MARCH E-LETTER
Nearly 200 brochures and DVD's have been sent to members of the St. Stephens Memorial family as we kick off our Capital Fund Raising Campaign. Naturally, people have some questions and as part of the process we offer two Q and A sessions: March 3rd from 7 to 8 pm and March 4th from 10 to 11 am. Both sessions will be held in the Lounge on the main level. The big news however, is the “Exquisite Visit” on Sunday, March 20th. The praise band Shyir will be headlining an evening concert at 7 pm, followed by a reception downstairs. During the evening, we will be sharing further details of the Capital Campaign and providing more information about how you can help. You should already have received an invitation by e-mail or post mail. If you haven't received your personal invitation, please contact the office at 519-681-5153. Help us vision for “Our Next 60 years!”
On Sunday, March 6th, immediately following the 10:30 am service, there will be a special meeting of St. Stephens Memorial Vestry. We will be presenting updated information and costing for a proposed renovation to the front of the worship space.
March is also the beginning of Lent. Step one is Shrove Tuesday, March 8th, as we gather for the Pancake Supper. Once again the enthusiastic members of the JAM Youth Group are spearheading the organization. Details and ticket information are available Sunday mornings, by calling the office or consulting our website at www.ststephenslondon.com. Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on March 9th. There will be two services of Eucharist and Imposition of Ashes that day: 11:15 in the morning (slightly later because of a scheduled service lead by St. Stephens at Dearness Home) and 6:30 pm in the evening. In a spiritual sense, Ash Wednesday is much more significant than Shrove Tuesday, but attendance numbers are usually 5 to 1 in the other direction. Can we begin to change that this year? Each Wednesday night during Lent, there will be a said service of Eucharist at 6:30, followed by a Meditation on the Lenten Collects. On April 13 we will be holding a Taize' Evening Prayer service. Thanks to our Harmony group, we will have a wonderful variety of music from the taize' community and we plan to invite some friends from other area churches to join us. We have a few surprises awaiting you as well. From Passion Sunday with the Liturgy of the Palms on April 17th, through Easter Sunday a week later, we will have worship services every day. Easter is a journey, not a single event. We invite you to share the entire journey.
Some other notes – the St. Stephens Memorial Facebook page is gaining new friends daily: why don't you join in? Our Sunday bulletin and our website now feature event calendars. To get your information on both, please contact Suzanne in the office. The Choir continues to seek new voices. All training is supplied and the joy involved is amazing. Please speak with Marque Smith. We have a spot for a reader or two on the third Sunday of each month if you are interested. We can always expand the number of readers, intercessors, communion assistants, servers etc if you would like to be involved.
We are pleased to tell you that the Deanery of Wellington Confirmation Service will be held at St. Stephens on Sunday, September 18th. Candidates? Speak to Keith
