The week of September 7

 

The week of September 7

 

 

Wednesday, September 9

6:00 p.m. – Holy Eucharist

Fr. Jamie, celebrant / preacher

Deacon John, assisting

Incense will be offered at this mass

Supper afterward at a local restaurant

 

Friday, September 11

Fr. Jamie’s day off

*Please refrain from sending Fr. Jamie emails, text messages, Facebook messages or phone calls on his day off unless it is a pastoral emergency.

Sunday, September 13 – Dedication Sunday

11:00 a.m. – Holy Eucharist

Baptism of Lexi Faltersack / New Member Sunday / Children’s Chapel start-up / Blessing of Backpacks / Re-dedication of Peace Pole

Fr. Jamie, celebrant / preacher

Deacon John, assisting

James Mackay, organist

***Potluck Coffee Hour following Mass***

 

Livestream:

We would love to see you in person but if you are unable to attend, please join us for Mass livestreamed at: https://www.youtube.com/@st.stephensfargo

 

 

 

Dedication Sunday

Dedication Sunday will be Sunday, September 13. Please join us as we celebrate our 70th year of ministry. A potluck will follow

 

Blessing of Backpacks

On Sunday, Sept. 13, we will bless backpacks once again. Please come and have your backpacks blessed during the 11:00 Eucharist.

 

Children’s Chapel resumes!!

We will once again be offering Children’s Chapel during the Sunday morning Eucharist, beginning on Sunday, September 13.

 

New Member Sunday

On Dedication Sunday, Sept. 13, we will have an opportunity to welcome any new members who would like to be recognized. If you are interested in being a new member, please contact Fr. Jamie.

 

 

Words of Wisdom:

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." —Mahatma Gandhi

 

From the Green Team:

Because recycling requires a lot of energy, it comes with its own share of pollution. Reusing and repurpose do not create pollution. Rather, items are made useful in their current state. This is especially true for things like clothing. If you cannot reuse clothing, try upcycling or repurpose it or donate to a local homeless shelter. Practicing conscious consumerism will cut down on the amount of items that end up in landfills.

The week of September 1

 

 

Wednesday, September 2

6:00 p.m. – Holy Eucharist

Fr. Jamie, celebrant / preacher

Deacon John, assisting

Incense will be offered at this mass

Supper afterward at a local restaurant

 

 

Friday, September 4

Fr. Jamie’s day off

**Please refrain from sending Fr. Jamie emails, text messages, Facebook messages or phone calls on his day off unless it is a pastoral emergency.

Sunday, September 6 – Season of Creation/Christ in Creation Sunday

11:00 a.m. – Holy Eucharist

Fr. Jamie, celebrant

Amy Phillips, preacher

James Mackay, organist

Coffee Hour following Mass

 

Livestream:

We would love to see you in person but if you are unable to attend, please join us for Mass livestreamed at: https://www.youtube.com/@st.stephensfargo

 

 

 

Season of Creation/Christ in Creation Sunday

The celebration of this Season began in 1989 when Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I established 1st

September as a Day of Prayer for Creation for the Orthodox Church. The World Council of Churches

extended the celebration to 4th October, the Feast Day of St Francis of Assisi. In 2026, it was added to the

Revised Common Lectionary as the Feast of Christ in Creation (the first feast day added since 1983).

The yearly themes, logos, and other resources are provided by the ecumenical organization to which we

belong as members of the Anglican Communion. These websites have resources for observing this

Season.

 

seasonofcreation.org

newcreationliturgies.org/seasonofcreation

feastofcreation.com/revised-common-lectionary

 

The theme for 2026 is Living Water.

 

Our Biblical text for this year is drawn from Ezekiel 47.1-12 (tinyurl.com/creation2026), which portrays

God’s life-giving water flowing from the temple of God. The river grows deeper and deeper restoring

barren land, reviving waters, and sustaining flourishing ecosystems. The vision invites human responsibility: recognising ecological damage, embracing interconnectedness, we are called to immerse ourselves in the water, and actively safeguarding and working for the renewal of creation so that environmental healing and human well-being may flourish together.

 

The Symbol for 2026 is Immersion in Living Water.

The Symbol invites Christians to a spiritual immersion – praying together while contemplating water

from rivers, sources, fountains, baptismal fonts, lakes and sea, inspired by the Spirit of God, working

together for the renewal of Creation. This Symbol also urges us to dive into the “tears” of creation

(Romans 8.22-23; tinyurl.com/creationsymbol2026), by allowing our hearts to be touched by the suffering

of our brothers and sisters. Indeed, the Season of Creation is also an appropriate time for fraternal

closeness and solidarity with the vulnerable and the poor, chiefly those who suffer from environmental

degradation. We can learn from their stories, from their resilience, from their commitment, and together

keep hope alive.

 

Living Water, the 2026 prayer

HOLY GOD, WHOSE SPIRIT HOVERED over the waters at the beginning, we gather as part of your

community of all creation, thirsty for your grace. We give thanks for the gift of water, the veins of

our common home, that sustains the cedar and the whale, the pasture and the city. We are

grateful for the local waters that nourish our homelands and our fellow creatures. We give thanks

that in your well-watered garden, every drop is a sacred testament to your love.

 

Yet, we confess that we have treated this gift as a mere commodity. We have choked the seas

with our waste and watched the warming tides rise in judgment. We lament the cracked earth of

the drought-stricken and the salty tears of the climate refugee. Melt our frozen hearts, O God,

and let the waters of repentance flow.

Lord of all Life, you promised that wherever the river flows, everything shall live. Stir in us a

calling to care for the waters—to protect the watershed, defend the rights of water, and honor the

dignity of the thirsty. May your Word be a spring within us, gushing forth for the healing of the

nations.

 

May God our Creator who brought water from the rock sustain us in the desert. May Christ our

Lord who is Living Water refresh us for the work of restoration. And may the Holy Spirit carry

us on currents of grace until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing

stream. Amen.

 

 

Dedication Sunday

Dedication Sunday will be Sunday, September 13. Please join us as we celebrate our 70th year of ministry. A potluck will follow

 

Blessing of Backpacks

On Sunday, Sept. 13, we will bless backpacks once again. Please come and have your backpacks blessed during the 11:00 Eucharist.

 

Children’s Chapel resumes!!

We will once again be offering Children’s Chapel during the Sunday morning Eucharist, beginning on Sunday, September 13.

 

New Member Sunday

On Dedication Sunday, Sept. 13, we will have an opportunity to welcome any new members who would like to be recognized. If you are interested in being a new member, please contact Fr. Jamie.

 

Words of Wisdom:

Don't wait for others to be kind, show them how it's done.

 

From the Green Team:

The body is not separate from the Earth. What we call burnout, the Earth calls drought. What we call anxiety, the Earth calls imbalance. To heal ourselves, we must remember - we live within an ecosystem and we are ecosystems.

 

The week of August 24

 

 

 

Wednesday, August 26

6:00 p.m. – Holy Eucharist

Fr. Jamie, celebrant / preacher

Deacon John, assisting

Incense will be offered at this mass

Supper afterward at a local restaurant

 

 

Friday, August 28

Fr. Jamie’s day off

**Please refrain from sending Fr. Jamie emails, text messages, Facebook messages or phone calls on his day off unless it is a pastoral emergency.

Sunday, August 30 – 14 Pentecost

11:00 a.m. – Holy Eucharist

Fr. Jamie, celebrant / preacher

Deacon John, assisting

James Mackay, organist

Coffee Hour following Mass

 

 

Pauli Murray Documentary Event

 

The Episcopalians turned out on Friday evening at the Fargo Theatre for the Pauli Murray documentary! (The Rector was in Bismarck for Diocesan Council). Thank you to Stephanie Garcia for all her hard work on organizing this event.

 

Pauli Murray Window

 

 

 

 

 

Livestream:

We would love to see you in person but if you are unable to attend, please join us for Mass livestreamed at: https://www.youtube.com/@st.stephensfargo

 

Words of Wisdom:

If you have the power to make someone happy, do it. The world needs more of that.

 

From the Green Team:

The world’s oldest trees are 4,600-year-old Bristlecone pines in the USA. The Great Basin Bristlecone Pine (Pinus Longaeva) has been deemed the oldest tree in existence, reaching an age of over 5,000 years old. The Bristlecone pines’ success in living a long life can be attributed to the harsh conditions it lives in. Very cold temperatures associated with high winds, in addition to a slow growth rate, create dense wood, meaning some years they grow so slowly, they don’t add a ring of growth. (Source: KPWB.org)