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1 fàa fàxñ{xçëá XÑ áàäx SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016 Sunday Worship Schedule September May (begins 9/18/16) 8 a.m. Quiet Eucharist 10 a.m. Festive Eucharist with music Summer Schedule June 9/11/16 9 Holy Eucharist Inside this issue: Parish News 2-3 Upcoming Events 4-5 Contact Info Back Thoughts from the Rector WELCOME HOME! On September 11 th at 9:00 am we will gather in our Sanctuary to celebrate an important homecoming. We can all remember the joy of returning to the places and people that have shaped and loved us. It is time for us to return home to St. Stephen s: our doors and hearts will be open! The summer I turned 14, my family took an ambitious vacation. My parents loaded three kids and two Dalmatians into a station wagon that pulled a popup trailer. We headed West via Canada and traveled the coast down to San Francisco and then came back through the mountains and plains to Havertown. Glorious vistas accompanied the stress of endless car-trapped hours. Finally, six weeks later, we were HOME! Everything seemed strange and oddly different. Our bright pink bathroom was clearly not as I remembered it! My room was huge and our backyard seemed like a forest. Being away played tricks with my memory and I was seeing everything with new eyes. Each return carries elements of surprise and we must create a new blending of Then and Now. We are forced to grow. Many, many years ago, God s covenant people were forced to abandon Israel and to live as exiles in Iraq. Thoughts of home were kept alive through songs, prayers and sacred stories. The next generation returned to a land in ruins. But, sustained by God s promise, they rebuilt their lives both physically and spiritually. Fresh songs were written to give expression to their new hopes. One of my favorite collects declares: In returning and rest we shall be saved (or healed). I believe that we, God s covenant family at St. Stephen s, will discover new hope, joy and healing when we return to our spiritual home on Sept. 11 th. Let s open our hearts to the journey ahead and rejoice as we find God s blessings both in the familiar markers of home and in the new changes that will surely grow our love for God and for others. Please join your faith family at God s Table and prepare to be comforted and surprised. It s time to return home and to welcome, together, the exciting and challenging road God is preparing for us. Psalm 34 is inviting us: Come, taste and see that the Lord is good! Faithfully, Linda+

2 Page 2 PARISH NEWS The Epistle Last 9 a.m. service for this summer. Next week we resume our 8 and 10 a.m. schedule. September 11th at 9 a.m. Welcome Back Sunday Come Home to God! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Special Music Picnic Picnic hamburgers and hot dogs will be provided, side dishes and desserts are requested. FINANCIAL UPDATE Christmas in July net proceeds $ (Despite being 100 degrees that day and having to move the event inside, we didn t do too bad!) Scrip Pro net proceeds January-July $ (Keep buying, keep shopping) TREASURER S REPORT Frank Prendiville, Treasurer Discretionary Fund bank fees clarified and extra fees have been eliminated Since January, we have spent less than we have taken in. Good News! Now we are able to renovate our buildings, and enhance our ministries, i.e. stocking the food pantry NEWSLETTER PUBLISHING SCHEDULE (also known as The Epistle ) Have news you d like to share? Please provide a copy to Bonnie Prendiville via to blp722@aol.com or by leaving it in her mailbox in the office. The next edition will cover Nov/Dec so articles will be due Oct 15th. Please note: some editing may be required for formatting and space reasons. Please keep in your prayers those on our Standing Prayer List found every Sunday in the bulletin.

3 St. Stephen s...where God s Table has a place for you. Page 3 A PICTURE IS WORTH 1000 WORDS TUPPERWARE LU LA ROE REDNECK COUTURE Boot Bling! 31 BAGS and HOMEMADE SOY CANDLES HANDMADE CRAFTS PAMPERED CHEF WORSHIP TIMES WILL CHANGE On Sunday, September 18, we will begin our schedule of two services: 8 a.m. Quiet Eucharist 10 a.m. Festive Eucharist, with music

4 Page 4 PARISH NEWS The Epistle FOOD PANTRY HOURS Sundays 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m Wednesdays 10:30 11:30 a.m. CRAFT GROUP Tuesdays 10 a.m. til 3 p.m. Parish Hall Bring Lunch MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Sat, Sept 17 FALL FLEA MARKET and COOKOUT 9am-3pm on lawn Sat, Sept 24 ITALIAN COMMUNITY DINNER 5-7 pm, Parish Hall Sun, Oct 2 ST. FRANCIS PET BLESSING 10 a.m., Lawn Sat, Oct 22 PORK & SAUERKRAUT COMMUNITY DINNER 5-7 pm, Parish Hall Sat, Oct 29 PROPOSED TRUNK OR TREAT (stay tuned for details) Fall Flea Market Sat 9/17 9 am 3 pm WHERE: ST. STEPHEN S CHURCH Baltimore Ave. & Church Street Clifton Heights, PA WHAT: Flea market vendors, white elephant table, bake table, lunch sold till 2:00 p.m. Spaces cost $20, must bring your own table. To reserve a spot, call or Deb Mulligan ( ; draymulligan@gmail.com)

5 St. Stephen s...where God s Table has a place for you. Page 5 ST. FR@NCIS PET BLESSING Sun^[y O]to\_r 2n^ [t 10 [.m. Join our [nim[l [n^ hum[n fri_n^s for sp_]i[l worship PORK & SAUERKRAUT DINNER Saturday, October 22, 2016 St. Stephen s Parish Hall Eat In or Take Out: from 5-7 pm Adults: $13.00 Children Under 12: $4.00 For Reservations or Take Out call the Church Office at or Bart at or Deb Werts at

6 OUR CHILDREN & YOUTH Currently we are experiencing a reduction in the number of regular Sunday School attenders. Therefore, Sunday School has been suspended for the time being. In the meantime, Rev. Linda is developing additional pathways to involve our children and youth. She is already working with the Hash family. Danny Hash will play his acoustic guitar for our Welcome Back Service at 9 a.m. on Sept. 11th. Following that service, we will celebrate with a picnic. Please plan to join us! Jamie & J.T. are also preparing to serve at the altar on a regular basis We welcome children of all ages to help during worship. Some can simply carry up the bread while others can read or carry the cross or help Rev. Linda at the altar. Please speak to her to learn more. VESTRY REFLECTIONS Memories & Love Keep Growing Connie Wright Earlier this summer, I had the honor & privilege of seeing my 18 year old grandson, Myles, inducted into the Army. The experience was bittersweet. I was so proud to see him standing at attention taking his oath, but also thinking back to the young boy that I used to whisk into my arms for a trip to the zoo or Please Touch Museum. Afterwards, McDonald's was a favorite eating destination. What kid doesn't love French fries? Now there are new memories to be made. Myles is too far away & much too big to be whisked into his grandmother's arms. I do however look forward to seeing him after basic training. I'm a pushover for a man in uniform. Summer Vacation Dave Hash We just got back from vacation, a week in Virginia Beach with my family, my inlaws, and two of my childrens friends. Seeing my kids happy is the greatest reward I can ask for. Seeing how they interact with others is my redemption. Standing on a pier in the middle of the bay at midnite with a sky full of stars with them was the closest to God I ve felt in a long time.

7 2016 Creation Season Music, prayers Special readings Oct 6th Nov 20th HELP WANTED! Photos of any/all people and events are needed! Please send all photos to Bonnie Prendiville via to Also, Rev. Linda is looking for 'kids of all ages' willing to assist her. DIRECTORY UPDATES Donald J. & JoAnn D. Young 710 Hibberd Ave. Collingdale PA Home (610) Cell (215) Theodora Woart 6866 Radbourne Rd. Upper Darby PA (484) Please correct the spelling of Fidelis Ramsay Be glad and rejoice always in what I am creating. - God (via Isaiah) St. Stephen s Vestry TERM EXPIRES IN 2017 TERM EXPIRES IN 2018 TERM EXPIRES IN 2019 John Bartholomeo Debbie Werts Ginny Thompson Heather Wingate Barbara Stump Joan Durbano Connie Wright Bonnie Prendiville Dave Hash Rector: The Rev. Linda Kerr Rector s Warden: Debbie Werts Accounting Warden: John Bartholomeo Vestry Secretary: Bonnie Prendiville Treasurer: Frank Prendiville NEXT VESTRY MEETINGS: Wednesday, September 7 p.m., Lounge Wednesday, October 7 p.m., Lounge

8 St. Ste phe n s Episcopal C hurch 199 W. Baltimore Avenue Clifton Heights, PA Phone: E: ststephensclifton@verizon.net Rector: revlkerr@comcast.net We re on the web! Like us on Facebook at Episcopal-Church/ St. Stephen s Preschool Located in Parish Hall, the building adjacent to the church building. Phone: Like us on Facebook at Our Mission Statement St. Stephen s is a parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. We are a loving church family which encourages regular ministry and parish activities beyond Sunday worship. We share our time, talent, and treasure with others in need. We will continue our work to bring God s message more fully to our community through increased outreach and evangelism.