St Stephen Lutheran Church

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St. Stephen Lutheran Church and Preschool

612 Jamestown Road, Williamsburg Virginia 23185 | (757) 229-6688
Across from the College of William & Mary

June 13, 2010 Congregational Meeting Summary
Narthex Renovation FAQ

Thanksgiving Worship this Wednesday, November 24

At 7:30 PM we’ll gather in our worship space with folks fom St. Martin’s Episcopal Church for an informal worship service of Holy Communion. There will be no sermon. Instead, worshipers will be invited to stand at their seats and “give testimony” of the blessings from God during this past year, and why they are thankful this year!

Advent Celebration November 28

November 28 is the first Sundayof Advent. Gather at 4:00 PM in the Fellowship Hall for crafts to help with your observance of Advent at home. At 5:30 PM, the Youth will serve a meal.

Advent Holden Evening Prayer

During the overly-busy Advent season, take a break to be refreshed by the singing, silence and meditation of Holden Evening Prayer. We’ll gather each Wednesday night in Advent, December 1, 8, 15 and 21, 7:00 – 7:30PM.

Christmas Worship Schedule

Christmas Eve worship will be at 5:00 PM (a service featuring the children of the congregation), 7:30 PM, and 10:00 PM. Each service will feature Holy Communion.
Sunday, December 26 worship will be Lessons and Carols at 8:30 AM and 11:00 AM.

Prayer Shawl Ministry

A prayer shawl ministry is beginning! The shawls are knit or crocheted, while they’re being prayed over. They will be given to those who are ill or disabled, so they will literally be surrounded by our prayers. Want to join this ministry? For information, call Sandy Croushore.

Child Protection Policy Update

On November 9, 2010, Council approved a new Child Protection Policy that goes into place immediately. If you are a volunteer who works with children or youth in the church, go the Child Protection Policy Page and follow the instructions under the Personnel Screening section to go through the training and fill out the background check form.

“One Night Without a Home” Pictures

Some of our youth and college students spent the night outside,November 13-14,as part of the homelessness awareness event sponsored by the Avalon shelter. Check out pictures at our Flickr account http://www.flickr.com/photos/sslc/sets/72157625392113796/

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What Our Congregation Is About V November 19, 2010
Another quote from Diana Butler Bass Christianity for the Rest of Us that seems to describe what were about at St. Stephen: The people I met along the way were on a quest for wisdom rather than certainty. If practice meant acting like Christians, engaging a Christian way of life, wisdom referred to knowing God. [...] […]

What Our Congregation Is About IV November 8, 2010
One anomaly among seeking people in our culture is that many identify themselves as spiritual but not religious. Polls reveal that a large majority of Americans are on a spiritual search but that very few unchurched people think that that search can take place in a mainline congregation! Many who arent active in a congregation [...] […]

A Long Term Pastorate November 2, 2010
Ive been pastor of St. Stephen longer than Ive been pastor at any other congregation. Its not that Ive moved often! I was associate pastor at Ascension Lutheran Church in Towson, MD for just over four years. I was pastor of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Virginia Beach for eight years, then pastor [...] […]

What Our Congregation Is About III October 31, 2010
As our Ministry Associate, Doug Cummings, and I are working through Diana Butler Bass Christianity for the Rest of Us, were finding connections between her research and what our congregation is about. This paragraph, describing a congregation that she researched, could describe us as well! [The congregation's] leaders realized that they could no l […]

Each Morning, A New Gift October 28, 2010
Four years ago last night, Patty watched as I was put into an ambulance at the Williamsburg hospital, to be transferred to Norfolk General. They were so concerned about me in the Williamsburg ICU thata Williamsburg nurse climbed into the ambulance to assist the crew. (I remember nothing of this, of course.) Patty did not [...] […]

What Our Congregation Is About II October 26, 2010
We finished another Book of Faith study last night, this one exploring passages in Pauls letter to the Romans. I chose this study for the fall, and timed it to end just before Reformation Sunday, because Romans 3 is the keynote for Lutheran theology. But how do we avoid what Bonhoeffer called cheap grace? (In other [...] […]

The Face of God Standing There With a Casserole October 21, 2010
In his Saturday morning radio show, Bob Edwards has been inviting listeners to contribute to a This I Believe feature, a reprise of the same thing that Edward R. Murrow famously did, decades ago. Heidi Flatin alerted me to one that she heard on Edwards October 15 show. Ive printed the transcript below. Its refreshing to [...] […]

Practicing the Faith October 20, 2010
My mind races from one thing to another. On facebook yesterday, seeing a post about Christine ODonnells latest boneheaded statements. Clicking the link provided to read the article on the NPR website. The article is awfully short. Thinking the Wilmington News-Journals website would offer more. Clicking that. Finding that theres not only an article, but […]

What Our Congregation Is About I October 19, 2010
Ministry Associate Doug Cummings and I are working through the book, Christianity for the Rest of Us, and taking time to talk about it. The book is by Diana Butler Bass, and it presents her findings and conclusions after spending time with mainline congregations experiencing renewal. (I proclaimed this to be the key note book [...] […]

A Step Towards Civility? October 18, 2010
I love this item, submitted by a guy named Bill Wertheim, in this mornings Metropolitan Diary feature in the New York Times: Dear Diary: I travel in the elevator, down to the street and the local coffee bar. On the way, a young woman, wearing ear buds, quietly takes them out and looks down, demurely. When [...] […]

08:30 AM - Holy Communion 09:45 AM - Faith Formation 11:00 AM - Holy Communion

What Our Congregation Is About – II
“The Face of God Standing There With a Casserole”
Practicing the Faith

Preschool Registration Form (24.6 KiB, 644 hits)
Proposed Narthex Floorplan (412.5 KiB, 204 hits)
Site Plan for St. Stephen (382.8 KiB, 189 hits)
North Elevation of St. Stephen (403.7 KiB, 173 hits)
A Letter From Mongai (695.2 KiB, 78 hits)
October 2010 Quill Newsletter (798.9 KiB, 72 hits)
October 2010 Calendar (30.0 KiB, 51 hits)
Child Protection Policy Verification Form (178.1 KiB, 15 hits)
Child Protection Policy Screening Form (35.3 KiB, 14 hits)
Child Protection Policy Training Module (391.5 KiB, 12 hits)

Spiritual Guidance For Anyone Seeking A Path To God
Virginia Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Young Adults! Who Is God Creating You To Be?