Fall 2019 Seasons of the Spirit: Pentecost 2 | Issue 33 by StStephensRVA

SPIRIT 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

PENTECOST

2 | FA L L 2 0 1 9

‘This is our university!’ The object from the British Museum is light brown, about eight inches long, and almost 200 years old. It is from Vanuatu, an island country in that vast region of the South Pacific east of northern Australia. It was donated in 1831 by a surgeon who had acquired it on board a ship that had been collecting sandalwood from southern Vanuatu. At first glance, it looks like a bunch of dried flowers. By Gary D. Jones

But it is something much more profound. It is, in fact, a bundle of carefully-plaited human hair from the long process of male initiation into adulthood that is reverently observed to this day on the island of Tanna, and its story is fascinating. Just after puberty, boys in that society return regularly, over and over, to an elder who is assigned to accompany the boy into adulthood. As the boy sits before the elder, the senior man meticulously binds the boy’s hair at regular intervals with leaffiber, shaping it into something that looks a little like dreadlocks. While the elder is binding the boy’s hair, the child is learning from the elder what it means to be a man. These ritual sessions with the elder are devoted to traditional knowledge of the world and how one must live in it. The boy is learning traditional moral and spiritual truths, how to ponder his place in the natural world— the rhythms of nature, the sea, the volcanic mountains, the stars and planets— and he is learning about himself, about who he is, how he is to behave with his family, and how he is to navigate the changes and chances of this life. Over a period of years, the elder is literally binding into the boy’s head these lessons and ponderings, fastening tightly all these elements of wisdom and spiritual truth into his head. In a couple of months, the boy and the elder come together again, and the process continues, with the elder asking the boy questions, repeating lessons, and observing some significant periods of silence together. Over and over this happens, month after month. When the boy’s plaited hair reaches the bottom of his back, it is cut off, and the boy will have become a man.

At the same time, churches like the Episcopal Church that are devoted to ancient immersive rituals like those of the Vanuatu are declining. Our traditional church life is based on the kind of regular ritual of return, over and over again, for the awakening of soul and the development of wisdom that one finds in more traditional cultures. In our weekly worship, we sing songs that our great-grandparents sang, as well as newer ones. Each week, people across generations join in prayers, readings, and rituals that are thousands of years old. All of this is a primary way in which we heed the most distinctive of all of the Ten Commandments: “Remember the Sabbath, and keep it holy.” With all the ways society forms us today, with all the obligations of our busy lives, we receive this invitation. “Remember this one day each week and keep it holy—step off the treadmill of your lives on this one day. Be still with me. Let me nurture your deeper life.” Churches like the Episcopal Church, with our traditions of sacred, bodily engagement (kneeling, standing, sitting, listening, singing, eating and drinking, passing the peace), are rapidly declining in the West. We are moving away from practices of submitting ourselves over and over again to the time-tested rituals of worship that shape us in hidden ways, as we instead tend to value, more and more, ideas of independence and self-determination. An eminent professor of sociology, Linda Woodhead, is quoted in MacGregor’s book, “There’s much more room for choice, for thinking about the kind of person you want to be and the kind of gang you want to belong to. We want to choose the kind of rituals that will go along with becoming what we have individually decided to become. We are a liberal society. We want choice. We don’t want our future handed down to us.” Yet the anxiety that many parents feel about sending their children off to college is understandable. Our children might have wonderful SAT scores, they might be socially gracious and fabulous athletes, and they might be going to great universities that will open doors to financial success when they graduate. But do they have any real spiritual moorings, any deep connection to the transcendent, to God and their own souls? Sadly, we all know that there are many well-educated, wealthy people going to bed at night, under silk sheets, sobbing. Continued on page 2

In this issue

Neil MacGregor, the former director of the British Museum, recalls in his book Living with the Gods: On Beliefs and Peoples, that a few years ago, when some men from Vanuatu visited the museum and saw the bundle of plaited hair in a display case, they immediately remarked, “This is our university!” Such tactile engagement with ancient spiritual wisdom is rapidly being lost in Western societies, especially with technological advances and the increasing insistence on individual choice over deeper immersion in ancient rituals. Our “universities” are multibillion-dollar corporations with their share of student rituals, many of which involve young people initiating each other into worlds of their own, with beer, song, and dance.

A year of living faithfully Exciting new offerings for senior high youth Betsy Tyson returns to parish staff Solemn communion preparation for the very young Heidi and Monica visit, and bring a friend RE:work welcomes first members We have a new music director! Acclaimed author speaks here about ‘Elderhood’ Bible study, poetry, the Enneagram A summer scrapbook

©Trustees of the British Museum. Used by permission.

Trim Size: 11 in x 17 in

Job Number: 322038 • Page Name: 322038_SS-fallNewsletter.p1.pdf Date: 21-Aug-2019 • Time: 21:04 Page Colors • Black, PMS 3425 C

2 3 4 5 6 8 9 11 12 14

A year of living faithfully

Jay Paul

Youth confirmation at St. Stephen’s

elping 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 were asked, “Will you be responsible for seeing that the child you present is brought up in the Christian faith and life?” For By Allison Seay 14 or 15 years, parents have honored the vows they made on behalf of their baptized child, and now 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, 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 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 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 “remember 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. 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. 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. ✤ • Read more about youth Confirmation on the Web, including Gary Jones’ reflections on our approach to this rite and to preparation: ststephensRVA.org/youthconfirmation. • See page 3 for exciting new offerings for senior high youth.

‘This is our university!’ Continued from page 1 Several times a year, I offer an interactive tour of our beautiful Gothic church, and I like to point out that the first Gothic churches of the 12th and 13th centuries were almost always named for Jesus’ mother, Mary, Our Lady: Notre Dame of Paris or Chartres, Nuestra Señora de Fatima or Madrid, and so on. Christians believed that the church is the womb of Mary; it is a place of gestation, a place where we are growing over a lifetime, as we return over and over, so that we can be still again with each other in the Lord’s presence, so that we can receive spiritual food together, and allow the Holy Spirit to bind into us truth and peace that passes understanding. It’s all happening beyond our awareness, but over time, we are growing into spiritual adulthood and ultimately being birthed into our larger life. Like the Vanuatu custom of steady binding of wisdom and spiritual truths into their young, and like the continuous gestation that takes place in a womb, the nurturing of a true life does not happen if our attention to it is episodic or herkyjerky. These rituals of regular return are not full of spiritual fireworks. In fact, “spiritual highs” can be rare, and much of the process of tending the human soul is

really boring. This, of course, makes regular church attendance challenging, since there are so many other things that would be much more entertaining. But modern Western society, for all of our increasing prosperity and technological advance, seems to be missing something. We do not lack ritual rites of passage— from school proms, to the first spring break with friends, to the muddy, drunken chaos of a music festival, or the more dignified cap-and-gown rituals of intellectual achievement. But young people can’t initiate young people into adulthood. And you can’t think your way into spiritual transformation—it’s not a matter of reading the right books or going to the right schools. Instead, what we need is that more ancient, gestational ritual of the soul. For Christians, that means the weekly remembering of the Sabbath and the communal determination to keep it holy, by returning week after week after week, over the whole of our lives, so that as adults, whether we sleep on a dirt floor or under silk sheets, we go to sleep at night in peace, sensing that we are in fact at one with God, with one another, and with our own souls. ✤

SEASONS OF THE SPIRIT

Trim Size: 11 in x 17 in

Job Number: 322038 • Page Name: 322038_SS-fallNewsletter.p2.pdf Date: 21-Aug-2019 • Time: 21:04 Page Colors • Black, PMS 3425 C

New offerings for senior high youth at St. Stephen’s

eginning this fall, there will be several opportunities for senior high youth at St. Stephen’s Church to “rest from their labors,” enjoy fellowship with each other, engage their faith, and serve the larger Richmond community. Contact Betsy Tyson, Allison Seay, or Josh Rockett to learn more. FEEDING THE HUNGRY 1st and 3rd Tuesdays, 3:45-6:00 p.m. with Josh Rockett On the first and third Tuesdays of each month, senior high youth can reserve a spot to join other parishioners in helping our partners at St. Peter’s Church in Richmond’s East End, as they prepare for a major food distribution in that neighborhood. On the Wednesdays following, St. Peter’s provides essential groceries for over 150 neighbors, and these Tuesday afternoons are our opportunity to help them prepare. Youth will meet Josh in our Café at 3:45, and they can reserve their preferred snacks or smoothie ahead of time. We’ll have everything ready for the youth to board the church bus and head down to St. Peter’s to pitch in. We’ll be back no later than 6:00, refreshed ourselves and renewed by our time of service and fellowship together.

Sarah Bartenstein

ENCOURAGING YOUNG STUDENTS AT FAIRFIELD SCHOOL Two Wednesdays each month, 3:45-6:00 p.m. with Josh Rockett Two Wednesdays each month, senior high youth can reserve a spot to join in a well-organized tutoring and mentoring program with 2nd-5th graders from Fairfield Court Elementary School, under the direction of professional teachers. We meet in the Café @ St. Stephen’s to pick up snacks and then head to Fairfield Court in the church van. We’ll enjoy each other’s company and then help as we are needed with individual children or small groups, assisting with homework or other individual needs, as directed by the teachers. The Peter Paul Development Center hires the teachers who lead this outstanding after-school care, and they are prepared for us by the time we arrive. This is an excellent way to encourage children who need extra help, build their confidence, and help them succeed in school. TAKING A BREATHER, SUPPORTING EACH OTHER, SERVING THE COMMUNITY First Sundays @ St. Stephen’s, 4:30-7:00 p.m. gather in our “Grocery Store” at 4:30 with Josh Rockett Before starting a new school week, put down the books for a little while. Come to church to catch up with each other; help out in some act of service to others, such as tending our grocery store or jail ministry supplies; worship together at the Celtic service; and enjoy a meal together. It’s a way to step out of the weekly demands to be more present to God and each other, supporting each other and serving our community at the same time.

essential or foundational to our faith. The rector leads an interactive tour of the church, explaining the symbols, rituals, and basic teachings of the Christian faith. Others will lead discussions on Baptism, Reconciliation, the Bible, and other topics. And because of the close connection among “health,” “healing,” and “salvation,” we will also have professionals from the community speak about staying healthy mentally and emotionally, understanding mental illness and distress, and pondering ways of coping with life’s stresses and difficulties.

SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS: GIFTS & RESOURCES FOR LIVES OF FAITH periodic Wednesdays, 6:30-8:00 p.m. with the rector, clergy, staff, and guest speakers Required of our senior high youth who are going through the Confirmation process, these periodic Wednesday nights will include life-giving topics that are

HIGH SCHOOL SUNDAY FORMATION Sundays, 10:10-11:00 a.m. Open to all 9th-12th graders, this is a time and place for fellowship and discussion on life’s big questions and how we can best be followers of Christ. We meet in the Café @ St. Stephen’s. ✤

Youth can volunteer in our food pantry, and the pantry at St. Peter’s Church. There will be service opportunities at Fairfield Court Elementary School, as well.

Senior High Youth Calendar Contacts: Josh Rockett, Allison Seay, Betsy Tyson Items in boldface are required of those in youth Confirmation preparation. SEPTEMBER Sunday, September 8: Rally Day Wednesday, September 11, 5:45-6:30 p.m.: First Wonderful Wednesday Supper Tuesday, September 17, 3:45-6:00 p.m.: St. Peter’s Food Pantry Sunday, September 15, 10:10-11:00 a.m.: First Sunday school Saturday, September 21, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Confirmand Day of Service (required), Shalom Farms Sunday, September 22, 10:10-11:00 a.m.: High School Sunday Formation Wednesday, September 25, 3:45-6:00 p.m.: Fairfield Elem. School Tutoring Sunday, September 29, 10:10-11:00 a.m.: High School Sunday Formation OCTOBER Tuesday, October 1, 3:45-6:30 p.m.: St. Peter’s Food Pantry Sunday, October 6, 10:10-11:00 a.m.: High School Sunday Formation Sunday, October 6, 4:30-7:00 p.m.: Blessing of the Animals (3:00) and First Sunday Fellowship Wednesday, October 9, 3:45-6:30 p.m.: Fairfield Elem. School Tutoring Sunday, October 13, 10:10-11:00 a.m.: High School Sunday Formation Wednesday, October 16, 6:30-8:00: Confirmand Presentation (required) Sunday, October 20, 10:10-11:00 a.m.: High School Sunday Formation Wednesday, October 23, 3:45-6:00 p.m.: Fairfield Elem. School Tutoring Sunday, October 27, 10:10-11:00 a.m.: High School Sunday Formation NOVEMBER Sunday, November 3, 4:30-7:00 p.m.: First Sunday Fellowship Tuesday, November 5, 3:45-6:00 p.m.: St. Peter’s Food Pantry Sunday, November 10, 10:10-11:00 a.m.: High School Sunday Formation Wednesday, November 13, 3:45-6:00 p.m.: Fairfield Elem. School Tutoring Sunday, November 17, 10:10-11:00 a.m.: High School Sunday Formation 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

Tuesday, November 19, 3:45-6:00 p.m.: St. Peter’s Food Pantry Wednesday, November 20, 6:30-8:00 p.m.: Confirmand Presentation (required) Sunday, November 24, 10:10-11:00 a.m.: High School Sunday Formation Wednesday, November 27, 3:45-6:00 p.m.: Fairfield Elem. School Tutoring DECEMBER Sunday, December 1, 10:10-11:00 a.m.: Advent Fair (no High School Sunday Formation) Sunday, December 1, 4:30-7:00 p.m.: First Sunday Fellowship Tuesday, December 3, 3:45-6:00 p.m.: St. Peter’s Food Pantry Sunday, December 8, 10:10-11:00 a.m.: High School Sunday Formation Wednesday, December 11, 3:45-6:00 p.m.: Fairfield Elem. School Tutoring Sunday, December 15, 10:10-11:00 a.m.: High School Sunday Formation Tuesday, December 17, 3:45-6:00 p.m.: St. Peter’s Food Pantry Thursday, December 19 (Time TBD): Christmas Caroling Saturday, December 21, 3 p.m.: Children’s Christmas Pageant Sunday, December 22, 11:15 a.m.: Youth Christmas Pageant (No High School Sunday Formation) Sunday, December 29: No High School Sunday Formation COMING IN 2020 Wednesday, January 29, 6:30-8:00 p.m.: Confirmand Presentation (required) February (dates TBD): Confirmand “Interviews” (required) Wednesday, March 25, 6:30-8:00 p.m.: Confirmand Presentation: Instructed Eucharist (required) Friday, April 10, 5:00 p.m.: Youth-led Stations of the Cross Sunday, May 3: Student Recognition Sunday / Youth Forum (required) Sunday, May 17: Confirmation Day

PENTECOST 2 | FALL 2019

Trim Size: 11 in x 17 in

Job Number: 322038 • Page Name: 322038_SS-fallNewsletter_Cx.p1.pdf Date: 21-Aug-2019 • Time: 21:04 Page Colors • Black, PMS 3425 C

We are delighted that, after 12 years of teaching in the lower school at St. Christopher’s School, Betsy Tyson has returned to St. Stephen’s to oversee our ministry and worship in Palmer Hall and join a dedicated team of staff who are devoted to our growing ministry with children, youth, and parents. In addition to her broad experience as our children’s minister in the past, Betsy is a trained catechist in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program, and she has a deep sense of calling to the nurturing of the spiritual lives of children, as well as to ministry with parents in a rapidly changing world. In her role as an elementary school teacher, Betsy continued to grow in her sense of ministerial calling to working with parents of young children, and she is eager to bring that professional expertise to this ministry of the church. Betsy has remained involved in many St. Stephen’s ministries since her earlier time on our staff, including as an Emmaus Group facilitator, a chalice bearer, a vestry member, a healing prayer minister, a member of Daughters of the King, and a member of the steering committee of the Envisioning Our Future process. Betsy and her husband Bill Tyson have three adult children, Elizabeth, Landrum, and John.

all understanding. Betsy is a compassionate listener, a faithful friend, a beloved wife and mother, a committed minister of the Gospel, and a professional educator. And anytime I have tried to describe Palmer Hall at its best, I have alluded to the way Betsy Tyson worked with the Rev. David Anderson to build upon the foundation laid by the Rev. Margaret Austin well before I came to St. Stephen’s. I am thrilled Betsy is returning to St. Stephen’s for what will surely be the finest chapter in her ministry yet.”

Jay Paul

Betsy Tyson returns to parish staff

Betsy Tyson

“I am so excited to return to St. Stephen’s and serve the families of Palmer Hall and the many other important ministries supporting children, youth, and families,” Betsy said. “St. Stephen’s has always held a special place in my heart and I cannot think of a more important and meaningful role than to help others grow closer to God and live into the people God created us to be.” ✤

“Betsy has been an important leader at St. Stephen’s Church for many years,” says the rector, Gary Jones. “She is passionate about communicating the love of God and helping individuals and families embrace the peace of God that passes

The middle years: offerings for grades 4-8

ur ministries for youth in grades 4 through 8 include Sunday morning formation, youth groups, Bible study, retreats, volunteer activities, and more. You do not need to be a member of St. Stephen’s Church to participate, and friends are welcome; if your child will take part in any activity at St. Stephen’s in the coming year, please complete an online registration form at ststephensRVA.org/youth. You’ll also find links to individual events such as retreats or day trips which require additional sign-up. Questions: Betsy Tyson

NOVEMBER Sunday, November 3, 10:10-11:00 a.m.: Sunday Formation Sunday, November 3, 4:00-5:30 p.m.: Middle School Youth Group Sunday, November 10, 10:10-11:00 a.m.: Sunday Formation Sunday, November 10, 3:30-5:00 p.m.: Club 45 Youth Group Friday, November 15-Saturday, November 16, 7:00 p.m.-8:00 a.m.: Middle School Lock-In Sunday, November 17, 10:10-11:00 a.m.: Sunday Formation Sunday, November 24: 10:10-11:00 a.m.: Sunday Formation Sunday, November 24, 3:30-5:00 p.m.: Club 45 Youth Group

Sunday mornings

4/5 Sunday school: for 4th & 5th graders Sundays, 10:10-11:00 a.m. in Room 7 Kairos: for 6th and 7th graders Sundays, 10:10-11:00 a.m. in Room 17 Sealed Team: for 8th graders Sundays, 10:10-11:-00 a.m. in Room 4

Club 45 Club 45 is the youth group for 4th and 5th graders. They meet the second and fourth Sunday of each month from 3:30 until 5:00 p.m.

Julianne Tripp

Weekly offerings

Vacation Bible School

Middle School Youth Group The Middle School Youth Group is made up of 6th through 8th graders. They meet on the first and third Sunday of each month from 4:00 until 5:30 p.m.

Special events and retreats are described on our Web site, and are included in the calendar below, along with regular Sunday morning and youth group gatherings. SEPTEMBER Saturday, September 7, 9:00-10:00 a.m.: Palmer Hall acolyte training Sunday, September 8: Palmer Hall service resumes, 9 a.m.; Rally Day Sunday, September 15, 10:10-11:00 a.m.: Sunday Formation resumes Sunday, September 15, 4:00-5:30 p.m.: Middle School Youth Group Sunday, September 22, 3:30-5:00 p.m.: Club 45 Youth Group Sunday, September 22, 10:10-11:00 a.m.: Sunday Formation

DECEMBER Sunday, December 1, 10:10-11:00 a.m.: Advent Fair (no Sunday Formation; one Catechesis atrium open) Sunday, December 1, 4:00-5:30 p.m.: Middle School Youth Group Sunday, December 8, 10:10-11:00 a.m.: Sunday Formation Sunday, December 8, 5:30-8:00 p.m.: 4th-8th graders, Tacky Lights Tour Sunday, December 15, 10:10-11:00 a.m.: Sunday Formation Sunday, December 15, 4:00-5:30 p.m.: Middle School Youth Group Thursday, December 19, 10:00-12:00 noon: Christmas caroling for all youth Saturday, December 21, 3:00 p.m.: Children’s Christmas Pageant Sunday, December 22, 11:15 a.m.: Youth Pageant (No Sunday Formation) Sunday, December 29: No Sunday Formation RETREATS The Diocese of Virginia offers weekend retreats for youth at Shrine Mont, the diocesan camp and conference center, providing time for fellowship with old and new friends and for exploring our faith with youth from parishes around our diocese. A group from St. Stephen’s travels together on a church van with adult chaperones (staff and volunteers). Information about sign-up and costs will be available later this year in the Spirit, the eSpirit, and family ministry communications. 6th & 7th Grade Weekend: April 17-19, 2020 8th Grade Weekend: May 8-10, 2020

Briget Ganske

OCTOBER Sunday, October 6, 10:10-11:00 a.m.: Sunday Formation Sunday, October 6, 4:00-5:30 p.m.: Middle School Youth Group Sunday, October 13, 10:10-11:00 a.m.: Sunday Formation Sunday, October 13, 3:30-5:30 p.m.: Club 45 Youth Group, pumpkin picking at Ashland Berry Farm Saturday, October 19, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.: 6th-12th graders to Busch Gardens Sunday, October 20, 10:10-11:00 a.m.: Sunday Formation Sunday, October 27, 10:10-11:00 a.m.: Sunday Formation Sunday, October 27, 3:30-5:30 p.m.: Club 45 Youth Group School age children have many opportunities to serve in Palmer Hall as an acolyte or reader, or to sing in a choir.

SEASONS OF THE SPIRIT

Trim Size: 11 in x 17 in

Job Number: 322038 • Page Name: 322038_SS-fallNewsletter.p4.pdf Date: 21-Aug-2019 • Time: 21:04 Page Colors • Black, PMS 3425 C

O taste and see

Solemn Communion at St. Stephen’s

By Allison Seay

Cavalletti, a woman of noble birth, a prominent scholar, writer, and member of the Vatican Council for Jewish-Christian relations, would devote her life’s work to children—to their psychological development and spiritual integrity and to the nurturing of their religious lives. Her development of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, based on the principles of education first developed by Montessori, began with a fateful encounter in 1954, when she reluctantly agreed to do some Bible study with her nephew and two other children. It was here that she first glimpsed, in those three children, a uniquely contemplative and patient joy that would set into motion a life of study and exploration of the religious desires and wonders of children. In her introduction to The Religious Potential of the Child, Cavalletti writes, “Our observations of children for over 45 years have enabled us to see certain ‘constants’ in their responses, according to their developmental stage, to the Christian message. These ‘constants’ transcend socioeconomic factors, as well as the geographical or cultural differences of those to whom the message is proclaimed. Moreover, these ‘constants’ have convinced us that the responses of the children are not sporadic or circumstantial; rather, they are indicative of deep, vital needs in the child. What we are seeing is not the response of a particular child who comes from a particular background but the response of ‘the child’ to the Christian message.” One of my favorite anecdotes about Cavalletti is that for all her accolades and distinctions—born into a prominent Roman Catholic family and welleducated at prestigious universities, author of several books, a highly regarded and internationally known scholar, translator, and historian—when asked how she spent her life, said with utmost sincerity: “I was a catechist.” Her work in collaboration with Gianni Gobbi spanned more than 50 years and the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is now the centerpiece at St. Stephen’s for the spiritual formation of children ages 3 through 9. In their work, Cavalletti and Gobbi explain that around the age of 7 (or first grade), children enter what is known as the age of reason, a profound phase of development, and one in which the religious formation of the child is particularly impressionable. It is an intensely sensitive time that we believe the church should take great care to nurture, and because the Eucharist is the focal point of the Christian life, there is some understanding that the whole catechesis is in essence a preparation for an appreciation for Holy Communion. At St. Stephen’s, we believe in a preparation that is characterized by solemnity, deep seriousness and sincerity of heart. In this developmental phase, children are uniquely engaged in the task of self-creation, becoming more aware not only of their own moral compass but of a discerning inner voice, a sense that he or she is, as Cavalletti says, “a carrier of God’s secret.” To say we ever fully understand the Eucharist is to dishonor the sacred mystery of it, but we believe that people of any age can benefit from renewed and solemn

Julianne Tripp

he great Italian educator Maria Montessori penned a prayer that Sofia Cavalletti, who would become the co-founder (with Gianna Gobbi) of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, considered her invitation to work: “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.”

Altar prepared for Communion in a Catechesis of the Good Shepherd atrium.

attention to the experience of receiving. This particular preparation—called Solemn Communion—is a five-week series based on meditations from the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd whose philosophy is that even very young children have a religious life in which the intimate presence of God is known. Our offering for Solemn Communion is designed with the dignity and creativity of the seven-year-old (and older) child in mind, with companion presentations given to parents of children entering this age of reason. During five one-hour sessions, listed below, children are presented with the parables of the True Vine, the Found Coin, the Found Sheep, and the Forgiving Father—known as the Parables of Mercy—and we conclude with an all-day retreat on Saturday. The following day, Good Shepherd Sunday, the children and parents participating in this program will receive Communion together in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist with the larger church. Throughout the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, children are exposed to liturgy and to the richness of our communal sacramental life, and receiving Communion in this way, after such preparation, is a profound experience that honors all of us. Cavalletti says to any who are in doubt about this point, simply, “Try it.” St. Stephen’s offers other opportunities for parishioners of all ages to learn more about Holy Communion—in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, inquirers classes for adults, the youth Confirmation program, and in an instructed Eucharist offered several times each year. Presentations for Solemn Communion are led by our trained catechists and St. Stephen’s clergy. There is no charge for this offering. Dates are: •Wednesdays, March 25-April 1, April 15-29, 6:30-7:30 p.m. •Saturday, May 2, Retreat with the Rite of Reconciliation, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. •Sunday, May 3, Good Shepherd Sunday, Solemn Communion To participate or to learn more, please be in touch with Allison Seay, Associate for Religion of the Arts, and coordinator for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd at St. Stephen’s, aseay@ststephensRVA.org. ✤

Young people take a trip a world away, in their own home town

n late June and early July, middle and high school students from St. Stephen’s spent a week in the East End of the city learning about its history and systemic challenges. The senior high youth stayed at Richmond Hill, an ecumenical, semi-monastic community whose mission is to seek God’s healing for Metropolitan Richmond through prayer, hospitality, racial reconciliation and spiritual development.

go on. The way people interpreted the Gospel plays a role into what they believed in during this time. People would twist the words of the Gospel to reflect what they believed, making both sides feel like their own side was doing the right thing.” Each experience encouraged a deeper understanding of the city and an invitation to be part of solutions and healing.

We began each day with prayer, then embarked on a By Josh Rockett journey that took us to various places, most of them in the East End. We took a “windshield tour,” the van ride that other St. Stephen’s parishioners have taken to learn more about this part of our city, and to see firsthand these communities just a few miles from Libbie and Grove. We visited Peter Paul Development Center and Anna Julia Cooper School, and walked the slave trail. We visited the home of Maggie Lena Walker, an African-American entrepreneur whose home is a National Park Service site. We shopped at the new Market on 25th, a full-service grocery store in Church Hill designed to provide healthy, affordable food in an accessible location for neighborhoods that have always been considered “food deserts.” We had lunch at a café run by Church Hill Activities and Tutoring. Later in the week, we went to Midlothian to learn about Shalom Farms and pick produce that would feed people who suffer from food insecurity because of financial challenges or because they lack accessible sources for fresh, nutritious food. Eventually, we returned to St. Stephen’s and worked in the food pantry and with the fruit ministry. After the slave trail tour, one student wrote, “During the Slave Trail, the group talked about the role of religion in the Triangle Trade network. The tour guide talked about how religion was used to support slavery, but also used by Northern citizens to criticize slavery. There were also the religious figures who decided to do nothing and let slavery 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

Another student commented, “I had never been to the East End of Richmond, and honestly I was really surprised. The housing was run down and overall was treated very poorly. The citizens that live there [have] an average income of $8,000….I learned about the Anna Julia Cooper Episcopal School, which provides free middle school education to kids living in that area. Their school is truly something special.” The student could see the difference between the school young people would likely attend if AJC were not there, and the excellent education they received at this church-supported school, and how it might lead to a different future—one that prepared a student to attend an independent high school or an honors program in a public high school, and eventually to attend college. This would not only affect the individual student, this young person said, but could “spark a change in the city of Richmond.” One participant was inspired by Maggie Walker’s example: “My favorite experience from the trip was the Maggie Walker House. It was so cool to be able to walk around her house and learn about her life. She is such an amazing inspiration to African-American females such as myself,” this student reflected. “It inspired me to work hard and persevere through all the challenges in life. But even while walking through the house and feeling inspired, I felt sad at the same time. I felt the sadness that the house had seen.... But it was also a happy place to walk through because she was one of the most successful African-Americans of that time.” The week was a valuable and formative experience for the students and the leaders, and we hope to make it an annual trip. ✤

PENTECOST 2 | FALL 2019

Trim Size: 11 in x 17 in

Job Number: 322038 • Page Name: 322038_SS-fallNewsletter.p5.pdf Date: 21-Aug-2019 • Time: 21:04 Page Colors • Black, PMS 3425 C

Heidi Schmidt

This fall, our missionaries will introduce us to their partner in ministry

The mountain village of Pampichuela, where Padre Fernando built his hermitage, where he goes to pray, in silence, as often as he can.

eidi Schmidt and Monica Vega visit St. Stephen’s each year so that we can hear from them in person, gain a deeper understanding of their ministry, and let them know how much we appreciate the work they do on our behalf. This is also a time for them to have some “R&R,” to be with the people of St. Stephen’s whom they know and love, and to visit other family and friends in the United States.

At that point, she left to begin her missionary life in Africa. Fernando, however, walked the entire eight years, a profound, life-changing journey.

This fall, September 7-15, Heidi and Monica will be accompanied by the Rev. Fernando Ortiz, with whom they work in a remote region of Argentina. Padre Fernando was instrumental in our missionaries living and working in this part of the world, after they had served in New York City, South Africa, and Brazil. These three work among poor and forgotten people whose challenges are extraordinary and whose faith inspires. But Monica and Heidi’s friendship with Padre Fernando goes back decades, and the work they do together, is rooted in pilgrimage and prayer.

“Today he is a missionary presence in the area, bringing the sacraments to all the far-flung mountain villages.” Some he can visit only once a year, such as Caspala, where the last part of the journey must be made on horseback, up to 16,000 feet.

Virgin of Guadalupe, mid-18th century; Luis Berrueco (Mexican, active 1700–1750)

Monica (who, like Fernando, is Argentinian), first met “Padre” when she was a college student, through Fernando’s mother in Buenos Aires. Both Fernando and Monica joined a group of people who organized and walked a pilgrimage throughout Latin America, beginning in 1992 and lasting eight years, carrying images of Maria de Guadalupe and Cristos de Esquipulas. Maria de Guadalupe or Our Lady of Guadalupe (Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe), refers to the Blessed Virgin Mary as seen in an apparition and a venerated image enshrined within the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, the most visited Roman Catholic pilgrimage site in the world. Cristos de Esquipulas is a wooden image of Christ which is now located in the Cathedral Basilica of Esquipulas in Esquipulas, Guatemala.

Heidi explains that after the pilgrimage, Fernando needed a place to stop, rest, and process the experience. So he set off to the mountains of Valle Grande, Jujuy, a tiny pueblo and mountain village where he remained and prayed for four years.

Some 15 years ago, Fernando created the sanctuary of Maria de Guadalupe near the entrance of Calilegua National Park, under a canopy of trees and sky. It has become an important place of pilgrimage and prayer. For the past 10 years, he has been rector of a parish in Ledesma, where he has gradually brought contemplative prayer practices to remote communities. Monica, Heidi and Fernando will be here in September, and while Fernando’s English is improving with practice this past year, we know that Monica will be an able translator when needed. This will be an opportunity not only for us to express our appreciation and love for our missionaries, but to learn firsthand about the connection between the action that we typically associate with missionary work, and the contemplative prayer that supports these messengers of God’s love. ✤ uHear Heidi, Monica and Fernando speak after the Celtic service on Sunday, September 8, in Palmer Hall. Come to the Sunday Community Supper at 6:30 p.m. to enjoy some Argentinian specialties, and stay for the talk afterwards.

Heidi says that instead of people making a pilgrimage to Mexico to see the original image, the icons would make their way to visit the people throughout Latin America, where they would be invited to carry the images from village to village, “gathering where the people of God gather, in town squares, hospitals, prisons, markets, sharing prayer, faith, hope, and the comfort and strength that Maria exudes.” Heidi points out that “with her indigenous features, Maria de Guadalupe provides a familiar, consoling presence.”

Monica walked the first year and half of the pilgrimage, from its starting point in Mexico City to Panama, and was part of the team that planned and organized it. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond. Arthur and Margaret Glasgow Endowment; Photo: Travis Fullerton © Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Monica, Heidi, and Padre Fernando

SEASONS OF THE SPIRIT

Trim Size: 11 in x 17 in

Job Number: 322038 • Page Name: 322038_SS-fallNewsletter.p6.pdf Date: 21-Aug-2019 • Time: 21:04 Page Colors • Black, PMS 3425 C

The triumph of little things Living in God’s economy By Gary D. Jones

onica Vega and Heidi Schmidt are official missionaries of the Episcopal Church. Many years ago, they consecrated their lives to God in the manner of Charles de Foucault, whose charism (spiritual gift) was to live among the poor as one of the poor. Ultimately Charles de Foucault died as many vulnerable poor people do–he was murdered by robbers. But after his death, so many people were moved by his example that a different kind of monastic order came Monica encourages a little girl in Jujuy learning to into being–the Little Brothers skate. Photo by Heidi Schmidt and Little Sisters of Jesus. These are people all over the world who make a vow of poverty and live what they call “the hidden life of Jesus of Nazareth,” living among the hidden poor, as one of them, not trying to convert the poor, only loving them as Jesus loves. In fact, they believe that in the poor, they are meeting Jesus.

and Monica using her skills as a social worker to counsel, connect, and cajole… whatever it took to get healing and resources for some of the poorest people on the planet. My friend in Manhattan said that Monica and Heidi were back in the United States for just as long as it took to raise enough money to go back to Africa. There just weren’t any paying jobs in places like the garbage dump in Umtata, he told me. Maybe my church could hire Heidi and Monica as missionaries, my friend suggested.

These “Little Sisters of Jesus” and “Little Brothers of Jesus” do not live in convents or monasteries, because the poor do not have the advantage of convents or monasteries. Instead, people like Monica and Heidi work in places where poor people work, taking jobs like theirs, and they beg. So, you might hop on a bus in Queens, N.Y., and the bus driver might well be a Harvard graduate with a Ph.D. who could be making lots of money. But instead, he is a “Little Brother of Jesus” who has found his calling in living among the poor and loving them as one of them.

In July, Heidi emailed to tell me about a young person who had been murdered just down the road from them. A rival gang had killed a boy with a machete. A priest with whom they have been working had organized a youth march for peace in the little, hidden town where the boy was killed, and the priest asked if Monica and Heidi could buy some presents for the children in that tiny, forgotten place. So that’s what Monica and Heidi did: they bought coloring books, crayons, little toy cars, and play-dough for children.

Many years ago, I was trying to connect my congregation in Memphis with the church in Africa. I called a friend in Manhattan who said he had been in touch with a couple of women, Monica and Heidi, who had been living with a community on a garbage dump in southern Africa, Heidi working as a nurse

We did, and St. Stephen’s has continued to do so. Heidi and Monica are members of our church staff. We pay them each month the amount they requested, an amount that is roughly the cost of a simple “date night” in Richmond–a dinner for two, without drinks or tip. That’s how much they live on each month, and I know they squirrel away some of that for the poor. I protested that this wasn’t enough pay. They replied it was almost too much. And sure enough, their lives are modern day examples of Jesus’ first miracle at a wedding in Cana of Galilee: they turn water into wine. Now Monica and Heidi live and love in a remote and forgotten part of Argentina, among poor people who have the same struggles of the poor everywhere. One parishioner who visited them not long ago, and who had also visited them in Africa, said that the situation in Argentina is every bit as destitute as the one in Africa.

Their conviction has something to do with God’s economy, something to do with the hidden message of the cross–that the last are first, the least are the greatest, the meek inherit the earth. ✤

Plans underway for border ministry people a day. This dropped to 100 people a day in February. However, at the end of February, numbers increased, and they were receiving up to 1,000 people a day.”

Last year during Advent, rector Gary Jones, outreach coordinator Josh Rockett and I joined other Episcopal Church leaders, lay and ordained, in El Paso, Texas, and Juarez, Mexico to see firsthand what was happening at the southern border—the subject of polarizing rhetoric and the location of so much human misery. (We reported on the trip in the Lent/Easter 2019 edition of Seasons of the Spirit.)

Josh added, “Since our visit, Annunciation House has expanded their operations. In addition to the four hospitality houses, they rent out three hotels as needed and three months ago began renting a warehouse where they can temporarily house 500 people.”

Among the things we learned is that nonBy Sarah Bartenstein governmental organizations and ministries, such as Annunciation House in El Paso, are struggling to keep up with the demand for services and resources as the U.S. government sends more and more refugees and asylum seekers their way. Annunciation House has developed a reputation for being particularly effective and its staff have decades of experience dealing with the ebb and flow of migrants on the southern border. On the day that our group visited Annunciation House, a crew from a major cable news outlet was there to interview director Ruben Garcia about the recent death of a child in U.S. custody. Garcia is considered an expert on immigration issues, and is quoted frequently in the media. Since that trip, Gary and Josh have continued to work with colleagues in the Advent pilgrimage group to develop a sustainable model for supporting organizations like Annunciation House with volunteers and other resources. They’ve formed a team to plan a January 2020 pilgrimage to the border, and to develop a proposal for a yearlong pilot ministry of education, service, and hospitality that would be supported by several Episcopal churches from across the nation.

Josh noted that Episcopal Church colleagues from Houston have also traveled to McAllen, Texas, and discussion continues about which site makes the most sense for the pilot project–El Paso or McAllen. As this edition of Seasons of the Spirit went to press, Josh and representatives from congregations in Houston, San Antonio, and Seattle were heading to McAllen. Their plan is to visit various border respite centers, meet with U.S. Border Patrol, and provide hospitality for those seeking asylum, with the goal of recommending either McAllen or El Paso as the

Our mission is not to advocate for a particular political position or immigration policy. Rather, our mission is simply to help care for the vulnerable and poor, as if we were caring for Christ himself, and to increase understanding of a complex international phenomenon.

The plan for that pilot program will include day-to-day operations, how to staff the program, how to recruit, welcome, and train volunteers from congregations, and how the work will enhance existing ministries at the border.

site that represents the best opportunity for effective partnerships, helpful ministry, and engaging education about the realities of immigration on our southern border and the phenomenon of world migration generally. As plans take shape, we’ll keep you informed.

In a report to the Advent pilgrimage group, Josh wrote, “Our experience in El Paso last Advent was powerful, and all who participated could envision a common ministry of welcome, hospitality, and emergency services, in conjunction with Annunciation House and other ministries there.”

“In some ways,” he wrote, “the situation at the border is worse than when we were there last Advent. In September, Annunciation House was receiving 300 to 350

Please continue to pray for our group, and for all affected by the situation at our southern border. ✤

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

PENTECOST 2 | FALL 2019

Trim Size: 11 in x 17 in

Job Number: 322038 • Page Name: 322038_SS-fallNewsletter.p7.pdf Date: 21-Aug-2019 • Time: 21:04 Page Colors • Black, PMS 3425 C

RE:work and its members make progress RE:work RICHMOND is the public/private, non-profit partnership among the City of Richmond’s Office of Community Wealth Building, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, and St. Stephen’s, created to respond to the urgent need for meaningful workforce development and access to employment in the East End of the city. Based at St. Peter’s, RE:work opened in February, officially beginning its pilot year, with plans to enroll 15-20 participants—called members—during the first 12 months. In the six short months since opening, excitement abounds as the program has taken shape. RE:work’s staff is working in earnest with members, helping them navigate a pathway out of systemic poverty and achieving their full potential. Seasons of the Spirit asked Diana Vasquez, Director of Employment Services, and Ferdie Baruch, Director of Development and Corporate Relations, to provide an update and to reflect on their work thus far.

One of the things that differentiates RE:work RICHMOND from other employment initiatives is our commitment to a highly individualized approach. We respond directly to each member’s needs and work collaboratively to draft their individual path towards a family-sustaining career. I am so grateful that we have built space for our members to be in charge of their own route. At the time of this writing, RE:work is proud to have five members signed on, with three on the path (see chart, bottom right). We are on By Diana Vasquez track to meet our goal of having 15 to 20 members during this pilot year. All members are in various stages of researching education, enrolled in education, applying for jobs or researching different career paths. In July, we gathered all our members for our first “Member Meetup.” It was exciting to have all these talented people in the same room to discuss how the process has been for them so far and how they can help each other on this journey, building a network of support among themselves. There is tremendous potential in having our members be a part of our planning process, especially during our pilot year. As we increase RE:work’s membership and learn more about the complex barriers people face, we will continue to be flexible and create space to reflect on how RE:work can be as effective as possible.

Recommending partners Schools, non-profit organizations, and other entities who work with children, youth and their families are in a prime position to see and recommend parents who are good candidates for the RE:work approach, whose families are likely to benefit from this engagement. In addition to the four mentioned in Ferdie Baruch’s comments, recommending partners include Anna Julia Cooper School, Communities in Schools, Challenge Discovery Project, ACTS, Armstrong Priorities, the Carol Adams Foundation, Peter Paul Development Center, St. James’s Children’s Center, the Neighborhood Resource Center, Richmond Opportunities Inc., and the Virginia Family and Fatherhood Initiative. To learn more about these partners, visit the RE:work Web site at reworkrichmond.org.

The Good Neighbor Network One thing that sets RE:work apart from other workforce initiatives is the meaningful engagement of faith communities across Richmond. So far, in addition to founders St. Peter’s and St. Stephen’s, RE:work’s faith partners include First Presbyterian Church, St. James’s Episcopal Church, and St. John’s Episcopal Church. RE:work relies on volunteer support from these Good Neighbors to provide their gifts of connection, and their talents, to help form pathways to family-sustaining employment for our members. A list of volunteer roles is available on RE:work’s recently-launched Web site, reworkrichmond.org. ✤

RE:Work is different Because RE:work RICHMOND is a collaborative process and takes a more comprehensive approach than typical social service delivery programs, terms used to describe “clients” and other components of this initiative have been carefully chosen to reflect these differences. We work with Members, not “clients.” We rely on Good Neighbors, volunteers from faith communities, not “mentors” or “coaches.” Our members come to us through Recommending Partners, not referral agencies. We are a Network, not a social service program. Our members follow a Pathway, not a pipeline or program to employment We help our members find the Right Family-Sustaining Career, not a job nor even just a “living wage job.”

Dan Currier

A highly individualized approach A member uses the computer at RE:work’s offices to complete the YouScience assessment, identifying strengths, skills, and interests that can lead to the right family-sustaining career.

Volunteers are critical to our success At the time of this writing, it has been five months since the launch of RE:work RICHMOND, and the expression, “Time flies when you’re having fun,” has taken on new meaning. We are hard at work having frequent meetings with enrolled RE:work members and those who are engaged in the enrollment process. In those meetings we are digging into the aptitude and interest feedback we’ve received and beginning to develop what we believe might be the right path to a family-sustaining career: a volunteer from our Good Neighbor Network By Ferdie Baruch conducts mock interviews with our members; we work on resumés. I leave these meetings encouraged and better informed. My job means I spend time reaching out to others in the non-profit community, and learning about their missions and processes in hopes of identifying opportunities for us to learn and collaborate. Four recent additions to our expanding list of recommending partners have resulted from these meetings: UnBound RVA, the Dream Academy, REAL LIFE, and the Richmond City Justice Center (the city jail). I’ve also met with representatives of Richmond-based foundations to discover sources of support. The interest and encouragement RE:work has received from a number of foundations is heartening, and we have recently received two foundation gifts. The RE:work car ministry will launch soon, coordinated by St. Stephen’s parishioner John Crowder. This program, providing used cars to members who need reliable transportation to get to work, will be crucial to the success of many of our members. Critical to the success of RE:work and its members is deploying the many volunteers who have raised their hands to become “Good Neighbors.” We’ve used more than 20 volunteers in various areas so far, and we will be connecting with even more as the number of our members increases. The RE:work core team—executive director Andrew Terry, Diana Vasquez, board chair Deb Lawrence, Ron Carey, Torey Edmonds and I—meet every Thursday at St. Peter’s Church. As we work to develop this ministry that profoundly affects lives in the East End, we are comfortable asking each other tough questions and pushing ourselves to think more deeply about our mission, our processes and how to build a sustainable ministry The path that RE:work members follow is not the typical that is life-changing process toward employment. for the participants, their families, and our volunteers. ✤

SEASONS OF THE SPIRIT

Trim Size: 11 in x 17 in

Job Number: 322038 • Page Name: 322038_SS-fallNewsletter_Cx.p2.pdf Date: 21-Aug-2019 • Time: 21:04 Page Colors • Black, PMS 3425 C

Brent te Velde called as new director of music Unanimous choice of search committee begins ministry September 15

‘E

xtraordinary.” “Outstanding musician.” “Stunning organist.” “Impeccable musical and academic credentials.” Search committee members and adult choir members have the highest praise for our new Director of Music, Brent te Velde. As for members of the Virginia Girls Choir? They get right to the point: “Amazing!” and “Awesome!”

It is a privilege and pleasure to announce the successful conclusion of our meticulous search for the next Director of Music at St. Stephen’s. Ably led by current music staff members, Chris Edwards and Greg Vick, the search committee was composed of Nan Hall, Christopher Lindbloom, Pam O’Berry, and Jim Smith-Parham. The committee unanimously affirmed their enthusiasm about calling Brent, who is currently serving as Associate Organist and Choirmaster for one of the finest music programs in the country at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Columbia, South Carolina. Chris and Greg are excited about working with Brent for years to come. Brent and his wife Jenny will move to Richmond in early September, so that Brent can begin his ministry with us September 15. Jenny is an ordained clergyperson with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, and is a highly regarded hospice chaplain who looks forward to continuing her professional work in Richmond. “I am thrilled and honored to be joining the staff at St. Stephen’s,” Brent said. “Music at St. Stephen’s has a long legacy of excellence, and it is a high calling for me to join such wonderful colleagues in carrying this ministry forward. My wife Jenny and I have already been struck by the vibrant and warm welcome of the community, and we are so looking November 1 concert forward to worshiping with and getting On Friday, November 1, at to know you. My hope is that music at St. Stephen’s will continue to offer this broad 7 p.m. in the church, St. welcome to all.” Stephen’s Choir, Sanctuary (the Compline Choir), and Nan Hall affirmed that we at St. Stephen’s the Virginia Girls Choir will are the fortunate ones: “Observing Brent present a concert to celebrate rehearse with the Virginia Girls Choir, St. the arrival of Brent te Velde as Stephen’s Choir, and Sanctuary,” Nan said, “confirmed that he has that indescribable our new music director. Each ‘something’ that connects choristers to the ensemble will perform a few words and music that we sing.... This will of their most beloved pieces. be an exciting new chapter for all of us.” Make plans now to attend and enjoy these stellar choirs! Choir member, professional vocalist and teacher Jim Smith-Parham said, “Brent is a quiet, gentle man who has extraordinary musical gifts. His organ playing is exceptional... and his easy chuckle is disarming in its way of opening the heart to receive what he is teaching.”

Another member of the search committee with a doctorate in music, Christopher Lindbloom, noted that Brent emphasizes the transformative nature of choral programs for youth and adults alike. “That, coupled with Brent’s impeccable musical and academic credentials, inspire high confidence that he is the right person at the right time for St. Stephen’s,” he said. With a Master of Music degree from Yale University’s Institute of Sacred Music and a Bachelor of Music degree from Trinity University in San Antonio, Brent is concluding his Doctor of Music degree in Organ Performance at the esteemed Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University in Bloomington. Brent has studied with some of the world’s finest organists, he has won numerous competitions in organ performance, he has helped lead choir tours in the United States and abroad, and he is passionate about cultivating choirs and Episcopal Church liturgy. Fluent in German, Brent has especially enjoyed his studies in Bremen and Ulm, Germany. His work is featured on several recordings. Choir director Chris Edwards summed it up this way: “St. Stephen’s is fortunate to have found just the right person to lead the music program to new heights.”

Brent te Velde (top); Brent and his wife Jenny in the Galapagos.

The Rev. Gary Jones, rector, added, “Brent and Jenny are two of the kindest and most capable young professionals you could hope to meet, and our enthusiasm about inviting them to join this community is matched by their delight and eagerness to join us.” Welcome, Jenny and Brent! ✤

Circles of trust Emmaus Groups at St. Stephen’s Church

mmaus Groups at St. Stephen’s Church are a primary way this community seeks to address a need all Christians have: the need for a small group of people who support each other in their spiritual lives. Emmaus Groups are built on four pillars: spiritual reflection, mutual care and support, prayer, and service. Emmaus Groups are not study or discussion groups. Rather, they are “circles of trust” consisting of six to 10 people, soul-affirming communities in which a person is never judged. The focus is not on a book or a topic but on the state of one’s soul and one’s relationship with God. Members of each group listen deeply to each other without trying to fix one other’s problems; they pray for each other by name through the week; they meet once a week to reflect on their spiritual lives; and they periodically engage in an act of service together. Each group has two facilitators who receive training for their role. These groups are for adults who wish to be part of a more intimate, small group in which they are willing to listen deeply to each other and to the promptings of God in their own lives. After welcoming each other into their “circle of trust” and observing some silence to let worries, busyness, and anxieties recede, members typically check in with each other about how they are and where they have sensed God at work in their lives since they last met. Typical questions for Emmaus Groups include things like, “Where have I sensed God’s presence in my life recently?” and “How is it with my soul?” Occasionally, groups use Bible passages or poetry as catalysts for reflecting more deeply on these questions. Emmaus Groups meet weekly (the day of the week is different for each group) for 90 minutes during each 10-week “covenant period” for spiritual reflection, prayer, mutual care and support; and once during the covenant period the group does a service project together. One joins a group at the beginning of a covenant period and commits to those 10 weeks, setting aside the time to meet every week and pray for the other members of the group. It is important that you be available to attend weekly gatherings faithfully in order to build trust and community. Three 10-week covenant periods are offered, one each in the fall, winter, and

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

spring, and one may choose to opt out of a group at the end of any covenant period. A few groups continue to meet in the summer, but that’s a choice made by the group.

COVENANT PERIODS, 2019-20

Fall: Week of September 30 through week of December 2, 2019 Winter: Week of January 6, 2020 through week of March 9 Spring: Week of March 23 through week of May 25 This fall, we will offer orientation sessions for those who want to join an Emmaus Group, and for prospective and continuing facilitators, led by Gary Jones with other clergy and with Allison Seay. Heidi Schmidt, one of our missionaries in Argentina, will also participate in the sessions for facilitators. Contact any member of the clergy or Allison about joining a group; they’ll help you discern which one will be a good fit for you. ✤

ORIENTATION SESSIONS

Current and prospective facilitators may choose one of the following dates. Each session will include training and information for facilitators, led by Gary Jones, Allison Seay, Heidi Schmidt, and clergy • Wednesday, September 11 at 6:30 p.m. (following Wednesday supper) • Thursday, September 12 at noon (includes lunch, donation-based) For those who want to learn more about Emmaus Groups and possibly join one, there are two opportunities. Sessions will be led by Gary Jones, Allison Seay, current facilitators, and St. Stephen’s clergy. • Monday, September 23 at noon (includes lunch, donation-based) • Wednesday, September 25 at 6:30 p.m. (following Wednesday supper) Sign up for a session at at ststephensRVA.org/emmaus. ✤

PENTECOST 2 | FALL 2019

Trim Size: 11 in x 17 in

Job Number: 322038 • Page Name: 322038_SS-fallNewsletter.p9.pdf Date: 21-Aug-2019 • Time: 21:04 Page Colors • Black, PMS 3425 C

Author of ‘The Damascus Road’ visits Sunday Forum

Parish Calendar 2019-20 This calendar for the 2019-20 program (academic) year includes events we know about as this edition of Seasons of the Spirit heads to the printer. Consider keeping this section for your bulletin board or refrigerator door. This is not, however, an exhaustive listing. Updates to the calendar, as well as additional details about events, are always available on our Web site at ststephensRVA.org, and are publicized in our weekly communications, the Spirit and the eSpirit. To sign up for the eSpirit, go to ststephensRVA. org/email. Individual groups, such as those described on page 12, are not included in this calendar.

Jay Parini speaks September 22 When parishioner Mary Owens read Jay Parini’s The Damascus Road, she got “an evocative glimpse into the daily lives of early Christians.” Parini’s novel about St. Paul, she said, built on what she already knew, but also helped her “understand more about Paul’s life and travels—the variety of people Paul encountered, the many cities he visited, and the trials he faced. I could really picture the places Paul visited due to Parini’s vivid descriptions. While it was hard to read about Paul’s numerous imprisonments, beatings, and ultimate beheading, this book certainly enhanced my understanding of Paul and his role in the early Christian movement.”

Indicates that registration, sign-up or advance tickets are required or advised

September 2019

Gary Jones has called The Damascus Road a page-turner–one reason he recommended it as St. Stephen’s summer book. Charlie Fox said, “The narrative provided context to the story of Paul that was so enlightening and helped me understand what a first century Christian must have felt as they accepted this revolutionary theology. I have a new perception of Paul that is more human and rounded than before.” Another fan of the book: Harvey Cox, Hollis Professor of Divinity Emeritus, Harvard University, and author of The Secular City, The Future of Faith, and many other books. (Cox also spoke at St. Stephen’s during our centennial year.) “St. Paul is one of the most controversial characters in history. Did he ruin the simple message of Jesus? Or was he the person mainly responsible for transforming that message into a universal faith? What was he really trying to do?” wonders Cox, “Of all the many books I have read about this ‘Apostle to the Gentiles,’ Parini’s was the most helpful by far. Its premise is that we cannot understand Paul’s thought without knowing something about his life and times. Parini gives us both of these in splendidly readable biographical form. He made Paul live for me.” When we asked Parini why he was drawn to St. Paul as a subject, he said, “I chose to write about Paul because so much of what we know of Christianity derives from him. He was a thought pioneer. His letters are the first Christian texts, by far; and so much of theology was formulated by him.” Parini continues, “His mysticism attracts me, his wide-ranging thought, with its roots in both Hebraism and Greek philosophy. He was a force in the world, too–a wild man in some ways. But his ferocity was necessary to forge a religious vision, to summon such a vision and declare it pure.” Parini is a poet, novelist, and biographer who teaches at Jay Parini Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont, where he is a member of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. He has written eight novels, including Benjamin’s Crossing, The Apprentice Lover, The Passages of H.M., and The Last Station, about the last months of Leo Tolstoy’s life, adapted for an Academy Award-nominated film starring Helen Mirren and Christopher Plummer. His biographical subjects include John Steinbeck, Robert Frost, William Faulkner, and, most recently, Gore Vidal. His nonfiction works include Jesus: The Human Face of God, Why Poetry Matters, and Promised Land: Thirteen Books That Changed America. His six books of poetry include New and Collected Poems, 19752015. Writing a novel about such an enigmatic and controversial figure was a singular challenge. Parini expressed appreciation to Gary for his enthusiasm in an email, saying it made him feel that his efforts had been worthwhile. “You can imagine the years of work that went into this,” he wrote. “But it was immensely rewarding for me on so many levels.” Parini says, “I’m really glad to come to visit with the parish at St. Stephen’s. It will be terrific to meet and talk and discuss things related to Paul or faith or anything of interest to your community.” If you haven’t read the book yet, there’s still time, and we have copies in the Bookshop @ St. Stephen’s. Plan now to come the Forum to learn more about Parini’s appreciation for Paul, and ask questions of this celebrated author.✤ uRELATED: Steve McGehee and Bob Dibble will lead a group study of Paul on Tuesday evenings beginning October 8. See page 12.

1 | SUN Last Sunday for summer worship schedule 2 | Mon Labor Day; parish office closed 7 | Sat Training for Palmer Hall servers (adults and children), 9 a.m. 8 | SUN Regular worship schedule, including Palmer Hall service, resumes Rally Day (ministries fair) after 9 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. services training for all who work with children and youth, 3 p.m. 11 | Wed Mothers Bible study (9:30-10:30 a.m.) Wednesday suppers (5:45-6:30 p.m.), youth groups resume Session for current and prospective Emmaus Group leaders, 6:30 p.m. (following Wednesday supper) 12 | Thu Session for current and prospective Emmaus Group leaders, noon (includes lunch, donation-based) 13 | Fri Bluegrass Bash/outreach benefit, 5-8 p.m. 15 | SUN Sunday school and other Sunday educational offerings resume, 10:10 a.m. 16 | Mon May Fair House re-opens, 10 a.m. 21 | Sat Holy Baptism, 10:30 a.m. 22 | SUN Jay Parini in Sunday Forum 10:10 a.m. 23 | Mon Information session for those interested in joining an Emmaus Group, noon (lunch, donation-based) 25 | Wed Information session for those interested in joining an Emmaus Group, 6:30 p.m., following Wednesday supper 26 | Thu Golf tournament to benefit outreach, noon 29 | SUN Ryan Olson in Sunday Forum, 10:10 a.m. 30 | Mon Fall Covenant Period begins

October 2019

2 | Wed Fall inquirers class begins, 6:30 p.m. 6 | SUN Blessing of the Animals service, 3 p.m. 27 | SUN John Philip Newell in Celtic service, 5:30 p.m.

November 2019

1 | Fri All Saints’ Day; service at noon Choir concert, 7 p.m. 3 | SUN All Saints’ Sunday; Holy Baptism in 9 and 11:15 a.m. services Daylight Saving Time ends at 2 a.m. 4 | Mon Louise Aronson, 7 p.m. (see page 11) 9 | Sat Lock-in for grades 6-8 20 | Wed Instructed Eucharist, 6:30 p.m. 25 | Mon Holiday Memorial Service, 7 p.m. 27 | Wed No Wonderful Wednesdays supper or youth groups 28 | Thu Thanksgiving Day; service at 10:30 a.m.; parish office closed 29 | Fri Parish office closed 30 | Sat Advent quiet day with Martin Laird, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

December 2019

1 | SUN Advent I; Advent Fair; Martin Laird in Sunday Forum 2 | Mon Holiday Memorial Service, 7 p.m. 8 | SUN Advent II 12 | Wed Last Wonderful Wednesdays supper until January 20 | Fri Winter Solstice Concert, 7 p.m. 21 | Sat Youth pageant rehearsal, 10-11:30 a.m. Children’s pageant rehearsal, 1-3 p.m. Children’s pageant, 3 p.m. 22 | SUN Youth pageant, 11:15 a.m.; no youth Sunday school or Forum 24 | Tue Christmas Eve; parish office closes at noon Services at 3, 5, 8 and 11 p.m. 25 | Wed Christmas Day: one service, 10:30 a.m.; parish office closed 26 | Thu St. Stephen’s Day; parish office closed 29 | SUN Christmas I; 9 a.m., Celtic service; 11:15 a.m. Lessons and Carols service; no Forum or Sunday school Photos: Blessing of the Animals (Sarah Bartenstein); Memorial Garden fountain (Julianne Tripp); votive candles (Jay Paul); Holy Baptism (Bartenstein)

SEASONS OF THE SPIRIT

Trim Size: 11 in x 17 in

Job Number: 322038 • Page Name: 322038_SS-fallNewsletter.p10.pdf Date: 21-Aug-2019 • Time: 21:04 Page Colors • Black, PMS 3425 C

January 2020

1 | Wed New Year’s Day; parish office closed 6 | Mon The Epiphany Winter Covenant Period begins 8 | Wed Wonderful Wednesdays suppers resume 12 | SUN Holy Baptism, 9 a.m. in Palmer Hall, 11:15 a.m. in main church 20 | Mon Martin Luther King Jr. Day; parish office closed 26 | SUN Winter Inquirers Class begins, 10:10 a.m.

February 2020

2 | SUN Annual parish meeting and vestry elections, 10:10 a.m. 25 | Tue Shrove Tuesday pancake supper, 5:30-7 p.m. 26 | Wed Ash Wednesday; services at 7:30 a.m., noon, 5:30 p.m. (no Wonderful Wednesdays supper, youth groups, or Morning or Evening Prayer) 29 | Sat Lenten Retreat with Br. David Vryhof, SSJE

March 2020

Rethinking elderhood

Dr. Louise Aronson speaks here November 4

What do you consider “old”? Are you old in your 50s? Your 60s? Your 70s? And what does “being old” mean to you? Does advancing age mean physical limitations or declining health? Does it mean loneliness or lack of purpose or relevance, being “written off” by society? Or does it mean more time to do the things that are important to you, worrying less about trivial matters...greater wisdom... feeling at home in your own skin...greater happiness? In her new book, a New York Times bestseller, Dr. Louise Aronson encourages us to rethink “elderhood.” In Elderhood: Redefining Aging, Louise Aronson Transforming Medicine, and Reimagining Life, Dr. Aronson describes the potential for greater happiness and satisfaction as we age, and discusses how American culture is changing as a larger propotion of the population is 50-plus. Most people alive today will spend more years in elderhood than in childhood; many will be elders for 40 years or more. Yet at the very moment that humans are living longer than ever before, we’ve made old age into a disease, a condition to be dreaded, denigrated, neglected, and denied.

April 2020

1 | Wed Spring Inquirers Class begins, 6:30 p.m. 5 | SUN Palm Sunday; services at 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. 9 | Thu Maundy Thursday; service at 7:30 p.m. followed by all-night vigil 10 | Fri Good Friday; service, noon; Stations of the Cross, 5:30 p.m. 11 | Sat Great Vigil of Easter with adult baptisms, 7:30 p.m. 12 | SUN Easter; services at 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.; no Sunday Forum, no Sunday school 13 | Mon Parish office closed 17 | Fri Angels, Art & A Cappella (spring fundraiser for outreach) 25 | Sat Holy Baptism, 10:30 a.m. 26 | SUN Liturgy of the Light, 10:10 a.m.

May 2020

3 | SUN Solemn Communion at 9 a.m. service Senior Recognition at 11:15 a.m. service and in Sunday Forum 13 | Wed Instructed Eucharist; last Wonderful Wednesdays supper until fall 10 | Sat Holy Baptism, 10:30 a.m. 17 | SUN Bishop’s visit with confirmation (tentative) 22 | Fri May Fair House closes for the summer, 3 p.m. 24 | SUN Summer worship schedule begins (services at 8 a.m., 10 a.m., 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.) 25 | Mon Memorial Day; parish office closed 31 | SUN The Day of Pentecost; Holy Baptism

June 2020

Dr. Aronson, a geriatrician, writer, educator, and professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), will speak at St. Stephen’s on Monday, November 4, at 7 p.m. about her findings about elderhood. Reservations may be made in the parish office, and online at ststephensRVA.org/speakers. Copies of Elderhood are available for purchase in the Bookshop @ St. Stephen’s. A graduate of Harvard Medical School and the Warren Wilson Program for Writers, Dr. Aronson has received the Gold Professorship in Humanism in Medicine, the California Homecare Physician of the Year award, and the American Geriatrics Society Clinician-Teacher of the Year award. Her writing appears in publications including The New York Times, Washington Post, Discover Magazine, and the New England Journal of Medicine and has earned her four Pushcart nominations, the Sonora Review Prize, and a MacDowell fellowship. Her work has been featured on CBS This Morning, NPR’s Fresh Air, Politico, and others; listen to interviews on our Web site. ✤

Regular café hours resume September 3 If you have an afternoon slump, or a student in your household likes to stop in our café after school, we have good news! Regular hours resume in the Café at St. Stephen’s on Tuesday, September 3.

7 | SUN Trinity Sunday 26 | Fri Parish weekend at Shrine Mont (through Sunday, June 28)

The café will open weekdays at 7 a.m. and remain open until 5 p.m. Weekend hours are 7:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. Saturday, and 8 a.m. until noon on Sunday. The café is the perfect spot for freshly brewed coffee or tea (hot or iced), made-to-order espresso drinks like lattes and cappuccinos, and freshly-made smoothies. Breakfast and lunch, including specials, are available, along with lots of goodies in our refrigerator and freezer cases. It’s a great place for meetings, and the café is also available for catering. Gift cards and free punch cards are available, and we’re happy to keep your student’s gift card on file in the café. This summer we welcomed two new baristas: Bou Zintseme (pictured), who, in addition to working in our café, is a baker and cook at the Church Hill bakery WPA. Naima Burrs teaches violin at Longwood University and is in a doctoral program in Washington, D.C. She often plays violin at the Celtic 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

PENTECOST 2 | FALL 2019

Trim Size: 11 in x 17 in

Job Number: 322038 • Page Name: 322038_SS-fallNewsletter.p11.pdf Date: 21-Aug-2019 • Time: 21:04 Page Colors • Black, PMS 3425 C

The Bible, poetry, the Enneagram Groups and classes beginning this fall draw from many sources The program year that begins in September will offer a rich array of Bible study and book study groups, including several new ones, and a one-day workshop on the Enneagram. The following groups were known at press time; for information on any additional offerings that are finalized after this edition is printed, visit our Web site at ststephensRVA.org/groups. You’ll also find registration links on that page. INTRODUCTIONS TO THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS Sometimes we want the details, and sometimes we want the “big picture.” This is true for Scripture as well as other things in life. Introduction to the Old Testament and Introduction to the New Testament are eight-week studies designed to provide a working knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures and New Testament. The classes are co-led by clergy and laity; they include a participant’s book to guide our study and brief videos where experts shed light on the Scriptures. Every week there is prescribed reading of portions of the Bible followed by guided group reflections on the reading. These classes are designed to provide a framework for deeper study of Scripture. Participants will need a good study Bible and a copy of the participant’s book. You may sign up for one or both classes, and they need not be taken in order. Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament Tuesdays, October 1-November 26 | 6:30-8:00 p.m. Led by Barbara Massey and the Rev. Penny Nash

T.S. ELIOT’S FOUR QUARTETS Wednesdays, October 2-23 | 6:30-8:00 p.m. Led by Riker Purcell Written during the years 1935-1942, this was Eliot’s last major poem. Here’s a partial list of substantial issues that Eliot asks us to sort through: Time and eternity. Salvation. The nature of knowledge. Humanity’s place in creation. Paradox. Meaning. The inadequacy of language. Youth and aging. It is a 35-page whirlwind. It is a revelation that calls on readers to look into themselves. Among other things, we’ll consider how Anglicanism and the philosophies of India influenced Eliot’s thinking and writing. This group will be led by parishioner Riker Purcell, a poet and retired attorney. He’ll send study materials to participants before the first session. This group is limited to 10 participants.

JOURNALING AS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE Wednesdays, October 2-November 20 | 10:30 a.m.-noon Led by Regena Stith Experience how journaling can enrich your spiritual life. See page 13 for details.

New Testament Tuesdays, March 24-May 19 | 6:30-8:00 p.m. Led by Tim Thurber and the Rev. Claudia Merritt.

ADVENT SERIES: THE ANNUNCIATION AND BIRTH OF JESUS Mondays, December 2, 9, and 16 | 7:00-8:00 p.m. Led by Bruce Birdsey

OTHER BIBLE STUDY GROUPS The Gospel of Mark Mondays, September 30-November 25 | 6:30-8:00 p.m. Led by the Rev. Claudia W. Merritt The Gospel of Mark is the oldest gospel and is the source of portions of Matthew and Luke. Exploring this gospel provides us with a glimpse into the young church around 70 C.E. Some of Mark is like the other gospels and some of it differs significantly. We will explore it in depth this fall. St. Paul: The Apostle We Love to Hate! Tuesdays, October 8-November 19 | 6:30-8:00 p.m. Led by the Rev. Steve McGehee and the Rev. Bob Dibble If you read The Damascus Road, perhaps you are thinking that you might want to take a deep dive into the life of St. Paul and his ministry. Or perhaps you would like to know more about the author of the Epistles we read most Sundays. Or maybe you just learned that St. Paul’s letters are some of the oldest scriptural writings in the New Testament, and you would like a solid introduction to Paul and his nuanced understanding of what a life in Christ really means. This fall, Steve McGehee and Bob Dibble will teach an introductory course on St. Paul, using as a basis for study Karen Armstrong’s book, St. Paul: The Apostle We Love to Hate. As one reviewer of her book has noted, she “blends history, philosophy, mythology, and biography to create a compelling and illuminating portrait of a man whose awakening continues to inspire millions.” The Book of Exodus Thursdays, March 26-May 28, 2020 | 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m. Led by the Rev. Steve McGehee

Nearly everyone knows the story, even in our secular, post-Christian culture. But even many churchgoers have a conglomerate picture in mind—complete with a stable in Bethlehem, shepherds and their flocks, wise men from the East, Herod the tyrant—and assume all of it is found in all the gospels. But only two of the four evangelists give accounts of the annunciation and birth, and they differ markedly from one another. Part of our purpose will be to understand how and why they are different. We’ll also take note of their strong Jewish roots and piety. In the birth of Jesus, God was doing a new thing by bringing some very old traditions to new life. The primary resource will be Raymond Brown’s book A Coming Christ in Advent. This three-part series will be led by the Rev. Bruce Birdsey, a (mostly) retired priest of the Episcopal Church who has led other groups and classes here in the past.

THE ENNEAGRAM: A SACRED TOOL FOR UNDERSTANDING SELF AND OTHERS Saturday, February 8, 2020 | 9 a.m. until noon Led by Mimi Weaver Join us for an exploration of the Enneagram and find out what motivates you to do what you do, feel what you feel, and think what you think. As you come to understand yourself better, you will naturally feel more compassion for others as well. Greater understanding can lead to better relationships, more peace and a deeper connection to God. Facilitator Mimi Weaver is a seasoned retreat leader, spiritual director and life coach and has been working with the Enneagram for more than 20 years. You can learn more about her at gracemoves.com. Space for this offering will be limited. As a continuation to the Saturday morning workshop, we will offer a small group experience on Monday evenings, February 17 through March 9, from 6:30 to 8:00. The group will meet in the Library with a facilitator, Nancy Hein, who is experienced in working with the Enneagram. The group will work with the book, Road Back to You ($35), which will be available in our bookshop.

RETREATS

Jesus was a Jew. In his worship in the temple in Jerusalem, the law of Moses and the salvation narrative contained in the Book of Exodus would be central to his faith and understanding. Exodus is one of those core scriptural texts which, if examined closely, will open our eyes to a more nuanced understanding of the life and teaching of Jesus. Mothers Bible Study led by Betsy Tyson | Wednesdays, 9:30 a.m. | Resumes September 18 Mothers gather in the Library for Bible study and fellowship. No registration is necessary. Thursday Bible study led by the Rev. Penny Nash | Thursdays, 10:30 a.m. | year-round This group discusses topics or books of the Bible through in-depth reading of Scripture. We often relate what we read to the world around us, personal experience, as well as our hopes for the coming Kingdom of God. No registration is necessary.

Advent Quiet Day Saturday, November 30, 2019 | 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Led by Fr. Martin Laird Fr. Martin is the author of Into the Silent Land, A Sunlit Absence, and An Ocean of Light. He is one of the world’s foremost teachers on contemplation and we are blessed to have him here to enter the contemplative season of Advent with us. Lenten Retreat Friday and Saturday, February 28-29, 2020 Led by Br. David Vryhof, SSJE We are always enriched by the presence of the brothers of the Society of St. John the Evangelist. Additional details will be available soon. ✤

SEASONS OF THE SPIRIT

Trim Size: 11 in x 17 in

Job Number: 322038 • Page Name: 322038_SS-fallNewsletter_Cx.p3.pdf Date: 21-Aug-2019 • Time: 21:04 Page Colors • Black, PMS 3425 C

Episcopal 101 An introduction to the Episcopal Church; questions welcome! Are you new to the Episcopal Church? A long-time Episcopalian who wants a refresher? Considering joining this branch of Christianity? Are you thinking about being confirmed, received, or reaffirmed in the Episcopal Church? Three times a year, St. Stephen’s offers an Inquirers Class for adults who want to learn (or re-learn) about the Episcopal way of being a Christian. The fall and spring classes meet on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. The winter class meets Sunday mornings during the education period, 10:10 a.m.-11 a.m. Gary Jones teaches this class, which covers such things as Anglican spirituality and traditions, worship, the Book of Common Prayer, creeds, and the basics of the Christian faith. The final class session consists of an engaging tour of the church and a hands-on exploration of the “symphony of symbols” found in our worship, led by Gary. This informal and informative class includes plenty of time for your questions. Episcopalians believe that dealing with our real questions is an important part of arriving at a real faith. All are welcome in this course on the basics of Christianity and the richness of the Anglican/Episcopal tradition. Please sign up at Rally Day, or contact Janet Allen at 804.288.2867 or jallen@ststephensRVA.org. ✤ To read about youth Confirmation, turn to page 2. DATES FOR THE INQUIRERS CLASS • Fall: begins Wednesday, October 2, 6:30 p.m.; concludes with instructed Eucharist, Wednesday, November 20, 6:30 p.m. • Winter: begins Sunday, January 26, 10:10 a.m.; concludes with instructed Eucharist, Wednesday, March 18 • Spring: begins Wednesday, April 1, 6:30 p.m.; concludes with instructed Eucharist, Wednesday, May 13, 6:30 p.m. • Confirmation with the bishop: Sunday, May 17 (rehearsal, Saturday, May 16)

Journaling as a spiritual practice Ira Progoff, an American psychotherapist best known for his development of the Intensive Journal Method, was interested in depth psychology and the adaptation of Jungian ideas in our everyday lives. Some of his ideas are incorporated into the Education for Ministry program used at St. Stephen’s and many other Episcopal churches. In The Practice of Process Meditation, Progoff writes, “I used to lie awake wondering what the human race By Regena Stith would do if all its sacred scriptures were destroyed. Finally one night the answer was given to me. It came as a simple practical statement spoken in everyday tones. We would, the voice said, simply draw new spiritual scriptures from the same great source out of which the old ones came. In that moment I became aware of how vast and self-replenishing are the resources of the human spirit. The fires of Hitler could burn the sacred books but they could not destroy the abiding depths out of which those scriptures emerged.” These words reflect my commitment to the value of writing regularly in a journal and confirms my experience that this practice is not just words from conscious awareness, but offers a path to the inner wisdom which lies dormant in us, waiting to be called forth. A journal is a container for our stories, stories of who we are, have been and are becoming. It can be a record of our sacred journey. Keeping a journal has a rich heritage in faith development and spiritual life. In an eight-week class offered this fall, participants will explore a variety of approaches to journaling, engage in reflective writing, and incorporate meditation, poetry, music and structured writing exercises to deepen and enrich their writing practice. “Journal Writing as Spiritual Practice” will meet on Wednesdays from 10:30 a.m. until noon beginning October 2 and ending November 20. There is no charge, but space is limited. You can sign up at Rally Day or by visiting ststephensRVA.org/groups. ✤

A gentle and revitalizing start to Mondays By Celine Burn

fter an enjoyable weekend, do you wake up on Monday and think, “Ugh! It’s back to reality!” Do you want to pull the covers over your head and rewind a day? That’s how I used to look at Mondays.

As a yoga instructor, I teach three classes on Mondays. That might seem like overload. But the first class I teach that day is chair yoga at St. Stephen’s Church.

For the past four years, I have had the pleasure of leading this class on Monday mornings. This mixed-level class begins with a short meditation, followed by a 15-minute warm up, continues with standing strength poses, then slows down with stretching and a closing meditation. Chair yoga is a safe and supportive style of gentle yoga that allows you to engage in strength, flexibility, balance, and coordination exercises. The class is open to all ages and is ideal for those who would like to improve and maintain their wellness as they age.

Flower guild seeks new members

Beginning the work week with this class is enriching on many levels. We’re doing something healthy for the mind and body. We’re remaining consistent in practicing something positive and long term. We’re connecting with others with shared interests. I’m not the only one who loves this class. So do the regular students.

St. Stephen’s Flower Guild is the talented force behind the beautiful arrangements that grace our worship space on Sundays, at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, and at other times. The guild is arranged in teams, each of whom takes responsibility for flowers one month of the year. The flower guild also arranges flowers for weddings, funerals, and other special services. The group welcomes new members and will be happy to coach you–no experience is necessary. This is a wonderful way to get to know others in this large church.

“I love Celine’s class,” says Mo Parrish. “Even at 93 years, it keeps me moving!”

Workshop offered October 11

“Thanks to Celine and chair yoga, Monday is now my favorite day of the week,” Susan Klaus declares. “I have been taking this class for several years and find it helpful both physically and mentally.” Susan adds, “Celine is a wonderful teacher, dealing easily with all levels of ability and all body types. Equally important, she is a warm and caring person who brings us positive energy to start the week.”

Please call or email Melinda Hardy for additional information, 804.564.5979, or melindahardy214@icloud.com.

Nancy DeWalle notes, “There is a huge hole in my week if I can’t make it to chair yoga on Mondays. I only wish we could have even more of her classes.”

The flower guild will offer a free flower arranging workshop on Friday, October 11 at 9:30 a.m. in the church. Two talented flower arrangers from Galilee Episcopal Church in Virginia Beach will share their skills and creativity with us. The workshop is open to all, whether you’re on the flower guild or not; no sign-up is required. ✤

Please join us for chair yoga, Mondays at 11 a.m. in the annex next to Palmer Hall and across from the parish office. We provide mats and chairs. Just wear loose, comfortable clothing. There’s a suggested donation of $10 per class. No reservations are needed—simply come when you can. ✤ Celine Burn has her 200-hour Yoga certification from YogaWorks & Yoga Alliance. She has trained with Silver Sneakers as well. She is passionate about bringing yoga to people of all ages and stages, and has taught many different yoga classes at St. Stephen’s Church. 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

Melinda is the new chair of the flower guild, succeeding Gail Waechter. We are deeply grateful to Gail for her two years of service in this role.

Are you receiving the eSpirit? Visit ststephensRVA.org/email to subscribe to this free weekly email newsletter. We will not give your email address to anyone else, and you may unsubscribe at any time. While you’re on the Web site, read about other regular email newsletters and resources you may elect to receive.

PENTECOST 2 | FALL 2019

Trim Size: 11 in x 17 in

Job Number: 322038 • Page Name: 322038_SS-fallNewsletter.p13.pdf Date: 21-Aug-2019 • Time: 21:04 Page Colors • Black, PMS 3425 C

Summer at St. Stephen’s

It was a rich and full summer at St. Stephen’s Church, from the Farmers Market to Sunday Community Suppers, Virginia Girls Choir camp to training for adults who want to serve in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Wednesday movie nights to Vacation Bible School. Here are a few photos from the summer of 2019.

(Above) More than 100 children and 30 adult and youth volunteers enjoyed a week of Vacation Bible School in July. Through Bible stories, songs, games, arts and crafts, and other activities, children learned how Jesus taught us to treat our neighbors—and who those neighbors are. Photos by Julianne Tripp (Above left) St. Stephen’s youth took part in an in-town mission trip (see page 6) which included learning about ‘food deserts’ and how they affect the health and well-being of the poor. One of the group’s activities was harvesting produce at Shalom Farms for use by food banks and food ministries. Photo by Sarah Bartenstein

The annual icon workshop taught by Suzanne Schleck (right) continues to be hugely popular. People come from throughout the area (and beyond) for this week-long offering. Photo by Julianne Tripp

Anna Hurdle (left) led two weeks of training for adults exploring a vocation to serve in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd–one week for Level One catechists and another for Level Two catechists. The training is interactive, engaging, and spiritually rewarding. Photo by Jay Paul

Math Camp offers students from Peter Paul Development Center the opportunity to brush up on their math skills, and to learn concepts they might have missed, before moving on to a new school year. Certified teachers provide instruction, and volunteers from St. Stephen’s offer assistance as well as breakfast each day of the weeklong day camp. Photo by Jay Paul

The Café @ St. Stephen’s offers beverages, food and a quiet atmosphere–indoors or out–for conversation, work, reading, meetings, or just sitting for a bit. Photo by Julianne Tripp

SEASONS OF THE SPIRIT

Trim Size: 11 in x 17 in

Job Number: 322038 • Page Name: 322038_SS-fallNewsletter_Cx.p4.pdf Date: 21-Aug-2019 • Time: 21:04 Page Colors • Black, PMS 3425 C

We put the ‘fun’ in fundraising!

Whiskey Rebellion (above); last year’s Bash (below)

FOOD AND DRINK

Sarah Der

At press time, the following food and beverage vendors were planning to be at this year’s Bluegrass Bash. As additional food trucks are confirmed, we’ll add them to the Bluegrass Bash page of our Web site.

WHERE DOES THE MONEY GO?

Skillful picking and expert three-part harmonies are just part of what you can expect from the Whiskey Rebellion, who have been playing their brand of highenergy acoustic music across the Southeast for the last eight years. The band has recorded two regionallyacclaimed original albums, shared the stage with the Sam Bush Band and Carolina Chocolate Drops, and had their 2011 tour of the Pacific Northwest captured by filmmaker Tony Morin for a forthcoming concert film and documentary. The group includes several of the finest bluegrass gentlemen in the business, a band that Richmond.com called “the best thing to happen to Americana since 1776.” The Bash will offer food and beverages for purchase (see sidebar) and free activities for kids. Everyone is welcome, not just parishioners, and the Bash is a great way to introduce people to St. Stephen’s Church. It’s become a not-to-be-missed event, so don’t delay in purchasing your tickets. Admission prices are $7 for children (ages 2-11), $10 for ages 12-adult, and the family maximum is $30. Ticket prices go up the day of the event ($10/$15/$40). You may purchase tickets in the parish office 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, or at ststephensRVA.org/bluegrass. We’ll have a new feature at the Bluegrass Bash this year: the St. Stephen’s Dunk Tank! Warm up your throwing arm and take a turn at dunking your

favorite St. Stephen’s staff person. We may even have some clergy on the hot seat. Don’t miss this opportunity to have some fun and raise money for outreach at By Deb Lawrence the same time. More information will be available in the Sunday Spirit and weekly eSpirit communications. Golf tournament: Two weeks later, our outreach golf tournament takes place on Thursday, September 26, at Meadowbrook Country Club, with lunch at noon and a 1:30 p.m. shotgun start. Arrange a foursome and take part in the event, or register individually and we will team you up with other players. It’s an afternoon of fun and good-natured competition; there’s no need to be an expert golfer! It’s all to support outreach. Don’t play golf (or can’t make it that day)? Many sponsorship opportunities are available. Information and registration are at ststephensRVA.org/golf and at the outreach table near the elevator in the parish hallway. For questions or more information regarding the Bluegrass Bash and/or the golf tournament, please contact Deb Lawrence at dlawrence@ ststephensRVA.org or 288.2867. ✤ uRELATED: The spring fundraiser, Angels, Art & A Cappella, was so much fun, we plan to do it again. The 2020 event will take place the evening of Friday, April 17.

PENTECOST 2 | FALL 2019

Trim Size: 11 in x 17 in

Job Number: 322038 • Page Name: 322038_SS-fallNewsletter.p15.pdf Date: 21-Aug-2019 • Time: 21:04 Page Colors • Black, PMS 3425 C

The money raised by the annual golf tournament and Bluegrass Bash directly supports our outreach ministries by allowing the outreach committee of the vestry to award more substantial grants to our community partners than we otherwise could. The recipients of grants in 2019 are: Area Congregations Together in Service (ACTS) Anna Julia Cooper Episcopal School CARITAS Challenge Discovery Project ChildSavers Communities in Schools CrossOver Health Care Ministry Housing Families First Peter Paul Development Center Rebuilding Together Richmond St. Andrew’s School St. John’s Church Foundation Shalom Farms The Healing Place Virginia Institute for Pastoral Care Virginia Supportive Housing Westminster-Canterbury Fellowship Fund Briget Ganske

he Bluegrass Bash returns! On Friday, September 13, from 5 until 8 p.m. in the Somerset parking lot, this all-ages event will have something for everyone. Headlining this year—our ninth!—is the well-known band Whiskey Rebellion.

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

Carytown Burgers and Fries Goatocado Meat Wagon BBQ Growlers-to-Go Tap Trailer (beer) Label to Table Wines

‘In house’ outreach grants: In-house outreach efforts and ministries of St. Stephen’s Mission trips and ministries in the U.S. and abroad St. Stephen’s Preschool

Seasons of the Spirit Pentecost 2/Fall 2019

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church

Issue Number 33

Richmond, Virginia 23226

6000 Grove Avenue ststephensRVA.org

Parish Staff

Presorted First Class Mail U.S. Postage

PAID

Richmond, VA Permit No. 320

To reach a staff member, call 804.288.2867. To send an email to a member of the staff, use the initial and name provided in parentheses, with @ststephensRVA.org. (If no email is listed, it means that the staff member does not have a St. Stephen’s email address.) Janet S. Allen (jallen), Associate for Development & Operations Stan Barnett (sbarnett), Coordinator of Kitchen Ministry & Café Manager Liz Bartenstein (farmersmarket), Interim Farmers Market Manager Sarah R. Bartenstein (sbartenstein), Director of Communication Deonte Campbell, Sexton Dawn Childs (dchilds), Assistant for Children’s Music Ministry Barry Cleaton, Farmers Market Donald Clements, Sexton Chuck Dixon, Sexton Chris Edwards (cedwards), Director, St. Stephen’s Choir Melissa Hipes (mhipes), Finance Manager Chris Holman, Sexton Anna F. Jones, (farmersmarket), Farmers Market The Rev. Gary D. Jones (gjones), Rector Deborah Lawrence (dlawrence), Director of Outreach Betsy Lee (blee), Office Manager Becky Lehman (blehman), Hospitality & Communication Assistant Jan Locher (jlocher), Preschool Director (288-6401) Christi McFadden (cmcfadden), Finance Assistant The Rev. Stephen Y. McGehee (smcgehee), Associate Rector The Rev. Claudia W. Merritt (cmerritt), Priest Associate The Rev. Penny A. Nash (pnash), Associate Rector Ben Nelson (bnelson), Sexton & Sunday Community Supper Cook Josh Rockett (jrockett), Outreach Coordinator Allison Seay (aseay), Associate for Religion & the Arts Michael Simpson, Director of Celtic Service Musicians Wei-Li Suen, Palmer Hall accompanist Brent te Velde (btevelde), Director of Music Betsy Tyson (btyson), Chaplain to Palmer Hall Greg Vick (gvick), Principal Organist Our missionaries in Argentina Heidi Schmidt Monica Vega Term expires 2020 Melinda Hardy Braxton Hill, Register Richard Kay Martha Orr Proutt Cyndy Seal Chip Tompkins Term expires 2021 Mary Bacon, Treasurer Orran Brown Sr. Robert Dibble Mollie Hines Mitchell Alston Williams Wesley Wright Term expires 2022 Bobby Fauntleroy, Treasurer L.H. Ginn Lynn Ivey, Junior Warden Allison Koschak, Senior Warden Shelley Spalding

Seasons of the Spirit Sarah Bartenstein, editor Steven Longstaff, designer

Contributors: Ferdie Baruch, Celine Burn, Dan Collier, Briget Ganske, Gary D. Jones, Deb Lawrence, Jay Paul, Josh Rockett, Allison Seay, Regena Stith, Julianne Tripp, Diana Vasquez

New program year offers opportunities to serve The beginning of a new school year is a great opportunity to re-engage with the church community and consider new opportunities to serve the larger city. As students and teachers with some of our East End partners embark on a new school year, for example, parishioners at St. Stephen’s can be especially helpful. Reading, classroom assistance, tutoring, and other volunteer opportunities abound, and we are happy to plug you in wherever you feel called. There are also opportunities to join in carpentry and gardening work, as well as in our major employment initiative with St. Peter’s Church, RE:work RICHMOND (see page 8). In addition, parishioners work together every day and all year long to make St. Stephen’s Church a haven of peace, prayer, and warm embrace for people from all walks of life. From our weekly suppers on Sundays and Wednesdays, our farmers market, and our food distributions to any as have need, to our smaller communities for spiritual reflection and prayer, and our many seminars and workshops for healthier lives…all of it is made possible by volunteers who help organize, welcome, and provide the sense of belonging we all need. Our staff is eager to help you get oriented and engage where you feel drawn, and we are publishing a new booklet designed to help, as well. This booklet lists many of the volunteer opportunities, trainings, and contact people, and will be available September 8. Learn about social ministries from tutoring to jail ministry, hospitality ministries from greeting to preparing supper, liturgical ministries from chalice bearing to reading, and much more. ✤

St. Stephen’s appears in two local magazines The July issue of Richmond magazine featured a special section on the Westhampton neighborhood which includes an article and photos about St. Stephen’s, called “The New Village Green.” The article by Elizabeth Cogar, featuring color photos by Julianne Tripp, spans six pages in the full-color magazine. It discusses the many ways that St. Stephen’s seeks to serve as a gathering place for all, whether parishioners, neighbors, or visitors, through our farmers market, the café, the May Fair House, meals, our food ministry, and community events, as well as services like the Sunday evening Celtic service. It quotes Gary Jones, “My hope for church as a village green is to help change people’s understanding of what a church is all about.” Virginia Living’s annual “Best Of ” edition also hit the stands in the summer, and for the third year in a row named the Farmers Market @ St. Stephen’s as one of the three best markets in the region. In addition to the local media, photos from St. Stephen’s are featured in Faith Confirmed, a resource for those involved in youth confirmation and published by Forward Movement. Photos by Briget Ganske, Jay Paul, and Sarah Bartenstein, taken at our Celtic service, a confirmation service and a baptism, are included. Forward Movement publishes Forward Day by Day, the daily devotional resource, as well as a wide array of books and resources. ✤

Trim Size: 11 in x 17 in

Job Number: 322038 • Page Name: 322038_SS-fallNewsletter.p16.pdf Date: 21-Aug-2019 • Time: 21:04 Page Colors • Black, PMS 3425 C