Dear St. Stephen’s church family,

Love and blessings on this beautiful afternoon—Thanksgiving Weekend!

Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. (Colossians 2:7)

1. Sunday worship services are at 8:30, 10:30 (with church school) and 5 pm (Malayalam).

After the 10:30 service tomorrow we will be enjoying pumpkin pie and coffee, in honour of Thanksgiving and Margaret’s ministry among us. It looks like it will be another beautiful day! So we will set out some tables outside for those who wish to enjoy their coffee in the sun! All are welcome to stay for this time of fellowship and conversation.

2. If you stay long enough, you can join in on Perry’s Bible Study

on chapter 3 of the book of Romans tomorrow! He will be guiding us through chapter 3, starting at 1 pm, in the Mitchell Hall.

3. It has been a full week here at St. Stephen’s! Friday night we enjoyed Beer and Hymns

which was a joyful time of fellowship and singing songs of praise and thanksgiving. Thank you to Cathryn for organizing this event, and for all who took part.

4. Gift baskets

will be delivered to shelters in the city this coming week. Thank you again for all who donated self care items. We made up 85 baskets! Thanks+Giving.

5. And thank you to all who donated towards the Thanksgiving hamper—

we delivered baskets overflowing with good things, including chicken, beef, flour and many fresh fruit and veggies. Thank you St. Stephen’s, for praying and sharing.

6. Our next planned Youth group

will be on Friday, October 28^th—Mystery Night! Mark your calendars!

Parish Cycle of Prayer:

Monday: for all who will receive gift baskets, that they may experience them as a tangible sign of God’s love. For those living in shelters or in transitional housing. For peace in families and relationships, for those who are vulnerable and at risk.

Tuesday: for our parish family: Give patience to the sick and afflicted, and renew them in body and soul. Guard from forgetfulness those who are strong and prosperous. Increase in us thy manifold gifts of grace, and make us to be fruitful in good works; O blessed Spirit, whom with the Father and the Son together we worship and glorify, one God, world without end. Amen. (from a parish prayer in the Book of Common Prayer).

Wednesday: for Dusty

Thursday: for Jan and Mark

Friday: for John and Linda

When we give God the Father thanks I wonder if we really know what we are doing. Is it enough to just say thank you or say a prayer before a meal? And when we give thanks, are we thanking Him or are we just glad to be alive and well and to have an excuse to have a good time? The Apostle Paul writes: “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you.” Giving thanks, in the most profound sense, involves far more than counting one’s blessings. This is little more than selfishness with a smile. It is for all times and all circumstances…But more than this, offering thanks is a matter of showing it, both to God and to those with whom we are connected. “No one has seen God; but if we love each other, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us,” writes the Apostle John. If we fail to show one another our thanks, what good is a meal of thanksgiving? A truly thankful heart knows that things pale in comparison to people. We are created for relationship, not riches. Sharing a table full of food is wonderful, but it is whom we share it with that counts. This year’s Thanksgiving could be different, but only if our focus is on our fellowship, not the feast; on giving thanks, not on getting full. We must get beyond the tradition of the meal and meet each other heart-to-heart. -Charles Moore

With thanksgiving to God,

Rev Amy <><