Dear St. Stephen’s church family,

Peace in Christ.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.” -Psalm 91:1-2

I just returned from our Episcopal Election! I am pleased to share that our new Bishop elect is the Rev. Chad McCharles, from the Diocese of Brandon. The Rev. Chad was elected on the first ballot. 

Chad and his wife and family will move to Saskatoon, and be consecrated as Bishop in due time. Please continue to pray for Chad and his wife Dawn as they enter into this new ministry in service of God and the church. We are grateful to the Rev. Dr. Trish McCarthy and the Rev. Dr. Iain Luke for allowing their names to stand in this process. May God continue to bless and guide them in their life and ministry. Our delegates to electoral synod today were: Chris W, Margaret R, Ruth S, myself and the Rev. Sunil. Henry T is the Diocesan youth representative.

Our church sponsored refugee, Machot, has been in Saskatoon for 2 weeks now! He has experienced so many new things and accomplished much in these first weeks. Due to the generosity of a parishioner, Machot has a refurbished laptop, which was very timely, as he started English Language classes on Thursday. These classes take place Monday through Friday, from 9-noon–2 days in person and 3 days on zoom. Machot is able to zoom on his new laptop. Thanks to a different parishioner, Machot now has a cellphone case and cover for his phone.  Thank you to all who have taken time to help with rides or supporting Machot in various ways. Machot is so willing to take part in activities at church and in the community. If you are going to an event you think he might enjoy, consider asking him along. Machot helped out at the Shrove Tuesday pancake supper, attended our Ash Wednesday service and came to our Friday night floor hockey event on Friday!

Our Shrove Tuesday pancake supper was a warm and nourishing event! Thank you to Marje Wlad, Susan, Marg, Joanne, Sandra, Pauline and Phyllis for making pancakes and sausages and to all who helped out with cleaning up and hosting. Thank you to all who shared a poem or a song–Bronwen, Wyndham, Wesley, Nathan (juggling!), Linda and our neighbour Kim delaForest, who played fiddle tunes for us. It was a wonderful celebration as we move into Lent.

Our Thursday book study continues this week at 1:30 pm: The Liturgy of the Ordinary. We are at chapter 4.

Bible Study at Sherbrooke: our first session takes place on Tuesday, March 18th. All are welcome. Sherbrooke Community Centre is a long term care home at 401 Acadia Drive.

During Lent we are invited to grow in our relationship with God engaging in the traditional Lenten disciplines of fasting, giving and praying. One way to grow in your prayer life is to attend the weekly Ecumenical Prayer services on Wednesday mornings at 8:30 am throughout Lent. Our first service takes place this Wednesday, March 12th. All welcome! 

Weekday Eucharist services:

Tuesdays in Lent–including March 11th and March 25th, at 12:20 pm. The Rev. Perry, will lead a service of Holy Eucharist (approximately half an hour).

Thursdays at 4:30 pm:  A Service of Holy Eucharist in the Book of Common Prayer, led by Father Dan.

We will be holding a Lenten Quiet Day on Saturday, April 12th, from 10-2, led by parishioner Greg Foley. All are welcome to come and spend some time in quiet and reflection as we approach Holy Week and Easter. The reflections will be rooted in various locations in Holy Week–from Golgotha to the empty tomb. (The photo below is of the wilderness in Israel, a helpful picture as we contemplate Christ’s temptation in the wildnerness in tomorrow’s liturgy).

An energetic group of St. Stephen’s youth and others joined Christ Church Anglican church on Friday night for a friendly, but spirited game of floor hockey at the YWCA. We had a great time!

Finally, throughout Lent, after our 10:30 am services, we are holding Lenten Lunches. This is a St. Stephen’s tradition. All are encouraged and welcome to stay for lunch, by donation. Donations go towards the ministry being supported by those who prepare and serve lunch. Tomorrow a group will be providing lunch in support of Camp Okema. Please consider making Lenten lunches a part of your Lenten discipline! Fast from eating by yourself and join in your church family! Give generously to support the ministry being highlighted and pray for them. Thank you, St. Stephen’s, for being such a Christ centred, Holy Spirit led, caring community that is outward focussed (our Vision statement!). 

Please take note of the upcoming Camp Okema Spring Banquet taking place at St. Stephen’s on April 5th. Tickets are available tomorrow!

Sent with joy and hope in Christ,

The Rev. Amy