Dear Church Family,
I invite you to live out your faith by joining together this Sunday at 10 am, for worship outdoors in our parking lot or livestreamed at home. The service will also be available as a recording after 5pm.
Our themes for worship center around reflecting on what we are and will be doing with the “glorious inheritance” of God’s steadfast love and grace that we have each received. We are each “able to respond” (have a responsibility) to such an amazing gift by always seeking to be ones who are striving for “right relationship” (righteousness) with God, ourselves, those around us – AND especially as people who participate in the “systems” (ways, rules, politics, norms) that we all live together.
We will hear from the biblical prophet Amos, who, like most of us, does not claim some high office and special stature, but still offers his humble life to speak the truth of what God’s will is to the power structures and systems of his time. And we will hear a terrible story in the Gospel of Mark that lays the foundation, and is in direct contrast to what God’s hope and vision is, for ALL people to live as “righteousness and peace have kissed each other” (Psalm 85: vs. 10).
As always, Holy Communion will be provided as we remind ourselves of how much God loves us and wants our lives to be lived in right relationship with God, each other, our communities and all of God’s creation.
The bulletin and Celebrate are attached so you can participate in worship in some way if you are not able to attend church in-person this Sunday. Please provide your own Holy Communion elements.
Flowers for Worship: Please sign up to provide flowers in honor of someone or a special occasion as another way to offer yourself in worship to God. The Flower Chart will be available at worship, or you can call the church office – 476-4700.
For the months of July, and August on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month at 10 am, there will be an outdoor, live-streamed worship service. Please bring your own chair and wear a mask for singing especially. The recording of that service will be available after 5pm on our website.
For Sundays: July 25 / August 8, 22, we will worship in-person outdoors and livestreamed through our website. All other Sundays will be recorded on Fridays at 11am. and posted to our website by Sunday morning.
The Church Council at its May 11th meeting, has voted to begin every Sunday indoor services on Sunday, September 12 at 10am. More information about how we will proceed with indoor worship will be shared next month as we develop our guidelines.
Our gathering for worship each Sunday at church, in our homes, or wherever we are able, is very essential to strengthen us to meet the world’s challenges. These days, especially, we cling to the messages of our faith that call us to new beginnings and living a new life. Previous Sunday worship services can be found at our website. “www.ststephenslutheran.org”
Thank you all for your amazing support and love and faithful prayers for Leslie and our family. Please refer to Leslie’s “CaringBridge.org” page for details about her story in case you may not have heard about her accident. She is still receiving in-home therapy several times a week, so office hours are still not regular. But she is able to return to most of her former duties and is trying to be in the office as much as possible during the usual hours of Mon-Thurs. 8:30a – 2:30p
Thank you for your continued faithfulness in your financial giving back to God through our church. Please remember to either give your offering through the mail, through our website donation option, signing up for monthly electronic giving, OR if you just want to get out of the house, then come by the church and drop it off in the mailbox in a secure slot called “Incoming mail”! Office hours are (more or less) M-Th 8:30-2:30, depending on Leslie’s therapy schedules. If you come during those times, you may also want to step into the sanctuary for some prayer and quiet time with God. We would love to see you. Our library is also open to you with quite a variety to choose from.
Thank you to those of you who have been sending notes and messages of encouragement and support. They help keep us hopeful and joyful! We always love to hear how things are going. We would like to share your experiences in the Newsletter each month. So, give some thought to what’s been happening in your life – we all miss each other, and would be thrilled to hear what’s up!
Other notes:
- If any of you would like to participate, it really helps to have a few people Reading Scripture and offering the Prayers of Intercession from the Celebrate page. Or if you would just like to come to worship – Fridays (new day) 11:00 am. Call the office at 476-4700 to schedule your spot.
- Habitat for Humanity Lunches. We will be providing Lunches (sandwiches, chips, fruit & cookies) for 10 volunteers. Reply to this email or call the office if you would like to help out. Our next date is Tuesday, June 22.
- A few copies of “White Fragility” are available to borrow. Call the office to inquire.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Jim
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