The Lofts at St. Stephen’s
After the 8:30 and 10:30 services
this Sunday … hear about
the project, see pictures of the new building, ask questions, celebrate the
work that has brought us to this point.
Ash Wednesday Services
This
Wednesday, February 22 (Ash
Wednesday) there will be three services at 7:30 a.m.; 12:30 p.m. and 7:00
p.m. Each service is approximately 45
minutes long and includes Holy Communion and the Imposition of Ashes.
Challenge Campaign Update
A member of
St. Stephen's has made a very generous offer: they will match all new
contributions to St. Stephen's — dollar for dollar — up to $5,000. Just imagine how an additional $10,000 will
enhance our worship, education and outreach ministries. We have already received 36 contributions
totaling $4,115. As you can see, we are almost there! Please consider making a one-time gift to St.
Stephen's to meet this challenge.
• When you write a check, just be sure
to note "Challenge Campaign" in the memo line.
• If you prefer to make a pledge that
can be fulfilled at any time in 2012, there are pledge cards available on the
table in Hobson Hall.
• Checks or pledge forms can be returned
to the church office or placed in the offering plate.
We are
hoping to achieve our goal of $5,000 by the end of February.
AWAKE Trade-In Bake Sale!
AWAKE will
be holding its third annual Trade-in Bake Sale during Lent. Beginning Sunday, February 26, parishioners
are asked to bring in non-food items (such as toiletries, paper goods, etc.)
which can be traded for baked goods after the service! Your items will be collected during the
service and you will be given a ticket for your after-church “goodies”.
AWAKE Art Project
AWAKE is
looking for empty, clear plastic drinking-water bottles for a visual art
project to complete a cross. Anne
Morganstern and Yasue Sakaoka will work
with AWAKE children in March to create small art projects of Christian symbols.
Finished art work will be placed into a bottle to be a part of a large cross
(c. 4'6" h. x 3'8" w. x 5" d).
ANNUAL PARISH MEETING
The Annual Meeting
will be held on Sunday, March 25. We are seeking nominations for vestry and for
convention delegates. Please feel free
to nominate a fellow parishioner or yourself!
Parish Office Closed
The parish
office will be closed on Monday,
February 20 in observance of President’s Day. Regular hours will resume Tuesday, February
21.
Mission Service Trip, June 2012
Last week a group
of folks interested in a MISSION SERVICE TRIP to Appalachia met with John
Eisenlohr, who has made 5 service trips to the area. John shared pictures and some of his
experiences. We decided that June is our
month to go, and after consulting with Appalachia Service Project (ASP), we
plan to go the week of June 10-16. If you are a home handyman, have construction
experience (or want to learn some skills), have the week available, and are
looking for a fun and satisfying service trip, OR you have questions, contact John Eisenlohr.
ASP works with volunteers to improve people's houses in the counties of
eastern Kentucky, West Virginia, westernmost counties in Virginia, and
northeastern Tennessee. Work done often
may be painting, roof repair, foundation work, wallboarding, foundation repair,
etc. You may visit ASP on the web at asphome.org to see pictures and learn
more about ASP and the people it serves.
Book Club News
Book Club
will be meeting next on Wednesday, March 14 beginning with dinner and
conversation starting at 6:30 PM, followed by the book discussion. The book for March is Please Look After
Mom by Kyung-sook Shin, translated from the Korean by Chi-Young Kim. We are meeting at Jane Hoffelt’s home (242 E.
North Broadway, jhoffelt@sbcglobal.net, 614.447.2449) with the main dish
provided by Helen Hoffelt. All are
invited to bring a side dish, bread, dessert or beverage to share.
Please
contact Jane to let her know if you plan to attend, so she may plan for the
right number of people. Everyone is
welcome!
B.R.E.A.D. Restorative Justice
Community Summit
March
31, Saturday, 2012 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Rhema
Christian Center 1200 Agler Road, Columbus, Ohio
To learn more about "Restorative Justice" targeting
low-risk offenders in Columbus, experts in several related fields are invited
to share information, study models and applied cases, discuss pros and cons and
move forward with a clear cut direction of BREAD with Committee for Youths and
Violence to propose instituting a program in Columbus. Confirmed speakers are Justice Yvette Brown,
County Prosecutor, Ron O' Brien, Defender, Yeura Venters, and Judge Gill. Other experts are currently being contacted and
interviewed.
Restorative Justice is a more human and reasonable approach to
dealing with low-offence category offenders involving the offended to establish
communication, make an offender's case clear and make both parties aware of an
offense one has or has not been committed, reach mutual understanding and to
take next step, which is not always court or incarceration. Cities where they
have well established programs are succeeding in reducing recivitism, also
court expenses will be reduced and in many cases it improves self-image of
offenders. It is, therefore more
positive than negative to reduce crime and repeated felonies of all types.
Dayton, and Toledo are two cities which have a program with various fund
sources, working or being studied and improved.
Bookworm News
Everything
in the Bookworm is half price for St. Stephen's parish! This is an opportunity to stock your shelves
for future needs. The regular Bookworm
Sunday will be moved from Feb 19th to Feb 26th, to
accommodate the parish meeting. The Bookworm
can no longer accept donations. Thanks
for your past support.
NSI Updates
NSI is
currently in need of: Dried Pasta, Spaghetti/Tomato Sauce, Peanut Butter &
Jelly, Canned Fruit, Personal Products such as soap, toothpaste, shampoo,
deodorant
Parish Health Ministry
Refresh your Soul 2012: Spiritual Care in Times of Trial & Loss.
This conference will be held at the Community of the Good Shepherd in
Cincinnati and is sponsored by the Diocese of Southern Ohio. The dates are Friday night, March 9, and Saturday, March 10. More information is available on the parish
bulletin boards or by going to www.parishhealthministry.com
