Staying Safe and Staying Connected
Good Morning Saint Stephen’s Church,
We continue our life of daily prayer. The Lord be with you!
Today’s Prayer
Great Spirit,
give us hearts to understand;
never to take
from creation’s beauty more than we give;
never to destroy wantonly for the furtherance of
greed;
never to deny to give our hands for the building of
earth’s beauty;
never to take from her what we cannot use.
Give us hearts to understand that to destroy earth’s
music is to create confusion;
that to wreck her appearance is to blind us to beauty;
that to callously pollute her fragrance is to make a
house of stench;
that as we care for her she will care for us. Amen
– U.N. Environmental Sabbath Program
In 1990 the United Nations introduced the Environmental Sabbath Program, promoting a three-day period of rest every June for our Mother Earth. The Environmental Sabbath was the brainchild of Dr. Noel J. Brown, then-director of the North American Regional Office of the UN Environment Programme. UNEP published a selection of prayers, stories, meditations and other ideas for celebrating the Environmental Sabbath, including today’s prayer.
From Our Prayers of the People
For the special needs and concerns of our congregation.
For people throughout the world: in places of war and strife, especially in the Ukraine, all victims of violence and oppression.
For our allies around the world in harm’s way: for those who are still trying to leave Afghanistan and the Ukraine; may God be with them and their families.
For comfort and healing for all who are affected by the Coronavirus around the world: for physicians, nurses, and all others who minister to the sick and the suffering, and for those administering vaccinations, may God grant them wisdom and skill, sympathy and patience, and may God keep them healthy and safe.
For all historical acts of injustice and oppression: especially those perpetrated against native, Black, Hispanic and various Asian Americans in this abundant land, that we may recognize racism in ourselves, in our church, in our society, and recognize the times we have failed to take action.
For a reverence for the earth as God’s own creation: that we may use its resources rightly in the service of others and to God’s honor and glory, and for wisdom, guidance, and persistence as we face the challenges of climate change and work for the flourishing and health of all the earth.
For those on the Parish Prayer Chain: Candace, Daryl, Joan, Charline, Ralph, Mary Ann, Joe, Jeanne, Theresa, Josh, Donald
For our Government Leaders: Joseph Biden, President of the United States; Kathy Hochul, Governor of New York State; Gary McCarthy, Mayor of Schenectady.
For our Church Leaders: Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop; Michael G. Smith and Carol Gallagher, Assisting Bishops; James and Dennie, our priests; Pat, our deacon emeritus and Allison, our Lay Reader.
For those who are imprisoned: those particularly vulnerable at this time, especially the women in the Schenectady County Jail.
For Members who request our prayers for strength and healing: Liz, Kathy, Janet, Marilyn, Eunice, Ruth, Mary Frances, Vincent, Priscilla, Joe, and all their families.
For Tim – today is his baptismal anniversary!
For Thomas – today is his birthday!
For Jean & Ron – today is their wedding anniversary!
For all the blessings of this life.
For our dioceses in the Anglican Communion: The Diocese of Kigezi – The Church of the Province of Uganda.
For all who have died: Jane Hallock, Galina Bayer, Mabel Stewart, Julia Hillman, Edna Whitbeck, Vera Hughes.
Something to share
Climate Change. . . . And A Girl’s Hope For The Future
Climate change
Is just that…
A change
From one spectrum
To the another
A change….
Affecting every living thing
The atmosphere
The water
The food
The air
Interconnecting
And weaving it’s adverse effects
All around us
This change…
It should not be ignored
It should not be mocked
It should be met head on
Taken seriously
Slyly dissected in order
To mend
To improve
To preserve
To protect
I want to die-
And leave behind
Fresh air, clean water,
Healthy, unspoiled soil
And…green…
So much brilliant green
That it illuminates the sky
And land with a crystallized
Emerald sheen
…Blinding
…Mesmerizing
…Unspoiled
I want this…
Is it just
An unattainable dream…
Or can it be a reality?
If it is a dream
Well then
I hope to ‘change’ it
To be….
Real
Somebody pinch me.
– MaryLisa Russo
News and Updates
Sunday Lector – If you would like to read the Sunday scripture lessons on a rotating basis, please contact Doreen, dord81.dmay@gmail.com, so that she can put you on the schedule.
Coffee Hour Sign-up – If you would like to take a week for COFFEE HOUR for the coming weeks, please sign-up at https://docs.google.com/document/d/10ZXG2ODgQSDCqwUXnUHj_3Bsx053IfVL2Thk7IJvHvY/edit so that we can continue to enjoy fellowship after church uninterruptedly.
There is still time to participate in LENT MADDNESS: https://www.lentmadness.org/category/lent-madness-2022/
Episcopal Relief & Development help for Ukrainians – ER&D is mobilizing with Anglican agencies and other partners in order to provide humanitarian assistance to people fleeing the violence in Ukraine.
Working through the Action by Churches Together Alliance (ACT Alliance), Episcopal Relief & Development will provide cash, blankets, hygiene supplies and other needed assistance.
Please pray for all those affected. Donations to Episcopal Relief & Development’s International Disaster Response Fund will provide humanitarian assistance for the crisis in Ukraine.
Reminders
If you have an update/news, a prayer or poem or something inspirational you would like us to share with the congregation, please send it to us. Please also send us any prayer requests. We will incorporate these into the Daily Prayers as best we can: james.ross.mcd@gmail.com.
Prayerbook Morning Prayer in Zoom – each morning. Join Dennie and me for an inter-active service of Morning Prayer at 9 am. Time to bring your prayer concerns will be provided. (contact Becky for the link: becky.holder@gmail.com).
If you need a prayerbook, and are not in a position to purchase one, please contact me: james.ross.mcd@gmail.com. I will make sure you have your own Book of Common Prayer.
Masks are optional for all gatherings at the church.
Our office email is: office@st-stephens.church.
Our goal is for all of us to stay in touch and connected.
Irish Blessing
May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind be at your back,
May the sun shine upon your face,
he rains fall soft upon soft upon your fields,
And until we meet again
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.
Be of good courage. We are in this together, and we will be together again soon. God bless you and may God be with us in the days ahead.