This week at St. Stephen's

Remember our Memorial Service for John Devlin

This Saturday at 2pm, we gather to celebrate the life of longtime member John Devlin who died this month after a long struggle with cancer.  Those who can bring cookies and refreshments for the reception are asked to contact Hisa Iwata at Hdbhi@aol.com.  Those who can help us transition the Parish Hall from St. Stephen’s (StSt) Table Saturday Breakfast are invited to help clean at 10am.

Remember Red for Pentecost

We wear red this Sunday in worship as we remember the Day of Pentecost, celebrating the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the church, as told in Acts 2.  We will read from that chapter of the Bible in many languages.  If there is a language you wish to share, Fr. Dennis invites you to print out the passage (google your language of choice) and read it aloud on the second reading of the text.  Paul will be reading in Spanish (he invites any help!) and Fr. Dennis in Latin.  What language will you read?

Thanks to our Pantry volunteers

At our StSt Table 4th Thursday Pantry yesterday , 23 volunteers provided 175 households, representing 215 people, over 2,600 meals of food.  Over half our volunteers are neighbors who come to "shop" our free pantry and stay to help.  Thanks to all our church volunteers who make that “neighbor helping neighbor” model possible.

This Week at St Stephens

Bishop Hanley visiting soon

Sunday, June 10, Bishop Michael Hanley visits StSt and presides at 10am Eucharist.  Drew Brown will be confirmed and Joe Binder will be received into the Episcopal Church on that day.  Bishop Hanley will also lead our 9am Adult Forum class and meet with the vestry following the coffee hour.  Please mark your calendar to be here!

Vestry meeting this Sunday

The regular monthly meeting of the church governing board, called the Vestry, meets at 11:30am in the library.  Kevin Miles will report on our progress incorporating St Stephen’s Table as a 501c3 non-profit.  All are welcome to attend vestry meetings.

More good news for StSt Table

We have begun reaching out to build a Board for StSt Table that includes partners in the wider community.  So far, Kathleen Hagberg (Bijou Café owner), Andrew Noethe (Downtown Chapel outreach program s director), David Zaworski (Waverly Heights UCC pastor) and Gary Davis (Operation Nightwatch director) have all agreed to be on the board.   Each of these mission partners brings a passion for our work plus skills and connections to help us meet our mission “to feed those hungry in body and spirit.”  We are also meeting with a professional web designer, connected to us via Operation Nightwatch, who will donate his services to help us create a StSt Table website.  Faye Tayler has agreed to serve as our graphic designer for the site.  StSt Parish and Table are richly blessed!

This Sunday

9am Adult Inquiry meets in the parish hall between services.

Our preacher at 7:45 and 10 a.m. Eucharist is Br. Gregory Kingsley.  Fr. Dennis presides at the Table. 

Communion in the Park (CiP) @ 1:30

Come join our 1:30pm weekly outdoor service and sharing of sandwiches in the in the park, at SW Park, between Columbia and Jefferson.  A weekly making of sandwiches on Sunday morning at the church is coordinated by newcomer Elta Wilson.  See her on Sunday to help.  Paul leads this week's service.

Wednesday Eucharist

Mid-week Eucharist continues every Wednesday @ 12:15pm, led by Fr. Dennis.  All are invited.

Wednesday Zen

“Zen Wednesday” @ 7pm is led by Deacon Ken Arnold in the church.  All are invited.  For more about Zen, email Ken Arnold at ken@ken-arnold.com.  We gather about 6:45pm and conclude about 8:30.  Those who are new to the practice are invited to come at 6:30 for an introduction.

NAMI Walk this Sunday @ Noon

National Alliance on Mental Illness holds its annual fundraiser walk at the Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade (SE Main at SE Water).  Register at 12pm.  The Walk steps off at 1pm.  The Walk raises funds, awareness, and support for mental health advocacy.  Dave Dahl, President of Dave's Killer Bread, is this year’s Walk chair.  Info at  http://naminwwalk.wordpress.com/.

Memorial Service for John Devlin

Our prayers are with longtime member Marie Devlin on the death of her husband, John, after a long struggle with cancer.  In recent years, John & Marie were regular participants in our outdoor ministry called Communion in the Park.

A service to remember and celebrate John's life will be held on Saturday, May 26, at 2pm in the church.  A reception will follow in the parish hall.  All are invited and encouraged to attend.

Organ Extravaganza - Sunday, May 20 at 2 pm

Organ Extravaganza, featuring Hannah Brewer, Joe O’Donnell, Matt Smith, and Rob Stoltz, will be our final performance in the Friends of Music 2011-2012 season.  Join us Sunday May 20 at 2 pm. Refreshments follow the concert. $10 Suggested donation.

Prelude and Fugue in a minor - J.S. Bach (1685-1750)

Praeludium in C - Georg Böhm (1661-1733)

Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele-J.S. Bach

Variations on Unter den Linden grüne - Jan Pieterszoon Sweelink (1562-1621)

Prelude and Fugue on a Theme of Vittoria - Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)

Arietta - Horatio Parker (1863-1919)

Pastorale - George Whitefield Chadwick (1854-1931)

Choral - Joseph Jongen (1873-1953)

Chaconne in g minor - Louis Couperin (1626-1661)

Choral Prelude on Rockingham - Gwilym Beechey (b. 1938)

Hymn Concertato on Praise to the Lord, the Almighty

Hannah Brewer is an organist, pianist, harpsichordist, and accompanist. She has a Bachelor of Music degree in organ performance from Oberlin Conservatory and a Master of Music degree from Pittsburg State University. She has studied organ with James David Christie and Cherry Rhodes, piano with Lydia Frumkin and Edward Francis, and harpsichord with Webb Wiggins and Susan Marchant. She also has degrees in art history with an MA thesis titled Portatives, Positives, and their Players: Depictions of Organs in Early Netherlandish Panel Painting, c. 1465-1509. A new transplant to the Portland area, Hannah is Organist at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church.

Joe O’Donnell is organist at Portland's First Unitarian Church and plays at St. Stephen's for Journey/Koinonia Catholic Community. He is also a pipe organ technician and design engineer on the staff of Bond Organ Builders, Inc. He is a former resident of Washington, DC, where, in addition to earning degrees in organ and liturgical music from the Catholic University of America, he had the care of numerous Gress-Miles organs.

Matthew Smith is Music Director at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church.  He previously held positions at St Timothy Lutheran in Portland, and St John's Lutheran in San Francisco, California. He is a founding member of the vocal sextet Gaude and served on the Board of Directors of the Bay Area Lutheran Chorale and San Francisco City Chorus. He studied organ with Charles Rus.

Rob Stoltz is an organist and hymnologist in Portland, Oregon. He has served at various Episcopal and Roman Catholic parishes, and studied with the late Sr. Myrtle Edmondson at Marylhurst University. He is the Parish Administrator at St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church, Gresham.

Many Thanks

We have so many Thanks to give this week!

Thank You, Merry & Dick Emlaw, for hosting our first St Stephen’s (StSt) Table dinner/fundraiser last Sunday.  Their Cinco de Mayo party brought together 21 neighbors at the Ambassador Condo and raised $1,775 to buy food for our meals/pantry program.  Thanks!

Thank You, Faye Tayler, for designing a “Table Talk” newsletter for us to share with donors, full of picture and quotes from our volunteers and guests.  Faye’s given us a snapshot of the 2 pages. See attached.  Thanks!

Thank You, David Prlain and Larry Bishop (guests of the Table from next door), for helping us host 10 students from Oregon Episcopal School on their Day of Service, May 9.  The group started with a tour at Oregon Food Bank (OFB) and picked up our Wednesday order, stored food with Kevin Gardner in the pantry, made sandwiches for Operation Nightwatch (ONW) with David, and got an urban immersion tour by Larry who lived on the streets for 40 years.  See the group picture posted in the pantry.  PLUS David has been here Thurs and Friday baking homemade pear coffee cake for Saturday Breakfast.  Thanks!
Thank You, Kevin Gardner and Kelly Laslie, for picking up a large, donated, $3000 refrigerator for the program, offered to us through OFB if we could get it within 2 days.  Thanks!

Thank You, Lee Kilbourn, for tirelessly working with repair-folks to get our dishwasher, stove exhaust, and added refrigerator all working, rightly placed and fitted, and keeping us in service to the community. Thanks!
Thank You, Parish Vestry, for meeting last Saturday to do some immediate and long-range planning.   Among other strategies for parish growth, the vestry recognized the amazing growth of our StSt Table program and embraced the idea of it growing into a self-sustaining 501c3 organization that can reach out for more donors and grants beyond the parish.  Thanks!

Thank You, Roberta Taussig (just back from vacation), for volunteering to serve as our new StSt Table Treasurer and keeping the Table’s income and expenses all properly accounted.  Thanks!

Thank You, Kevin Miles (past member of StSt and lawyer), for volunteering to take on the legal work of establishing StSt Table as a separate 501c3 non-profit organization. Thanks!

It’s been an exciting week at the parish!  Thanks, everyone!!

This Sunday
9am Adult Inquiry meets in the parish hall between services.

Our preacher at 7:45 and 10 a.m. Eucharist is Cynthia Reynolds.  Fr. Dennis presides at the Table. 

At StSt, we celebrate one message spoken by many voices.  The message is that we are all welcome at the Table.  Clipboards with weekly bulletins for the children are at the back of the church.

Communion in the Park (CiP) resumes

Our 1:30pm weekly outdoor service and sharing of sandwiches in the in the park resumes this week, after a short break to reflect and plan. Join us at SW Park between Columbia and Jefferson.

Wednesday Eucharist

Mid-week Eucharist continues every Wednesday @ 12:15pm.   All are invited.

Wednesday Zen

“Zen Wednesdays” @ 7pm meets every week, led by Deacon Ken Arnold in the church.  All are invited.  For more about Zen, email Ken Arnold at ken@ken-arnold.com.  We gather about 6:45pm and conclude about 8:30.  Those who are new to the practice are invited to come at 6:30 for an introduction.

What's Happening at St Stephen's

Retreat reminder for vestry
The parish governing board, called the Vestry, meets this Saturday @ 10am at the home of Senior Warden Tom Bartlett to review our budget and plan for the future.

Thank you, Merry, Dick and Faye…
This Sunday, Dick & Merry Emlaw are hosting a Cinco de Mayo fundraiser for their neighbors to contribute to St. Stephen’s (StSt) Table.  Faye Tayler has designed a wonderful “Table Talk” (quarterly) handout for our donors, full of pictures and testimonials from our guests and volunteers.  (Thanks to all who sent their quotes to Paul.)  See a copy posted in the pantry storage room.  Next week’s eblast will announce how much we raised!

This Sunday
9am Adult Inquiry meets in the parish hall between services.
Our preacher at 7:45 and 10 a.m. Eucharist is The Rev. Tom Walker.  Fr. Dennis (back from vacation) presides at the Table. 

Paul will be at Waverly Heights UCC, our partner church in service that hosts this week’s Saturday Breakfast at StSt Table.

Communion in the Park (CiP) is on sabbatical
Our weekly outdoor service in the park is taking a short break in order to step back and assess how we are doing.  Deacon Ken Arnold and Paul invite any feedback and ideas for greater companioning/communing with our community.  Stay tuned for more details about our evolving outreach to those hungry on the street.

Wednesday Eucharist
Mid-week Eucharist continues every Wednesday @ 12:15pm.   All are invited.

Wednesday Zen“Zen Wednesdays” @ 7pm meets every week, led by Deacon Ken Arnold in the church.  All are invited.  For more about Zen, email Ken Arnold at ken@ken-arnold.com.  We gather about 6:45pm and conclude about 8:30.  Those who are new to the practice are invited to come at 6:30 for an introduction.

Read it on our Blog
Forgot something you read?  Director of Music Matt Smith posts our “This Week” eblast every week on our StSt blog: http://ststephenspdx.blogspot.com/  

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

This Week at St. Stephen's

Remember our fundraiser for the Table
Our 3rd of 3 benefit concerts for St Stephen’s (StSt) Table, Operation Nightwatch (ONW) and Portland Chamber Music (PCM) is this Saturday, Apr. 21, at 8pm.  The concert will recognize this year’s two recipients of ONW’s “Lamplighter of the Year” award: Rev. Kate Lore of First Unitarian Church and Paul Schroeder of JOIN.  More information from ONW at http://hosted.vresp.com/371712/9e8db801a6/1666000175/83e4ef520b/ or PCM at http://portlandchambermusic.org/blog/.  $20 general admission.  $5 student or low-income.  All proceeds go to the 3 organizations.

Facebookers can help us win $2,500
If you use Facebook, simply post about your favorite volunteer organization – “St. Stephen’s Table” at the Upmqua Bank’s site, http://www.facebook.com/umpquabank.  Umpqua is randomly giving away TEN $2,500 grants to volunteer organizations.  They will pick 10 entries at random and give $2500 to those organizations!  Be sure to post this week, and mention "St. Stephen's Table."

This Sunday

9am Adult Inquiry meets in the parish hall between services.

Our preacher and presider at 7:45 and 10 a.m. Eucharist is The Rev. Dale Carr.

Fr. Dennis is away for 2 weeks on vacation in New Jersey.   Paul is away this weekend with Portland Gay Men’s Chorus performing a benefit concert in Pendleton for the local chapter of PFLAG (Parents & Friends of Lesbians and Gays).

At StSt, we celebrate one message spoken by many voices.  The message is that we are all welcome at the Table.  Clipboards with weekly bulletins for the children are at the back of the church.

Bring your Lenten collection box
If you were collecting funds during Lent in a “Hope Chest” Episcopal Relief & Development box, please bring it to the church Sunday.  All funds collected will be donated to the national relief fund.

Communion in the Park (CiP) @ 1:30pm
Our nondenominational, outdoor Communion service continues every Sunday @ 1:30 p.m. @ SW Park between Columbia & Jefferson, rain or shine.  Sandwiches, eggs and conversations are shared with those who are hungry in the park.  Deacon Ken Arnold leads this week’s service and sandwich “companioning.”

Wednesday Eucharist
Mid-week Eucharist continues every Wednesday @ 12:15pm.   All are invited.

Wednesday Zen
“Zen Wednesdays” at 7pm is a time of Zen mediation led by Deacon Ken Arnold in the church.  All are invited.  For more about Zen, email Ken Arnold at ken@ken-arnold.com.  We gather about 6:45pm and conclude about 8:30.  Those who are new to the practice are invited to come at 6:30 for an introduction.

Bishop’s visit, June 10
Remember, Bishop Michael Hanley visits StSt on Sunday, June 10.  Those who would like to be confirmed or received into official membership in the Episcopal Church that day, speak with Fr. Dennis.

We received some special gifts…

Charles, a regular guest at Operation Nightwatch’s evening hospitality center in our parish hall, donated $110 to support the work of St Stephen’s (StSt).  Oregon Food Bank sent us a check for $850 to purchase warming trays for the kitchen. 

Liz, a guest at Saturday Breakfast currently living at the YWCA shelter, wrote us this poem about her experience at StSt Table:

They reside in the Episcopal Church,
Halo-glow rises up,

As they greet us in the morning,

Serving pancakes and pots of laughter,

Serving baskets of fruit and beams of joy,

Serving cups of coffee and courage.

9am Adult Inquiry resumes with “Exploration of the Book of Common Prayer,” led by Fr. Dennis.  He says, “One thing that binds us together as the Anglican Communion is this book – a gift from our mother church, the Church of England.  We will explore its history and several revisions up to the current 1979 edition.”  All are welcome.  The class meets in the parish hall between services.

Communion in the Park (CiP) @ 1:30pm
Come join our nondenominational, outdoor Communion service every Sunday @ 1:30 p.m. @ SW Park between Columbia & Jefferson, rain or shine.  Sandwiches, eggs and conversations are shared with those who are hungry in the park.  Deacon Ken Arnold and Paul lead the brief and informal service before “companioning” with those on the street until about 2:30 p.m.

Wednesday EucharistMid-week Eucharist continues every Wednesday @ 12:15pm.  This 30-minute mid-week refreshment in the Chapel is led by Fr. Dennis.  All are invited.  Those who can help in the service, please email Fr. Dennis at revdennisj@comcast.net.

Wednesday Zen “Zen Wednesdays” at 7pm is a time of mediation led by The Rev. Deacon Ken Arnold in the church.  All are invited.  For more about Zen, email Ken at ken@ken-arnold.com.  We gather about 6:45pm and conclude about 8:30.  Those who are new to the practice are invited to come at 6:30 for an introduction.

Fundraiser concert for StSt Table, Apr. 21
Next Sat at 8pm, our next fundraiser concert to benefit StSt Table, Operation Nightwatch (ONW), and Portland Chamber Music (PCM) is held in the church.  The concert also will recognize this year’s two recipients of ONW’s “Lamplighter of the Year” award: Rev. Kate Lore of First Unitarian Church and Paul Schroeder of JOIN.  More information at http://hosted.vresp.com/371712/9e8db801a6/1666000175/83e4ef520b/.

Bishop’s visit, June 10
Mark your calendar now for Bishop Michael Hanley’s visit to StSt – Sunday, June 10.  Those who would like to be confirmed or received into official membership in the Episcopal Church during worship that day, speak with Fr. Dennis.

This week at St. Stephen's

Help us clean the church for Easter
John LaFrenz invites everyone to join him sprucing up the church of our celebration of Easter.  All abilities and talents welcome.  John says there’s a job for everyone.  Come this Monday and/or Tuesday, Mar 26-7, at 9am until it’s time to stop.  Let John know you’re coming at jlafrentz@gmail.com.

Give thanks for another amazing Pantry
161 households, representing 216 people, received an estimated 2,400 meals of food today at our St Stephen’s (StSt) Table Food Pantry.  Half our volunteers are members of the neighborhood who also use our Pantry for meals.  This month we welcomed the energy and excitement of 17 students and their teacher from Athey Creek Middle School in West Linn who joined us as a school field trip.  Another great take-home flyer, designed by Faye Tayler, is hanging in the pantry room with their picture.  Take a look Sunday.

Palm Sunday - April 1
Liturgy of the Palms, Reading of Passion Gospel, and Holy Eucharist at 7:45 and 10 am.

Wednesday in Holy Week
Holy Eucharist at 12:15 pm

Maundy Thursday - April 5
Holy Eucharist with Foot Washing at 7 pm

Good Friday - April 6
Liturgy of Good Friday with Solemn Collects and Adoration of the Cross at 7 pm

The Great Vigil of Easter - April 7
Saturday at 7 pm

Easter Day - April 8
Festal Eucharist at 7:45 and 10 am

New Vestments

On Sunday, March 18, The Rev. Dale Carr and The Rev. Dennis j. Parker blessed and dedicated new rose vestments.

The paraments, stoles, and chasuble were made by Catholic Liturgicals in Tamil Nadu, India.  The colors are intended for the 4th Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday) and the Third Sunday in Advent (Gaudete Sunday).

In his sermon, Fr. Dale  reviewed the history of Laetare Sunday (aka Refreshment Sunday, Mothering Sunday) and spoke to the Eucharistic theology in the story of the feeding of the 5000 in the Gospel of John.  The vestments are a gift to the parish from Fr. Dale and Ken Ballard in thanksgiving of their union and the support of the St. Stephen's community.

Left to right: The Rev. Paul Davis (Outreach Minister), The Rev. Dennis j. Parker (Rector), The Rev. Dale Carr (Associate Clergy), Ken Ballard.

This Sunday - March 18

This Sunday at 9am Adult Inquiry focuses on Lenten Liturgical Prayers.  The Collects and Eucharistic Prayer of the Lenten liturgies have been created by the Church both to express our understanding of Christ’s death and resurrection and to evoke a deep and profound sense of worship.  The class will discuss how the liturgical prayers encourage our communal and personal act of worship.  All are welcome.

Our preacher at 7:45 and 10 a.m. Eucharist is Fr. Dale Carr.  Fr. Dennis presides at the Table.  During the service, we will dedicate the new rose vestments given in thanksgiving for the Celebration of Marriage of Dale Carr and Ken Ballard at St. Stephen’s on October 11, 2009.   At 10 a.m., the dedication will include smoke.

The Vestry meets immediately following 10 a.m. Eucharist for their regular monthly meeting.

Thank Yous

This week, we have another refrigerator/freezer for St Stephen’s (StSt) Table.  Thank You, Jeanne Armstrong, for the donation from your apartment; and thanks to the moving crew of Tom Bartlett, Kevin Gardner and Dick Emlaw!  We now have 8 cooling units for the meals program and pantry, 5 donated in the past year, plus the refrigerator of Operation Nightwatch (ONW).

Thank You, John Lafrentz, for the beautifully cleaned carpets in the church and chapel in preparation for Easter.  John rented the equipment and steamed cleaned them for us himself.  They look great!

Thank You, Carolyn Rundorff, a Saturday Breakfast volunteer from Bethel Congregational UCC, for donating dinner plates, napkins, and, earlier this month, silverware for StSt Table.  Carolyn and her family take the lead in the kitchen this Saturday.

Thank You, Wendy Malcomson, the new health care coordinator for ONW, for cleaning and painting our Sunday Nursery/ Saturday Footcare/ ONW Medical Care room.  Paint donated by Miller Paints.
Thank You to all our volunteers at StSt Table.  Last Saturday Breakfast (joined by Waverly Heights UCC and Wy’east UU) we served 103 guests, 140 servings; Tuesday Chili served 58 guests 73 servings. 

What's Happening at St Stephen's

Thank You Tuesday Chili

This week, not only did our ever-faithful Tuesday Chili crew help 14 students (and 6 chaperones) from The International School engage with our guests and experience volunteer service firsthand, but they also served a record 121 people 161 servings of yummy enchiladas prepared by Joyce Lew.  It was another great day for St Stephen’s (StSt) Table!  A picture of the students, in a special StSt Table flyer by Faye Tayler that went home with every student, is posted in the Pantry storage room.  Take a look on Sunday!  At least one chaperone has already emailed that she and her son will be volunteering at Saturday Breakfast soon.  We keep expanding the circle of our healing presence!  Once again, thanks everyone!

Signup Saturdays

With our wonderful growth of volunteers for StSt Table Saturday Breakfast – we have over 70 on our StSt Table email list -- we are taking a lesson from Operation Nightwatch (ONW) and asking everyone with Internet access to sign up at www.volunteerspot.com.  One of our Saturday regulars, Liz McCoy, emailed this week after using it: “This is a really great tool. I think it's going to help a lot.”  Now we will know exactly who is coming to help on Saturday, when, and what job they’d like to do. Thank You, Gary Davis, for introducing to the site originally designed by the PTA to coordinate school volunteers.  Gary is also teaching us that too many volunteer is just as difficult for hospitality as too few.  Read his comments to ONW at: http://hosted.vresp.com/371712/51c548d015/1666000197/83e4ef520b/.  If you are part of the Saturday crew, you’ve received an email link to VolunteerSpot.   If you’d like to be added, just send Paul an email at JPaulDavis@prodigy.net.

Adult Inquiry

Sundays at 9am, Adult Inquiry focuses on Lenten Readings from The Hebrew Scriptures.  The group explores the ancient Jewish texts used in our Lenten liturgies and examines what the texts reveal about Christ and how they are a source of nourishment for our Christian spiritual life.  The class is led by Richard Wallace and Barbara Hayes in the parish hall.  All are welcome.

A special donation to Communion in the Park (CiP)

This week, a group of credit union employees and volunteers from the Development Education Network (of the National Credit Union Foundation), Young Credit Union Professionals, and The Cooperative Trust are teaming up to make the sandwiches we hand out in the park after our nondenominational Communion in the Park service.  The organizers of this service project have planned it to “really bring people back to what credit unions should be about – people helping people.”   Come join our outdoor Communion service at SW Park between Columbia & Jefferson, rain or shine, every Sunday at 1:30pm.  Food and conversations are shared following the service.  Brandon Bressi joins Ken Arnold and Paul this week as a Street Companion.  Brandon makes our weekly sandwiches from StSt Table for ONW’s Hospitality Center.

Janet Packer Violin Recital March 25

St. Stephen’s 2011-2012 Concert Series continues with a violin and piano recital featuring Janet Packer, violinist based in Boston, MA, and Anthony Padilla, concert pianist based in Appleton, WI.

The program will feature the debut Oregon performance of Imaginary Variations (2010), an important new work commissioned from the distinguished Polish composer, Krzyzstof Meyer. The program also includes Vittorio Rieti's elegant and witty Rondo Variato (1945); Debussy's late masterwork, Sonata (1917); and the rarely heard French Romantic Sonata (1900) of Gabriel Pierné.

St. Stephen's Episcopal Parish, 1432 SW 13th Ave Portland, Oregon 97211, on Sunday, March 25, 2012, at 2:00 pm.

Suggested donation $10.  Refreshments will be served after the concert.

More information about Janet Packer:

http://www.janetpacker.com/index.html

More information about Anthony Padilla:

http://www.lawrence.edu/fast/padillaa/

More information about St. Stephen’s concert series:

http://ststephenspdx.blogspot.com/2011/07/2011-2012-concert-series.html

This Week at St Stephen's

Another amazing day for the Pantry

Today at Stephen’s (StSt) Table food pantry, nearly 2,300 meals of food were provided to 191 people from 153 households.  19 volunteers from the parish and community made it happen!   Thanks everyone -- with special thanks to coordinator Kevin Gardner!

And more connections were made

Also today, at Portland Convention Center, StSt Table was represented by Paul (and Deacon Ken Arnold for Communion in the Park) at a briefing and capacity-building training by the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.  New connections were made with the Dept of Agriculture (that provides our USDA food), Highland United Church of Christ, and the Nonprofit Association of Oregon.  Stay tuned for more details for StSt Table.  AND last Sunday the congregation of Wy’east Unitarian Universalist Church donated $280 for StSt Table; they are collecting more this week and plan to volunteer with Waverly Heights UCC at Saturday Breakfast on Feb 4.

And more people were fed

80 people from the parish and community enjoyed a Mardi Gras dinner last (fat) Tuesday night -- strawberry crepes, pancakes and ham from the family of Sue Rossiter & Alan Ashenburner and Robert.  Also, Tuesday Chili served 66 people.  Saturday Breakfast, 133.  More thanks all around!

This Sunday 9am Adult Inquiry begins “Exploring the Season and Liturgies of Lent” led by The Rev. Richard Wallace and Barbara Hayes.  The season of Lent offers us a profound opportunity for spiritual growth.  One source of nourishment for this growth is found in the Sunday liturgies of the season.  The aim of each Inquiry session is to examine various Lenten texts and explore how they can enrich our spiritual life.  On Feb. 26, Oregon author Barry Lopez will introduce us to this Lenten Inquiry through his short story, “Disturbing the Night.”  Then, the class will read documents from the Episcopal tradition that highlight the meaning of the season and address how it is a source of spiritual growth.

Lenten Supper and Poetry Series

St. Stephen’s 3rd Annual Lenten Supper and Poetry Reflection Series starts
Wednesday, February 29 at the Church and continues for 6 weeks through April
4. Supper begins at 6:30 pm in the Parish Hall with the discussion starting at
7:00ish and lasting about an hour and a half. A brief Service of Compline at about
8:30 will conclude our gathering not later than 9pm. While all are encouraged
to come as often as possible, each discussion will look at an independent set of
poems, so feel free to come when you can to what has become a St. Stephen’s Lenten
tradition.

The poetry this year includes works by John Dryden, Elizabeth Bishop, Emily
Dickinson, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Philip Levine, T.S. Eliot, and Dolly Parton. But
as great the poems may be, and some of them are decidedly not great, of more
significance is the mutual exploring of our relationships with the Divine that this
poetry may provide. Please join us in this journey of discernment in the fellowship
of a gathered community of seekers.

Please contact Ken Ballard or Dale Carr, so we may have a copy of the poetry for
you, or if you have a question. Email: quietwriter@clear.net Phone: (503)889-8549

What's Happening at St. Stephen's

2012 Parish Directories are in!

Thanks to the amazing work of Faye Tayler, we have a beautiful new St Stephen's (StSt) Directory filled with colorful pictures of all our activities at the parish – and the Tayler’s have once again donated all the cost of printing the booklets.  Thank You, Faye and Bob!  You can get your Directory at church this week.  Please limit one per household, or contribute $10 for extra copies.

Zen Wednesday in the evening

Looking for a way to be as compassionate with yourself as you are with others?  Rev. Deacon Ken Arnold is leading a Zen Meditation class every Wednesday at the church, 7-8:30pm.  Come for an orientation & tea this Wed, Feb 15 @ 7pm.  So far, 7 from StSt are signed up.  All are welcome.

Companions training

We have 15 signed up so far to attend Companions Training next Saturday, Feb 18, 1-3:30pm, led by Rev. Dr. Craig Rennebohm, author of Souls in the Hands of a Tender God and founder of Mental Health Chaplaincy in Seattle.  We hope to have Table Companions who sit with guests at StSt Table meals and pantry, Street Companions who hand out food and conversation after CiP, and Sunday Morning Companions who assist folks coming to the church during worship times.  The training will help us better understand and help those who live with serious and persistent mental disorders.  It will teach us how to engage with those suffering from the traumatic stress of homelessness and poverty.  Interested?  RSVP to Paul at JPaulDavis@prodigy.net.

Mardi Gras Pancakes on (Fat) Tuesday

Tues, Feb 21, at 6pm, StSt Table will host a pancake dinner for Shrove Tuesday (aka Mardi Gras; aka Pancake Day in the UK).  All are invited and the meal is free!  Come have a festive meal with your neighbors in the parish and community.  Operation Nightwatch’s Tuesday Night group will join us before they break for Bible Study at 6:30.  For those able to donate, this will be first of many fundraisers in our “150 by the 150th” campaign for the many programs of the church.  We intend to raise $150K by StSt’s 150th birthday next year.  More info about the traditions of Shrove Tuesday at http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/shrove.html.

Ash Wednesday Services
Feb 22, 12:15pm and 7pm Eucharist will be held on the first day of Lent.

Lenten Supper & Poetry Series

All are invited to our 3rd annual supper and poetry reflection group in the parish hall during Lent, Feb 29-Mar 28.  Supper served at 6:30 p.m.  A reading and discussion of selected poetry starts at 7, led by Ken Ballard and Fr. Dale Carr.  For more details, email quietwriter@clear.net.

Feast of St. Aelred
A number of us from St. Stephen’s (StSt) were part of the wonderful gathering of over 100 at Wednesday night’s Feast of St. Aelred service and dinner, held at St Matthew’s Episcopal Church, to acknowledge and celebrate the good work of “Integrity.”  Our own Fr. Dennis is the official Chaplain for the Portland Chapter and was part of coordinating the beautiful ceremony – with included smoke in high Episcopal tradition, of course!

And more thanks…
On Saturday, we pick up a new refrigerator and a new freezer for our meals program.  This brings the total to 8 units for cold storage!  Thanks to Oregon Food Bank for donating the fridge and freezer.  Thanks to the great StSt Table crew of Kelly Laslie, Tom Bartlett, Kevin Gardner and Robert Ashenburner for getting them from the Food Bank and into the basement.  Thanks to John Wittwer for making sure we have all electrical hookups we need.  And thanks to Alan Ashenburner for cleaning up and painting our cleaning supplies corner at the top of the basement stairs.  Thank You for the service you are bringing StSt and the guests of our Table and Pantry!

This Sunday
9am Adult Inquiry meets in the parish hall between services.
Our preacher at 7:45 and 10 a.m. Eucharist is Cynthia Reynolds, a licensed lay-preacher in the Diocese and student at the Academy of Ministry and Formation.   Fr. Dennis presides at the Table. 

At StSt, we celebrate one message spoken by many voices.  The message is that we are all welcome at the Table.  Clipboards with weekly bulletins for the children are at the back of the church.

Communion in the Park (CiP) @ 1:30pm
Our nondenominational, outdoor Communion service concludes with a sharing of food and conversation with those who are hungry in the park.  Every Sunday, 1:30pm, on SW Park between Columbia & Jefferson, rain or shine.  This week’s service and outreach is led by Paul.

Wednesday Eucharist
Come experience the refreshment of Eucharist every Wednesday @ 12:15pm.  The 30-minute service in the Chapel is led by Fr. Dennis.  All are invited.  Those who can help in the service, please email Fr. Dennis at revdennisj@comcast.net.

StSt Table benefit concert next Sat
Our second of three benefit concerts in partnership with Operation Nightwatch (ONW) and Portland Chamber Music (PCM) will be held next Saturday, Jan. 21, at 8pm.  This is a great way to invite others to hear about and support the work of StSt Table.  $20 benefit tickets.  $5 student and low-income rate.  More details at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/194387.

This Week at St. Stephen's

Got pictures?

Faye Taylor is working on our 2012 Parish Directory and is looking for new pictures, particularly of the Installation Service for our new Rector.  If you’ve got photos of recent events at the parish, email Faye at ftayler@comcast.net.   Thanks!

Looking for mid-week refreshment?
Every Wednesday, 12:15pm, St. Stephen’s (StSt) will hold a 30-minute, mid-week Eucharist in the Chapel, led by Fr. Dennis.  Come for an intimate celebration of God’s Feast for all of us.  Brings friends and colleagues.  All are invited and welcome at the Table.  If you can help as a reader or other role in the service, email Fr. Dennis at revdennisj@comcast.net.

Want to help StSt Table?

It’s time for our 2nd benefit concert with Operation Nightwatch (ONW) and Portland Chamber Music (PCM): Saturday, Jan. 21, at 8pm.  Funds raised support our 3 programs.  Our last concert celebrated ONW’s 30th Anniversary and raised $2,000.  This concert highlights the work of our StSt Table meals and pantry program.  More details and a recording of our own Joshua Kingsley and PCM at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/194387.  Please plan to come and bring friends!  Student and low-income tickets available, or perhaps you’d like to donate a ticket for one of our Table guests to attend.

This Sunday

9am Adult Inquiry resumes this week in the parish hall between services.  This week’s theme is: Awakening.
Our preacher at 7:45 and 10 a.m. Eucharist is The Rev. Dr. Palmer Pardington, III, Associate Clergy of our parish.  Fr. Dennis presides at the Table.  Paul is away this weekend to meet with Rev. Dr. Craig Rennebohm and outreach volunteers of Mental Health Chaplaincy, a street ministry in Seattle, for ideas to strengthen our service through StSt Table and Communion in the Park.

At StSt, we celebrate one message spoken by many voices.  The message is that we are all welcome at the Table.  Clipboards with weekly bulletins for the children are at the back of the church.

Communion in the Park (CiP) @ 1:30pm

Come join our nondenominational Communion service, and share food and conversation with those hungry in the park, every Sunday at 1:30pm.  On SW Park, between Columbia & Jefferson, rain or shine.  This week’s service and outreach will be led by Rev. Deacon Ken Arnold.

Celebrate with Integrity, Next Thursday, Jan. 12, 7pm

The LGBT-supportive group in the Episcopal Church, called “Integrity,” invites everyone to their third annual celebration of Integrity’s patron saint, St. Aelred of Rievaulx, on his appointed feast day, January 12, 2012, 7pm, at St Matthew’s Episcopal Church (11229 NE Prescott St., Portland, OR 97220).  Two years ago the priest and a majority of the congregation voted to leave the Episcopal Church and abandon the Anglican Communion, largely because of disagreement over the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons in the life and sacraments of the church.  The preacher on Jan 12 will be The Rev. David Brauer-Rieke, Bishop of the Oregon Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  A feast follows the service.