Sunday, January 24, 2016

January 25-February 8 at St. Stephen's

Join us at St. Stephen’s

January 25-February 8   
Fr. Jamie on vacation

Wednesday January 27   
No Wednesday night Eucharist

Sunday January 31  – 4 Epiphany
11:00 a.m. – Holy Eucharist
Canon Zanne Ness, celebrant/preacher
Children’s Chapel
Coffee Hour following
Wednesday February 3   
No Wednesday night Eucharist

Sunday February 7  – 5 Epiphany
11:00 a.m. – Holy Eucharist
Fr. Charles Cherry, celebrant/preacher
Children’s Chapel
Coffee Hour following

Fr. Jamie on vacation
Fr. Jamie will be on vacation Jan. 25-Feb. 8. There will be no Wednesday night Eucharists on Jan. 27 and Feb. 3. If there are any emergencies, please contact the church (232-2076) and leave a message on the machine. A member of the vestry will be checking messages regularly and John Anderson will be covering any pastoral emergencies. 


Monday, January 18, 2016

The week of January 18

Join us this week at St. Stephen’s

Wednesday January 20   
6:00 p.m. – Holy Eucharist
Fr. Jamie, celebrant/preacher
Incense will be offered at this Mass
Supper afterward at a local restaurant

Sunday January 24  – 3 Epiphany
11:00 a.m. – Holy Eucharist
Installation of New Vestry
Fr. Jamie, celebrant/preacher
Children’s Chapel
Coffee Hour following

Looking Ahead:

Fr. Jamie will be on vacation Jan. 25-Feb. 8. There will be no Wednesday night Eucharists on Jan. 27 and Feb. 3. If there are any emergencies, please contact the church and leave a message on the machine. A member of the vestry will be checking messages regularly and John Anderson will be covering any pastoral emergencies. 

Annual Meeting 2016






Thursday, January 14, 2016

Annual Meeting this Sunday



Join us this Sunday January 17 as we celebrate God’s work in our church family’s life. We will be voting on several important decisions for the coming year, review upcoming opportunities, discuss your suggestions and share a potluck meal together.
We are very thankful you are part of our church family.
Fr. Jamie & the Vestry of St. Stephen’s


Sunday, January 10, 2016

The week of January 11

Join us this week at St. Stephen’s

Tuesday January 12   
2:00 p.m. – Funeral for Dorothy Tronnes (+1/9/2016)
Fr. Jamie, officiating

Wednesday January 13   
6:00 p.m. – Holy Eucharist
Fr. Jamie, celebrant/preacher
Incense will be offered at this Mass
Supper afterward at a local restaurant

Sunday January 17  – 2Epiphany
11:00 a.m. – Holy Eucharist
Fr. Jamie, celebrant/preacher
Children’s Chapel
Coffee Hour following
12:30 – Annual Meeting/Potluck


Monday, January 4, 2016

The week of January 4

Join us this week at St. Stephen’s

Wednesday January 6 - Epiphany 
6:00 p.m. – Holy Eucharist
Fr. Jamie, celebrant/preacher
Incense will be offered at this Mass
Supper afterward at a local restaurant

Thursday January 7
Finance Meeting

Sunday January 10  – 1 Epiphany
11:00 a.m. – Holy Eucharist
Fr. Jamie, celebrant/preacher
Children’s Chapel
Coffee Hour following


12:45- Vestry

Sunday, January 3, 2016

Parker's Baptism




We celebrated the baptism of Parker Broten today...

Saturday, January 2, 2016

Baptism of Parker Broten/Blessing of Chalk/Proclaiming the Date of Easter

Join us

this Sunday, January 3, 2015

as we celebrate the baptism of
PARKER RAY BROTEN


11:00 am Holy Eucharist




We will once again have a traditional

“Blessing of the Chalk”

“Blessing of the homes of the parish”

“Proclaim the Date of Easter”

Following the service, we will “de-green” the church (though we will keep the nativity set up until after January 6)



Blessing of Chalk/Blessing of the Homes of the Parish

Since the Middle Ages there has been a tradition that on (or near) the feast of the Epiphany we pray for God’s blessing on our homes, marking the entrance with chalk (an incarnational image reminding us of the dust of the earth from which we were made). We mark the main door of our home with the initials of the Magi and the numerals of the new year, connected with crosses:

20 + C + M + B + 16

The initials remind us of the legendary names of the Magi – Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar – and also stand for the Latin motto: Christus mansionem benedicat, “May Christ bless this house.” In the Book of Exodus, the Israelites marked their doors with blood so that the Lord would pass over their homes; but in this ritual, we mark our doors with chalk as a sign that we have invited God’s presence and blessing into our homes.

It is traditional to write the inscription on the lintel, above the door, but it can be written anywhere near the entrance. The following prayer may be said while the entrance is marked:



The three Wise Men,

C Caspar,
M Melchior,
B and Balthasar followed the star of God’s Son who became human
20 two thousand
16 and sixteen years ago.
++ May Christ bless our home
++ and remain with us throughout the new year. Amen.



The Proclamation of the Date of Easter


The Proclamation of the Date of Easter on Epiphany dates from a time when calendars were not readily available. It was necessary to make known the date of Easter in advance, since many celebrations of the liturgical year depend on its date. The number of Sundays that follow Epiphany, the date of Ash Wednesday, and the number of Sundays that follow Pentecost are all computed in relation to Easter.