Greetings and peace in Christ. This week we celebrate the Presentation of our Lord in the temple, otherwise known as Candlemas.
We had such a vibrant and fun youth group last night (24 young people took part, and 9 adults). We played a church wide giant game of Clue, where teams had to guess the suspect, the weapon and the room where the crime took place! Location options included the sanctuary, the kitchen and the chapel. Possible weapons included a spaghetti server, a Holy Bible(!) and a candle snuffer…We took polaroids to create suspect cards–instead of Colonol Mustard, we had, for example, White Ninja, Miss Midnight and the culprit–Gracie Green! St. Stephen’s is working in cooperation with Camp Okema, to support their ministry by providing a place for campers to come during the year and enjoy fun, fellowship and faith formation. We ended our evening with prayer in the sanctuary. Our next event will be tobogganing in February.
Here are some photos of youth group from my position at the Fireplace, one of the “rooms” in our game of Clue.
Please note that the first Confirmation Class for youth will take place tomorrow, Sunday, February 2nd at 2:30 pm.
Here are parishioners with the Rev. Sunil, last Sunday, celebrating their newly minted Canadian citizenship! The flowers on the altar were given to them as a sign of our love and shared joy!
We held a beautiful Monday evening Prayer service on Monday–Under the Broom Tree. Mark your calendars for Monday, February 24th at 7 pm. (Practice Monday, February 17th at 7 pm)
Vestry met on Tuesday, following the Tuesday Chat Cafe. We approved a budget to bring to our AGM (Sunday, March 16th after the 10:30 am service), and had prayerful and encouraging conversation about our life together at St. Stephen’s. Thank you to all vestry members! And to our wardens, Jeannette and Kingsley.
Here is a photo of Tuesday Chat. Thank you to Susan for organizing, and to Don and Donna for setting up.
God’s Timing! Last Sunday our Church School made a giant welcome poster for our church sponsored refugee. It turns out that this was done just in time! I received an email yesterday with his arrival date and flight itinerary! He is scheduled to arrive on Friday, February 21st! This is such wonderful news for him and for us. All things going according to plan, the Rev. John will be here to welcome him also, and will be with us in church on the 23rd. I hope that we will have a team of St. Stephen’s people at the airport! A celebration is in order! Please plan to attend a tentative after church lunch on February 23rd, along with the Rev. John. See sign up sheet for details.
Lenten Lunches: See the bulletin board for more information and mark your calendars for a lunch date with the parish during the Sundays in Lent.
Shrove Tuesday, is on Tuesday, March 4th. Pancakes and sausages and a time of fun and fellowship before the season of Lent. Mark your calendars! Plan to dress in bright colours! We need volunteers to help out in various ways. If you would like to play a song, read a poem or provide any kind of entertainment, please sign up! See the bulletin board for more information.
Music Ministry Minstrels–some of the music ministry team gathered this week to bring prayer and encouragement and to share in song (and cookies). What a wonderful warm up in the cold of winter.
In Christ’s love and light,
Rev. Amy <><
Parish Cycle of Prayer Monday: for M as he prepares to come to Saskatoon. For our parish as we prepare to welcome him. Tuesday: for all who struggle with employment and unemployment. For our leaders and for all who make decisions about our economy in this difficult time. We pray for wisdom. Wednesday: for all who mourn the loss of loved ones, especially for those who died in the plane crash in Philadelphia this past week. For comfort for those who mourn and for eternal rest for those who died. Thursday: for Doug and Laurel Friday: for Paul and Christine with Rachel
The thought that I want you to carry away is this. The Holy Spirit is beginning a work within you, which He means to perfect, in one continuous line of growth, development and manifestation. Your life is not to be that of one being here, and of another being under entirely different principles, hereafter. The circumstances will be different, but the principles upon which the Holy Spirit carries on His work in sanctifying and perfecting the soul are eternal. Therefore your life on earth has a purpose, a meaning; you are beginning your eternal life, on certain principles, which will hold good as long as you live–and you will live oninto eternity!…
Saint Joseph and our Lord, Georges de la Tour
And now, one practical rule, in conclusion. Be careful about little duties, and be careful about little faults. For, in this way, we do honour to the Holy Spirit, Who is so gentle, so full of delicacy in His operations! He wants to give us tenderness of character; not merely a rough rude sort of goodness,–though even that, so far as it goes, is a thing to be thankful for,–but tenderness. I do not mean a morbid, scrupulous spirit in your religion. That is very different! And the way to gain that tenderness is to be very careful about little things; little duties done thoroughly, for which you will get no credit, and of which the Holy Spirit will be your only witness, and your only reward.
-from the Presence and the Office of the Holy Spirit, by Bishop Allan Beecher Webb, 1878
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