Volume 19 Issue 2 February 2015

Report from the

Search Committee The Search Committee completed its formation process and has been re-viewing the charge from the Vestry and starting on writing a Parish Pro-file. We are looking at other parish profiles to see what models are out there to help guide us. We have been gathering information from the visioning potlucks and picking up the good ideas from the previous long range plans the congregation put together over the years and adding in some great information from the History Project. We have adopted some norms and expectations for ourselves, including those about our process and those about our internal communications. Being good listeners and learning how to blend our perspectives so that a unified vision emerges were two of the most important areas. Various major sections of a profile have been given to committee mem-bers to draft statements on those areas for the entire group to look over and provide feedback. We will meet most Tuesdays, includ-ing a joint meeting with the Vestry in January to review a video designed to inspire and guide our mutual work, and then to continue work on drafting a full Parish Profile. Thank you for keeping this ministry in your prayers. Bud Zeuschner Communications Officer

Walking the Lenten Camino with the Spanish Mystics

St. Teresa of Avila & St. John of the Cross

February 25 – March 25, 2015

Join us for a Soup Dinner, Lecture, & Group Discussion

every Wednesday at 5:30pm in Ramsden Parish Hall

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, San Luis Obispo

Facilitated by The Rev. Amber Sturgess

+ + +

Wednesdays at 5:30pm

Feb. 25: Introduction to the Spanish Mystics

March 4: St. John of the Cross & The Dark Night of the Soul, Part 1

March 11: The Dark Night of the Soul, Part 2

March 18: The Dark Night of the Soul, Part 3

March 25: Grandma’s on the Camino with Mary Wyman, a pil-

grim at 70 who walked alone the 500 mile Camino de Santiago

de Compostela, will share her experiences & read from her book,

Grandma’s on the Camino.

+ + +

March 14, Saturday, 1:00pm: Exploring the

Interior Castle of St. Teresa of Avila. A

special presentation of 16th century Spanish

music with harpist, Jennifer Sayre, and

readings from the Interior Castle with

Spiritual Director, Marianne Stowe.

(St. Stephen’s Church Nave)

The Witness Page 2

Dear St. Stephen's,

What an awesome visit we

had with Bishop Mary

today! In her sermon, she

invited us to fall in love

again with Jesus so that we

might be renewed in

God. We had one candi-

date for confirmation and

six candidates for Reaf-

firmation of Vows who

chose to risk falling in love

again with God by making

a commitment to their

spiritual practice:

1) to prayer, study, and

worship,

2) to practice metanoia,

opening their minds to new

ways of seeing and

processing,

3) to practice the love they

have experienced in God

with others,

4) to "serve Christ in all per-

sons, loving your neighbor

as yourself,

5) to "strive for justice and

peace among all people,

and respect the dignity of

every human being."

All of us took these vows

together and made a

commitment to renew our

life in Christ. We can live

out this covenant by taking

a risk to be vulnerable with

God, to risk falling in love

again, to open our hearts

to new possibilities of being

a community of faith.

As we continue to walk

through this time of transi-

tion we are learning how to

deal with change in our

personal lives and as a

community and we are

learning how to trust in

God's process, sometimes

slow process in our time-

line. We can trust that

God's way brings the heal-

ing and reconciliation that

we need in order to realize

and to become the peo-

ple we long to be and the

church we long to be.

Epiphany Blessings,

Amber +

On a Positive Note

“Most of us lead far more meaning-ful lives than we know. Often find-ing meaning is not about doing things differently; it is about seeing familiar things in new ways.” Rachel Naomi Remen, professor of family and community UCSF School of Medicine

“Remember how far you’ve come, not just how far you have to go. You are not where you want to be, but neither are you where you used to be.” Pastor Rick Warren

“Your problems are never bigger than your purpose.”

Herman Edwards, ESPN football analyst & former NFL head coach

The Witness Page 3

VESTRY MEMBERS

Kathryn Bumpass Co-Sr. Warden

Bob Levison Co-Sr. Warden Bill Walter Jr. Warden

Liz Frost Fellowship

Craig Harlan Outreach

Chris Kellett Communication

Ian Lakin Youth Rep.

Robert Misson Pastoral Care/

Membership

Carolyn Platt Stewardship

Gail Taylor Youth

Chris Arndt Sexton

Katie Arndt Treasurer Linda Zeuschner Clerk

Ask the Treasurer "You mention the Money Market account in your summary of bank balances. What is

in the Money Market account and how is it used?" The account is with Rabobank and consists of multiple sub accounts. I have set up an Excel spreadsheet to record transactions both in and out of the account. I reconcile

this account every month with the bank statement.

The sub funds are:

History Project (Funds used for our 150th Anniversary celebration.)

Brotherhood of St. Andrew (Deposits are from the Tip Jar at the monthly meet-

ing and help fund the Men's Retreat.)

Fellowship (Funds can be used for the kitchen.)

Music (Donations are used to pay musician fees.)

Youth (Deposits are primarily from the E-Script donations from local grocery

stores.)

Vacation Bible School (Payments are to VBS workers and the cost of

custom t-shirts.)

Parish Players (This was established when Alice Jo Duckworth was do-

ing plays.)

Mount Calvary (Donations allow women to attend the Women's Retreat.)

St. Andrews Benefactors (This is a group of anonymous individuals that helps

people with specific monetary needs.)

Goodbye Party (Funds used to throw someone a goodbye party.)

Contemplative (Funds are used for workshops, books and food related to Con-

templative Prayer.)

If anyone has any questions about this account, please give me a call or email me

at katie@tbo.net.

Rabobank Bank Balances as of December 31, 2014

Operating account: $38,157.91

Money Market: $10,339.49

Endowment Checking: $10,101.68

Respectfully submitted,

Katie Arndt, Treasurer

Old fashioned Barn

(fund) Raising!

We are more than a third of

the way to the $4,000 goal

for the new storage barn!

Please help us get this long

overdue secure, dry storage

building in place. You can

give your donation to me, the

office or the Sunday collec-

tion plate. Please note on it

“Barn”.

Thanks!

Chris Arndt

Sexton

The Witness Page 4

START THINKING

CHOCOLATE!

Order forms for Parish Council's well-loved,

lovingly-made chocolate

Easter eggs will be in the March issue of The

Witness.

Place your order by

March 15th, and the

Chocolate Factory will be opening in Ramsden Hall

on March 16th.

News from Grandmother’s House The children returned from the Christmas Break with tons of energy and excitement to see their school and classmates. Preschool is often the first experience young children have to develop their first friendships, and the staff and I encourage these sweet relationships. It takes a little while to get back into our routine after a break, but it wasn’t long before we were fully engaged in the learning opportunities the staff and I planned for the children. One of the themes we explored was what various animals do in the winter. The children learned about migration, hibernation and adaptation. My three year old class agreed that they’d rather put on a sweater or fly to a warmer climate than sleep for the whole winter! Grandmother’s House follows a curriculum that is ‘literature rich’ and the children loved listening to a number of Jan Brett’s winter stories. Because you’ll rarely, (if ever!) see snow in San Luis Obispo, the older children made a snowstorm full of folded paper snowflakes. This is fun activity that provides good scissor cutting practice and produces beautiful, unique pieces or art. February will find us exploring nutrition and healthy eating, and creating Valentine’s cards and gifts for our family and friends. We’re hoping for some rain, so we can stomp through puddles in the Courtyard and plant our spring crop in the raised bed plant-ers near the parking lot. Respectfully, Dottie Ryan Director, GHCC

General Information

The Witness is a monthly newsletter published by St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, San Luis Obispo,

CA to provide information about the parish to the congregation. Subscriptions are free to anyone. Send

request along with your name and mailing address to the church office. Donations to help offset

distribution costs are appreciated. Make checks payable to St. Stephen’s.

The Church’s e-mail address is: ststephenslo@gmail.com

The Witness Editor is Chris Kellett. Contribution of articles is encouraged. Please e-mail

submissions to the editor at cskellett@yahoo.com

The deadline for emailed submission of articles is Friday following the Vestry meeting. Call or email

editor with any questions.

© Copyright 2015 by St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. All rights reserved.

POSTMASTER: Please send address corrections to: St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 1344

Nipomo St., San Luis Obispo, CA 93401-3935

The Witness Page 5

Scriptures for

February

February 1, 2015

4th Sunday after the Epiphany

The Rev. Amber Sturgess

Deuteronomy 18:15-20

Psalm 111

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Mark 1:21-28

February 8, 2015

5th Sunday after the Epiphany

The Rev. Amber Sturgess

Chaplain Berkeley Johnson -

Preacher

Isaiah 40:21-31

Psalm 147:1-12, 21c

1 Corinthians 9:16-23

Mark 1:29-39

February 15, 2015

Last Sunday after the Epiphany

The Rev. Amber Sturgess

2 Kings 2:1-12

Psalm 50:1-6

2 Corinthians 4:3-6

Mark 9:2-9

February 22, 2015

First Sunday in Lent

The Rev. Amber Sturgess

Genesis 9:8-17

Psalm 25:1-9

I Peter 3:18-22

Mark 1:9:15

Sexton’S RepoRt

Beside the new web site, and Barn (Fund) Raising mentioned elsewhere in this issue, in the last month I have accom-plished the following:

We have started the process to move the Church’s Internet and phone service to Charter from AT&T. This will improve the reliability of our Internet service and increase our speed about ten times. The package of phone features is compara-ble to what we currently get from AT&T. The whole package will also save us several hundred dollars per year.

Ed Garner and I patched the pothole at the main entrance to the parking lot. We saw cut the edges, chipped out the old asphalt, and tamped in 4- 60 lb bags of cold patch asphalt.

Jim Arndt and I replaced the vent fan in the Ramsden Hall ladies room.

I also prepared the Sexton’s report for the Annual meeting, repaired the heater vent control chain in Amber’s office, and replaced one light over the sanctuary.

Respectfully submitted,

Chris Arndt

Sexton

NEW CHURCH WEBSITE IS UP!

On New Year’s Eve, we launched the new church web site. The URL is still www.ststephensslo.org. Please let Kathleen Pennington or me know if you want any special pages there, or have any content to add. We're still looking for pictures!

In addition, we now have the ability for church leaders and groups to have their own @ststephensslo.org email addresses and forwarding lists. If you are interesting in a church email account for your church position or forwarding list for your group, please email me with the particulars to sexton@ststephensslo.org.

Chris Arndt

The Witness Page 6

Hands-On Stewardship

at St. Stephen’s!

FEBRUARY

BIRTHDAYS

FEBRUARY ANNIVERSARIES

4th Opal Rich

5th Fred Tarwater

6th Lynn Wiech

Karla Gibson

9th Eric Fisher

12th Richard Roge

Al Williams

16th Kathleen Pennington

18th Frances Robertson

20th Peter Agbo

23rd Bud Zeuschner

25th Christina Bearce

26th Julie Watson

28th Ann Patry

14th Fred and Carol Astaire

THANK YOU TO Doris Highland, Kathryn Marshall,

Kathleen Pennington, and Alison Preston for teaching Sun-

day School classes in January.

THANK YOU TO Lynn Wiech, Jean Wright, and Bud &

Linda Zeuschner for hosting a coffee hour in January.

THANK YOU TO Anthony Meinhold, Diane Levison, Di-

anne Long, and Rev. Amber for their participation in the

Epiphany Feast of Lights service and party.

THANK YOU TO everyone who donated food or funds for

the Souper Bowl of Caring.

THANK YOU TO Alison, Anastasia and Isabelle Preston

for organizing the Christmas Toy Drive and to the many pa-

rishioners who donated toys for the children at the homeless

shelters.

Thank you dear friends from St. Stephen's! Your

cards, letters, phone calls and notes were gratefully

received by Tom and me and made such a difference

in our stay down south while Tom was recovering.

We are sure that all that love from St. Stephen's was a

major factor in his recovery.

Again, thank you so much for your love and care.

Pam Myers

The Witness Page 7 FEBRUARY 2015

Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church 1344 Nipomo Street San Luis Obispo CA 93401-3935

Office: 805 543.7212 Ramsden Hall: 805 543.7215 Fax: 805 543.0744

ststephenslo@gmail.com http://ststephensslo.org

Office hours: Monday — Thursday 9:00 a.m.— 1:00 p.m.

Key: Ramsden Hall – RH; Boydston Room – BR; Library – L

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 Epiphany IV 8am HE Rite I 10am HE Rite II 11:30 Annual Meeting & Potluck

2

3 10am – Yoga RH 5:30pm Centering Prayer

4 10:30amWomen’s Prayer – L 11:30am- Healing 5-9pm Shire - YR

5 11am Bible Study 6:45 Choir Rehearsal

6

7

8 Epiphany V 8am HE Rite II 10am HE Rite II 10am Sunday School 12pm History Project Comm.

9

10 10am – Yoga RH 5:30pm Centering Prayer

11 8am Brotherhood of St. Andrew’s

Breakfast 10:30AM Women’s Prayer – L 11:30am-Healing 5-9pm Shire - YR

12 11am Bible Study 12pm Altar Guild 6:45 Choir Rehearsal

13 Youth Sierra Ser-

vice Project

14 Youth Sierra Ser-

vice Project

15 Last Sunday Of Epiphany 8am Morning Prayer

& HE Rite I 10am HE Rite II 10am Sunday School

16

17 10am – Yoga RH 5:30pm Centering Prayer 7pm Vestry - BR

18 Ash Wednesday 10:30AM Women’s Prayer – L 12pm Ash Wed. Service 7pm Ash Wed. Service

19 6:45 Choir Rehearsal

20 Witness Deadline Bro. of St. Andrew Retreat

21 Bro. of St. Andrew Retreat

22 Lent I 8am HE Rite II 10am HE Rite II 10am Sunday School 11:30 Visioning Sunday Potluck 2pm Deanery at St. James Stewardship Mtg.

23

24 5:30pm Centering Prayer

25 10:30AM Women’s Prayer – L 11:30am Healing 5-9pm Shire - YR 5:30 Lenten Supper & Study

26 6:45 Choir Rehearsal

27

28

The Witness Page 8

Non-Profit Organization

U.S. Postage Paid

San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

Permit No. 57

ST. STEPHEN’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH 1344 NIPOMO ST

SAN LUIS OBISPO CA 93401-3935

Address Service Requested

The Witness

St. Stephen’s Services

Sunday 8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist without music 9:00 a.m. Bible Forum in Boydston Room 10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist Rite II with music Sunday School for K-12 (during school year) Child care available during 10:00 am service

Wednesday 11:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist 5:30 p.m. Evening Prayer

Office Hours Monday—Thursday 9:00 – 1:00 1344 Nipomo Street San Luis Obispo, CA 93401-3935 Office: 805-543-7212 Fax: 805-543-0744 Email: ststephenslo@gmail.com Website: http://ststephensslo.org

Kids Say the Darndest Things

One Sunday morning, the pastor noticed little Alex standing in the

foyer of the church staring up at a large plaque. It was covered with

names and small American flags mounted on either side of it. The six-

year old had been staring at the plaque for some time, so the pastor

walked up, stood beside the little boy, and said quietly, “Good morn-

ing Alex.”

“Good morning Pastor,” he replied, still focused on the plaque. “Pastor,

what is this?”

The pastor said, “Well son, it's a memorial to all the young men and

women who died in the service.”

Soberly, they just stood together, staring at the large plaque. Finally,

little Alex's voice, barely audible and trembling with fear asked, …

“Which service, the 8:00 or the 10:00?”