Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,
O God, thou art my God, early will I seek thee. My soul thirsts after thee, my flesh also longs after thee in a barren and dry land where there is no water. -Psalm 63:1-2
Machot has been in Saskatoon for one month as of Friday, March 21st. We are grateful for his willingness to participate in many activities and to help out in different ways, as he gets used to life here in Saskatoon. He participated in a community supper at Christ Church, washing dishes and cleaning up. He attended Saskatoon Open Door English Language Conversation Circles on Monday at JS Wood Library (here is a photo of Shauna and Machot at the library). He also joined the St. Stephen’s Thursday evening English Conversation Circle. He has attended L’Arche prayer and Gatherings. If you have an event or an outing planned, please consider inviting him along! Together we can create a sense of belonging and welcome. As the weather gets better, it would be wonderful for him to have a bike to get around the city. Do you have a men’s bike in good condition that is looking for a new home?
Thank you to all who took time to attend our Annual General Meeting last Sunday. There was a spirit of joy in the room as we looked over the past year and towards the future. Thank you to those who stepped down from vestry after a season of service–Pauline and Marje, as well as Reji and Reju. Thank you to Jeannette M, for her many years of service on vestry and as People’s Warden. Thank you to Karen D who has stepped into that role. Please plan to stay for a Lenten Lunch tomorrow, hosted by Vestry and by donation.
Thank you to Donna, for her many years of ministry directing our Outreach efforts at St. Stephen’s. Donna has coordinated Adele house Christmas gifts, mother’s day gift baskets, winter coat donations and other projects. Please prayerfully consider whether you could take on this important role. There are many people who help out with these projects, but we need a point person to coordinate our efforts.
Our Thursday book study continues this week at 1:30 pm: The Liturgy of the Ordinary. We will study chapter 6.
Bible Study at Sherbrooke will meet this Tuesday, March 25th at 7 pm. Bring a bible. All are welcome. Sherbrooke Community Centre is at 401 Acadia Drive.
All are invited to come and pray on Wednesday mornings at 8:30 am throughout Lent. We are hosting Ecumencial Prayer Services with the organizational support of the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism. Our Lady of Dormition Ukranian Catholic Church hosted a prayerful (and calesthenic–lots of bowing!) service this past week. St. Philip Neri Roman Catholic Church hosts this coming Wednesday.
This coming Tuesday, March 25th, at 12:20 pm. All are welcome to attend A Service of Holy Eucharist (approximately half an hour) on the occasion of the feast of the Annunciation.
Consider making our Lenten Quiet Day, led by parishioner Greg Foley, a part of your preparation for Easter. Mark your calendars for Saturday, April 12th, from 10-2. All are encouraged and welcome!
The annual Camp Okema Spring Banquet takes place at St. Stephen’s on April 5th. Tickets available now! Come and support this important ministry.
Youth Group--Ukrainian Easter Eggs and Evening Prayer! Friday, March 28th at 7 pm. All welcome. Bring a friend!
Here are the Music Ministry (Minstrels?) gathering for music and communion. Please keep all those who are unable to physically attend church in your prayers. We are all part of the body of Christ!
Under the Broom Tree, our monthly Monday Evening Service, will gather again on Monday, March 31st at 7pm. Music practice on Monday, March 23rd at 7 pm. This service is meant to bring spiritual encouragement in a world where we sometimes feel lost or alone. It is a Liturgy of the Word, with music to nourish and strengthen the soul.
All are invited to a service of Renewal of Vows and Blessing of Oils that will take place on Wednesday, March 26th, at 11 am at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine downtown. Lunch is served afterwards for any who wish to attend. Please let me know if you plan to come so I can give our numbers to the Diocesan office. In the afternoon, clergy will have an opportunity to zoom with our new Bishop elect, the Rev Chad McCharles.
Hot off the press! Please see the latest edition of our parish newsletter, the Scroll, put together by Linda Bliss. Thank you Linda, and all who contribute. The Scroll is full of good material and helps to keep us all connected.
Parish Cycle of Prayer Monday: in thanksgiving for Machot’s one month anniversary in Saskatoon. Please continue to keep him in your prayers, as he settles in to life in Canada and finds his way. Tuesday: for our Ecumenical Prayer Services, that they may be a sign of the unity of the church and the goodwill of churches towards one another in a divided world. Wednesday: for Aham and Chinwe and family Thursday: for Godwin and Chinwendu and family Friday: for Bittu
GK Chesterton, in one of his essays from Tremendous Trifles, divides individuals into two types: vertebrates and crustaceans. Chesterton complains that our age is dominated by the crustacean type–people who are hard, brittle, and impressive on the surface but are cowards and weaklings behind that shield. What we need, he implied, is a new race of vertebrates–men and women who are soft and kind and gracious outwardly, but who have a bone structure of conviction and integrity to support this grace.
-Eugene Peterson
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