April 26, 2023

A Message from Rev. Paula

Beloved Community


Maria is out this week, so I am doing the newsletter and bulletin. I share this so that you know that if there is something you were expecting to see and don't or if there are errors, the responsibility is mine, not hers. Thought I am reasonably adept at these sorts of things, I am most definitely not our fabulous Parish Administrator.


Also, please note that on May 21st and June 25th, there will be no 8:00 service.


Shalom,

Rev. Paula+

Happening at St. Stephen's This Week...





Join us on Sunday, April 26rd at 8:00am & 10:00am for

The Fourth Sunday of Easter.



ALL are welcome.



At Communion, you may receive the wine by sipping from the cup, reverently touching the base of the chalice, or you may choose Communion in one kind only

(the bread).


You are invited to Coffee Hour and Fellowship in the Parish Hall immediately following our

10:00am service.


Coffee Hour host for Sunday:

Steve Moran

Live-streamed to YouTube, Facebook, and via Zoom. Bulletins are available on the St. Stephen's website. All links can be found at the bottom of the newsletter. Zoom passcode is SSM119.


The Sunday service will also be broadcast on HTTV (Comcast TV 36 and

Verizon TV 33) on Tuesday at 6am and 3pm.

Looking Ahead
PLEASE CHECK WEEKLY BECAUSE EVENTS MAY BE ADDED OR CHANGED.

APRIL

 

APR 30

Family Promise Hosting - groceries due

8am - Sunday Worship

10am - Sunday Worship

11:30am - Reading with the Rector

1pm - AA Meeting



MAY


MAY 1

7:30pm - MA Meeting


MAY 7

8am - Sunday Worship

10am - Sunday Worship

1pm - AA Meeting


MAY 8

7:30pm - MA Meeting


May 13

8:30am-2:30pm

Gardening/Campus Cleanup Day


MAY 14

8am - Sunday Worship

10am - Crossroads Sunday & Intergenerational Worship

11:30am - Reading with the Rector

11:30am - Youth Group

1pm - AA Meeting


MAY 15

7:30pm - MA Meeting


MAY 17

7:30pm - Finance Committee Meeting


MAY 18

7pm - Preschool Committee Meeting


MAY 21

8am - NO SERVICE

10am - Sunday Worship

11:30am - Vestry Meeting

1pm - AA Meeting


MAY 22

7:30pm - MA Meeting


MAY 28

8am - Sunday Worship

10am - Sunday Worship

11:30am - Youth Group

1pm - AA Meeting


MAY 29

7:30pm - MA Meeting

JUNE


JUN 4

8am - Sunday Worship

10am - Sunday Worship

11:30am - Reading with the Rector

1pm - AA Meeting


JUN 5

7:30pm - MA Meeting


JUN 11

8am - Sunday Worship

10am - Sunday Worship Intergenerational Worship

11:30am - Youth Group

12pm - NJ Pride

1pm - AA Meeting


JUN 12

7:30pm - MA Meeting


JUN 15

7pm - Preschool Committee Meeting


JUN 17

Christine's Kitchen Hosting Day


JUN 18

8am - Sunday Worship

10am - Sunday Worship

11:30am - Vestry Meeting

1pm - AA Meeting


JUN 19

7:30pm - MA Meeting


JUN 21

7:30pm - Finance Committee Meeting


JUN 25

8am - NO SERVICE

10am - Sunday Worship

1pm - AA Meeting


JUN 26

7:30pm - MA Meeting

Other Happenings...


ST. STEPHEN'S GARDENING

& CAMPUS CLEANUP DAY


Saturday, May 13th

8:30am - 2:30pm


Our plans to double the size of our Good News Garden are underway.


Join us on May 13th and show your love for this lovely piece of God's creation.


Bring a pair of gardening gloves, a shovel, a rake, or just yourself, your family and friends! Come for the day, or just an hour or two. We'll be beautifying the campus, doing a little building, filling the beds with soil, and spreading mulch.


Cold drinks and lunch provided for all volunteers.


+++


Planting Day to be announced soon.


Don't forget to sign up and let us know which plants you will donate and how many. We're going with square foot and companion gardening again this year to get the most we can out of the space.


We'd like all of the plant donations

by Sunday, May 14th.


SignUp to donate plants today!

gardening-items.jpg


READING WITH THE RECTOR


Sunday, April 30th

11:30am - 1:00pm

in the common room, or via Zoom


We will be discussing:


Animal Farm

by George Orwell


George Orwell's timeless and timely allegorical novel—a scathing satire on a downtrodden society’s blind march towards totalitarianism.

FAMILY PROMISE HOSTING

April 30, 2023


We are continuing our hospitality ministry with Family Promise and will be hosting the week of April 30th. 


We will be "hosting" 3 families. As you may recall from our February hosting, the families stay in long-term stay hotels.  We provide one meal for each family along with some grocery items. We will deliver our meals and the grocery donations to the Family Promise office in Montclair on Tuesday morning May 2nd.


All grocery donations can be dropped off at either Church service on April 30th. If you are unable to deliver items to Church, please contact Linda Soughan to make other arrangements at lindasoughan@comcast.net. For meal donations, Linda will coordinate pick up. As always, Shop Rite gift cards are a welcome addition! Also, as you will note on the sign up, in addition to the grocery items, there is a request for one queen size set of sheets.


For those volunteering to provide meals, Family Promise has asked that the meals be stored in square plastic containers marked with the Family number (indicated on the sign up sheet).


We are using Sign Up Genius to record sign-ups.  

The link is here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0B4DAAAD2CA1FC1-family1


If you have any questions, please email Linda.


Thanks so much for volunteering!!



"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink,

I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”

Evelyn Underhill Region.. and beyond

Faithful Outreach

North Porch Women & Infants' Centers provides emergency aid, in the form of baby supplies, to mothers and infants in northern New Jersey, to help them stabilize and improve the quality of their lives.


Our collection bin is located outside the education building doors year-round. Donations can be dropped off at any time. Items of urgent need are:


  • Enfamil 12.5 oz powdered baby formula and soy formula
  • Diapers especially Large size diapers - 4, 5, 6 and Pull-ups of all sizes
  • Baby wipes
  • Jars of baby food all ages-fruit, veggie and 1st foods


If you would like to make a monetary donation to North Porch, please click here.


FAMILY PROMISE


Family Promise of Essex County helps homeless and at-risk families achieve self-sufficiency by providing shelter, social services, and housing assistance through a community-based approach.


A donation can help Family Promise of Essex County to remain responsive to families’ emerging needs and its impact in our communities.


To read the Family Promise Newsletter, please click here.

APOSTLES' HOUSE



Apostles' House is devoted to providing comprehensive social services to homeless women with children and families at risk of homelessness in Newark and throughout Essex County.


Apostles' House is in need of canned goods and non-perishable food items.


Collection bins are located outside the Narthex/Education building doors and donations can

be dropped off at any time.


If you would like to make a monetary donation to Apostles' House, please click here.

From Bishop Hughes & The Episcopal Church

THE BISHOP'S VLOG


NEW: How we need to support our Confirmands - 4/19/23


Bishop Hughes notes that this year's Confirmands are giving different reasons for seeking confirmation than in previous years. Instead of saying they're doing it because it's expected, most are now saying it's because "I want to know God more" or "I want to take my place in the church." For those of us who've already found our place in the church, Bishop Hughes has some suggestions about how we can support our Confirmands as they find theirs. 


NEW: The Voice Online Link - 4/19/23

DIOCESAN E-NEWSLETTERS

Sign up to receive important news, events and seasonal meditations from the Diocese of Newark. Find out more and subscribe here.

TRINITY RETREAT CENTER


Trinity Retreat Center, located in the Northeast in West Cornwall, CT, offers a place of spirituality and gracious, authentic hospitality—where you can slow down, connect deeply with nature, experience the rhythm of a community, enjoy farm-to-table meals, discern direction for your life, and go home ready to make an even greater impact on the world.


Trinity Retreat Center is an Episcopal mission of Trinity Church Wall Street and is open to everyone, regardless of denomination or faith.


For more information, go to the Trinity Retreat Center's

Facebook page or website.

Cross Roads Camp & Diocesan Youth Ministries

Exciting news! Cross Roads Camp and Retreat Center has been named one of America's Best Summer Camps for 2023 by Newsweek!


Experience the adventure, growth, and community that Cross Roads has to offer this summer.


Register now for an unforgettable summer! Talk to Rev. Paula if you have questions. She LOVES to talk about Cross Roads!

CROSS ROADS CAMP & RETREAT CENTER


Cross Roads Camp and Retreat Center is an inspiring and relaxing year-round retreat center offering comfortable facilities and professional programming for secular and spiritual groups of all ages. Located on 250 glorious acres atop the stunning mountain landscape of northwestern New Jersey, our cozy retreat centers and cabins house up to 300 people. Guests enjoy our beautiful hiking trails and an abundance of outdoor and indoor recreational areas including basketball, volleyball, soccer, football, and open space for field games.


To view Cross Roads' offerings,

click here.

POP UP YOUTH MINISTRY


Pop Up is a welcoming ministry of the Diocese of Newark bringing together youth for fun activities, community, and faith formation. All youth grades 6-12 are encouraged to join the monthly events.


Follow popupym on Instagram

and Facebook.

Resources

In this time of Crisis, there are many resources that can help if you or someone you know needs assistance. Please contact NJ Mental Health Cares for free helpline telephone counseling or assistance. Call 866-202-4357.

TTY: 1-877-294-4356.


E-mail: help@njmentalhealthcares.org


Other resources are:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

1-800-273-8255

Crisis Text Line, 741741

NJ Hope Line (suicide prevention) 

855-654-6735

A/MA MEETINGS


Weekly AA meetings:


Sunday at 1:00pm

Contact: Rob H. (516) 860-9062


AA meetings are presented in Big Book format.


For more information about Alcohol Anonymous, click here.


Weekly MA meeting:


Monday at 7:30pm

Contact: Max T. (212) 203-2542

Contact: Deana L. (908) 499-8997


MA meetings are presented in a rotating format:

Step - Speaker - Story from Life with Hope - Topic


For more information about Marijuana Anonymous, click here.

Prayer List
Please keep the following St. Stephen's family
members and friends in your prayers...

Peggy Thompson

Donna Riggi

The Blanchard Family

The McManus Family

Bernard & Nathan

Lucille B.

Jack Moreno

Jane Rossiter

Donna Stadler Hostetler

Emma Simonich

Cathy Zimmerman

Juliet Tranberg

Lind Hostetler

Mary Ruth Stone

Nancy Landers

Anne Grenda

Eugene Foley

Evie Larson

Bruce and Sandra Swan

Bruce Mailman

Ron Gadbois

The Roberson Family

Darla Shaw

Eve Anderson

Adam Moran

 Gail Geyer Lewis

Paul

Irene Poirier

Gesine Ehlers

Melanie Cohn

If you would like to add someone to our prayer list, please email us at church@ststephensmillburn.org, or call (973) 376-0688 Ext. 32.

Anyone for whom we are praying will be on our prayer list for six weeks. If prayers are still needed beyond that time period, please let us know. Thank you.
Sunday Lectionary

The Fourth Sunday of Easter

April 30, 2023


We are using the new lectionary,

Wilda Gafney's A Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church, Year A.


  • Sirach 15:1-6
  • Psalm 119:97-103
  • Romans 6:5-11
  • Matthew 22:23-33



Our bulletins are available here.

Giving with Tithe.ly
TITHE.LY
Giving with Tithe.ly is easy with options for recurring donations or one-time use for when you are away or not able to be in church (like all of us now due to COVID restrictions).

You can access Tithe.ly via their website or their app on your smart phone. Be sure to search for the correct account - "St. Stephen's Church Millburn." Once you have accessed the account page with our address, you will be instructed to follow the prompts.
Office Notes
Due to COVID restrictions, only teachers and staff are allowed to be in the building during school hours. If you need to visit the parish office/building for any reason, please contact us for an appointment. Thank you.

PARISH OFFICE HOURS

Tuesday - Friday

9:00am to 5:00pm

Important Links
Zoom Links

Sunday Worship


Meeting ID: 864 1664 1640

Passcode: SSM119


To call in, dial by your location:

+1 646 876 9923 US (New York)

Adult Formation


Meeting ID: 878 3014 4448

Passcode: SSM119


To call in, dial by your location:

+1 646 876 9923 US (New York)

Links for Sunday Worship Live-Stream & Social Media
Website Links
Other Social Media Links
St. Stephen's Episcopal Church
119 Main Street, Millburn, NJ 07041
Church

Parish Administrator, Maria T. Card
973.376.0688, Ext. 32
church@ststephensmillburn.org

Rector, The Rev. Paula J. Toland
973.376.0688, Ext. 21
rector@ststephensmillburn.org

Fax: 973.376.4002
Website: ststephensmillburn.org

Preschool

Director: Nancy Siracusa
Phone: 973.376.3534, Ext. 20
Email: sspsmillburn@gmail.com
Visit our Website