Seasons of the Spirit: Pentecost II, Fall 2021

S A I N T S T E P H E N ’ S E P I S C O PA L C H U R C H

P E N T E C O S T 2 | FA LL 2 0 2 1

At the beginning of a program year, what’s old is new again 403073_Newsletter.indd 1

9/7/21 7:50 AM

A parish attuned to the Spirit

During the interim period, let’s trust in God’s grace

I

n the short time I have been at St. Stephen’s Church as interim rector, folks have asked some fairly predictable questions: How long will you be here? Why does it take so long to call a new rector? Are there going to be lots of changes?

This is not surprising—anxiety comes as a way to help us know that something is different, that we need to be alert, pay attention, because new things are happening. For Christians, this has a particular meaning that is different from the secular world. We may feel anxious in this liminal time, but we have this reminder from St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything through prayer and understanding let your requests be made known to God.” So instead of being a time of anxiety, this next season of life at St. Stephen’s has the potential to be exciting if we pay attention and are alert to what God is doing among us. I don’t think this will be hard to do, because this parish is attuned to the Spirit. You have seen God move among you throughout your history, and you are people of faith who know that God will continue to move among you.

Now, to address those questions: I don’t exactly know how long I will be here. My Letter of Agreement with the vestry is for one year, and the plan is to assess how things are going and where you all are in the search for your new rector at that point. It is almost certain that the search for a new rector will take longer than that, perhaps as much as 18 months. But if we trust God in this process it will go by quickly and has the potential to deepen our spiritual life as a parish.

Sarah Bartenstein

By Patrick J. Wingo

I have heard these questions before, both as an interim rector and in my over 10 years of work on the diocesan staffs in Alabama and Virginia. Almost always the motivation behind the questions has something to do with anxiety. It is common in all church systems that when the leader leaves, or when there is a big change, or even when there is a tragedy in the wider community (like, for example, a pandemic), the anxiety level of individuals and the parish as a whole goes up.

Pat Wingo meets parishioners following the 10 a.m. service on his first Sunday as our interim rector.

Will there be changes? Probably, because life is always changing, and there are always challenges that need new and adaptive solutions. A generation ago the theory that was often practiced (and still is sometimes) is that an interim rector should come in and change lots of things, that the parish should be shaken up so that it could see what is important to it and try new things. I am not one of those who thinks that methodology is helpful. As I have said in a number of places, my hope is that the vestry, the staff, and I can hold up a mirror and look in it together, and decide together if something needs some work. As St. Paul wrote to the Thessalonian church, I hope we can “hold fast to what is good,” all the while being open to “sing to the Lord a new song,” as the Psalmist wrote.

We will discuss these things in the first three Sunday Forums of the year, beginning September 19. A representative from the bishop’s office will be here on one of those Sundays as well. I look forward to sharing my thoughts with you, and answering your questions. St Stephen’s is well positioned to have a great future, and the first step toward that future is trusting in God’s grace.

Pat Wingo is interim rector of St. Stephen’s Church; he arrived in July.

... anxiety comes as a way to help us know that something is different, that we need to be alert, pay attention, because new things are happening... instead of being a time of anxiety, this next season of life at St. Stephen’s has the potential to be exciting if we pay attention and are alert to what God is doing among us.

2 403073_Newsletter.indd 2

SEASONS OF THE SPIRIT

9/7/21 7:50 AM

A container for the known and space for the new LOOKING TOWARD A NEW PROGRAM YEAR IN AN EXTRAORDINARY TIME

A

mentor of mine once gave a presentation entitled, “The Future of the Church’s Past.”

I confess I don’t remember much of what he said in it, but seeing as I heard it almost 10 years ago, that I can somehow still recall the title is impressive! It shows that the title stuck and, in the process, proved its point: time is mysteriously interconnected.

PENTECOST 2 | F A L L 2 0 2 1 Issue Number 40

4 16

By Will Stanley

We are “back” together (God willing, in person) this fall. Thanks be to God! Know that I share in this joy, this excitement. I am grateful that we’re able to offer an array of opportunities for worship, learning, service, and fellowship. In these pages you will find richness, you will find abundance, you will find health. There is so much goodness and rootedness in this place, sometimes we can lose sight of what a gift it is. We can also forget how rare it is.

8

An online wisdom school Cate Anthony is a Ministry Fellow, and we all benefit Rejoice! In-person music returns A guide to offerings for children Confirmation and other youth ministries Our missionaries feed and heal Our food ministry and our jail ministry expand

As you’ll see, the vast majority of those offerings are things which have long been beloved in this place: the Sunday Forum, guest speakers, concerts, outreach events…and so much more! For years, they have been “outward and visible signs,” as the Book of Common Prayer states, of the core values and principles of the community of St. Stephen’s Church. They are not “new,” yet we are in a new time and a particularly new one at that.

One of the guiding principles I’ve found useful in helping lead our team as we thought and prayed and discussed and planned for this fall is this: provide as much of a known container as possible, yet leave dedicated space for the new to find a home within. To continue the building metaphor, here this fall we are (re)constructing a known, loved, and strong foundation. We are bringing the best of the old into this new, unprecedented time. Yet we are also trying our level best to hold all that lightly, knowing that it will not be just as it always was…because it simply can’t. Nothing (no-thing) is ever “just as it always is.”

I firmly believe that the fall and beyond in this place will prove to be a holy and life-giving season. I hope and pray that you and yours will take as full advantage as possible of what we offer. May your future be filled in the present with the best of the past, and may God’s promise made eternal in the heavens be true for you: “Behold, I am making all things new” (Revelation 21:5).

The Rev. William S. Stanley is vicar of St. Stephen’s Church.

What is land acknowledgement?

Healing prayer, anointing to return soon Daughters of the King lift up your prayers An exciting line-up for the Sunday Forum Vendors make our farmers market the best Do you love flowers?

May Fair House re-opens

4 5 6 8 12 16 17 18 20 21 23 26 30 31

Seasons of the Spirit Sarah Bartenstein, editor Steven Longstaff, art director Amy Mendelson Cheeley, designer Allison Seay, editorial assistance Contributors: Mary Clare Abbott, Cate Anthony, Larry Bidwell, Doug Buerlein, Sherlyn Dibble, Scott Elmquist, Mary Scott Hardaway, John Jenkins, Anna Jones, Jay Paul, Deb Lawrence, Claudia Merritt, Gayle Royals, Heidi Schmidt, Allison Seay, Will Stanley, Regena Stith, Brent te Velde, Betsy Tyson, Monica Vega, Catherine Whitham, Pat Wingo New photos of parish staff by Jay Paul Copyright © 2021, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Richmond, Virginia Requests to reprint material from Seasons of the Spirit should be addressed to Sarah Bartenstein at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 6000 Grove Avenue, Richmond, Virginia 23226, or sbartenstein@ststephensRVA.org.

On the cover More and more pre-pandemic services, customs and traditions returned over the summer, including Compline. In this photo by the Rev. John Jenkins, the Compline choir, a mixed a cappella ensemble called Sanctuary, gathered on the West wide of the font to sing the service.

S A I N T S T E P H E N ’ S E P I S C O PA L C H U R C H P E N T E C O S T 2 | F A L L 2 0 2 1

403073_Newsletter.indd 3

20

3 9/7/21 7:51 AM

See with the eye of your heart; hear with the ear of your heart Join an online course in Wisdom

W

hat is contemplation?

What is seeking? What is Wisdom? Wisdom isn’t about knowing more things or more facts that you can access through your intellect alone. It’s about seeing with more of you participating, seeing from deeper being. It’s about seeing with the eye of the heart in order to go through the eye of the needle.

The Rev. Ben Thomas will The French Jesuit priest and lead this series. paleontologist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin put it this way: “Voir ou périr” (“See or perish”). St. Benedict wrote: “Listen with the ear of your heart.”

What if the deepest reservoirs of Jesus’ path of surrender in order to rise are our own hidden treasures, buried in the ground of our being, waiting to be discovered and manifested collectively?

The greatest gift of the spiritual life is that no one can do it for you.

The greatest challenge of the spiritual life is that no one can do it for you. You are your own starting point. A course being offered online this fall provides such a starting point.

The Rev. Benjamin Thomas of St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church in Boca Raton, Florida, will lead a six-week course for members of his parish and others from around the country. The Rev. John Jenkins has arranged for St. Stephen’s parishioners to be among them, using Zoom.

In “An Introduction to Wisdom: Christianity from the Inside Out,” participants will take a journey into the heart of the path of ancient Christian contemplation and spiritual mysticism. This introductory course to Christian Wisdom will include spiritual practices and 4 403073_Newsletter.indd 4

teachings of Jesus, St. Benedict, G.I. Gurdjieff, and others. Texts and teachings will enable us to begin seeing in order to release the agendas we pursue in what Father Thomas Keating called “our personalhappiness programs,” and drop deeply into the heart of God. Ben is an Episcopal priest and Wisdom teacher. Primarily a student of Jesus, G.I. Gurdjieff, and the Rev. Cynthia Bourgeault, he seeks to facilitate the transformation of others and our planet by living the fruits of the spirit through the conscious work of a meditative and surrendered heart. Ben takes Wisdom students through spiritual practices, retreats, and book studies by some of the great spiritual masters. He is an Oblate in the Benedictine Community of St. Mary, a contemplative Episcopal community that links care for the environment with Christian spirituality. This Virginia native and his wife, Anna, have five children.

Dr. Bourgeault calls Ben “a powerfully emerging presence in the contemporary Wisdom renewal of Christianity. To a degree I have rarely seen, he combines prophetic eloquence, deep mystical understanding, and a compassionate and inviting pastoral presence.

If there was ever a young leader with heart, mind, and shoulders broad enough to carry a new vision of Christianity to joyful fruition, it is Benjamin.”

The course takes place each Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., October 6 through November 10. The cost is $145. A personally meaningful financial commitment is an essential element of this inner work, but no one should allow the cost to prevent their participation. We encourage “Graceconomics,” where knowing the cost of this opportunity, you discern what the experience is worth and make an offering based on your own resources and circumstances. This may be more or less than the actual cost. John Jenkins is available to discuss options with you, and answer other questions you may have, jjenkins@ststephensRVA.org.

Read about contemplative prayer offerings on page 21.

SEASONS OF THE SPIRIT

9/7/21 7:51 AM

Reckoning practices: a Ministry Fellowship project In May, the Rev. Cate Anthony was named an Episcopal Church Foundation 2021 Ministry Fellow. Ministry Fellows are engaged in ministries in their communities or congregations that will change individuals, groups, or communities in positive ways, impacting their ability to see and use God’s gifts, bringing them into a closer relationship with God. The Fellowship

By Cate Anthony includes a generous grant to use in the implementation of a new ministry project in the Fellow’s particular context. Here, Cate describes the work she envisions for her fellowship and the St. Stephen’s community.

A quotation by Irenaeus of Lyon sits beautifully rendered in calligraphy above my desk: “The glory of God is the human person fully alive.”

As a young person growing up in a wealthy, predominantly white, suburban American community, I thought that being “fully alive” would be a whole lot of fun. I thought that it meant a great job, a partner, a beautiful apartment, dreams realized and come to fruition as shinily as possible. This is, of course, not the case—as I learn more and more each day, the particular gift and burden of being a human fully alive is that it is actually quite tricky, sometimes exquisitely painful, and that it requires a sacrifice of ease in relationship, with oneself, with community, with God. To be fully alive is to commit to honoring that creaturely life is far more complicated and costly than we can imagine as children, and to tell this truth as honestly as possible while also insisting that the changes and chances which weary us are themselves enriching and generative, if we only are able to look at them straight-on.

To be fully alive is to reckon.

And reckoning is, I am discovering, essential to the work of Christian community, where we are called to be fully alive and to help others to do the same, all in the name of Christ’s reconciling

love. In a world where it is abundantly clear that unity is a rare commodity, reckoning means an ongoing commitment to remain with one another even as we disagree, even as we experience conflict, even as we cause each other pain. We reckon with our humanity, in relationship, with generosity and the belief that Christ’s redemption is for all (even those with whom we do not agree).

This project is a chance for the St. Stephen’s community to parse out the intricacies of the work of reckoning. St. Stephen’s is truly Anglican in its identity as a broad, big-tent parish–we contain the full spectrum of theological, social, and political thought among our many members.

In the long-term, this project intends to create space for folks within the broad tent of St. Stephen’s to converse with one another across lines of difference, talking directly about the tensions within the community rather than speaking around them, and seeking reconciliation across these lines. However, there is a vital first step to this work which we need first to address: learning how to speak honestly and openly about that which is challenging and uncomfortable and which causes us pain.

This is the work of reckoning.

Our work begins with the following events: • What needs our reckoning? Community Listening Sessions: September: 9/16 at 10 a.m., 9/22 at 2 p.m., and 9/28 at 6 p.m.

These will be town-hall/house-meeting style opportunities for folks to name for themselves and to one another what’s on our hearts.

• On October 2, the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center (https:// lmpeacecenter.org/) will present a version of its Conflict Transformation Skills workshop, offering us a shared vocabulary for reckoning practices.

Stay tuned for registration. For more information, please contact me at canthony@ststephensRVA.org.

S A I N T S T E P H E N ’ S E P I S C O PA L C H U R C H P E N T E C O S T 2 | F A L L 2 0 2 1

403073_Newsletter.indd 5

5 9/7/21 7:51 AM

Music to our ears: in-person music is back!

Music programs for 2021-22

A

fter a year of fasting from many forms of in-person music, we are thrilled to once again be able to offer a series of special programs in 2021-22 with music for choirs, organ, and orchestra. While these will certainly be celebrations of the return of inperson music, a celebration that began

By Brent te Velde months ago, there is still need, as Sara Mackey powerfully stated in her reflection for the service of Celtic Evensong on June 27, to grieve our temporary and permanent losses from the difficult time of pandemic. As Sara said, now that the path forward is becoming clear for us, it is time to recognize our grief, and that it is not our enemy, but our friend; that it is not an orphan, but belongs with us and deserves a place alongside our joy and celebration.

The music of two composers featured in the coming year’s programs, Herbert Howells and César Franck, exemplifies this holistic expression of emotion and contains some of the most sublime musical testimonies of human transformation through grief and an intimate relationship to God. Our hope is that our musical offerings will honor and dignify this year’s journey toward healing and express faith in the strength of a new vision for the future.

We will celebrate the 129th birthday of Herbert Howells (1892-1983) this October by featuring his music in a special service as St. Stephen’s again hosts the Three Choirs Evensong on October 29, welcoming the choirs of St. Paul’s and St. James’s. The service will feature three of Howells’ most beloved pieces for choir and organ: the Magnificat, Nunc Dimittis, and Te Deum from his Collegium Regale service. The Collegium Regale service is dedicated to King’s College, Cambridge, and is a collection of settings of the morning canticles, choral Eucharist, and evening canticles, providing a full complement of service music for the chapel’s Sunday choral services. Howells was dared to write the service for

the price of one guinea by the dean of King’s College, Eric MilnerWhite, who had introduced to the chapel the Christmas service of Nine Lessons and Carols. The resulting music began a fruitful period of composition for the self-critical Howells, and marked the beginning of a new age for English church music, the resonances of which persist to the present day.

Howells’ inspirations included Renaissance Tudor music and English folksong, interests shared by his contemporary, Ralph Vaughan Williams, as well as the colorful harmony of contemporary French Impressionists, such as Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. The greatest influences on Howells’ life, however, were the grief from the early loss of his son, Michael, and the world-weariness and introspection that was the result of living through two world wars. These emotions color nearly all of Howells’ music, yet they are indivisible from the accompanying emotions of spiritual transcendence and ecstasy. All of these refract as through the magnificent stained glass windows of a cathedral from the light of Howells’ fresh sensitivity to ancient texts.

The Winter Solstice Concert returns December 17, once again offering a cappella choral music in the beautiful candlelit setting of our church. This year our musical meditation on the longest night of the year and the anticipation of the return of the light will feature music inspired by a monastic ritual that is one of the greatest treasures of the Advent season: the singing of the Great “O” Antiphons. According to the Roman tradition, these antiphons are sung before and after the Magnificat, or Song of Mary, each night leading up to Christmas Eve, beginning on December 17.

The seven antiphons were collected in Rome in the eighth century or earlier, and each begins by addressing God in Christ by a different name from the prophetic texts of Isaiah: Wisdom, King of Israel, Root of Jesse, Key of David, Morning Star, King of the Gentiles, Emmanuel. The first letters of the Latin names for these, Sapientia, Adonai, Radix Jesse, Clavis David, Oriens, Rex Gentium, Emmanuel, form a reverse acrostic, ERO CRAS, meaning “Tomorrow, I come.” This reverse order, leading to Christmas Eve, symbolizes the unknowable flow of God’s time, the presence of Christ in our lives from the beginning of time, and the

...now that the path forward is becoming clear for us, it is time to recognize our grief, and that it is not our enemy, but our friend; that it is not an orphan, but belongs with us and deserves a place alongside our joy and celebration.

6 403073_Newsletter.indd 6

SEASONS OF THE SPIRIT

9/7/21 7:51 AM

process, in microcosm, of preparing room for the infant Jesus in our hearts and lives. The concert will feature two musical settings of each antiphon by living composers, as well as chanting of the original Gregorian antiphons.

The 200th birthday of César Franck (1822-1890) will be celebrated around the world in 2022, and St. Stephen’s will mark the occasion with three separate offerings. First, internationally acclaimed organist Dexter Kennedy, recently appointed director of music at Trinity-by-the-Cove Episcopal Church in Naples, Florida, will present the first installment of a presentation of Franck’s complete works for organ (January 21, 7:30 p.m.). The program will include the monumental Three Chorals, the composer’s final compositions.

These have traditionally been heard as the composer’s musical final will and testament, and express his life’s triumph in the face of the adversity of a difficult early relationship with his family, living in a revolution and war-torn Paris, and the injury that would be credited with weakening him to his final illness. Franck’s music for organ represented a far higher level of craft and depth of expression for his time, and, like Howells’ music for choir and organ, inspired music for the instrument for the rest of the 19th and well into the 20th century.

Franck became a pedagogical and spiritual father to successive generations of French organists and composers, and this year’s Masterworks Concert will celebrate this legacy (February 18). The program will feature two large-scale works for choir and organ or orchestra by two of the most venerable composers of the generation succeeding Franck: the Messe solennelle of Louis Vierne and the Requiem of Gabriel Fauré. Vierne composed his “solemn mass” in 1899, shortly before gaining the post of titular organist at Notre Dame in Paris, a position he would hold until his death at the organ console in 1937. Fauré, in a departure from the Requiem’s musical tradition, sought to fill his Requiem with feelings of faith in the blessing of eternal rest rather than with depictions of God’s judgment and the fear of death. The concert will also include one of Franck’s most beloved organ works, the Prelude, Fugue, and Variation.

Our celebration of César Franck will conclude with a final installment of his complete works for organ, presented by Brent te Velde (May 20). The program will include the Grande piece symphonique, the first symphony composed for solo organ.

The genre was taken up by many French organists and composers of the next generations, including Charles-Marie Widor, Jean Langlais, Charles Tournemire, Marcel Dupre, and, most notably, Louis Vierne.

All programs begin at 7:00 p.m. except the January 21 organ recital

by Dexter Kennedy, which begins at 7:30 p.m.

The O Antiphons by Castorepollux. Ordre des prêcheurs – Gallica (Original text: Own work), CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45447332

2021-22 Music Programs Friday, October 29, 2021 at 7 p.m.: Three Choirs Evensong (freewill offering) The choirs of St. James’s, St. Paul’s and St. Stephen’s Episcopal churches Friday, December 17, 2021 at 7 p.m.: Winter Solstice Concert (ticketed) Candlelit, a cappella concert featuring the Great O Antiphons Friday, January 21, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.: Organ recital by Dexter Kennedy (freewill offering) Internationally acclaimed organist Dexter Kennedy presents the first installment of a presentation of Franck’s complete works for organ.

Friday, February 18, 2022 at 7 p.m.: Masterworks Concert (ticketed) St. Stephen’s choirs perform two large-scale works for choir and organ or orchestra, the Messe solennelle of Louis Vierne and the Requiem of Gabriel Fauré Friday, May 20, 2022 at 7 p.m.: Organ recital by Brent te Velde (freewill offering) The final installment in our presentation of Franck’s complete works for organ, presented by our own director of music, Brent te Velde The suggested donation for a ticketed event is $20, or $10 for students.

S A I N T S T E P H E N ’ S E P I S C O PA L C H U R C H P E N T E C O S T 2 | F A L L 2 0 2 1

403073_Newsletter.indd 7

7 9/7/21 7:51 AM

Doug Buerlein

Children's Ministry at St. Stephen's | 2021-22

The late Sandy Roney with children in the atrium. Sandy and her husband Earl worked tirelessly to furnish our atria for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.

Coming home again:

formation for children at St. Stephen’s Church What we know and what we hope

Mothers, fathers, politicians: all must combine in their respect and help for this delicate work of formation, which the little child carries on in the depth of a profound psychological mystery, under the tutelage of an inner guide. This is the bright new hope for MARIA MONTESSORI mankind.

A

t St. Stephen’s we respect and nurture each child’s innate spirituality and understanding of God’s profound love for them, tailoring experiences in worship, education, and fellowship to the individual developmental needs of the child. Formation of the child begins

By Allison Seay before birth and continues throughout a child’s life. It is our role as their faith community to companion our children along the way, honoring their religious potential, their questions, and their unique ways of being in relationship with one another and with God.

8 403073_Newsletter.indd 8

New Baby Ministry St. Stephen’s welcomes and celebrates the arrival of a baby as the newest member of our congregation. We hope to reinvigorate the New Baby Ministry that many will remember from several years ago. This ministry aims to provide encouragement and support for expecting parents, new parents, and any adult who cares for our youngest children. Families are offered a cradle cross, information about Holy Baptism, and a folder of resources on our children’s ministry programs, including our nursery, family graces and blessings, and the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. We

By Betsy Tyson know that parents are the first and most important catechists for their children and home is where the child first hears the Gospel message through the love and care of a family. We hope that this New Baby Ministry will help empower parents to nurture the primary faith foundation SEASONS OF THE SPIRIT

9/7/21 7:51 AM

pherd.

for their children. If you are expecting or adopting a baby, are new to parenthood or the church, or simply want to learn more about children’s ministries at St. Stephen’s, please be in touch with Betsy Tyson. It will be our joy and honor to walk the journey with you.

Holy Baptism Baptism is a sacrament of the church that celebrates our identity as children of God. Those who witness services of Holy Baptism remember and renew their own commitments to walk in the ways of Christ.

Doug Buerlein

Baptism is a welcome into the Body of Christ—for infants, children and adults. As a Christian family, we celebrate God’s love and embrace for all God’s people as unconditional and absolute; we are “marked as Christ’s own forever,” making the sacrament of Baptism a once-in-a-lifetime occasion.

Services of Holy Baptism are offered as part of Sunday morning worship services on the Day of Pentecost, All Saints’ Day or the Sunday after All Saints’ Day, and the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord (the First Sunday after the Epiphany). Baptism is also offered during the Easter Vigil (Saturday night before Easter Day). In addition to these dates designated by the Book of Common Prayer, we offer Baptism on appointed Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. approximately once a quarter (see dates below). We hope this is helpful for the families of children to be baptized, no matter which of our services you typically attend. These Saturday services of Baptism are conducted much as the Sunday services are, include the celebration of Holy Eucharist, and the whole congregation is invited to attend.

Rehearsals for all Baptism services will take place at 4:30 p.m. on the Wednesday before the Baptism date.

Dates for Holy Baptism at St. Stephen’s, 2021-22 • S aturday, September 25 @ 10:30 a.m.

Rehearsal: Wednesday, September 22 @ 4:30 p.m.

• S unday, November 7 @ 11:15 a.m.

All Saints’ Sunday Rehearsal: Wednesday, November 3 @ 4:30 p.m.

• S unday, January 9 @ 11:15 a.m.

The Baptism of Our Lord Rehearsal: Wednesday, January 5 @ 4:30 p.m.

• S aturday, February 5 @10:30 a.m.

Rehearsal: Wednesday, February 2 @ 4:30 p.m.

• S aturday, April 16 @ 7:30 p.m. (typically adults only) The Easter Vigil Rehearsal: Wednesday, April 13 @ 4:30 p.m.

• S aturday, April 30 @ 10:30 a.m.

Rehearsal: Wednesday, April 27 @ 4:30 p.m.

• Sunday, June 5 @ 10:00 a.m.

The Day of Pentecost Rehearsal: Wednesday, June 1 @ 4:30 p.m.

• Saturday, July 23 @ 10:30 a.m.

Rehearsal: Wednesday, July 20 @ 4:30 p.m.

For more information about baptism, please contact Betsy Tyson.

The Nursery at St. Stephen’s Children are always invited to worship with their families at any of the services at St. Stephen’s Church. For families who prefer it, we offer nursery care for children from infancy to age 4; it is available during our 9 a.m., 11:15 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Sunday services, as well as during Christian education hour and at other times when events take place on our campus. The nursery is staffed by a team of CPR/AED-certified childcare workers and begins receiving children 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start of a worship service or other event. For more information about nursery care, please refer to the nursery pamphlet located on the Welcome Table outside of Palmer Hall.

We will reopen the nursery beginning Sunday, September 12 at 8:45 a.m.

Palmer Hall Chapel We are excited to welcome families back to Palmer Hall Chapel!

We have missed worship services in Palmer Hall, which we hope feel especially welcoming to families, particularly those with babies and children. Of course, people of all ages are welcome at any service of worship at St. Stephen’s Church.

Palmer Hall is the brick chapel inside the parish house which was St. Stephen’s original church. We gather there every Sunday at 9 a.m. from September to May for a celebration of Holy Eucharist: Rite Two. All are welcome to receive Communion and in Palmer Hall, as well as in the main church, there are important roles for children and families: as greeters, ushers, acolytes, oblation bearers, and as members of the altar guild.

Wherever you might be on your faith journey, we hope your experience in Palmer Hall will strengthen and affirm you. Please be in touch to let us know how we can best support you.

Serving in Palmer Hall Greeters: Often a greeter is the very first person that a newcomer or visitor meets at St. Stephen’s Church. Greeters are important representatives of our welcome and hospitality to those who are neighbors and strangers. Families may serve as greeters by welcoming parishioners to Palmer Hall and handing out bulletins prior to the service.

Ushers: Families may serve as ushers by collecting and presenting the offering during the service. continued on page 10

S A I N T S T E P H E N ’ S E P I S C O PA L C H U R C H P E N T E C O S T 2 | F A L L 2 0 2 1

403073_Newsletter.indd 9

9 9/7/21 7:51 AM

Children's Ministry at St. Stephen's | 2021-22

Oblation families: Families may serve as the oblation bearers— the carriers of the gifts—by presenting the bread and wine at the altar during the collection of the offering.

Altar Guild: The Palmer Hall Altar Guild prepares the vessels for Communion and sets the altar before the service begins.

They ensure that the necessary materials are on the table and ready to be administered during the service. After the service, they clean the vessels, care for the linens and carefully dispose of consecrated bread and wine. They maintain the cleanliness and organization of the sacristy, the room in the chapel where sacred things are kept.

Acolytes: Acolytes are important servers at the altar before and during the celebration of Holy Communion. They represent the work of God’s people in the worship service so that all present might participate in this service with joy. There are four roles an acolyte may perform including lighting the altar candles, collecting the offering, helping to set the table for communion, or reading the psalm or lesson. Acolytes also serve as torch bearers, leading the procession.

Readers: Children who lead the reading of the psalm or other lesson should be able to read biblical passages with some confidence in front of an audience (and any of our ministers are happy to help with this!) Readers often practice ahead of time with their family, especially in learning the pronunciation of unfamiliar words.

Training sessions for Palmer Hall: • Ushers, greeters, oblation bearers: Sunday, September 12, 12:30-1:30 p.m.

• Acolytes: Wednesday, September 8, 5:00-6:00 p.m.; Wednesday, September 15, 5:00-5:45 p.m.

• Altar Guild: Thursday, September 9, 5:00-6:00 p.m.

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd For years, St. Stephen’s entire parish family has benefited from the richness of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a religious formation approach based on scripture, liturgy, and the pedagogical principles of Dr. Maria Montessori. Begun in Italy in 1954 under the guidance of noted theologians and educators Sofia Cavelletti and Gianna Gobbi, CGS is not primarily academic but instead seeks to be a religious experience rooted in celebration, contemplation, wonder, and joy. We believe that God and the child have a pre-existing and intimate relationship, one that can be assisted and witnessed by the adult but that is directed by the Spirit. We believe that children need their own place to foster that relationship and that their spiritual growth is best served by especially observant and well-trained companions who, as Montessori says, “bear in mind the words of John the Baptist after the Messiah had been revealed to him: ‘He must grow while I diminish.’”

10 403073_Newsletter.indd 10

Who are these trained companions? They are catechists. The word catechesis means oral religious instruction and a catechist is the one who shares presentations, materials, and scripture with the children—parables, prophecies, geography, history, and events from the life of Christ. The catechist is not a teacher but a guide, a co-wonderer, listener, and facilitator who has undergone training to understand ways that biblical and liturgical themes correspond to the developmental stages of children in their care and who has carefully prepared the sacred space where the mystery of the child may meet (or meet again!) the mystery of God. What is the sacred space? It is called an atrium. In the atrium, children may meet and be grounded in the love of Christ under the care and observation of their catechists. We say that everything we do in the atrium is a prayer and every material in the atrium is meant as a means for exploring the mysteries of our faith. As the life and work of a monk centers on prayer, so the child’s experience in an atrium session is considered prayerful and serious work.

St. Stephen’s is fortunate to have several atria ready to welcome children this fall. We know there is still some uncertainty about safety protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and any of its variants and we remain committed to following all guidelines and recommendations from the Diocese of Virginia and the Centers for Disease Control, especially when it comes to unvaccinated children. We will proceed with both caution and optimism, and though it is possible not all of the atria will open at the same time, we hope to welcome any and all children this September.

Why this approach? After years of study around the world, scholars, theologians and educators have realized that the religious potential and desires of children are unique, mature, transformative and revelatory, and that when children are allowed space and time and freedom to wonder about the mysteries of faith, then the adult—with discipline, a willing spirit and an open heart—may herself be transformed by a deeper knowledge and a love “which lies,” Montessori writes, “in the hidden darkness…”

It is now and going forward as it has always been, in the words of Montessori: “A kind of syllabus, our only syllabus: ‘Help us, O God, to enter into the secret of childhood, so that we may know, love, and serve the child in accordance with the laws of thy justice and following thy holy will.’”

Ages 3-6: Atrium of the Mustard Seed, atrium of the Good Shepherd, atrium of the Precious Pearl We know that children of this age are concrete in their understanding of the world and that they are drawn to hands-on activities that appeal to the senses. The 3- to 6-year-old child has an absorbent mind with a desire for structure, order, silence, SEASONS OF THE SPIRIT

9/7/21 7:51 AM

Sarah Bartenstein

relationship to the Church, to their family and peers and school community, and to Christ. In these atria, children are presented the moral parables—of the Pharisee and the tax collector, the good Samaritan—as well as the parts of the Eucharist, from the Liturgy of the Word to the Preparation of the Gifts and from the Eucharistic Prayer to the Communion of the People. Children of this age are also invited to prepare for Solemn Communion through a series of meditations that explore a celebratory, merciful and life-giving relationship with Jesus.

A child works with materials in the atrium.

question-asking, and celebration. They have an incredible (and often under-appreciated) ability to concentrate, pray, and be in meaningful relationship with others and with God. The work of the atrium for children of this age helps establish the tone and rhythm of life in this particular community and space; children are introduced to exercises in practical life (controlled movement, care of the environment, grace and courtesy) as well as to the essential elements of our faith—primarily the announcement of God’s love through Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, who loves, knows, and calls his sheep by name.

The 3- to 6-year-old child enters the mystery of the Eucharist as a sacrament of Gift by first learning the names of the articles used on the altar, the vestments of the priest, and the gestures— including the preparation of the chalice, the sign of peace, and the epiclesis (when the priest invokes the Holy Spirit to sanctify the bread and wine during the Eucharist). Primarily, the aim of our work with children at this age is to invite them into a shared life rooted in respect, self-discipline, beauty, and joy.

Grades 1-3: Atrium of the True Vine, atrium of the Holy Spirit Children in grades 1 to 3 (or 6 to 9 years of age) are in a period of awakened moral consciousness, have a strong sense of justice, and are moving from an absorbent mind toward a reasoning mind. While there is still a strong need and desire for order, this age is often less interested in personal organization (such as manners and tidiness) and drawn instead to sense-making of the universe. Years of observation have revealed that children this age seek connection, balance, harmony, and meaningful contribution, and they need love and encouragement in making good choices, exploring outcomes, and developing trust. The central religious focus for children in this atrium is the history and mystery of the Kingdom of God and the celebration of the Eucharist, Christ’s presence here and now.

Catechists and theologians alike have recognized that children of this age are especially drawn to the image of the True Vine, and Jesus’ proclamation, “I am the vine, you are the branches,” corresponds to their deep need to better understand their

Grades 4 and 5: Atrium of the Lived Questions With the passing of our beloved parishioner and devoted catechist Sandy Roney in the spring of 2021, our plans to open what is known as a Level III atrium, designed for older children, have been postponed. However, one of her many lasting gifts to us is the lovingly prepared space we call the atrium of the Golden Thread. It is now finished, thanks to Sandy and her husband Earl, and ready to welcome our children. While we anticipate training catechists for this particular, more advanced work, we are in the meantime able to offer this space in the spirit of the principles of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.

The religious work of the 9- to 12-year-old-child addresses a growing desire and capacity to ponder the mysteries of time and to ask essential questions about one’s own role in history, one’s own place among God’s creation, questions we call “cosmic queries”: what is my place in the Kingdom and what am I to do here? Presentations in this atrium often focus on salvation history and the unfolding plan of God as a plan of communion, one which ultimately links all people together through God’s love. Older children begin to recognize the responsibilities and gifts we all share that come with living a Christ-centered life as collaborators with God. In this inaugural year in a new atrium, we intend to offer presentations in this prayerful environment on the prophets of the Old Testament, the miracles of Jesus, and further explorations of scripture, liturgy and the Holy Eucharist.

Atrium sessions are held every Sunday from 10 to 11 a.m. from September through May. We hope to expand this offering as the year continues to include a Sunday afternoon session as well as a Wednesday evening session.

To learn more about becoming a catechist, about observing a session in the atrium, or about how you can support and learn more about the work of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, be in touch with Allison Seay.

Children’s ministry contacts Betsy Tyson, btyson@ststephensRVA.org Allison Seay, aseay@ststephensRVA.org 804.288.2867

S A I N T S T E P H E N ’ S E P I S C O PA L C H U R C H P E N T E C O S T 2 | F A L L 2 0 2 1

403073_Newsletter.indd 11

11 9/7/21 7:51 AM

Youth confirmands picked produce at Shalom Farms for distribution to those experiencing food insecurity. Service is an important component of Confirmation preparation.

A year of living faithfully Youth confirmation at St. Stephen’s

By Allison Seay Editor’s note: This article is reprinted from the fall 2019 edition of Seasons of the Spirit. After the first year of the approach to Confirmation preparation it lays out, we went into “lockdown” during a worldwide pandemic. We continued to stay as close to this vision as we could, given the limitations posed by virtual gatherings.

As we continue on the “glide path” to reopening, we are excited to return to in-person gatherings, teaching, and outreach as part of Confirmation preparation, following the principles articulated in this 2019 article.

Helping young people prepare to be confirmed is a privilege and a joy for us at St. Stephen’s Church as we honor and celebrate a new generation of Christians, connected in spirit to all those who have come before, and all those who will follow.

At their child’s Baptism, parents are asked, “Will you be responsible for seeing that the child you present is brought up in the Christian faith and life?” For 14 or 15 years, parents honor the vows they made on behalf of their baptized child, and then that responsibility is lovingly and faithfully transferred through a process known as Confirmation preparation.

At St. Stephen’s young people often prepare to be confirmed in their 9th grade year. While this convention works well for many, 12 403073_Newsletter.indd 12

it is certainly not a rule. Confirmation is most meaningful when the young person is truly eager, sincerely desiring, and ready to claim his/her Baptism. Of course, confirmands do need support and encouragement, but not force or coercion; while parents may certainly require their children to go through the process of preparing for Confirmation, it is important that the ultimate decision belong to the young person. It is an opportunity to say “Yes! Amen!” not only to the gift of Baptism but “Yes! Amen!” to a faithful continuation of the journey and “Yes! Amen!” to a widening and deepening relationship with God which often includes doubts, questions, and hesitations.

Ideally, we hope that young confirmands will have been faithfully attending weekly services at St. Stephen’s (or another Episcopal church) for a year or more. Ideally, we hope for confirmands to receive the sacrament of Holy Communion at least once a week for the year in which they are preparing to be confirmed. And ideally, confirmands will attend several presentations over the course of the academic year that will address elements of liturgy and the Christian life that we hope will be of interest to those considering this sacramental rite.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the question I get most often is this: “How required is attendance?” And, “Do I really have to be there continued on page 15 SEASONS OF THE SPIRIT

9/7/21 7:51 AM

Youth Ministry at St. Stephen's | 2021-22

Christian formation for youth Journey to Adulthood approach returns to St. Stephen’s

Y

oung people in middle and high school have a special place in the life of St. Stephen’s Church.

At every child’s Baptism, parents and sponsors alike vow to see that the child they present is “brought up in the Christian faith and life,” in the words of the Book of Common Prayer,

By John Jenkins and because no one can do that work alone (apart from Christian community, the church), the entire congregation also vows to “do all in [our] power to support” the child’s life in Christ.

Providing young people with formative experiences is an essential mark of our faithfulness. The family ministry team is very pleased to announce that we are returning to one of the most acclaimed formation programs in the Episcopal Church, Journey to Adulthood. The three-tiered program begins with Rite 13 for grades 6 and 7, J2A for 8th and 9th, and 4Ward for 10th grade and up.

Youth entering 9th grade are invited to make a special commitment to prepare for the sacramental rite of Confirmation (see “A year of living faithfully,” facing page, and a descripton on page 14), which includes a variety of required activities and events.

We look forward to the year ahead! It will be especially helpful to our staff and lay ministers to have information about each participant, and parental consent to contact them, submitted in advance online (ststephensRVA.org/children-youth-registration).

Otherwise, you may complete the forms when we meet you or on Rally Day, Sunday, September 12. We are going to have a great year together! Questions? Please contact me at jjenkins@ststephensRVA.org.

SUNDAY MORNINGS 6th-7th grades, Rite 13 Led by clergy and lay leaders, 10:10- 11:00 a.m.

Rite 13 is an inclusive, engaging, relational youth ministry for ages 11-13 that culminates in the Rite 13 ceremony. Rite 13 refers to the rite of passage from childhood into early maturity at age 13.

Creative, developmentally-appropriate lessons are organized around three central categories of Self, Society, and Spirituality. Throughout the year, we will engage in Bible study, prayer, service projects, serious and fun activities, reflection and discussion. continued on page 14

Will Stanley

Each of the Journey to Adulthood groups will lay a solid foundation in three key areas of formation for young people: spirituality, society, and self.

As we resume in-person youth ministries, we are focused on the heart of Christian community: togetherness, caring for one another and others, and resting in how God has made us, united to God’s life through the risen Christ. We will have plenty of fun, food and rich experiences as we gather throughout the year on Sundays and Wednesdays, as well as for special events. As always, membership at St. Stephen’s is not a prerequisite to participate in any youth ministry we offer, so always feel comfortable bringing friends along.

John Jenkins leads ‘Sacred Pause,’ a special service for graduating high school seniors.

S A I N T S T E P H E N ’ S E P I S C O PA L C H U R C H P E N T E C O S T | F A L L 2 0 2 1

403073_Newsletter.indd 13

13 9/7/21 7:51 AM

Sarah Bartenstein

Youth Ministry at St. Stephen's | 2021-22

Acolytes serve in important roles in worship at St. Stephen’s Church.

8th-9th Grades, J2A Led by clergy and lay leaders, 10:10-11:00 a.m.

J2A (Journey to Adulthood) is an inclusive, engaging, relational youth ministry in a two-year cohort for ages 13-15, culminating in a pilgrimage experience. J2A underscores the importance of Christian community and helps youth develop critical thinking skills while taking on increased responsibility. We will practice several ways of engaging with scripture and prayer.

10th–12th, 4Ward Led by clergy and lay leaders, 10:10- 11:00 a.m.

4Ward is relational youth ministry for ages 15-18 that is mentorbased, with an emphasis on discernment, vocation, and the development of a personal credo (a statement of belief). Bible studies and opportunities to engage more deeply with the church and wider community undergird the final leg on the journey to adulthood.

ACOLYTES All high school youth are invited to serve in the acolyte ministry, and no prior experience is necessary. Acolytes are organized into teams who serve together about once a month. To serve as an acolyte involves a commitment to be trained for a particular role, to be fully present and prepared when serving, to exercise 14 403073_Newsletter.indd 14

responsibility for scheduling and finding substitutes, and being accountable to one’s teammates, other ministers, and the congregation. This ministry requires a level of shared commitment with parents who may need to assist with transportation and executive skills that youth are still developing, particularly with communications and scheduling. If at any time throughout the year you wish to participate, please contact me.

CONFIRMATION Typically 9th grade See “A Year of Living Faithfully,” page 12.

At St. Stephen’s young people most often prepare for Confirmation in their 9th grade year, but while this convention works well for many, it is certainly not a rule and some choose to defer a year.

Confirmation is most meaningful when the young person is truly eager, sincerely desiring, and ready to claim and live his/her/their Baptismal identity and life in Christ in a new, more mature way.

Confirmands need support and encouragement from parents, but not force or coercion; while some parents may require their children to go through the preparation process, the decision to participate in the sacramental rite remains with the young person.

Preparing for Confirmation is a substantial commitment. Learn more at ststephensRVA.org/confirmation. continued on next page SEASONS OF THE SPIRIT

9/7/21 7:51 AM

Required participation for confirmands:

A year of living faithfully

TBD, Servant Leadership/Outreach Event

every week?” And here is our answer: Confirmation is more marriage than wedding, more long study than final exam.

The goal of preparing for Confirmation is not only—or even principally—to Bishop Goff and confirmands make a one-time affirmation of one’s Baptism, but to intentionally join oneself to the Body of Christ, the community of believers who continually encourage and strengthen each other in faith, recognizing that Confirmation is the work of a life, not a day. Thus, the most important step towards Confirmation—and one of the gifts of this process—is to know and be known by a loving community and to observe the distinctive commandment that we “honor the Sabbath Day, and keep it holy.” A prerequisite for this is showing up each week for worship and working to establish committed, trusting relationships with other parishioners in this family of faith.

Wednesday, November 17, 6:30-8:00 p.m., Instructed Eucharist Wednesday, January 26, 6:30-8:00 p.m., Confirmand Presentation Throughout February, individually scheduled confirmand check-in session with Rev. John Jenkins Wednesday, March 16, 6:30-8:00 p.m., Confirmand Presentation Confirmation Day with one of our bishops – May 2022, Date TBD OUTREACH AND SERVICE Ron Brown, our director of outreach, is consulting with community partners to design rich outreach experiences with the family ministry staff to offer youth opportunities to grow in self-awareness and compassion while practicing servant leadership to address community needs such as homelessness, food insecurity, and access to essential services. Watch The Spirit and eSpirit for details.

Parent group returns Many Parents, One Vine will convene Sunday mornings

Beginning Sunday, October 10, Many Parents, One Vine—a favorite pre-pandemic offering—will return. We hope and expect that it will meet in person from 10:10 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in Palmer Hall. This offering will continue its tradition of providing a dedicated space for learning, conversation, community, and fellowship for parents of all ages and situations.

Many folks who worship in our Palmer Hall service find this offering particularly appealing, though it is open to all.

This fall, the group will be convened by St. Stephen’s staff and will draw upon the wisdom and learning from Parenting with Resilience, our 2020-2021 offering which was born out of the realities of the pandemic and the particular challenges it presented for parents and families. Many Parents, One Vine will begin a bit later in the fall, in order to allow and encourage everyone to attend the first sessions of the Sunday Forum, which will cover important topics related to our time of transition and discernment.

Many Parents, One Vine will continue through Sunday, December 12, before taking a break until the new year.

Jay Paul

Wednesday, October 20, 6:30-8:00 p.m., Confirmand Presentation

The word mandatory has as its root, “mandate,” from the Latin word for commission—literally, “to give into someone’s hand.” When we say that certain things are “required”—that is, mandatory—we mean that we sincerely believe in the necessity of Christian community, the very necessity of you. One cannot be a Christian alone. So, it isn’t at all that we wish to make this process feel burdensome, but in fact the opposite; we all benefit from regular reminders that we need one another in important ways. While the rest of the world is often chaotic, hurried, difficult, and stressful, the divine essence of you, the soul, is the dwelling place of God and into God’s hand are you given.

We know that other things in life are important too, but we believe that Confirmation is an essential step in nurturing that most intrinsic relationship with the One to whom we belong eternally. So, yes, it’s mandatory! Being here is absolutely necessary! And in order for the church to testify truly to the bishop and to all who will witness one another’s vows on Confirmation Day that what began in Baptism and has been nourished in Eucharist is now joyfully and deliberately confirmed, we need to worship together, know one another, and feel connected in this journey. (See dates in left column.)

We are here always. And for those who are up for the gift and the challenge of a year of living faithfully, we will be honored companions.

YOUTH CONFIRMATION ON THE WEB ststephensRVA.org/youthconfirmation Contact: The Rev. John Jenkins, jjenkins@ststephensRVA.org

S A I N T S T E P H E N ’ S E P I S C O PA L C H U R C H P E N T E C O S T 2 | F A L L 2 0 2 1

403073_Newsletter.indd 15

continued from page 12

15 9/7/21 7:51 AM

Heidi Schmidt

FEED AND HEAL A reflection by one of our missionaries Photos of children in Jujuy: being fed, being healed

A

t the conclusion of the Eucharist, we receive a mandate to go out into the world, to love and serve the Lord. What does that mean for missionaries in the middle of a pandemic in an area where there are still not many vaccines, health resources are few, the economy is broken, people are unemployed,

By Monica Vega schools are closed, food pantries and soup kitchens open and close, open and close?

Many people have died, many people have lost their jobs, and many cannot feed their families.

Many are suffering from mental health issues because of isolation. The pandemic has taken so much away.

But it has also given us an opportunity: to respond to that call from Jesus to his disciples, and to us. We have learned the names and address of the people sent to us to feed and heal.

What does it mean when we receive the same mandate that Jesus gave to a group of fishermen and housewives: heal and feed.

We have distributed tons of food parcels. Feed and heal.

We heal and feed, heal and feed. That is what we do.

We have visited those who are isolated and lonely. Feed and heal.

Sara Miles is an Episcopal priest, a former atheist who wandered into a church one day, received Communion, and experienced a religious conversion; she has spoken at St. Stephen’s. In her book Take This Bread, she recounts the transformation of her church into a food pantry for the poor in her community. Each week, the people of St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco move the furnishings out of the nave and bring in food for people to take home with them.

We have helped clothe little girls who were wearing their deceased grandmother’s underwear and clothing because they had nothing else to wear on a visit to the doctor. Feed and heal.

In Argentina, in the pandemic, we have done the opposite. We have taken the feeding programs—and the soccer fields, and the playgrounds, and people’s homes, and the streets—and turned them into church. Like you, we could not have church in the traditional ways.

We had no church services. We had no social services.

16 403073_Newsletter.indd 16

We have been with children on soccer fields and playgrounds and on the streets. Feed and heal.

We are discovering in all these settings the surprising dwelling places of God, and we are immersed in God’s presence.

Monica Vega is one of our two missionaries in Jujuy, one of the poorest communities in Argentina. The other is Heidi Schmidt, who took the photos on this page. Heidi and Monica will visit us at St. Stephen’s in the fall. Watch The Spirit and eSpirit for specific dates.

SEASONS OF THE SPIRIT

9/7/21 7:51 AM

The food ministry at St. Stephen’s Church continues to implement new ways to support those who suffer from financial hardship and food insecurity.

Parishioner Geri Hall and her coworkers at United Healthcare are

By Anna Jones attending the Monday afternoon food pantry once a month to help patrons get connected to free healthcare and to supplement Medicare or Medicaid benefits they may already receive. United Healthcare may also be able to host COVID and flu vaccine clinics during pantry hours in the future. This budding partnership is a wonderful step to more fully serve the basic needs of those who shop at the pantry.

The Farmers Market @ St. Stephen’s is applying to accept SNAP benefits at the market. SNAP stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (what many used to call “food stamps”).

Within a year, we hope that customers with SNAP benefits will be able to use their SNAP funds to purchase nourishing foods.

A further partnership with Virginia Fresh Match, administered

by Shalom Farms, will mean that those customers will be able to receive fresh produce at 50 percent off, while the market’s produce vendors still receive full price for their products.

Food ministry volunteers will soon be delivering groceries to a third senior housing community in Richmond. We already deliver groceries to two locations run by Virginia Supportive Housing, and are excited to add a third with a different organization, Dominion Place.

Ministry to those in jails and prisons enters a new phase

D

uring the pandemic, the regular visits parishioners made to offer Bible study and Holy Communion to those incarcerated in the Richmond City Jail were not permitted by the jail, in order to limit the spread of COVID-19. We have missed these weekly visits and look forward to resuming them.

By Larry Bidwell

While we have not been able to visit during the past year, however, we have begun planning for the future.

We hope and expect to be able to return to making visits this fall. In addition to resuming visits to the Richmond City Jail, we are seeking to expand these visits to one other area jail, and a Virginia Department of Corrections facility.

In addition, staff members have spent the summer asking what we—as a community of faith—can do to expand our ministry to those incarcerated to reach beyond jail and prison walls. Often, the programs and services offered in these facilities for release and reentry are inadequate. For too many newly released men and women, a lack of basic job and education skills, as well as the absence of a community of care and support to assist them in reordering their lives, leads to a cycle of repeat offending. St. Stephen’s Church can be a leader in programs and services for those seeking to move beyond their time behind bars.

Sarah Bartenstein

Food ministry finds additional ways to serve the community

With these things in mind, and as a reflection of the role our community of faith plays in restoring all of us to wholeness, we’ve begun to refer to our jail ministry as a restorative justice ministry.

If you would like to join other parishioners and staff in serving in this area of our outreach ministries, please be in touch with Ron Brown, rbrown@ststephensRVA.org.

Participants go through a discernment and training process before being placed on a team to go to the jail and take Holy Communion and Bible study.

Our food ministry offers choice to visitors.

Photo: Grape juice (pre-pandemic) and bread consecrated for the jail ministry.

S A I N T S T E P H E N ’ S E P I S C O PA L C H U R C H P E N T E C O S T 2 | F A L L 2 0 2 1

403073_Newsletter.indd 17

17 9/7/21 7:51 AM

Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division.

The story of America

Land acknowledgement and reconciliation

By Cate Anthony St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church acknowledges that we gather on the traditional land of the first people of Richmond, the Powhatan people, who are still here. We honor with gratitude the land itself and the Powhatan nation.

The words above are a “land acknowledgement,” a statement to formally recognize that the St. Stephen’s campus is on land that originally was home to indigenous people who lived on and cared for this land long before the European colonization of what would become the Commonwealth of Virginia. Our parish, and much of Richmond itself, is on the land of the Powhatan Chiefdom, a nation made up of more than 30 tribes under the rule of chief Wahunsunacock, whom the English called Powhatan upon their arrival in 1607. Distinct tribes belonging to the Powhatan Chiefdom and indigenous to Virginia include the Chickahominy, the Mattaponi, the Pamunkey, the Monacan, the Youghtanud, and the Arrohatec, among others.

I wonder how the assertion of this land acknowledgement makes you feel upon reading it for the first time—perhaps you are surprised or curious, delighted or off-put. When I was in seminary at Yale Divinity School, we read a land acknowledgment prior to most chapel services (YDS resides on the land of the Quinnipiac people). At first, the language of the acknowledgment and the theory behind it were foreign to me—but over time, I began to understand the importance of naming the indigenous communities that came before me and my time living in Connecticut. I think that land acknowledgements have a lot in common with our 18 403073_Newsletter.indd 18

Christian theology of the communion of saints. In the latter, we assert a lasting and infallible connection between holy people of all ages, eras, cultures, and experiences; we declare that our current story is inextricably intertwined with the stories of those of faith who came before us and those who will be here after we are gone.

In a similar way, land acknowledgments seek to remind us that the story of this place where we live and worship began long before St. Stephen’s Church stood tall at the corner of Three Chopt and Grove; we are also reminded of those with whom we share the experience of living in this place and are called to honor this land and preserve it for those who come to live here next.

Since the summer of 2020, St. Stephen’s has offered 11 learning cohorts for Sacred Ground, a powerful online curriculum of documentary films and readings that focus on Indigenous, Black, Latino, and Asian/Pacific American histories as they intersect with European American histories. During the program’s third week, participants learn about indigenous peoples’ experiences in America, and also talk about land acknowledgments. In this way and much more, Sacred Ground is our community’s first step into seeing the story of America as fully as possible—even when doing so challenges our sense of our place in the narrative of things.

In addition to offering Sacred Ground during the 2021-22 program year (Wednesdays at 10 a.m. biweekly beginning in late September; other times TBA), we continue to create new opportunities for learning and action in the work of racial justice.

If you are curious about what you’ve read here, or about the work of racial justice and Christian discipleship, please contact me or visit ststephensRVA.org/sacredground to learn more about how to get involved.

SEASONS OF THE SPIRIT

9/7/21 7:51 AM

A unique path to meaningful employment The ReWork Richmond difference

R

eWork Richmond, the workforce development program that came about through a partnership among St. Stephen’s, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Church Hill, the City of Richmond’s Office of Community Wealth Building and Challenge Discovery Projects, is changing the lives of East End Richmond residents.

fun, exciting and very busy. Thank you all for your help and dedication to my success. The sky’s the limit from here!”

By Deb Lawrence

ReWork’s mission is to empower underemployed adults living in Richmond’s East End to obtain the skills and support needed to qualify for and ultimately gain thriving, living-wage careers.

Born of the capital campaign that St. Stephen’s conducted as part of its centennial observance, ReWork takes a unique approach to employment. Most workforce development programs focus on finding entry-level jobs for their clients, jobs that don’t financially sustain them. These programs rarely address the barriers to securing lasting, family-sustaining employment.

ReWork, on the other hand, is about employment support and job sourcing that create lasting career opportunities for East End Richmond families. The program is structured to provide a comprehensive array of personal support and employment referral services tailored to meeting the individual goals of each ReWork member, (not client or participant). There is no cookiecutter approach; each member works with the ReWork staff to strategically design their individual career plan.

With continuing financial support from St. Stephen’s and other invested community partners, ReWork Richmond is making a difference in the lives of East End adults and their families. We are happy to report that program enrollment continues to grow each month and members are making great strides on their paths to meaningful, living-wage careers.

Through ReWork’s extensive collaborative relationships in the community, members are able to connect to organizations best qualified to help them overcome logistical hurdles. One example is member Star T. Star and her two children have been living in a public housing complex in the East End for many years. But in September, she and her children will move into a brand new home in a rent-to-own program with Urban Hope, one of ReWork’s community partners. Star is very excited about this life-changing opportunity and credits her enrollment in ReWork Richmond for this move. She is equally excited about her career plans and is working hard with the ReWork staff to reach her dream of owning her own food truck.

There are several ways you can help make a difference in the lives of ReWork members and support their rise from poverty. If you have a roadworthy vehicle to donate, please let ReWork know. Each car is thoroughly checked out and detailed prior to delivery. Mark Murphy (markmurphydmm@gmail.com or 203.249.2164) can provide additional details. All donations to ReWork Richmond are tax deductible.

ReWork also seeks committed volunteers who are interested in career and financial coaching, or assisting with resume writing and interview skills. To explore how your generosity and skills can help ReWork Richmond, please contact me at deb.lawrence@reworkrichmond.org or 804.869.3704.

Please read more about the organization at reworkrichmond.org.

St. Stephen’s parishioner Deb Lawrence is executive director of ReWork Richmond and former director of outreach for St. Stephen’s Church.

In an email to ReWork staff after completing her first week at VCU Health System, Janice was elated: “This first week has been

Courtesy of ReWork Richmond

Member Janice A. is a recent example. Janice was recommended to ReWork by the Office of Community Wealth Building and came to the program with no career plan, and without a driver’s license she had no reliable means of transportation to work. After enrolling with ReWork and working with the staff, Janice is now employed with VCU Health System as a Certified Medical Assistant, is trained in medical coding and billing, has obtained her driver’s license and secured stable transportation to and from her job.

A ReWork member with a donated car that allows her to get to her new job as a Licensed Practical Nurse

S A I N T S T E P H E N ’ S E P I S C O PA L C H U R C H P E N T E C O S T 2 | F A L L 2 0 2 1

403073_Newsletter.indd 19

19 9/7/21 7:51 AM

Jay Paul

Anointing at the Celtic service

Ancient practices for the twenty-first century Healing prayer and anointing are precious offerings during the Celtic service

A

t St. Stephen’s Church, the Sunday evening service of Celtic Evensong and Communion has long featured two ancient practices, healing prayer and anointing. Before the pandemic, these rituals were a part of every Celtic service. There is something precious and deeply moving

By Gayle Royals about being present before God with someone who needs and wants healing prayer. Receiving the laying on of hands is available to anyone—for themselves or for someone they love. It’s a time of very few spoken words, of joining with a healing prayer minister to silently open ourselves and present our concerns to God.

As the description of this ministry in the Celtic service bulletin says, “This is not a ministry of magical incantations. Instead, this healing prayer ministry is simply about fellow pilgrims opening ourselves more completely to the healing love of God…. Much as a group of friends once brought a paralytic to Jesus so that Jesus might heal him, so we sometimes benefit from the loving care of others who bring us more fully into the presence of God.” Healing prayer and anointing are practices we’ve missed during this time of great caution to protect ourselves and others from transmitting illness. We hope they will return this fall.

When you approach one of our healing prayer ministers at this service, the minister will ask your name and the concern for which you seek prayer, understanding that you may choose not to share this. Anything said to the minister is kept in confidence. There is usually a brief spoken prayer at the beginning, and the healing prayer minister will lay his/her hands on your shoulders and join you in silently praying together before God. The healing prayer 20 403073_Newsletter.indd 20

minister will say a brief prayer aloud to conclude the period of silent prayer.

Anointing is another practice which has been a blessing for many, and is linked to healing prayer. During the Celtic service, you may choose to receive either anointing or healing prayer or both. It is a humbling and powerful experience to be anointed with blessed oil. Anointing is mentioned many times in Scripture. The beloved Psalm 23 says, “You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”

The Letter of James in the New Testament states, “Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.” (James 5:14) Healing prayer ministers and anointers prepare for this ministry with care. They meet as a group to pray and read scripture— choosing passages that center on healing—and let the Word speak to them using the practice called lectio divina. They also gather together just before the Celtic service to pray and center themselves.

These volunteers take part in periodic daytime retreats at the church.

Each minister is placed on a team, and teams usually serve one Sunday a month.

If you are interested in becoming a healing prayer minister, please be in touch with me or the Rev. Claudia Merritt, cmerritt@ ststephensRVA.org. You’ll take part in a period of discernment to consider whether this is an effective way for you to exercise your particular gifts.

Being a healing prayer minister does not require the ability to voice eloquent or lengthy prayers, only a desire to join with another person their desire to move closer to God. SEASONS OF THE SPIRIT

9/7/21 7:51 AM

Jay Paul

An introduction to centering prayer Two workshops offered this fall St. Stephen’s has a robust contemplative prayer community and is pleased to invite parishioners and community members to explore the gifts of a centering prayer practice through two fall workshops.

Centering prayer is a receptive method of Christian silent prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of contemplative prayer, prayer in which we experience God’s presence within us, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than consciousness itself. This method of prayer is a movement beyond conversation with Christ to communion with him, a deepening of one’s relationship with God, and a disciplined path to deepen that relationship.

During each of the three-hour introductions we will share the guidelines of centering prayer developed by Fr. Thomas Keating and the Contemplative Outreach ministry he fostered. We will talk about how to respond to thoughts you have when trying to

be still. We will also discuss the effect that centering prayer has in daily life and ways of fostering this practice in your own life.

St. Stephen’s Church offers a variety of opportunities to connect and practice with others in the contemplative community both online and in person. Learn more at ststephensRVA.org/ contemplative.

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE PRACTICE OF CENTERING PRAYER 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, September 18 Saturday, October 16 Facilitated by Contemplative Outreach of Richmond Register at ststephensRVA.org/centering-workshops Questions: The Rev. John Jenkins, jjenkins@ststephensRVA.org

Praying in private Daughters of the King pray daily in response to your requests St. Stephen’s Church offers many opportunities to engage in prayer and a variety of ways to pray with others: daily Morning Prayer (in person and online) in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit, small groups, listening to Compline, using the parish prayer list, sharing in the Prayers of the People in worship, taking part in our healing prayer ministry, participating in a contemplative group.

confidence, because sometimes people who desire prayer also desire privacy.

By Sherlyn Dibble

There is also a unique group that prays in private: the Daughters of the King. This is an order for women with members who are Episcopalian, Anglican, Lutheran and Roman Catholic. Its members participate in a ministry of intercessory prayer held in strict

The members of St. Stephen’s chapter, named for St. Thérèrese of Liseaux, receive confidential requests from the clergy, from black prayer boxes found in the parish house, and through submissions via the church Web site (ststephensRVA. org/prayerrequest). People often make requests in person after recognizing a Daughter by the distinctive cross she wears.

If you are interested in specifics about the ministry of the Daughters, watch for information in The Spirit (the printed Sunday newsletter/ insert) and the eSpirit, the Wednesday morning email newsletter. We welcome your questions and your prayers. A discernment period for women interested in joining this order will be held this fall.

S A I N T S T E P H E N ’ S E P I S C O PA L C H U R C H P E N T E C O S T 2 | F A L L 2 0 2 1

403073_Newsletter.indd 21

21 9/7/21 7:51 AM

Bring your questions to the inquirers class What does it mean to be an Episcopalian?

Traditionally, St. Stephen’s Church offers an “inquirers class” three times a year—once in the fall, once in the winter, and once in the spring. Beginning Wednesday, September 29, our vicar, the Rev. Will Stanley, will teach this eight-week class for adults. It is our hope and expectation that these sessions will occur in person, meeting from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in Palmer Hall.

The course will explore the essentials of what it means to be a Christian in the Anglican tradition. How we Episcopalians read scripture, and how we engage with both historic tradition and God’s gift of reason will be among the important topics we cover.

The course will conclude on Wednesday, November 17 with an interactive tour of the church, culminating with an instructed Eucharist.

This course is for: • any adult seeking to be confirmed or received into the Episcopal Church or renew their baptismal vows; • anyone new to the Episcopal tradition or simply seeking to know more; or • anyone seeking an interesting and helpful refresher course.

The rites of Confirmation, Reception, and the Reaffirmation of Baptismal Vows are episcopal (lower case “e”) services, meaning that they take place in the presence of a bishop, as a sign of the unity of the whole church. We expect that one of the bishops of the Diocese of Virginia will make an episcopal visit in May 2022, so anyone who completes this course would qualify to pursue one of these opportunities.

We know that many come to a course like this one with questions.

And we are eager to hear them! There will be ample opportunity to pose them throughout the course. To prepare for each session, attendees will be provided excerpts from a small gem of a book, Episcopal Questions, Episcopal Answers: Exploring Christian Faith

by Ian S. Markham and C.K. Robertson. While participants are not required to purchase this book, it is readily available online from many retailers (and most local independent booksellers are happy to place a special order for you). It makes a great addition to any library!

There is no cap on the number of participants and there is no charge for the course. It is helpful, however, if you register in advance, at ststephensRVA.org/inquirers-registration, or by calling 804.288.2867.

Unpacking parables Reading group to discuss ‘Short Stories by Jesus’

J

esus taught us many things in parables. Even those who do not attend church or read the Bible regularly are familiar with some of these stories. Many of us have heard them so many times, we know them by heart. Sometimes their familiarity dulls our ability to take in their richness. One way to broaden our understanding is to ask ourselves, “What would the parables have sounded like to the people who heard them in the first century?” These are enduring stories that still speak to us today, but are there ways we can hear them with fresh ears?

By Claudia Merritt

Amy-Jill Levine, a noted scholar, author, and teacher with a world-wide reputation, is the University Professor of New Testament and Jewish studies at Vanderbilt University.

Dr. Levine has written a wonderful book about Jesus and his parables called Short Stories by Jesus. She explores how of the parables may have sounded to first century Jewish ears and how this may open the parables for us. I will offer a group this fall to read and discuss this book, October 19 and 25, and November 2 and 9, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. There is no charge to join but please do sign up in advance at ststephensrva. org/parables, or by calling the parish office, 804.288.2867.

22 403073_Newsletter.indd 22

SEASONS OF THE SPIRIT

9/7/21 7:51 AM

Sunday Forum returns to the Fellowship Hall Guest speakers and St. Stephen’s staff will discuss a variety of topics during the Christian education hour

A

fter a year of virtual forums focused primarily on conversations with each Sunday’s preacher, the Sunday Forum in its more traditional form will return on September 19. This standard of adult formation at St. Stephen’s Church will continue its practice of featuring high-quality speakers and teachers, drawing upon the best of our tradition through biblical, theological, and artistic lenses, both from within and outside the community of St. Stephen’s. In this time of transition and discernment, the forum will also provide space for dedicated engagement and conversation on related topics with the wider parish. Our hope and expectation is for all sessions to occur in person in the Large Fellowship Hall during the formation hour (from 10:10 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.). All sessions will be recorded and available later, on-demand.

The Forum will open with the Rev. Patrick J. Wingo, our interim rector. In fact, Pat will have the first three Sundays (September 19 and 26, October 3) in the Forum schedule, and will be joined September 26 by the Rev. Sarah Brockenbrough, the transition minister for the Diocese of Virginia.

On October 10, our guest speaker will be the Very Rev. Dr. Andrew McGowan, the dean of Berkeley Divinity School at Yale.

A panel of our new clergy and lay staff, including the Rev. Will Stanley, the Rev. Cate Anthony, the Rev. John Jenkins, and Ron Brown, will speak on October 17.

On October 24, we’ll welcome the Rev. Whitney Edwards, upper school chaplain at St. Christopher’s School.

A three-week series will take place October 31, November 7 and 14, featuring the Rev. Thom Blair. Thom was rector of St.

Stephen’s from 1994 to 2004, and is known for his outstanding biblical teaching.

On November 21, Allison Seay, associate for religion and the arts, will speak in the Forum. Allison’s presentations are always extremely popular.

November 28 is the First Sunday in Advent, and there will be no Forum that day so that all can participate in our intergenerational Advent Fair.

On December 12 and 19, another popular Forum speaker returns when Dr. Gardner Campbell, a St. Stephen’s parishioner and associate professor of English at Virginia Commonwealth University, will present a two-part Forum on an Advent poem (see description on page 25).

The Forum will then be on hiatus until the new year.

There is no Forum on September 5 (Labor Day weekend and the last Sunday for our summer schedule) nor September 12, which is “Rally Day,” when we will hold a ministry fair and fellowship time.

Good to know The Café @ St. Stephen’s is open Sundays, 8:30 a.m. until noon. Drip coffee is complimentary on Sunday mornings, and other drinks, such as espresso drinks and smoothies, are available for purchase. Grab and go snacks and pastries are also available. Pick up your beverage of choice and bring it to the Forum with you.

Journal writing as a spiritual practice Popular group returns

O

ne of the many experiences I missed at St. Stephen’s during the pandemic was a class I have offered here several times, “Journal Writing as Spiritual Practice.” I have been keeping a journal for over 30 years, sometimes faithfully, sometimes less so.

By Regena Stith There is something about journal writing in a group that supports my self-discipline and spirit. Writing with others builds community, and my writing is enriched by the gifts of meditation, poetry and music.

Now that we have returned to face-to-face worship and other activities, I find that I am carrying a quiet excitement for joining a gathering to begin another year of learning and reflecting through writing.

Keeping a journal has a rich heritage in faith development and spiritual practice. In this eight-week class, participants will explore a variety of approaches to journaling, engage in reflective writing and incorporate meditation, poetry, music and structured exercises to deepen and enrich their writing practice.

The class meets from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for eight Wednesdays beginning October 6. There is no charge, but space is limited, so advance registration is required; call the parish office, 804.288.2867.

S A I N T S T E P H E N ’ S E P I S C O PA L C H U R C H P E N T E C O S T 2 | F A L L 2 0 2 1

403073_Newsletter.indd 23

23 9/7/21 7:51 AM

Sarah Bartenstein

St. Stephen’s Flower Guild provides striking displays of flowers, gourds and other materials for this service.

Come, ye thankful people The Rt. Rev. Gayle E. Harris to be guest preacher November 25

L

ast year we had to find new ways to observe cherished customs such as the unique Thanksgiving Day service that the entire Richmond community has embraced over the decades. We are so glad that— as this edition of Seasons of the Spirit went to the printer—it appears that we will be able to offer this service in 2021.

On Thursday, November 25, at 10:30 a.m., St. Stephen’s will hold its traditional service of Morning Prayer: Rite One with our excellent choir, organ, and brass. Our guest preacher will be the Rt. Rev. Gayle E. Harris, bishop suffragan of Massachusetts since January 2003. Bishop Harris attended our Thanksgiving Day service in 2019 while visiting friends here, and the Rev. Gary Jones, then rector, immediately invited her to be the guest preacher in 2020. She accepted, but then the pandemic intervened. We’re grateful that she’s agreed to join us this year.

It’s always a good idea to arrive at this service early, because it is as well-attended as an Easter or Christmas Eve service, and ushers will remind you not to save seats.

24 403073_Newsletter.indd 24

The Rt. Rev. Gayle E. Harris

SEASONS OF THE SPIRIT

9/7/21 7:51 AM

Advent Fair is for all ages

O

n Sunday, November 28—the first Sunday in Advent— individuals, couples and families are invited to gather in the Fellowship Hall after the 9 and 11:15 a.m. services for the Advent Fair.

At this event, you can make an Advent wreath, pick up free resources for observing Advent at home, and enjoy fellowship and refreshments.

Sarah Bartenstein

Wreath kits will be available to assemble your Advent wreath on the spot, or to take home. You’re invited to make a donation to cover the cost of the materials, which include a wreath form, candle holders, and candles. We’ll have plenty of fresh greenery, as well.

More details about this intergenerational event will be available in The Spirit, eSpirit, and on our Web site, closer to the time.

Sarah Bartenstein

There will be no Sunday Forum on November 28.

You can make an Advent wreath at this intergenerational event.

‘Supernatural Love’ is focus of two-part Advent Forum

Holiday Memorial Service acknowledges profound loss

Gardner Campbell explores this remarkable poem

This year’s community service takes place November 29

I

t is rare that a single poem explores the central mysteries of the Incarnation, from the strangeness of our own embodiment to the wonder of God’s loving, sacrificial choice to become human, Emmanuel. “Supernatural Love” is one of those rare poems. Written by Gjertrud Schnackenberg, one of the greatest American poets of the last 100 years, “Supernatural Love” tells the story of a four-year-old girl whose intuitions send her father, a history professor, on a search for knowledge that can explain his young daughter’s visionary insights. The poem is written very simply, as a first-person story told by the young girl, but the universe that her story opens to the reader is breathtaking, unforgettable.

You can find a copy of the poem here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/ poems/47547/supernatural-love Join Dr. Gardner Campbell this Advent as we experience this remarkable poem together, illuminating our own questions, intuitions, and discoveries through the story “Supernatural Love” tells.

Prof. Gardner Campbell

The holiday season is many weeks away, but it’s not too early to note that our annual Holiday Memorial Service will take place November 29, the Monday after Thanksgiving, at 7 p.m.

The weeks that begin with Thanksgiving Day and include Advent, Christmas, and Hanukkah, bring on powerful memories and emotions, and this can be a particularly painful time for those who have lost a child. If you have experienced this loss, or know someone who has, we want you to know about a special service we offer each year.

The Holiday Memorial Service, begun in 2007, is an interfaith offering sponsored by several area congregations and schools— Protestant, Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Jewish—to provide a time and place for families to remember the child they lost. This season of holidays is filled with images and expectations of loved ones coming home, while bereaved parents and family members know that not everyone can be around the table. Moreover, “holiday cheer” seems to preclude bringing up the name or the memory of the deceased child. The Holiday Memorial Service offers an opportunity to do that, whether your child died 30 years ago, or three weeks ago; whether as an adult, a teenager, a child or an infant; from illness, accident, violence, suicide, or other cause.

This service is so important to St. Stephen’s and the larger community that last year, when it was not safe to hold the annual event in the church, we reimagined it and provided an opportunity outdoors for people to remember their children.

Please help us spread the word about this offering, open to all, which is followed by a simple reception.

S A I N T S T E P H E N ’ S E P I S C O PA L C H U R C H P E N T E C O S T 2 | F A L L 2 0 2 1

403073_Newsletter.indd 25

25 9/7/21 7:51 AM

IN SEASON Making farm-to-table connections at the Farmers Market @ St. Stephen’s

By Mary Scott Hardaway More often than not we imagine our area farmers to be hard working, friendly enigmas.

We understand that they’re up before the sun, tilling and planting and tending to the in-season delicacies we find on the menus of the finest local establishments.

We assume they eat tomatoes off the vine and ramps straight from the soil, subsisting off the land like their mothers before them, and their mothers before them.

They’re the kind of people we know exist, with their dirtrimmed cuticles and faded flannel coveralls, though we aren’t sure if we’ve actually ever seen one before.

Except, maybe, at the farmers market.

This year, one of the area’s biggest markets, formerly known as South of the James and located in Forest Hill Park, changed its name, appropriately, to RVA Big Market and moved its Saturday morning market to a new home in Bryan Park, though it will still operate a Thursday night market at the Forest Hill location.

In addition to RVA Big Market, there are more than a halfdozen farmers markets in the greater Richmond region now in full swing, including the mid-sized Farmers Market @ St. Stephen’s. For more than a decade, this market has been quietly

operating year-round at 6000 Grove Ave., boasting a variety of vendors who come for the sense of community and then return, season after season, every Saturday morning.

MAKING CONNECTIONS Chef Mela Jones has been frequenting the stall of F.J. Medina & Sons Farm for years now.

“She tolerates when I email her on a Friday night and say, ‘Hey, I need 30 pounds of asparagus,” Jones says. “She never says no, I mean most people will give her more advance notice.”

Karla Medina has been a mainstay at the Farmers Market @ St. Stephen’s for “eight to 10 years.” Medina’s husband Francisco grew up farming, and when his father passed away in 2006 the Medina family farm was divided among the brothers.

“I just learned from him,” Medina says. “He has the green thumb and the knowledge–and it changes every year. He keeps track of everything in his own calendars from past planting seasons, noting how the weather changes, what’s growing.”

Karla and Francisco, along with help from their two sons and a handful of full- and part-time workers, operate 35 acres in Montross, Virginia, growing things as varied as rainbow chard and oregano.

Every Wednesday through Sunday from April to November, Medina is on the road, setting up the family’s farm stand at 10 markets around the state, from Annandale to Charlottesville to Richmond.

From the May 18, 2021 edition of Style Weekly. Reprinted with permission.

26 403073_Newsletter.indd 26

SEASONS OF THE SPIRIT

9/7/21 7:51 AM

“This is my favorite market,” Medina says of St. Stephen’s. “It has a little bit of everything. People know you by your name, they don’t just come and shop at your stand. And they know your produce, they can tell what comes from which vendor.”

The four-hour market is winding down and vendors are taking a breath after a fairly bustling Saturday. People call out to Jones and Medina as they leave, proudly holding up bags of Medina farms produce.

We’re perched on planks of wood balanced on plastic crates as Jones muses over how she’ll prepare the kohlrabi she just purchased. “I don’t think I’ve ever cooked with it,” she says. “Maybe I’ll do a braise or a gratin, you know, just to introduce people to that.”

Medina nods vigorously: “That’s what the farmers market is for!”

This shared curiosity drives both Jones and Medina, kindred spirits connecting over something as simple as cabbage.

“When you cook fresh from local farms, the food just tastes better,” Medina says. “And Mela’s food is amazing, I’m so happy she’s able to use my produce as ingredients, like in her salads.”

Jones’ Leek & Thistle stand is a 100 feet or so from Medina’s; her husband mans the stall as we chat, selling Mela’s homemade Medina Farms’ asparagus pistachio pesto, chipotle pepita salsa, roasted carrot and white bean dip, plus soups, main courses and vegan entrees. continued on page 28

n’s

AROUND THE MARKET Two long-time vendors of the Farmers Market @ St. Stephen’s, upper left, Leek & Thistle, upper right, F.J. Medina & Sons.

Second row, left: market manager Anna Jones. Right: Mela Jones (no relation) with Karla Medina. Mela Jones uses Medina produce in the dishes she prepares for sale.

Opposite page and page 28: seasonal produce photographed at Medina’s booth in the spring.

All photos by Scott Elmquist, courtesy of STYLE Weekly.

The Farmers Market @ St. Stephen’s Saturdays, year-round (closed the Saturday after Christmas) April through September, 8 a.m.- noon • October through March, 9 a.m.- noon Sign up for the weekly market email newsletter on the Web site. ststephensRVA.org/farmersmarket

S A I N T S T E P H E N ’ S E P I S C O PA L C H U R C H P E N T E C O S T 2 | F A L L 2 0 2 1

403073_Newsletter.indd 27

27 9/7/21 7:51 AM

In Season Making farm-to-table connections at the Farmers Market @ St. Stephen’s On market days Medina says she’s usually up around 3:30 a.m. to get the truck running and the greens loaded fresh in the back.

Continued from page 27

market’s championing of all things local.

“We try to bring produce as fresh as we can; if you load them up at night it can get hot in the boxes,” Medina says. “It’s a little more work, but it makes a difference.”

“My family lived all around the world, and even though my mom and dad were from a small town we were exposed to so many kinds of food,” Jones says. “When we moved back to Great Britain we had a waffle iron, which my friends thought was exotic.”

MARKET MATTERS The year-round Farmers Market @ St. Stephen’s typically plays host to about 40 vendors in the summer and 25 vendors from October through April.

Jones’ résumé includes working as a private chef for an Australian family and catering royal parties for the likes of Princess Diana and Prince Charles, “I think Harry and William were 3 and 5,” she says.

“We don’t have an exact radius for where people come from, but the closer the better,” market manager Anna Jones says. “The majority of our vendors sell Virginia products that they produce themselves.”

Jones has lived in Richmond since 1999 and started her own catering company, Truly Scrumptious, in 2007. She’s worked out of the kitchen at Bon Air United Methodist Church for more than a decade, and will soon permanently move her operations, now rebranded as Leek & Thistle, into the old Nota Bene Space at 2110 E. Main St.

Anna explains that the market is part of the food ministry at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, providing parishioners and the larger community with “a way to get local food and support local vendors, which supports the local economy.”

At the end of each market, volunteers collect donations from vendors, which are then used at the food pantry on Monday.

“That’s our main source of fresh produce for the pantry,” Anna says.

Although she hails from across the pond, chef Jones has a deep appreciation for the Old Dominion’s fruits de terre, and for the

“I’m not sure why I ever named my business Truly Scrumptious,” Jones says. “My family is from Wales, I grew up in Scotland, so those places are both very close to my heart. Leek & Thistle, I don’t know, it just kind of popped out. I like that I can reference my family, they’re all in the U.K., so I like to be able to tell people that story.”

RESILIENT ROOTS Just as the 2020 market season was gearing up last spring, the Farmers Market @ St. Stephen’s shut down–for one week. Then it was back up and running, with new [pandemic] protocols in place.

“They figured it out and have been fantastic,” Jones says.

As big-box stores ran out of fresh produce and pantry staples during the early days of the pandemic, farmers markets, operating on small margins and with no middle men, were able to bounce back and reorganize.

“I talked with several other farmers market managers to see what they were doing, I did a lot of reading on the CDC site and got information from the Virginia Department of Health,” Anna says.

It makes sense, this deeply rooted resiliency, this ability to switch operations on a dime. Markets and their farmers are accustomed to change, to relentless letdowns and mercurial weather patterns. The pandemic put the agricultural industry through the wringer, sure, but they’ve been through the wringer time and again.

And they’ll keep going, no matter what external forces are at play.

“We just added 5 acres to the farm in this beautiful area,” Medina says. “It’s in George Washington’s birthplace and it’s just peaceful. The soil – it’s so rich, I can just picture it now.”

28 403073_Newsletter.indd 28

SEASONS OF THE SPIRIT

9/7/21 7:52 AM

Children enjoy summer story time in the courtyard

Mary Clare Abbott

John Jenkins

Local authors visit to read their books

We’ve gradually returned to our regular summer schedule, including Compline on Sunday evenings, and will begin the ‘regular’ schedule September 12.

Regular worship schedule resumes September 12

T

he summer of 2021 brought a joyful return to many of our pre-pandemic practices, including congregational singing, the lifting of the mask requirement for those who have been fully vaccinated, and the return of the Compline service, the Sunday Community Supper, and “coffee hour” just outside the church after the 10 a.m. service.(As this edition went to press, masks were back on in the face of a surge of the Delta variant.)

On September 12, we will resume our standard schedule: 8 a.m. Holy Eucharist: Rite One, Chapel of the Good Shepherd 9 a.m., Holy Eucharist: Rite Two; two services, one in the main church and one in Palmer Hall Chapel 11:15 a.m., Holy Eucharist: Rite Two, main church 5:30 p.m., Celtic Evensong and Communion, main church 8 p.m., Sung Compline, main church The Sunday Community Supper takes place after the Celtic service, generally around 6:30 p.m.

The Sunday Forum, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, and other formation activities will resume September 19, 10:10-11 a.m.

We continue to monitor public health data. While we hope and pray that we will be able to continue worshiping and holding events as we did over the summer, the possibility exists that some protocols will need to be re-introduced. We will keep you informed through the Spirit and the eSpirit.

Amanda Lynch reads to children at St. Stephen’s.

O

n the last Tuesday of June, July and August, St. Stephen’s Church hosted an outdoor story time for children and their parents, grandparents, or other caregivers. Local authors visited to read from their books and lead other activities.

The free events welcomed people from throughout the community to hear Jessica Parham reading her book Good to Be Me! on June 29, Amanda Lynch, reading My Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams on July 27, and parishioner Valerie James Abbott reading her book, Padapillo, on August 31.

Each author held story time twice—at 10 a.m., and again at 5:30 p.m.—to accommodate different families’ schedules.

The Café @ St. Stephen’s was open during each event, as well.

S A I N T S T E P H E N ’ S E P I S C O PA L C H U R C H P E N T E C O S T 2 | F A L L 2 0 2 1

403073_Newsletter.indd 29

29 9/7/21 7:52 AM

More than flowers

St. Stephen’s Flower Guild members experience beauty in many forms

Sarah Bartenstein

is always a mystery, offering infinite possibilities. Without fail, however, the mystery takes shape through loving hands, and the arrangement comes together. I think of this process as a minicreation story, experienced anew each Friday.

Flowers by Preston Lee of St. Stephen’s Flower Guild

E

ach week several members of St. Stephen’s Flower Guild gather to create arrangements for the altars at St. Stephen’s. The time we spend working together is as important as the results on display. Indeed, each of us gets to know and learn from one another, whether we are seasoned arrangers or

By Catherine Whitham brand new to the guild. Stories from the Bible come to mind as many hands work together.

While the team leader selects the flowers, the actual arrangements are an act of pure creativity. Someone may have a vision based on the colors and textures of flowers and plant material in the buckets, but the wet lump of green oasis awaiting glorious transformation

One Friday I was working on a flower team when someone noticed, after we had completed all the altar arrangements, that we had forgotten an important arrangement at the Grove Avenue entrance.

We had used all the best flowers and greenery and what appeared to be dregs were all that was left in several buckets. Someone suggested a quick run for more flowers, but our team leader suggested instead that we work with what we had. Seeing that we only had a few pieces, one member worried aloud, “What are we going to do?”

So we pooled the buckets and found enough to create a stunning arrangement with greens of many textures. I heard an echo of the loaves and fishes story, as we gathered the leftovers, said a silent prayer, and went to work. Miraculously, there was more than enough for the arrangement. In fact, there was even enough for a small vase for the parish house.

Creativity and fellowship go hand in hand in this guild. While making something beautiful, we also encourage and inspire each other. Once the arrangements are placed on the altars, each member dries her hands and says her own prayer of thanksgiving for time shared together for the glory of God. If you would like to join a team, please contact me at catherinecwhitham@gmail.com. We welcome all who love flowers.

Catherine Whitham is co-chair of St. Stephen’s Flower Guild.

Women’s Forum features local authors, our clergy, and a record-shattering swimmer

T

he Women of St. Stephen’s host a monthly forum from October through May (with a break in January), and everyone is invited. Unless an event includes a meal, there is no charge and no registration required. Please come and bring a friend.

October 5, 2021 (refreshments, 9:30 a.m., program, 10) ­­ Meet our clergy A panel will feature St. Stephen’s clergy who arrived just before or during the pandemic “lockdown.” Take this opportunity to learn more about them and ask questions.

November 2, 2021 (refreshments, 6:00 p.m., program, 6:30) Rives Fowlkes Carroll “I think I was certain he was going to come home. He just

30 403073_Newsletter.indd 30

seemed to have a faith I couldn’t even understand.” So writes Rives Fowlkes Carroll about her father in Chaplain: The World War II Letters of Army Air Corps Chapain Pascal Dupuy Fowlkes.

Hear Rives talk about her father and her book, available for purchase.

December 7, 2021 (program at 11 a.m.)

Advent and Christmas Music Program Join us for seasonal music in the church; watch The Spirit, the eSpirit, and the Women of St. Stephen’s email newsletter for details closer to the time. If covid protocols are such that it is possible, our traditional holiday luncheon will follow.

January 2022–no program SEASONS OF THE SPIRIT

9/7/21 7:52 AM

The May Fair House re-opens September 14 In-person shopping available, volunteers needed

T

he May Fair House is a gift shop managed and staffed by the Women of St. Stephen’s.

(If you’ve come to St. Stephen’s from another Episcopal church, you can think of the Women of St. Stephen’s as our parish chapter of the Episcopal Church Women, or ECW.) The shop not only has a wide-ranging selection of items for your home and garden, clothing, jewelry and accessories, books, picture frames, and baby gifts, it also carries a delectable selection of comfort foods. Casseroles, sides, breads and desserts are made by volunteer cooks using tried-and-true recipes that are favorites in Richmond—and not just among St. Stephen’s parishioners. The dishes—already frozen for your convenience— make wonderful gifts for new parents, new neighbors, hosts and hostesses, or someone who is recuperating from surgery or illness.

Having them on hand in your own freezer for busy evenings when you’re too frazzled to cook, or to serve unexpected guests, is like money in the bank!

Last year, the shop’s leadership went all out to make it possible for you to continue to shop for May Fair House foods and gifts, providing phone-in ordering for food, and an e-commerce site for merchandise, both with curbside pick-up, and hosting outdoor shopping during the farmers market on Saturdays, as well as two outdoor bazaars. These efforts were spurred by their desire to continue to award grants to organizations and ministries that support vulnerable women and children in our community— because that’s what the proceeds from the May Fair House are for.

Thank you to these indefatigable volunteers, and thanks to you for your ongoing support.

February 1, 2022 (refreshments, 9:30 a.m., program, 10) Lauren Zaller Moore The president and CEO of the Childrens’ Hospital Foundation will discuss the status of health care for children.

March 1, 2022 (refreshments, 9:30 a.m., program, 10) Bill Lohmann Several mornings each week, Richmond Times-Dispatch columnist Bill Lohmann lifts our spirits with stories of the people he meets. Hear some of Bill’s favorite memories. Copies of his book, Backroads and Byways of Virginia, will be available for purchase.

April 2022; date TBA Ladies Night Out Our annual dinner program will be held in the spring this year, and we will welcome another outstanding woman as our speaker, super swimmer Courtney Paulk. She became the first

The May Fair House, staffed almost entirely by volunteers (we have three part-time managers), closes in the summer. This summer, for the first time, customers could still shop for merchandise (though not food) on the e-commerce site. In the fall, however, the shop will again be open to the public for in-person shopping—and we are delighted. (At press time, masks are back in use for all.)

Here are some things to know: •The shop will re-open Tuesday, September 14.

• May Fair House will be open Tuesday through Sunday, and closed on Mondays:

• Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

• Saturday, 9 a.m.-noon (during the farmers market,

beginning September 18)

• Sunday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

• The e-commerce site will continue, mayfairhouseonline.com.

• Volunteers are needed!

To volunteer in the shop once a month (morning shift or afternoon shift), contact Darla Perry darla63@hotmail.com or 804.517.5608. You will always be working with a manager or one of the shop co-chairs, and you will not need to run the register. You may volunteer more than once a month if you wish.

To join a cook team, please contact Eileen Walker (804.359.2227) or JoAnn Pulliam (804.335.5529). As with shop volunteers, you may cook once a month or more frequently, if you wish. You do not have to be a gourmet cook! Teams work in the fully-equipped kitchen at St. Stephen’s under the supervision of a ServSafe-trained staff member or volunteer. Recipes, ingredients and utensils are provided.

marathon swimmer to claim a “Triple Triple,” swimming coast to coast through the English Channel, the Catalina Channel, and circumnavigating Manhattan—three times! Details of the program, including the date and how to reserve tickets, will be communicated in The Spirit, the eSpirit, and the Women of St. Stephen’s email newsletter.

May 3, 2022; gather at St. Stephen’s (10:30 a.m.)

Closing service and lunch We will gather in the church for a celebration of Holy Eucharist. Lunch will follow. Watch The Spirit, eSpirit, and the Women of St. Stephen’s email newsletter closer to the time for lunch details, including reservations.

Don’t receive the Women of St. Stephen’s email newsletter or the eSpirit? Go to ststephensRVA.org/email to subscribe. Or call the parish office, 804.288.2867.

S A I N T S T E P H E N ’ S E P I S C O PA L C H U R C H P E N T E C O S T 2 | F A L L 2 0 2 1

403073_Newsletter.indd 31

31 9/7/21 7:52 AM

SPIRIT

Presorted First Class Mail U.S. Postage PA I D Richmond, VA Permit No. 320

P ENT ECOST | FAL L 2021 Issue Number 40

ST. STEPHEN’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH 6000 Grove Avenue l Richmond, Virginia 23226 ststephensRVA.org

Parish Staff To reach a staff member, call 804.288.2867 or send an email using the initial and name provided in parentheses, with @ststephensRVA.org.

The Rev. Cate Anthony (canthony), Associate Priest Stan Barnett (sbarnett), Director of Kitchen Ministries Liz Bartenstein (lbartenstein), Hospitality and Pastoral Care Sarah R. Bartenstein (sbartenstein), Director of Communication Larry Bidwell (lbidwell), Sexton and Assistant Market Manager Ron Brown (rbrown), Director of Outreach Chris Edwards (cedwards), Director, St. Stephen’s Choir Dillon Gwaltney (dgwaltney), Communications Associate/Video Producer Claire Hackley, Sunday Community Supper Chef Melissa Hipes (mhipes), Finance Chris Holman (cholman), Sexton The Rev. John Jenkins (jjenkins), Associate Priest Anna F. Jones, (ajones), Farmers Market Manager The Rev. David Knight (dknight), Assisting Priest for Pastoral Care Betsy Lee (blee), Parish Administrator Christi McFadden (cmcfadden), Finance The Rev. Claudia W. Merritt (cmerritt), Associate Priest Coco Provance (cprovance), Membership Allison Seay (aseay), Associate for Religion & the Arts The Rev. William S. Stanley (wstanley), Vicar Brent te Velde (btevelde), Director of Music Betsy Tyson (btyson), Chaplain to Palmer Hall Greg Vick (gvick), Organist Tyronn Wilkins (twilkins), Sexton The Rev. Patrick J. Wingo (pwingo), Interim Rector The Café @ St. Stephen’s 804.288.3318 Phin Generelly, head barista Annie Ward Love, barista Brianna Maurice, barista Aleho Zintseme, barista Bo Zintseme, barista Bou Zintseme, barista

The mission of the church is to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.

AN OUTLINE OF THE FAITH, THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER

St. Stephen’s Church is A Village Green: Inviting Since ancient times, Benedictine communities and parish churches have served as centers of village life, embracing friend and stranger alike. We strive to be a beckoning, welcoming, and centering presence today, offering hospitality, belonging, and life-giving practices for all people.

A New Abbey: Grounding In a culture that can be overly distracted and enamored with the new, we are focused on preserving enduring wisdom, spiritual insights, and ancient liturgical practices of prayer and contemplation that nurture the soul and lead to eternal life. In an age of electronic engagement, virtual connections, and increasing loneliness, we continue ancient practices that attune human beings to the Divine, to one another, and to our own souls.

A Healing Community: Serving Though Jesus was known as a prophet, a rabbi, a teacher of wisdom, and the leader of a social movement, he was known primarily as a healer. As individuals and as a church community, we seek to incarnate the One who binds, heals, and nurtures, especially where forces in our society tear, wound, or divide. As Teresa of Avila put it, we seek to be Christ’s hands, feet, and eyes in the world; we are Christ’s body on earth.

Our Missionaries Heidi Schmidt Monica Vega

403073_Newsletter.indd 32

9/7/21 7:52 AM