A Holy Hike is a chance to walk and enjoy the beauty of God's creation. We will meet at Oak Mountain Park for our second hike.
The next Laundry Love is April 10 from 3:00 to 6:30. We add the detergent, dryer sheets and coins to the washer and dryers. But most important is talking with the people while they are waiting on their clothes.
Second grade parents and your child are invited to a class we will be offering on Sunday afternoon, April 14, 3:00-4:30pm. Entitled Welcome to the Table, it is a final primer and ritual for your child as he/she moves from children’s chapel into the main worship service.
Bring a dish and join us in the Parish Hall for an evening of fellowship.
Doug will be back this Sunday to wrap up the “History of Saint Stephen’s: The First 33 Years” during Christian Education hour (10:15am – 11:05am) Come learn about the early days of Saint Stephen’s and how our Church grew to be the community that it is today.
This annual gathering at Camp McDowell is a wonderful opportunity for fellowship and renewal with your fellow Men of Saint Stephen’s.
Join us for a meal and meditations on “Living the Way of Love” on Wednesdays during Lent.
Preschool Fundraiser: Join families from the Preschool for a Casino and Game night at Saint Stephen's.
On Ash Wednesday, March 6, we will commence the forty-day season of Lent with solemn services of the Imposition of Ashes with Holy Communion at:
7:00 a.m. without music
12:15 p.m. with music
6:30 p.m. with music and nursery
9:20 a.m. School Chapel for Saint Stephen’s Preschool and parents.
The Labyrinth will be out all day. There will be places all around St. Stephen’s for quiet, personal reflection. All are invited. Please make plans to join us.
Gather for pancakes, waffles, sausage and festive brass band. Will have a mardi Gras Parade with bikes, floats, and other kid friendly activities.
We have invited the Rev. Mary Bea Sullivan, author of Living the Way of Love to kick off our Lenten Wednesday Night Program. Her book, Living the Way of Love will be used in small groups during Lent.
Sybil MacBeth is a doodler, dancer, former community college math professor and author. Join us between services to explore prayer through color. Everyone welcome! No artistic ability needed.
Potluck Dinner at 6pm in the Parish Hall- Celebration of Love, Faith and Friends. We will gather for fellowship and food. Please bring a dish to share and BYOB.
The Rev. John Burruss will be talking about the financial position of the church / Endowment Education / Debt / 2019 Budget.
Saint Stephen's will host our week of Family promise. This is an outreach program where people who do not have housing can stay the evening at Saint Stephen's. Volunteers are needed in many capacities including to serve as hosts, provide food and spend the night.
All are welcome to join us in making Valentine cards for the residents of Columbia Cottage, the Senior housing community across the street from the church, and the caretakers who work there.
This worship with the Rev. Drexel Rayburn of the UAB Pastoral Care Department will help you develop and nurture the necessary skills to be a faithful pastoral care provider. At Saint Stephen’s, we are working to develop our ministries around pastoral care and this event is a wonderful opportunity. Please email Jamie McAdams to register.
The Rev. Katie Rengers will explore several different missional contexts and how Christian Mission looks in the 21st Century. Following some practical examples, she will unpack the theological and biblical foundations of some of these new initiatives. Her lecture will take place on January 20 and 27 in the Parish Hall from 10:10am - 11:00 am. Katie is the founder of the Abbey Birmingham and speaks around the Episcopal Church on Mission and Evangelism.
The Rev. Katie Rengers will explore several different missional contexts and how Christian Mission looks in the 21st Century. Following some practical examples, she will unpack the theological and biblical foundations of some of these new initiatives. Her lecture will take place on January 20 and 27 in the Parish Hall from 10:10am - 11:00 am. Katie is the founder of the Abbey Birmingham and speaks around the Episcopal Church on Mission and Evangelism.
Robert Shindler, PhD is the Fariss Gambrill Lynn and Henry Sharpe Lynn Curator of European Art. He will present on the current exhibit on Embodying Faith.
From the Birmingham Museum Website -
“Through the ages and across the globe, art has reflected faith. For centuries, artistic production in Europe, and elsewhere, was dominated by Christian themes. This religious art served many purposes, from embellishing altars and aiding in private devotion, to educating the faithful and acting as propaganda either for or against the church during the Protestant Reformation.
Jesus is Christianity’s central figure, and Christians believe he is the son of God and the savior who died to atone for humanity’s sins. How did artists represent such a crucial figure? How did they depict the central events so important to the story of salvation according to the Christian faith? And how did these traditions and conventions find artistic expression in different places and how did they change over time?
To depict important events from the life of Jesus and to reflect on his central role in the Christian faith, artists relied on texts, visual traditions, or both. At the same time, artists often conveyed complex theological concepts through their representations of the figure. Types of conventional images, such as the Madonna and Child, developed and evolved over time. Depictions of Jesus’s crucifixion could focus on the symbolic meaning of his death, imagine the historical setting, or aim to evoke an emotional response in the viewer.
This winter’s exhibition in the Arrington Gallery traces how artists imagined Jesus through examples drawn primarily from the BMA’s own collection. Included are prints, drawings, paintings, sculpture, quilts, flags, and books spanning more than 500 years.”
Coming to Our Senses: An Exploration of the Spirituality of Wine and Food is an engaging lecture and tasting with Gisela Kreglinger, author of The Spirituality of Wine. The evening will include tasting wine or sparkling grape juice and bread. Gisela has a passion for helping Christians understand their faith through their relationship with food. Please join us on January 10th at 7pm in the Parish Hall. A $15 donation is suggested.
Please click here to signup for the event.
Gisela Kreglinger grew up on a family-owned winery in Franconia, Germany where her family has been crafting wine for many generations. This unique experience has inspired her to write a book about the spirituality of wine.
She holds a PhD in historical theology from the University of St. Andrews and in her book Gisela has woven together her passions for Christian spirituality and the wonderful and mysterious world of wine. She is also the author of Storied Revelations: Parables, Imagination and George MacDonald’s Christian Fiction (2013).
Are you between the ages of 22-32 and looking for a community to study Holy Scripture with? Join us every Wednesday Night in the Terrace Room (Halfway between the parish hall and the Church) from 7:05pm to 8:15pm with a group that is committed to growing and learning together. Each group has two guiding principles:
Two Guiding Principles
1) The Bible is not a history book or even a book of instructions for how to live a faithful life. Instead Holy Scripture is a way of engaging in the living God. Through a practice of reflection on Scripture, we encounter God.
2) God revealed God’s self in the Incarnation. Simply put, God became human. In the Gospel’s after the resurrection, people encountered Jesus in relationships with ordinary people. We gather to build friendships to journey with because it is through relationships that we also engage the living God.
Wednesday Night Live Returns!
Join us on Wednesday evenings for food, fellowship, fun, and faith. Learn more about Wednesday Nights here.
Please join us to green the church for Christmas, an event hosted by the Middlers.
We will have a light brunch followed by directions from the Flower Guild to help put bows on wreaths, hang garland, and hang the big wreaths! All are welcome.
RSVP to Kathryn Dorlon at kathryn@ssechurch.org.
Childcare will be provided with reservations to Amy Passey at amy@ssechurch.org
The Advent and Christmas season can be difficult for so many because of grieving the loss of a loved one, recently or long ago. As a community in Christ, we invite those of you who find yourself in this place to come to the Table for Eucharist and allow us to walk with you in this season. We cannot fix you. But we would be honored to walk with you and to love and support. The longest night is that night in December that is darkest, and has the least amount of day light. We await the light of day so that we may arise and shine, much the way we away the long expected Jesus. We hope you will join us as we seek Christ in our midst during this time of grief.
(Registration for this Event is full. Please email Louise Meredith if you want to be added to the waiting list.)
An Afternoon of Quiet in the Season of Advent:
Mindfulness: Breath by Breath Workshop with Marie Hurley Blair
Sunday, December 9, 2 - 4 pm, Chapel
Discuss and experience the core practices of mindfulness: breathing, meditation and subtle movement; talk about stress reduction, emotional/mental fitness, and the spiritual practice of Advent.
First hour includes:
Discussion about yogic tradition, emerging insights in neuroscience, faith journey
How Advent invites cultivating deep down goodness and wholeness
Name some dimension of you that needs healing or calming.
Breath practice –breath physiology followed by experiencing different techniques such as:
Awareness – noticing what is present without changing the breath
3 – part breathing technique
Meditation practice:
Breath and simple being
Loving kindness
Second hour: a mat-based yoga practice:
Integrating breath with embodied experience – attention to noticing sensation, thoughts, emotional currents
Fee: Donation to St. Stephen’s, suggested $10.
Please bring your own mat.
To register, click HERE.
For more about Marie, go to http://www.marieblairyoga.com/
Join us for lunch out and a trip to Arlington for a tour. Each room is decorated for Christmas in a different period. This Historical Home was built between 1845-1850.
Admission is free but donations are encouraged.
We will carpool from the church so please RSVP to Kathryn Dorlon at kathryn@ssechurch.org or 967-8786.
The adult, junior, and youth choirs will present a service of Lessons and Carols at the 9am and 11:15am services.
Please join us for brunch at Cocina Superior.
We will enjoy some fellowship together and then we can all enjoy some shopping for Christmas.
RSVP to Kathryn Dorlon at kathryn@ssechurch.org.
Childcare will be provided with reservations to Amy Passey at amy@ssechurch.org
Join us as we celebrate the young people in our church. 7-12th graders will read, provide worship music, preach, and serve as ushers at the 9am and 11:15am services.
We will host Family Promise families here at Saint Stephen's the week of Thanksgiving. Please consider signing up for one of the many volunteer opportunities as we care for the families over the holidays. You can sign up by clicking HERE.
