January 2015 - St. Stephen`s Episcopal Church

January
2015
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church
“Sharing what God has given with glad and generous hearts” “In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to
Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his
star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’”
~ Matthew 2 ~
As the Christmas Season is wrapping up, I am struck by just how wrapped up in ourselves we get around this time every
single year. From the news on the television to Facebook to Twitter, there are articles upon articles about our plans for the
New Year. There are articles on how to get skinny, there are articles on how to get more done, there are articles on how to
have more fun, and there are even articles on how to get along with
your spouse better in the New Year. All of them seem to be
worthwhile goals. That is why millions of people year after year
subject themselves to trying to accomplish them. We all want to
“do better.” We all want to “be better.” However, most of the goals
have one thing in common: they are all Self-Focused. In a very
American way, we tell ourselves, “Self, this year we are going to
pick up ourselves up by our own boot straps and accomplish
something!” And, also in a very American way, we throw
ourselves at our new goals with such optimistic enthusiasm that we
almost convince ourselves that we will indeed accomplish them
“this year.” We continue to project ourselves into the future, but
fail to accept ourselves as we really are now. But as we wrap up
the Christmas Season, is this really the proper mindset we should
have? As Christians, should we be so wrapped up in ourselves?
I believe the story of the wise men coming from the East is
instructive here. What strikes me about the wise men is the fact
that they are not all wrapped up in themselves. In fact, over and
against our modern inclination to focus on ourselves and look
inwardly, the wise men are focused on something outside
themselves. They are focused on a star- a star that leads them to the
Christ child. This New Years, as the Christmas Season begins to
wrap up, perhaps we too would be better served to look not to
ourselves, but outside ourselves to a God who loves not for our
accomplishments, but for what has been accomplished for us in
Jesus Christ.
Fr. Ben +
115 N. East Street Culpeper, Virginia 22701
540-825-8786  st.stephens.episcopal@gmail.com  www.ststephensculpeper.net
Annual Mee ng: Sat., Jan. 17th at 10 AM if you would like to serve on the vestry or nominate someone to serve, please contact Billy Green 540‐229‐0006 or Fr. Ben at rector.benshelton@gmail.com Please submit your annual group reports, via email, to Karen by Friday, Jan. 9th at Con nental Breakfast Elec on of 4 new Vestry members 2015 Budget Our Search Process Changes and the Vision for 2015 The Jan. vestry mee ng will follow Celebra on of New Ministry Supper Club
All are invited to the Installa on of our rector, The Rev. Benson Shelton, on Tues., Jan. 6th at 7:00 p.m. in the church. Bishop Gulick will preside. A recep on will follow in the Parish Hall, a er the service. Members of Daughters of the King are graciously organizing the recep on. Please bring a dish to share. Some gluten‐free dishes would be very much appreciated. Please contact Barbara Collins 540‐408‐3774 or Ki y Whitman 540‐825‐4443, to let them know what you will be bringing. Beverages will be provided. St. Thomas Circle
Women of the church are welcome to join us for our next gathering on Tues., Jan. 20th at 7:00 p.m. at the home of BJ DeJarne e. Please bring a dish to share for our meal The Parish Office and the
Culpeper Food Closet will be
CLOSED on Jan. 20th in
observance of
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Please join us for our next outing
on Wed., Jan. 8th at 6:00 p.m. at
Foti’s Restaurant
Come enjoy Peruvian or American fare at very
reasonable prices ($$ - $$$) Please call
Jo Ann Houston for more information or to make
reservations at 540-825-9049 or email
joannejh@comcast.net
Altar Flowers
The new Altar Flower chart has been
posted across from the Parish Hall bulletin
board. If you would like to reserve a date
for an altar flower memorial or
thanksgiving, please add your name on
the date you want to reserve and send the wording to Leilani
so it can be included in the appropriate Sunday bulletin.
Close Knits of Culpeper... a volunteer group who knit afghans for returning wounded veterans, meet throughout the year in the Gathering Room on the second Monday of every month, from 10 AM un l Noon. Put‐Togethers AND last Thursday of the month, from 10 AM un l noon (regular mee ng). Please contact June Woody, Audrey Gent, or Ki y Whitman for more informa on. Page 2
Pu ng the Past Behind You So New Hope Can Grow by Joyce Meyer Ephesians 4:22‐23 is a very encouraging passage of scripture. It says, “Strip yourselves of your former nature.… And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual a tude]” (AMP). own thoughts and feelings. Glance at your circumstance and stare at Jesus. He’s the Author and Finisher of our faith. In other words, you can overcome any nega ve situa on or pain from your past if you will just get with God and say, “Yes, this happened in my life. But You are on my side and I know You have a good plan for me.” Your Circumstances Cannot Keep You Down Abraham had a choice to make in Genesis 13. You see, he and Lot had grown so wealthy that, between the two of them, they had too many ca le to feed on the land. So Abraham said to Lot, “Let’s split up. I’ll give you first pick of the land.” Well, Lot chose the best part of the Jordan valley for himself. Abraham could have go en pre y angry about that, but he knew that if he kept a good a tude, God would bless him. Let’s see what happened. In fact, with God’s help, you can do anything within His will for you. For example, God wants you to be healthy. So if you need to lose weight and you decide to go on a diet, when the hunger pains start coming, no ma er how much your flesh is screaming, you can set your mind to not give in. And you will see results! Well, that truth applies to every other area of your life. Verses 14‐15: “The Lord said to Abram a er Lot had parted from him, ‘Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever’” (NIV). I think a lot of us try to do things in our own strength without God. But in order to have the godly determina on we need to get results, we need to come under the leadership of the Holy Spirit―and we need to have a vision. Talk about a vision! Do you know what? God will give you anything you can see as long as it’s biblical. If you will just stop thinking about everything you’ve lost, everything you’re not, everything you’ve given up, the way you’ve been treated in the past, and set your mind on His vision for your future, God will bring you to your Promised Land. But first, you have to let go of what lies behind. You’ve Got to Have a Vision The Israelites stayed in the wilderness forty years because they couldn’t see God’s vision for their life. They thought of everything in terms of their past. In fact, they complained to Moses that they wanted to go back to Egypt and return to a life of slavery because that’s what they knew. But God wanted them to get a new vision―a land flowing with milk and honey. If you want to see change happen in your life, you’ve got to get a vision that goes beyond what you’ve already seen and experienced. And a good place to start is the promises in God’s Word. There are thousands of them, and you can claim each one of them for yourself. We need to learn how to encourage ourselves in the Word. That’s what David did in Psalm 27:13‐14. Even in the midst of his troubles he said, “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” (NIV). Stop Staring at Your Past Our hope should never be based on what we can see or what’s in our past. Our hope should be based on the Word of God and His promises for our life. Isaiah 43:18‐19 says, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” (NIV). God is always doing something new. We need to use our gi of spiritual discernment to follow His plan and stop following our Reprinted with permission by Joyce Meyer Ministries. January Birthday and Anniversary Celebra ons Jan. 1st: Gayle Benhase Jan. 7th: Sandra Burton Jan. 7th: Caitlin Turner Jan. 8th: Rudolph Travers, Sr. Jan. 11th: Beth Harper Jan. 12th: Yolanda Fabian Jan. 16th: Julia Green Jan. 17th: Evan Crow Jan. 17th: Wynn Myers Jan. 19th: Mike Corbin Jan. 19th: Candace Travers Jan. 20th: Amber Eley Jan. 20th: Lauren Knipfer Jan. 21st: Rebecca Halle Jan. 23rd: Roberta Chauncey Jan. 24th: Kerri Bonfadini Jan. 25th: Billy DeJarne e Jan. 26th: Cameron Jacobs Jan. 28th: Jens Tholand Jan. 28th: Katherine Whitman Jan. 29th: Michael Bonfadini Jan. 29th: Harry Smith Jr. Jan. 29th: Aaron Ward Page 3
Jan. 14th Duke & Ann duFrane Jan. 20th Brad & Lydia Hansen REFLECTIONS ON THE PRAYER JESUS GAVE US Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, For the past two months The Daughters of the King, here in the Red Door have placed reflec ons on the Lord’s Prayer, phrase by phrase. Please find here the next in our series. We pray it will find some meaning within your prayer life. Father, in order that Your Kingdom may grow and expand, please plant a seed of faith in our hearts. Make our hearts fer le places for that faith to grow so that our work in Your Kingdom will be frui ul. Embolden Your Spirit in us so that we might contribute to your plans – not for our glory but for Yours alone, Father. Amen And so we con nue… THY KINGDOM COME, THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN Thy Kingdom Come is a reference to God’s spiritual reign, not Israel’s freedom from Rome. God’s kingdom was announced in the covenant with Abraham, is present in Christ’s reign in our hearts and will be complete when evil is destroyed and when God establishes the new heaven and earth. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven – we are praying that God’s perfect purpose will be accomplished in this world as well as in the next. This is accomplished largely through our willingness to obey Him. This part of the Prayer allows us to offer ourselves as doers of God’s will. We need to ask God to help us in the undertaking, to guide, lead and give us the means to accomplish his purpose. Amen Terry S. God’s kingdom is already present. Jesus brought to earth God’s saving rule; it is alive and real. But, at the same me, there is much work s ll to be done. Peace and jus ce must embrace and God’s saving power must heal and redeem our broken world. When we pray that God’s Kingdom come and His will be done, we are aligning ourselves with God’s ul mate plan for our individual lives, as well as for our world as a whole. We are accep ng Christ’s agenda as our own. We are celebra ng God’s ul mate triumph, as we look eagerly toward the day when we will see His glory revealed everywhere. Amen Barbara C. When I relinquish control over my own life and try to live willingly under the authority of God with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I believe my life is beginning to touch the Kingdom who for me is Jesus Christ. Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven: I believe this means to ask that God’s rule be established within the hearts and minds of men, women and children everywhere. In other words, willingness to do the will of God! Amen Ki y W. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things will be given unto you.” ~ Ma hew 6:33 ~ “For ye have need of pa ence, that, a er ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” ~ Hebrews 10:36 ~ Page 4
January 2015 Lay Reader Schedule ~ Year B DATE Jan. 4th The Second Sunday a er Christmas Day Jan. 11th The First Sunday a er the Epiphany Jan. 18th The Second Sunday a er the Epiphany Jan. 25th The Third Sunday a er the Epiphany TIME / SERVICE CHALICE Harold Boyd 8:00 a.m. HE Troy Ellio Tricia Whitman 10:30 a.m. HE Kim Helsel Marty Moon 8:00 a.m. HE Billy Green Terry Stein 10:30 a.m. HE Jack Garber Billy Green 8:00 a.m. HE Marty Moon 10:30 a.m. HE Terry Stein Tricia Whitman Harold May Ben Walser 8:00 a.m. HE Troy Ellio Harold Boyd Troy Ellio Harold Boyd 10:30 a.m. HE Elizabeth O’Reilly Terese Matricardi Jack Garber Kelly Ward Acolyte Schedule ‐ January 2015 Jan. 4th Server Aly O’Reilly Torches Crucifer Lauren Knipfer Zach Eick Carrington Travers 2nd Cross Aaron Knipfer Bell, Book & Candles Hayden Ward Jan. 11th Server Ben Walser Torches Crucifer Ben Walser Hannah Vaught Zach Greenfield 2nd Cross Nik Greenfield Bell, Book & Candles Ma Greenfield Server Brooke Bonfadini Torches Crucifer Lauren Knipfer Zach Eick Tyler Miller 2nd Cross Zach Miller Bell, Book & Candles Killian O’Reilly Jan. 25th Server Allie Vaught Torches Crucifer Hannah Vaught Cody Snider Carrington Travers 2nd Cross Isabella Hansen Bell, Book & Candles Wya Snider Jan. 18th READER Harold Boyd Troy Ellio Dave Cooper Ki y Whitman Marty Moon Billy Green Marianne Ridgaway Becky Walser Billy Green Marty Moon LESSONS Jeremiah 31:7‐14 Psalm 84 or 84:1‐8 Ephesians 1:3‐6,15‐19a Ma hew 2:13‐15,19‐23 Genesis 1:1‐5 Psalm 29 Acts 19:1‐7 Mark 1:4‐11 1 Samuel 3:1‐10(11‐20) Psalm 139:1‐5, 12‐17 1 Corinthians 6:12‐20 John 1:43‐51 Jonah 3:1‐5, 10 Psalm 62: 6‐14 1 Corinthians 7: 29‐31 Mark 1:14‐20 Jan. Altar Guild: Mary Ann Kelsey and Sally Jebson
Usher Schedule for January 2015 Jan. 4th: Ken & Michelle Greenfield BJ & Billy DeJarne e Jan. 11th: Walter Burton, Marshall Gayheart, Harry Smith, Peyton Cramer Jan. 18th: Mike and Kerri Bonfadini, Dick and Barbara Rosica Jan. 25th: Brad and Lydia Hansen, Julie Yowell, Bobby Ryan American Red Cross
Blood Drive
The next Blood Drive to be held at
St. Stephen’s is on Tues., Jan. 13th from
12:30 p.m. ~ 5:30 p.m. in the Gathering Room.
The Brotherhood of St. Andrew
will host the event and members of
St. Thomas Circle provide cookies.
Please, give the gift of life--give blood.
Page 5
Sunday Monday January 2015 Wednesday Tuesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 New Year's Day Food Closet Closed 09:00 AM‐DOK Office & Food Closet Closed 08:00 AM‐Stephen's Friends 4 08:00 AM‐HE Service 09:00 AM‐Adult Forum 09:00 AM‐Youth Sunday School 09:00 AM‐Nursery 10:30 AM‐HE Service 11:45 AM‐Acolyte Prac ce 11:45 AM‐Coffee Hour 12:00 PM‐Revela on Youth Group 5 08:00 AM‐Stephen's Friends 04:30 PM‐Ham Radio Tes ng 06:30 PM‐Lec o Divina 07:00 PM‐Vietnam Veterans Mtg 6 07:00 AM‐BOSA 08:00 AM‐Stephen's Friends 09:30 AM‐Blue Ridge Ar st ~ Diane 12:00 PM‐Staff Mee ng 07:00 PM‐Fr. Ben’s Installa on and Epiphany Service 08:00 PM‐ Shelton Recep on 7 8 9 10 08:00 AM‐Stephen's 08:00 AM‐Stephen's 08:00 AM‐Stephen's Friends Friends Friends 08:00 AM‐Billy Green 08:00 AM‐Billy Green Work Zone Work Zone 10:00 AM‐HE Service 05:00 PM‐Christ 11:00 AM‐Bible Study Centered Yoga Class 07:00 PM‐Quilters Guild 11 08:00 AM‐HE Service 09:00 AM‐Adult Forum 09:00 AM‐Youth Sunday School 09:00 AM‐Nursery 10:30 AM‐HE Service 11:45 AM‐Acolyte Prac ce 11:45 AM‐Coffee Hour ~by DOK 12:00 PM‐Revela on Youth Group 12 08:00 AM‐Stephen's Friends 10:00 AM‐Close Knits 4 Wounded Vet 06:30 PM‐Lec o Divina 07:00 PM‐Young Life Culpeper 14 15 13 08:00 AM‐Stephen's 08:00 AM‐Stephen's 07:00 AM‐BOSA Friends 08:00 AM‐Stephen's Friends 10:00 AM‐HE Service 05:00 PM‐Christ Friends 09:30 AM‐Blue Ridge 11:00 AM‐Bible Study Centered Yoga Class 01:00 PM‐Bap st Ar st ~ Diane Home Ministry 12:00 PM‐Staff 06:00 PM‐Supper Mee ng 12:30 PM‐Blood Drive Club @ Fo 's 05:30 PM‐Girls Scouts Mee ng 06:30 PM‐
StageWorks Monthly Mtg 16 Lee‐Jackson Day Food Closet Closed 08:00 AM‐Stephen's Friends 17 10:00 AM‐Annual Church Mee ng 11:00 AM‐Annual Vestry Mee ng 18 08:00 AM‐HE Service 09:00 AM‐Adult Forum 09:00 AM‐Youth Sunday School 09:00 AM‐Nursery 10:30 AM‐HE Service 11:45 AM‐Acolyte Prac ce 11:45 AM‐Coffee Hour ~ St. Thomas 12:00 PM‐Revela on Youth Group 19 Mar n Luther King Day Office & Food Closet Closed 08:00 AM‐Stephen's Friends 06:30 PM‐Lec o Divina 07:00 PM‐Ham Radio 07:00 PM‐Founding Father's Republican Womens Group 20 07:00 AM‐BOSA 08:00 AM‐Stephen's Friends 09:30 AM‐Blue Ridge Ar st ~Diane 12:00 PM‐Staff Mee ng 06:30 PM‐3rd Tuesday Group 07:00 PM‐St. Thomas Circle@ BJ DeJarne e’s 21 22 08:00 AM‐Stephen's 08:00 AM‐Stephen's Friends Friends 10:00 AM‐HE Service 09:00 AM‐220th 11:00 AM‐Bible Study Council 07:00 PM‐Young Lives 05:00 PM‐Christ Mee ng Centered Yoga Class 23 08:00 AM‐Stephen's Friends 09:00 AM‐220th Council 06:00 PM‐Revela on Bible Study 24 09:00 AM‐220th Council 10:00 AM‐Young Lives Mentor 25 08:00 AM‐HE Service 09:00 AM‐Adult Forum 09:00 AM‐Youth Sunday School 09:00 AM‐Nursery 10:30 AM‐HE Service 11:45 AM‐Acolyte Prac ce 11:45 AM‐Coffee Hour ~ Brotherhood 12:00 PM‐Revela on Youth Group 26 08:00 AM‐Stephen's Friends 06:30 PM‐Lec o Divina 27 07:00 AM‐BOSA 08:00 AM‐Stephen's Friends 09:30 AM‐Blue Ridge Ar st 12:00 PM‐Staff Mee ng 05:30 PM‐Girl Scouts Mee ng 28 29 30 31 08:00 AM‐Stephen's 08:00 AM‐Stephen's 08:00 AM‐Stephen's Friends Friends Friends 10:00 AM‐HE Service 10:00 AM‐Close Knit 11:00 AM‐Bible Study 4 Wounded Vets 05:00 PM‐Christ Centered Yoga Class