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September 24, 2014
The e-pistle
Your Weekly News Update from St. Stephen's
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In This Issue
Sunday's party
Successful beach cleanup
Invest 2
Open House at SSEDS
SSEDS Carnival Oct. 3
Youth Notes
Blessing of the Animals Oct. 5
Afternoon Tea Oct. 11
Pig Roast Nov. 15
Event Calendar
Service Times
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To The People of St. Stephen's
Dear Friends,

For the Election of a Bishop:

"Almighty God, giver of every good gift:  Look graciously on your Church, and so guide the minds of those who shall choose a bishop for this Diocese, that we may receive a faithful pastor, who will care for your people and equip us for our ministries; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."  (Book of Common Prayer, p.818).  For the past several months we have prayed that prayer every Sunday in the process of calling the fourth Bishop of Southeast Florida.

This is an extremely important week in that process.  The search committee (of which I am a part) will be meeting this weekend with our semifinalists in a two day retreat filled with interviews, presentations, and the opportunity for us to get to know these candidates "up close and personal." 

On October 4 our committee will meet to select the five candidates whom we will present to the Standing Committee.  By the end of October the candidates will be announced and "walkabouts" will be scheduled in various parts of the diocese so that everyone can get to know the candidates.  The election will take place on January 31, and our new bishop will be consecrated on May 9, 2015.

Please keep this extremely important process in your prayers as we seek to discern God's will for the future leadership of our Diocese of Southeast Florida.

In Christ's love,

Rev. Willie Allen-Faiella

"From the bottom of our hearts,
Thank you to everyone at St. Stephen's . . .

". . . for being the wonderful, welcoming parish you are, for being part of such a wonderful day and a parish where it could happen, for the cards and well wishes, and for showing so many of our friends and family just why we're a part of this amazing community."

Christopher & Russell


 
 



Russell Corbett and Christopher Brandon send the above thank-you to the several hundred people - family and friends - who joined them for the blessing of their marriage on Sunday.  The service was followed by a party to which all were invited. 

Highlights were the beautiful blessing service itself, the warm wishes of so many who lined up at the door of the church to personally congratulate the couple, our Great Hall full to bursting with those who came to share a delicious brunch, the cutting and sharing of a second wedding cake (this time deliberately askew), and the opportunity to meet and celebrate with the families of both grooms.

Congratulations, Russell and Christopher!  And thank you for sharing your joy so generously with so many of us.

If you would like to see more pictures of the blessing, click here.

For pictures of the party that followed, click here.

If you would like to see a slide show of the wedding in Maine, click here.
 

Thanks, Erin and Lynette
For organizing a successful beach cleanup!



For two years, parishioners Lynette McGuinness and Erin Clancy have organized a beach cleanup day through Miami-Dade Coastal Cleanup, associated with the Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup Last year the organization gathered 648,015 volunteers in 92 countries who picked up more than 12.3 million pounds of trash.

Last Saturday 65 people showed up from our church and school to help clean Windsurfer Beach.  They collected nearly 100 bags of trash, and the beach is now once again a clean and attractive place for families to picnic and enjoy the water.

Many thanks to all those volunteers, and to all volunteers everywhere who are helping to make the world a cleaner, safer, more beautiful place.

Among the children pictured above are Renee Fonseca,
Alessandra Borges, Andres Fonseca, Daniella Rodriguez, Lucy Thiessen, Lars Peter Jensen, Natalia Thiessen and Samantha Bozorgi.

Join us for Invest 2 on Sunday mornings
Mental Health our current offering

Invest 2 logo Mental health is an issue that affects many families and individuals. Many of us would like to help in some way but don't know how.  Our first Invest 2 for adults calls on a panel of mental health professionals to help educate us about this important topic.

Please join us on Sunday mornings at 9:30 in the Great Hall.

Open houses for prospective parents at our day school
Special date for siblings, parishioners and alumni



Siblings, Parishioners and Alumni

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

9:00 am 

 

Other Prospective Families

Friday, October 17, 2014    

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

9:00 am 

 

Application Deadline: January 8, 2015

 

RSVP at: sseds.us/oh15
 


We invite you to Make a Splash at the St. Stephen's Carnival on Friday, October 3, from 2 to 6 pm.  Please join us for delicious food and drinks, fun rides, great music and more!  Children should bring swimsuits for the wet rides.  Admission is complimentary for all St. Stephen's families. Wristbands will be distributed on Sunday, September 28, after the 10:30 am Mass, and they will also be available as you enter the carnival. 

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For the first outing of the year, St. Stephens middle/high school youth group members (6th-12th graders) are invited to kick off this fall with live music, a cultural arts center tour, a concert lawn picnic or "food truck explosion," and backstage access to meet Miami's most successful funk band, The Spam Allstars.

Enjoy Latin, reggae, urban soul, funk and Afropop superstars with featured performing artists Rebab Fusion from Morocco, Miami sound pioneers Spam Allstars, and the South Florida indie band Xperimento.

More: http://www.smdcac.org/events/backyard-bash
When: Saturday, October 4, 2014
Where: 10950 SW 211th Street, Cutler Bay
Time: 5 to 10 pm
Meet: 5 pm at St. Stephens, parent pickup 10 pm
Leaders: Daisy Holcomb & Liz Moran
Who: St. Stephen's Middle/Hiigh School Youth Group Members
Bring: A picnic bag dinner or money for the food trucks,
plus a blanket or lawn chair.
RSVP: By October 1, [email protected], or text or call
786.399.9669.
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Nursery Families' Party.  Brian and Julie Gabriel (pictured at left with their daughter Elizabeth) are inviting all St. Stephen's families with children under 3 to a late afternoon cookout at their home in Coral Gables on Saturday, October 11. 

Save the date and don't forget to RSVP!  E-vites were sent last week.  If you are a St. Stephen's nursery family and did not receive your e-vite, please check your spam folder. Contact Rev. Jo-Ann at [email protected] or 305-537-1297 with questions.

 


Join us for Afternoon Tea on October 11
Don't miss Nicola Brown's Tea Party!

Nicola Brown of the English Tea Room fame at our St. Stephen's Art Shows, will be bringing her best English cakes, scones and other creations to offer at an Afternoon Tea benefiting St. Stephen's. The prices will be the same as they are at the Art Show Tea Room: $2.00 for drinks and $3.00 for desserts.

You'll want to join us not only for the tea, scones and cakes, but also for the music - there will be live (acoustic) Beatles music provided by Rodiles (featuring a studio artist who has worked with John Lennon, Ringo Starr and Chicago) which is sure to please your ears while your taste buds are being delighted.

The shady, fan-cooled breezeway next to the Nepenthe Garden will be elegantly appointed and awaiting you from 2 to 5 pm.

 

Pig and Bonell Roast on November 15
Get ready for this one!

That's right.  The AIDS Ministry will host a roast on November 15, and we plan on roasting Bonell Denton right along with our pig.  Prepare your "toasts" everyone!  And remember, Bonell will have a chance to roast us right back.

Tickets will go on sale in October, or you can purchase them online now at sseccg.org/support/purchase.

If you would like to help pick out and roast our pig, YOU TOO can be a member of the Order of the Pig!  We'll be serving beverages while we cook, and you'll get a spiffy badge to prove your membership (see below).


 

Upcoming Events
Don't Forget These Dates     

 

reminder

Wednesday, October 1 - Day school open house at 9 am for families of St. Stephen's parishioners, alumni and siblings

Friday, October 3 - St. Stephen's carnival from 2 to 6 pm

Saturday, October 4 - Backyard Bash for St. Stephen's Middle/high school youth group, 5 to 10 pm

Sunday, October 5 - Blessing of the Animals at the 10:30 am Mass

ECW meeting in the Parish Center after the 10:30 am Mass

Saturday, October 11 - Afternoon Tea in the Nepenthe Garden breezeway from 2 to 5

Late afternoon nursery families' party at the home of Brian and Julie Gabriel.

At St. Stephen's All Are Welcome 

 
Sundays 
Said Mass at 8 am
Sung Mass with choir at 10:30 am,
with child care for children under three
and Children's Chapel for children seven and under
1st & 3rd Sundays
@Our Table, a dinner church 
 at 5:30 pm (child care available)
Parish Center


Office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 to 5.