BISHOP’S COMMITTEE MEETING

St. Stephen’s Bishop’s Committee will meet on Wednesday, September 3rd, following the 6:00 pm Eucharist. Everyone is encouraged to attend Eucharist before the meeting.

HOLY DAYS IN SEPTEMBER

Each Wednesday evening at 6:00 p.m., we meet for Eucharist, and it is our custom to honor a memorable figure in the life of the Church down through the ages. For September, we will give thanks to God for these faithful servants:

September 3rd
The Martyrs of New Guinea

September 10th
Constance, Nun and Companions

September 17th
Holy Cross Day

September 24th
St Matthew, Apostle

October 1st
St Michael and All Angels

October 8th
William Tyndale

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:

September 3rd - Bishop’s Committee following Eucharist.

September 6th – Diocesan Workshop “Making Joyful Disciples of Jesus Christ” at the Diocesan Center in Springfield, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Sign up sheets are downstairs in the Parish Hall.

September 13th – Chicken BBQ

September 21st - Cursillo Ultreya will be at St. Andrew’s, Carbondale at 3:30 p.m. ALL are welcome to join in the praise, celebration and fellowship.

September 22nd - The Synod Planning Committee meeting at St James, Marion at 6:00 pm. Synod is just around the corner. If you have not signed up yet to help, it’s not too late!

September 27th - “Small Church Celebration” hosted by the General Mission Strategy at Trinity, Mt. Vernon from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. This workshop is intended to give small missions like ourselves ideas for growth not just “maintenance”. There are several sessions to choose from. The deadline for registration is September 12.

September 28th - There will be a Choral Evensong (Sung Evening Prayer) at St James’, Marion at 4:00 p.m. Come and enjoy the traditional Worship and the fellowship to follow.

PLEASE REMEMBER TO: Pray for all those who are posted on the prayer list and let us know those whom you wish us to pray for.

REMEMBER FOOD for the Anna Bixby House and for the Christian Community Compassion Center. When you are shopping for yourself, pick up a couple extra items and then REMEMBER to get your “can” to Church on Sunday! Father Swan has been alternating deliveries to the two.

BISHOP’S COMMITTEE NOTES

We met in August. We discussed the center isle idea again and the oil candles. We talked about The YOUTHQUAKE Golf Scramble is October 4th. Some are considering forming a team for this event. The need to move forward with the modernization of our Kitchen was brought up. Lindsey Williams presented a plea to assist a young man in need of medical attention concerning his teeth. We voted to give $500.00 toward his expenses from the outreach line item.

VICAR’S NOTES

There are a number of opportunities offered by the Diocese to assist us in the growth of our Church.  Recently we had the Thy Kingdom Come event at the Decatur Conference Center. Above, you saw the reminder of the Making Joyful Disciples workshop coming up on the 6th of September at the Diocesan Center. We now also have the Small Church Celebration that will be held by the Department of General Mission Strategy at Trinity in Mt Vernon on the 27th of September. Our own Fr. Tim Goodman is spearheading the DGMS and this celebration. 

In our smaller Churches, we often hear discouragement voiced about the lack of growth and of the struggle to make ends meet and complete the projects that we have dreamed about. The opportunity to turn this situation around can be found in the workshops and conferences that are posted in the Parish Hall, announced in the weekly Order of Service, in this newsletter.  

We all have busy schedules, we all have things that are on our plates, but there is also often more than a month’s notice for these important events. It is truly a matter of priority. The Clergy Leadership are not here to “grow the Church”, we are here to encourage, to teach, and to guide. Please pray about participating in these events this month. It would be heartwarming for all of St Stephen’s to be present at the Small Church Celebration in order to bring back ideas from all of the workshops. It could be like Chicken Soup for a cold, it certainly couldn’t hurt and it most definitely can help!

Scripture quote for September:

“Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies,
it remains a single grain of wheat;
but if it dies, it brings good harvest.”
John 12:24