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April 22, 2014
The e-pistle
Your Weekly News Update from St. Stephen's
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In This Issue
Early Communion for some
Invest 2 April 26
Prosperity Center
Churches in the Grove Walk
Cook-off planned
Volunteer Appreciation Party
Ordination of new Bishop Coadjutor
Quarterly Statements
Countdown to Sabbatical
Event Calendar
Service Times
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To The People of St. Stephen's
Dear Friends,

I am sure you have many questions concerning our upcoming sabbatical!  Please look at the last article in today's e-pistle which outlines details of the sabbatical, and feel free to contact me if you have further questions.

A parish's sabbatical is meant to enrich the spiritual life not just of the clergy person but of the whole parish.  During my time away, leadership will come from Senior Warden Bob Coulombe and the lay members of our parish community working together with Rev. Jo-Ann.  During this time our 2016 stewardship campaign will be designed and launched, and plans will be set in motion for our Visioning Day in the fall. Other initiatives may arise as we stay open to the Spirit's leading.

As you know, the major theme of my sabbatical is "Reconciliation."  It also continues to be our theme at St. Stephen's this year.  The theme of Reconciliation shaped our Advent Quiet Day on "Compassion," and was the theme of both our Sunday morning and Wednesday evening Lenten adult education offerings.

While I am away I invite you to join me in reading Bishop Desmond Tutu's seminal book No Future Without Forgiveness.  It chronicles the remarkable events of the rebuilding of South Africa after the abolition of apartheid.  A choice could have been made for retribution and revenge; instead under the leadership of Nelson Mandela and Bishop Tutu the country chose the course of truth and reconciliation.  We too are faced with such choices in our personal and communal lives.

I will include my reflections on this book in the blog I will be posting during my time away and will look forward to reading your thoughts and comments.

In Christ's love,

Pastor Willie Allen-Faiella

Children honored at Early Communion
Congratulations kids!



Congratulations to Emma Arnhols, Eva Benton, Gardner Berry, Baye Breene, Jaya Breene, Adriana Carvalho, Mia DelValle, Rene Fonseca, Ayla Lynn Kaiser-Munoz, Matteo Massoni, Milla Massoni, Ana Corina Ortega, Marcos Ortega, Lassha Pafford, Nicole Rodriguez, Juju Simoes, Otto Soulavy, and George Wood-Leness, all of whom have completed studies for their Early Communion.

After the ceremony in which the children were presented with certificates, Father Michael Picou was thanked for his dedicated service to St. Stephen's.  He will be taking some time off to discern where God is calling him next.

Invest 2 continues Sunday
Pastor Jorge leads discussion    

Invest 2
continues on April 19 with Pastor Jorge Sayago-Gonzalez, SSEDS Chaplain (shown at left with Pr Willie), leading the second of a five-week series  entitled "Embracing an Alternative Orthodoxy."  This video and discussion series is based on Franciscan Monk Richard Rohr's study of the legacy of St Francis. 

This class meets in the Parish Center.

 

Thank you, Prosperity Center!
We're so grateful for your hard work, you make a difference!.

Once again our Prosperity Center, led by parishioner   Julie Moxley and staffed by trained volunteers from our parish and wider community, has completed a tax season serving those with lower incomes in our community with free tax preparation and Affordable Care Act application assistance.  Thanks, everyone, for all you do!

Thank you to this year's volunteers: 
Christopher Brandon, Erin Clancy, Kristin Fonseca,
Christopher Harrison, Lisa Little, Rick Little, Liz Marquardt, Deborah Roncallo, and Ingrid Usaga.

Join the Grove AIDS walk
Saturday morning, April 25

Churches in the Grove
Plymouth Church is holding  the annual Grove AIDS walk on Saturday April 25th. All are invited to walk with a group from Plymouth to Carrollton and the bay and back on that Saturday morning.  Please meet us at Plymouth just before 9 am. 

Anyone wanting to make a contribution to the AIDS Walk will have an opportunity to do so this Sunday after church.  You can also contribute online at the larger AIDS Walk websiteUse the code GC when registering for the team in order to waive the $25 registration fee. Please join the team and collect pledges, whether or not you actually walk on Sunday April 26. Donations can also be made by check payable to CareResource and sent to the church office.

 

Cook-off planned for St. Stephen's youth  
Which team will make the best dish?

Participate to win on Saturday, April 20, at 5 pm
.          




New Bishop to be ordained May 9
Your prayers are requested

We will have an opportunity to meet our Bishop Coadjutor-Elect Peter and his wife Kate at a gathering on April 28 at 7 pm at St. Matthew the Apostle Episcopal Church.  St. Matthew's is located at 7410 Sunset Drive, Miami.  Click here for a map.

If you would like to contribute to a gift for the Bishop Coadjutor elect, please click here.
 
Please check your quarterly statement
First Quarter Pledge Statements

Quarterly statements were sent out recently to our members by our parish office.  Please check to be sure yours is correct.  If you have any questions about your statement, please call the parish office at 305-448-2601.
Thank you! 

Statements were sent to those who have submitted pledge cards for 2015.  If you have not submitted a pledge card it's not too late; they are available at the back of the church.

Countdown to Sabbatical
Some FAQ's about our sabbatical:

* How long will Pastor Willie be away?
Pastor Willie will be gone from May 23 - August 23.  Her last Sunday is May 10th; her first Sunday back is August 30th.

* And what will she be doing?  She will be traveling to the countries of former Yugoslavia to reconnect with her heritage and to meet with organizations working toward reconciliation in the wake of the ethnic wars of the 1990's.  Her family will join her for some of the time.  The Faiellas will also visit Greece and Italy, and Pastor Willie will travel to Washington, DC, to reconnect with members of the Serbian community there.

Though technically not part of her sabbatical, Pastor Willie will also be attending the Episcopal Church's Province IV Synod in early June and General Convention in late June/early July.  She is the first clergy alternate delegate from our diocese to General Convention.

*  And how is this being funded?  We received a grant from the Lilly Foundation which covers the entire sabbatical. This grant also covered the honoraria for our Lenten Invest II speakers as well as a supply priest for the two Sundays Rev'd Jo-Ann will be away.

* Who will be "holding down the fort" while Pastor Willie is gone?  Per Episcopal canon law, the Senior Warden is responsible for conducting the affairs of the church in the rector's absence.  Bob Coulombe will be "in charge" of the parish.  He will conduct the weekly staff meeting, convene vestry and finance committee meetings, interface with SSEDS and tend to other administrative functions as they may arise.

* What about worship and pastoral care?  Rev. Jo-Ann will oversee our worship and pastoral care.  We have also just commissioned four Lay Eucharistic Visitors to help bring communion and pay visits to the sick and shut-in members of our parish community.  They are:  Joyce Harrison, David Hitt, Marilyn Jackson, and Krisan Lamberti.

Upcoming Events
Don't Forget These Dates     

 

reminder

 

Saturday, April 25 - Grove AIDS walk, meeting at just before 9 am at Plymouth Congregational Church.

- Spring Cook-off event for our youth group and their friends from 5 to 8 in the Great Hall.

Sunday, April 26 - Invest 2 at 9:30 am with Pastor Jorge Sayago-Gonzales.

- AIDS Walk Miami

Tuesday, April 28 - Meet and Greet Bishop Coadjutor elect Peter Eaton at St. Matthew the Apostle Episcopal Church at 7 pm.

May 2 - Volunteer Appreciation Party

Sunday, May 3 - ECW to meet in the Parish Center after the 10:30 am Mass

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.