitites  for 1 Host and 1 Dish after the 8:30 Church Service and    2-3 Dishes, some Fruit, and 1-2 Hosts needed for after the 10:30 Church Service every Sunday. YOUR participation and service is the Love and Light that will Expand and Extend  our BeLoved Community. Thanks in Advance  for your contributions, efforts, and dedication, BeLoveds!  

Sign up at the link below!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C054CADAA2BA20-coffee  

You are Invited to Sam Davenport’s Violin Recital We invite the St. Stephen's community to Sam Davenport's violin recital on Saturday, July 10, at 2PM in the church.  (The recital is also livestreamed.) Sam will be playing music of Bach (Partita #2 in d minor), Brahms (Sonata #2 in A major),

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and Bartók (Roumanian Dances), accompanied by Dr. Suzanne Newcomb.  Sam is a student of Jana Ross.  Following the recital, join us for cake!   

Intro to Centering Prayer - Rector's Office, Sundays July 11, 18, 25 and August 1 9:30am - 10:15am On Sundays, July 11, 18, 25 and August 1  from 9:30am-10:15 am, Jen Schmeid, Joe Rutter, Stuart Hobbs and Jamie Massa will go over the basics of centering prayer, with opportunities to practice and learn more about this style of meditation. We will give a little backrgound about how this Christian meditation practice got started and how ordinary people use it everyday. It is a relaxing and centering practice to help us connect with ourselves and the Divine in each of us.

Please join us for one or all of our centering prayer intro sessions.

Studying the Gospel of John Together John’s Gospel is the strangest, wordiest, and often the most bewildering of the Gospels. It contains many of the most important stories of Jesus’s life, yet there are times when a reader might pause and wonder what John is saying, and why he’s saying it in such a tangled and abstruse way. Beginning on Thursday, May 27 we’ll begin a twelve week study of John, relying on Bruce Malina and Richard Rohrbaugh’s Social Science Commentary on the Gospel of John and John Sanford’s Mystical Christianity: A Psychological Commentary on the Gospel of John. We’ll meet from 7:00 – 8:00 PM every Thursday, and you’ll have the opportunity to either gather in person at the church, or join us online through Zoom. You’re welcome to purchase the books for yourself, but it’s unnecessary. Every week Karl will have done the reading and will present all of the information we need to engage with the text. Please go to our website, ststephens-columbus.org, for more information.

St. Stephen’s Weekend at Procter Summer Camp Procter Summer Camp is super excited to announce that this summer we will be offering 6 Family camp sessions, a Senior High session, 9 weeks of Day camp for the youth of Madison County, and a session of Silver Camp for adults 50 years old or older. As some of you may know, safety is always our number one priority at Procter, so we have added COVID-19 protocols to ensure the safety of everyone at camp this summer. This includes mask-wearing, social distancing, frequent handwashing, daily temperature checks, and more!

I am inviting all the families of St. Stephen’s to take over Family Camp session 4, which runs from Thursday, July 22nd to Sunday, July 25th. Families of all sizes, big

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or small, are encouraged to come! Family camp is a great way to spend time with your loved ones and other families in and outside the Diocese. Family camp is also perfect for multiple generations. Grandparents often bring the grandkids and give mom and dad a break, sometimes it’s just the grandparents, and sometimes the whole family wants to come! All are welcome. If your family is unable to pay Family Camp Fees, please don’t be afraid to apply for a Campership (which can be found on the registration page). The Diocese and Procter are committed to making camp accessible for all.   Listed below is the information and dates for all the sessions of camp this summer. 

For more about what a day at camp is like, check out: proctercenter.org/camp

The registration  link can be found at the bottom of that site or you can go to:    proctercenter.campbrainregistration.com If you have any questions, please c a l l u s a t P r o c t e r a t  ( 7 4 0 ) 2 0 6 -2 0 3 6 o r e m a i l D a r i e n M c C o y at darienmccoy@gmail.com

A Message from John Gudz, Recently Graduated Choral Scholar I owe all of you one final thanks for your last, generous gift. My time at St. Stephen's has been nothing but wonderful, and the community has been the most welcoming religious community I've been a part of. I've witnessed a version of faith here that is not puritanical nor hypocritical, but truly human in its warmth, ministry, and message. Your gratitude and kind words mean so much to me, and I know I'm going to look back on my time here with all the fondness in the world. Thank you again, for everything.

Lay Worship Leaders Needed! We have a wonderful group of lectors, intercessors, greeters, acolytes, and cyber sacristans, but we are always in need of more help. If you’re interested in learning about and taking on any of these roles, please let Karl know.

Service in the Broader Community We heard you during our Mutual Ministry Review, and know that our church community, and the community that surrounds us, has many unmet needs. Each week we’ll be highlighting one of those unmet needs, and offering ways to become involved in new and ongoing efforts to meet those needs.

Unmet Need: More hands on engagement with our neighbors who are in need — rides, food, emotional support, guidance on where to find resources.

New and Ongoing Efforts to Meet This Need:

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Space for a social worker. OSU and the University Neighborhood Improvement District have come together to hire a social worker to help our unhoused neighbors. They have asked St. Stephen’s to provide office space for this social worker, and the vestry has agreed. We are working out the details of the agreement now, and there will be more information soon. It is our hope that there will be opportunities for parishioners to share a cup of coffee and a snack with our unhoused neighbors as they wait to speak with the social worker.

Little Free Pantry. Caitlin McNaughton has built a lovely Little Free Pantry for us. It looks like the Little Free Libraries that have popped up around Columbus. We’ll keep this pantry stocked with toiletries and hygiene items, since our community partners have told us that our unhoused neighbors are often given meals by students, but really need items that passing students don’t normally provide.

NSI Food Pantry. We are committed to our continued work with NSI. You can drive to pick-up donations or deliver food boxes or volunteer in the pantry itself, Monday - Thursday 9 am - 2 pm.  The pantry is located at 1950 N 4th Street Suite J. To learn more https://www.neighborhoodservicesinc.org/take-action. Sign up for slots on VolunteerHub or PointApp. E-mail lbarber@neighborhoodser-vicesinc.org or call 614-297-0592 If you want to talk to someone from St. Stephen’s e-mail cvanderstouw@att.net.

His Place Dinners at St. John’s Church. Once a month we partner with St. John’s, Town Street to provide a free meal to people in the Franklinton neighborhood. E-mail  Jen Schmied (jschmied73@gmail.com) if you would like to help.

Manna Lunches. Once a month, volunteers meet in Hobson Hall to make bagged lunches and deliver them to unhoused people in Columbus. Contact Linda Richter (lapudvan@gmail.com) if you would like to help out.

Creation Care. We are part of a denominational movement, Creation Care, which promotes and works for environmental recovery and justice. Our local Creation Care group is working on improving recycling efforts, ending single use plastics and commercially bottled water, and phasing out dangerous chemicals in our church building and beyond. We also are working with the Diocese on solarization and with Interfaith Power and Light on lobbying and would like to work with BREAD ON justice initiatives. We support gardening and gleaning for our local food pantry, NSI. We post an environmental article weekly on the church website. If you would like to be a part of advocating and working for creation care, contact Elliott J. Bush (elliottjbush@icloud.com).

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