This year our Lenten program is one that is meant to inspire and help you imagine where God may be calling you to deepen your call as lay ministers in this beautiful world. Beginning February 22, at 6pm, we will be joined via Zoom by four lay people and/or priests who are involved in several different ministries in the Diocese of Virginia. From youth ministry to prison ministry and everything in between, there are people working among us with passions that are worth learning about. While these may not be ministries you seek to explore yourself, please come and learn and perhaps be inspired to serve in your own lives in ways that can further God's mission in our world.

Our Program:

February 22-The Rev. Canon Chanta Bhan

Canon Bhan leads our ministry for discipleship of clergy and lay ministers in the Diocese. She works in partnership with congregations to support their work with children and family ministries, Shrine Mont Camps, Parish Youth Ministry, campus ministries, and adult formation programs. She supports vocational discernment for laity, networks of formation professionals, and opportunities for pastoral care for formation leaders.

February 29-The Rev. Beth Bingham

A classmate of Pilar's, Beth has walked with Jesus in a most amazing ministry focused on women and prison ministry. While currently bi-vocational (holding both a secular and church job), her life and ministry among us as a disciple has impacted the world around us and touched the lives of many in need.

March 7-James Williams

James Williams is the Director of Shrine Mont Camps, a foundational piece of youth formation in the Diocese. James has worked in camp ministry for 7 years across 3 separate camp programs, with the majority of that time working, living, loving, worshiping, and laughing at Shrine Mont Camps. James is dedicated to the transformation that can happen to campers “on the Mountain,” believes deeply in expanding diversity and welcome within camp, and looks to continue the spiritually enriching programming of Shrine Mont Camps. 

March 14-The Rev. Dr. J. Lee Hill, Jr. 

The Rev. Canon J. Lee Hill, Jr. works with lay and ordained leaders to engage all congregations and diocesan organizations in the work of healing across racial and other divides. He supports existing ministries of racial justice and healing, works with groups across the Diocese in the development of new ministries, and facilitates courageous dialogue about race that is rooted in Christ and that honors different experiences.

March 22-Discipleship and Preparation for Holy Week

In our final week, Pilar will lead us through a discussion about Holy Week and how it prepares us to inherit the ministry of the disciples. This week we will learn about the history of the services we are offering during Holy Week and how we might continued to be inspired to serve others through our worship.

*Descriptions taken from episcopalvirginia.org

Lent is approaching quickly! As we begin to find ways to explore our faith, refresh us, and slow down to spend time with God, this year we will turn our focus to the history of the church. Beginning Thursday, February 23rd, at 6pm, you are invited to join us for our Lenten Soup and Supper Program, led by the Rev. Scott Parnell. This year, we will explore the history of the church through enthusiastic lectures and discussion. Both Pilar and Scott will be present for our program together. 

There will be a sign up sheet in parish hall for dinner. We will continue what we have done in the past and ask that two couples, friend group, or a few singletons sign up each week to provide soup and bread for those attending the program. Those dinner dates are, February 23; March 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30th. Please consider signing up in our parish hall or by emailing Pilar. 

*If it is convenient for the group signed up, Pilar can provide a vegan and gluten free option for those in attendance. 

Lent is right around the corner and this year we will be gathering together again, in person, for dinner and conversation. Please join us for a series of "Sharing Faith Dinners", Thursday nights, beginning at 6pm during Lent. It is a concept borrowed from the Diocese of Texas intended to help us examine our own spirituality and faith lives, by sharing stories with each other. Throughout our meal, we will play a card game with questions intended to help us share stories about our walks with God, what has brought us to this community, and how we live out our faith in community. Some questions will be fun, some will be thought provoking, and others may ask us to be vulnerable with one another. This experience is intended to bring us closer together after so much disjointed connection over the past two years and with a few new faces among us. We hope that you will be able to join us and that you will jump into this experience with open hearts!

There will be a sign up sheet in parish hall for dinner. We will be doing what we have done in the past and ask that two couples (or single family units) sign up each week to provide soup and bread for those attending the program. Pilar will plan to provide a vegan and gluten free option for those with dietary restrictions. Those dinner dates are, March 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, and April 7th. 

If you have any questions, please email Pilar at pilar@ststephensheathsville.org.

We  may be socially distant, but we are still walking in faith together.  This past year of living through a pandemic has been challenging in so  many ways. In particular, churches have had to rethink how they worship  God, gather, build relationship, minister to the sick, bury the dead,  and care for the lonely. At St. Stephen’s, we have met this past year  with as much optimism as we could muster. Part of the year we spent  completely online, during the summer we gathered in person; and now as we await direction from our diocese on how worship will continue as the  vaccine becomes more widely available, we are once again worshiping  online.
 

As  we enter into the season of Lent, which is the forty-day liturgical  season before Easter that mirrors Jesus’ forty days fasting in the  desert, we wanted to find a way to offer spiritual adult formation in an  appropriate way during this time of social distancing. With this  sentiment carrying us through, we have decided to take on the spiritual  journey of reconciliation, featuring the book Christ Walk Crushed: A 40-day Journey Toward Reconciliation,  by authors Anna Fitch Courie and David W. Peters. This book is a  devotional dedicated to refocusing our lives and letting go of what has  held us from God, whatever that may be. This book weaves together both a  physical and spiritual forty-day journey that we will take during this  season of Lent. Each day there is a meditation to read and questions to  answer, as well as the physical portion of walking some distance every  day. Together we will walk daily, to journey the 88 miles (2.2 miles per  day) that Jesus walked through Jerusalem in the last week of his life  and answer questions that coincide with the daily meditations in the  book. This Jerusalem Challenge, as this 88-mile journey is called in the  Christ Walk book series, provides a very doable physical goal. For  those who cannot walk, spiritual practices of 30 minutes a day can take  the place of walking.
 

Our  journey begins next week on February 17th, so there is still time to  get ready for this! Each week there will be an opportunity for a group  to gather outside and walk together, socially distanced and masked. Our  first group walk will be hosted by parishioner Ellen Kirby, on Sunday,  February 21st,  beginning at 1pm. We will begin our walk at the boat landing at the end  of Rowe’s Landing Rd. in Heathsville. Beginning on February 24, we  will also meet over Zoom on Wednesday evenings at 6:30pm to discuss  where we are on the journey and share reflections with each other.  
 
The  author, Anna Fitch Courie, will be joining us on March 10th for our  Zoom call! Anna is well known in Episcopal circles and also writes for  Lent Madness, which St. Stephen's loves to have fun with each Lent. She  is self-described on her website as “Wife, mother, author, nurse,  military spouse, facilitator, consultant, public speaker, cancer  fighter, and program developer of ‘Christ Walk: A 40-Day Spiritual  Fitness Program.’ I am a jack-of-all-trades/master-of-nothing! I love  people. I love writing. I love health and I love God. Somewhere along  the way, I took all these loves and immersed them in the ‘Christ Walk’  program.” If you would like to know more about Anna or the “Christ Walk”  series, you can visit her website. http://christwalk40day.blogspot.com/p/about-anna.html
 

February 21 at 1pm: Boat Landing at the end of Rowe's Landing Rd., Heathsville
Hosted by Ellen Kirby

February 26, at 1pm:
Hosted by Tal and Barbara Day

March 6, at 1pm: Enchanted Forest, Warsaw
211 Wallace St, Warsaw, VA 22572
Hosted by Terry Bain

March 13, at 10am
Hosted by Bob and Kathy Brust


March 20, at 1pm
Hosted by Dolly Rabalais


March 27, at 1pm
Hosted by David and Sandy Kirkpatrick