This week, I am deep in thoughts of camp.  Camp, camp, and more camp.  Last week I spent four days in retreat at the stunningly beautiful Barbara C. Harris Camp & Conference Center.  (The photos are from my retreat).  You've likely heard me say that this is my "happy place".  I cannot begin to tell you how big a role BCH has had in the lives of the Tolands, though I can tell you that it is, without a doubt, the place with the greatest influence in our faith development for a good 15 years.  I was supposed to be on vacation this week, serving as a chaplain at BCH.  Words are inadequate to describe how much I miss being there with the campers and young adult staff, all of whom teach me more about faith and God and relationship with God and each other than I could ever hope to teach them.

Next week I was supposed to be at Cross Roads Camp, right here in the Diocese of Newark, serving as a chaplain there, one of the ways we as a parish support this vibrant ministry.  Kathleen worked there last year and still has not stopped talking about how amazing it is.  Though this would have been a new experience for me, I was looking forward to it enormously, trusting that it, too, is a place in which God's presence is apparent in ways that seem unique to camp. It may sound silly, but my heart leapt for joy when I opened an email to find an invitation to give the message at the Virtual Campfire on July 17th.  Just the thought of being at camp, even a place where I've never spent a night, brings me to that place deep within in which my memories of Episcopal Choir camp as a kid and then as an adult/parent/priest at BCH fill me with a somewhat paradoxical wildly joyful peace.  I'm also looking forward to worshiping with Cross Roads this Sunday as we celebrate "Camp Sunday" in the diocese as part of Episcopal Camp Week.

And then there's our beloved Drumming  Camp.  Covid 19 has wreaked havoc on our usual plans, though, in true St. Stephen's form, we are trying to figure out how to do something like camp for the kids and families who have become such an important part of our parish family.  (To be honest, it's a little bit for us, too, because Drumming Camp feeds our souls and brings us deeper into the heart of God.)  

We are considering offering two one-day sessions, perhaps for five or six hours, in the first or second week of August.  To do that safely, we would invite the younger children one day and the older children the other, with a maximum of 10 campers in each session.  We'd supply food, maybe pizza for lunch and either a simple cookout or take-out for supper.  We'd abide by the diocesan safety guidelines and would have only adult staff. 

And that leads me to a big question:  Are you able to help with this fun ministry?  We'd need help with general supervision, an art project, serving meals and snacks, and with set-up and clean-up.  Ideally, we'd like folks able to help a full day to minimize the number of people involved, though we can make it work with shorter shifts, need be.  If you can help (You know you want to join this fun!), please let us know your availability by taking this simple survey, indicating as many available times as you have, either the six or three hour shifts.  We'll work with the responses to figure out if this is doable and, if so, what dates.

Please respond by 4:00 pm on July 14th.

Peace & Blessings,

Rev. Paula+

We want to have Drumming Camp this year, even though it can't be done the way we've always done it.  This year, perhaps more than previous years, our campers and their families need this time away from the day-to-day.  This year, perhaps more than previous years, we need to live our faith in ways that offer safe connection to other people.

We are considering offering two one-day sessions, perhaps for five or six hours, in the first or second week of August.  To do that safely, we would invite the younger children one day and the older children the other, with a maximum of 10 campers in each session.  We'd supply food, maybe pizza for lunch and either a simple cookout or take-out for supper.  We'd abide by the diocesan safety guidelines and would have only adult staff. 

NEW!     Bishop Hughes July 7th Vlog  ("Training to be the church that God needs us to be")  can be seen here.

The Voice Online may be found here.

NEW!  Checking In: A Lay Conversation with the Bishop

Tuesday, July 21, 6 PM

NEW!   Diocesan Memorial Wall

A holy place in virtual space for mourning and memory. 

This is a place to gather, grieve, reflect and honor the lives of those who have died during the time of the Pandemic, whether or not it was due to the virus. Because we have been isolated, and unable to be with each other to provide comfort, care and support during this time, we offer this site as an ongoing memorial, gathering the names of the dead so that they are not forgotten. 

Here, we who mourn can cast our tears into God's almighty and loving hands, whose own tears join ours, bringing us consolation, peace and hope.  To visit the wall and/or submit a name, click  here .

All of the information you need to remain actively connected to St. Stephen's can be found on the website under the "Living Our Faith in a Time of Pandemic" tab on the top left.  In addition, the ways to join in worship and other activities is also available on the Events Calendar on the website, under News & Events.  Our worship services will be posted to Facebook every Sunday morning at 8 AM and will be available on our new YouTube channel. The services can be watched at any time.

Our Sunday worship service is also broadcast on HTTV (Comcast TV 36 and Verizon TV 33) at 6 AM and 1 PM.  Please be sure to spread the word to your friends and family who do not use the internet.

Jeff Loggins Jimmy Hasenkamp Ian Janeczko The McManus Family The Blanchard Family Donna Riggi Bernard & Nathan The Fitzgerald Family Roy Williams Jack Moreno Stephanie Gubin

Sue Macbeth Francis Christine Conti Shanisha Pedro Villagran Gregory Shuss Kenneth Armstrong Xander Evan Sara Ruth Dorn Felder Dorn