Dear Friends,

(Part 2 to come on Thursday)

I am sending this note hoping that everyone is enjoying the new openness we are able to experience due to the broad diligence we all undertook, beginning in March, to curb the spread of COVID-19. Every day, we have been praying for health-care workers (of every kind), first responders, and essential workers, that they would be kept safe. We have also been praying for all who have been feeling anxiety, particularly as a result of this pandemic. I will admit that, I have been numbering myself among those who have been having this experience at this nearly unprecedented time.

But we have indeed come together as a parish community, and made shared sacrifices - most notably in adhering to Public Health and Archbishop's directives in refraining from gathering for worship. Aside from serious pastoral crisis which I have had to respond to as a pastor, this has been, by far, the most difficult time I have experienced in my 21+ years in parish ministry. A large part of that has been the inability of our community to come together in worship - which is a key aspect of our life as Christian people, that we have had to refrain from. As grateful as I have been for the wonders of modern technology, which have enabled us to continue to live-stream services and electronically distribute bulletins, gathering in the Spirit has not been the same as doing so in body as well. 

As such, I am greatly anticipating our coming together again for worship, starting on the 9th of August. You may wonder why so late, as Public Health decreed that indoor, physically distanced, gatherings could begin on June 26th, and the Archbishop has given the "green light" to proceed accordingly. At the same time, Archbishop Cutler's refrain has been that "just because we can, does not mean we must", and he has encouraged the parishes of his diocese to use discretion and caution in reopening, and to do so only if it can be done reasonably safely. We have also been required to come up with a written plan as to how we will do so, to keep in line with Public Health directives and best practices. Parish Council has approved of such a document, which will be published later this week.

However, a couple of main things from it, which I want to highlight. Firstly, due to to a variety of factors, mainly around cleaning requirements, and the directive we have been given to continue live-streaming worship for those who judge for themselves that it is not safe to come out, at St. Stephen's, we will be gathering in Tuck Hall, not the church building itself, for our worship. Wearing masks will be required, information on attendance will be taken, for the purpose of contact tracing should an attendee contract COVID-19, and of course seating will be limited due to physical distancing requirements. Most services will be Services of the Word, and not Holy Eucharist, and will be "said" without hymns. 

Because of the requirements to clean after each indoor event, holding two services on a Sunday in any of our buildings is impractical. As such, our service schedule will be as follows, starting the 9th of August:

9 a.m. St. George's, East River/All Saints, Canaan (on the 1st Sunday of the month only)

10:30 a.m. (NOT 11 a.m.) St. Stephen's, Chester

7 p.m./4:30 p.m. (winter months), All Saints, Canaan (3rd Sunday of the month, only)

Some of us may wonder why, if we have the "green light" for indoor gatherings, and we have a plan for making them happen, why we are waiting until the 9th of August. This is entirely because I am taking my vacation, beginning on Monday, the 6th of July, and returning to the office on Tuesday the 4th of August. I have little doubt that, when we start gathering, we will discover adjustments which will have to be made, to say nothing of the considerable effort it will undertake to figure out the "nuts and bolts" of putting our basic plan in place. If we had begun physical gathering once more for worship on the 26th of June, we would have had two Sundays of doing so before I went "off-duty" for a month. It would not be right to impose a fair bit of the working out of that plan on either the Honourary Assistant or Licenced Lay Ministers for the ensuing four weeks. Hence, our starting on the 9th of August. I will be away again for the last Sunday in August, but that will only be one Sunday, and we can figure that out closer to the date.

I should add that, if, during my vacation, you or your family experience an emergency requiring a priest (The Lord forbid!), please contact either the Parish Office or the Parish Wardens, who will connect you to the clergy "on-call".

Part 2 of this communication about worship will be published on Thursday, and will mainly be the detailed "re-gathering" plan. 

In regards to the Sundays when I will be on vacation (starting Monday, 6 July), we will not be live-streaming worship, either Sunday Morning Prayer or Midday Prayer through the week. However, each week we will be sending out service bulletins via email containing the entire text of Book of Common Prayer Morning Prayer, the readings for the day, as well as commentary on them. This can be used by any parishioners for worship at home, and can be printed and distributed to friends and family members who do not have email or internet access.

However, for those who will wish to take part in a live-streamed or recorded worship service during my absence, a  number of our sister parishes, both in this region and in the diocese, are broadcasting worship through the internet. Here are the links to just some of them:

St. John's, Lunenburg:

https://www.facebook.com/stjohnslunenburg/ 

St. James, Mahone Bay:

 https://www.facebook.com/St-James-Anglican-Church-Mahone-Bay-1739235933033831/

Holy Trinity, Bridgewater:

https://www.facebook.com/HolyTrinityAnglicanChurchBridgewaterNovaScotia/ 

Christ Church, Shelburne:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/christchurchnewsandhappenings/  

The Cathedral Church of All Saints, Halifax:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/CathedralChurchOfAllSaints/ 

Links to other parishes conducting online worship may be  found here, on our Diocesan website:

https://www.nspeidiocese.ca/covid-19-in-the-diocese-of-nova-scotia-and-prince-edward-island--183/pages/local-anglican-live-worship 

Until the 6th of July, Midday Prayer will be live-streamed today (30 June) at 12 noon, and at the same time on July 2 & 3. Morning Prayer will be live-streamed this Sunday (5 July) at 11 a.m.

Blessings,

Fr. Ian+

(Archdeacon Ian Wissler, Rector)

Kevin C. Koloff
St. Stephen's Anglican Parish
Parish Administrator
902.275.3804 (office)

902.497.7500  (mobile)

Hi Everyone,

In anticipation of my upcoming vacation, starting Monday, 6 July, I am forwarding information about emergency pastoral coverage.

I will be on vacation indeed starting Monday, 6 July, and returning to the office on Tuesday, 4 August. I will be taking my last week of vacation at the end of August, beginning of September, but one step at a time!

As you know, it is my custom to direct people to phone either the office or the parish wardens in case of emergency while I am away. 

During this time (6 July through 5 August), Canon Stephen Booth, our Honourary Assistant, will be our primary clergy on call. However, there is a likelihood that there will be a few days here and there when he is hoping to be out of province (but within the "Atlantic Bubble"!). In such instances, the Rector of Lunenburg, The Rev. Laura Marie Piotrowicz will be available to be on-call in his absence. 

Their email addresses are included above in the recipients list. Their phone numbers are:

Canon Booth: 902-275-2375

The Rev. Laura Marie Piotrowicz: 902-634-4994

For the sake of Rev. Laura Marie, our Parish Office Administrator is Kevin Koloff, and his office hours are Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.- 1 p.m. The office email, and the email for most of the Wardens,  are listed in the recipients. Parish related phone numbers to know, just in case:

Parish Office (Kevin Koloff): 902-275-3804

Parish Wardens:

Mary Casavant: 902-275-5271

Jon Waddell: 902-275-4630

St. George's, East River Wardens:

Neil Boutilier: 902-275-5065

Sheila Hirtle: 902-275-5720

All Saints, Canaan Wardens (not on email):

Maxine Christo: 902-275-3496

Rhoda Webber:902-275-4374

Davis Funeral Home (Peter Gillis): 275-3811

Praying that this email can go unused in my absence, though.

Thanks so much, everyone. 

Blessings,

Ian+

The Worship Bulletin for Sunday morning, the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost  We hope you find this helpful in following along with the service. You are encouraged to respond in the appropriate places. The service is taken from the Book of Common Prayer. If you do not have a copy, you can access it at either https://www.anglican.ca/wp-content/uploads/BCP.pdf  or    http://prayerbook.ca/resources/bcponline/.

        

St. Stephen’s Anglican Parish

11:00 am St. Stephen’s On-line Service, Chester

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost                                                                           

28 June 2020   

Our mission is to worship God and care for

God’s people in the spirit of Christ….

MORNING PRAYER

(Book of Common Prayer)

The Penitential Rite:                          p. 4

Responsory:                                        p. 5

Venite:                                                 p. 6

The Proclamation of the Word

Psalm:                                       Psalm 13 p. 343

Lesson:                           Genesis 22:1-14                                                                                     

After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." He said, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you." So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away. Then Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you." Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. Isaac said to his father Abraham, "Father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." He said, "The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" Abraham said, "God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." So the two of them walked on together. When they came to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order. He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." He said, "Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me." And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place "The Lord will provide"; as it is said to this day, "On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided."

The Word of the Lord

All: Thanks be to God

Te Deum:                                            p. 7

Epistle:                                   Romans  6:12-23

Do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that you, having once been slaves of sin, have become obedient from the heart to the form of teaching to which you were entrusted, and that you, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness for sanctification. When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. So what advantage did you then get from the things of which you now are ashamed? The end of those things is death. But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord..

The Word of the Lord

All: Thanks be to God

Benedictus:                                        p. 9

Gospel Lesson:                            Matthew 10:40-42

Jesus said, "Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple -  truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward."

The Word of the Lord

All: Thanks be to God

Reflection:

Apostles’ Creed:                                 p. 10

Lord’s Prayer:                                     p. 11

Versicles and Responses:                  p. 11

Collect:

Ruler of the universe, you call us to a loyalty beyond all earthly claims; grant us strength to offer ourselves to you as a people who have been raised from death to life; through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.  

Collects for Peace and Grace:                p. 11-12

Intercessory Prayers

General Thanksgiving, Prayer of Saint Chrysostom, The Grace p.14-15 

Dear Friends,

I encourage all of us to read the Archbishop's letter to the Diocese, issued yesterday (17 June). In it, you will find information about the Diocesan Administrators, appointed by Diocesan Council to govern the Diocese upon the Archbishop's retirement, until the installation of our next bishop (which I anticipate would be at some point in October, if the Electoral Synod can go ahead - as outlined below - on the 12th of September). Indeed, you will also find information about the upcoming electoral synod, information about diocesan financial support to parishes, and information about reopening buildings for worship, among other things important for us to know.

On that last point, please be aware that we plan on welcoming people to come to worship at St. Stephen's Community Centre  starting on the 9th of August.  There are a large number of practical considerations which have made us decide to gather at Tuck Hall for worship rather than the church building - mainly to do with our ability to adhere to public health demands. These, combined with my planned vacation for July (see the Bishop's letter below) have also caused us to delay physical gathering until that later date. More information will be forthcoming as to what worship will look like when it is offered again in our building.

The congregations at St. George's East River and All Saints', Canaan, will also begin gathering again on the 9th of August.

Again, I commend this letter to you, and ask you to be in touch with me with any questions you may have.

Blessings,

Fr. Ian+

(Archdeacon Ian Wissler, Rector)

  Dear Friends 

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for the tremendous amount of work you have been putting into ministry over the past three months of continual adaptation in the face of the Covid 19 pandemic. We are not through this yet (it may be better to say that it is not through with us) however we seem to be at the end of the “first wave” in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Life is not back to the way it was before Covid 19 and will not be anytime soon. Your creativity in responding with worship, pastoral care, teaching and meeting in electronic ways has been absolutely wonderful. Thank You. I want to touch on some decisions made at the Diocesan Council meeting held last weekend and further to plans to re-open church buildings to worship. 

1) Diocesan Administrators Council appointed The Rev. Canon Gordon Redden, The Very Rev. Paul Smith and The Rev. Lori Ramsey as Administrators. They will begin their work on August 1st, 2020. Canon 3 describes the duties of the Administrators as: 

(a) presiding over all Synods, Boards and Committees of which the Bishop is chair;

 (b) maintain the discipline of the Church; 

(c) appointing and licensing clergy to parishes; 

(d) making a report respecting their official acts to the new Bishop of the Diocese; In addition Council assigned these duties:

 • Representing the diocese in other allied bodies as permitted by those organizations e.g. Mission to Seafarers, AST Founders, University of King’s College Board of Governors. 

• Disbursing bursaries to theological students and from other funds with general episcopal oversight. 

• Licensing Licensed Lay Ministers and Eucharistic ministers. • Giving permission for weddings outside of the church buildings. 

• Being a conduit for information to/from the Provincial and National House of Bishops. 

• Arranging for Episcopal Sacramental Acts as needed. (Making decisions regarding ordination may need to be visited if an election does not take place in September) 

• Providing Pastoral Care for Clergy. 

Areas where the administrators will not be able to act:

 • Approval of new liturgies 

• Disposition of any funds where the bishop is a trustee 

• Approval of sale of property, approval of mortgages and leases, contracts related to real property Email for the Administrators may be addressed to BishopsOffice@nspeidiocese.ca 

2) Electoral Synod Council received a proposal from the Chancellor for a “Dispersed Electoral Synod” for September 12. Synod delegates would gather at a location in each region. The Metropolitan, synod officers, nominees, chief scrutineers and a tech team would be at All Saints Cathedral. The regional gatherings would be linked to the Cathedral by Video link so that delegates can see and hear what is happening in each location. In each regional gathering, the delegates would be “checked-in”, there would be a celebration of the Eucharist, and Voting would be by paper ballot, counted by scrutineers at each location, and then transmitted to the chief scrutineers. There will be no food provided. The plan was provided to the General Synod and Provincial Synod chancellors and the Provincial House of Bishops, all of whom provided advice and supported the proposal. The plan requires that we be permitted to gather at least 50 people in one location in order to work. Three regions will require more than one site as they have more than 50 Synod delegates. Council approved this plan. Details and recruiting the necessary people will be coordinated by the Synod Arrangements Committee during the summer. The Administrators will make the final decision of whether to proceed early in August. Please continue to hold the nominees in your prayers. 

3) Financial support to Parishes The diocese has received the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) for March 15-May 9. It has provided a rebate of a little less than 75% of stipends. We will continue to apply for this subsidy if we qualify. Council decided to continue to cover stipends at the 75% level in June. If necessary and we continue to qualify for this subsidy, this support to parishes will continue for July and August. 

4) Mission Action Plan Council received the first Draft of the Mission Action Plan. Council members were given a list of questions to reflect upon as they review the plan. There will be a dedicated meeting of the Council early in the fall to look at the details of the plan. The goal is that the plan will then be circulated in regions and parishes, amended based on feedback and be presented to Diocesan Synod in the spring of 2021.

 5) The Rev. Will Ferrey began as Executive Secretary of Synod as of June 15. He will continue as rector of the Parish of Amherst. We give thanks for Canon Gordon Redden’s ministry as the acting Executive Secretary of Synod. 

6) I was a part of a video conference on Monday with heads of faith communities and Dr. Strang the Chief Medical Officer of Health for Nova Scotia. He indicated that he expects to make an announcement by the end of this week to allow larger gatherings, including churches. Last week Dr. Morrison, the Chief Medical Officer of Health for Prince Edward Island announced that as of June 26th groups of up to 50 people may gather in Prince Edward Island. I will be reviewing the conditions that need to be in place in parishes in order to begin to use church buildings for worship and will circulate them in tomorrow’s Net News. Regardless of how many people are permitted to gather, the requirement that people maintain at least 6 feet distance from one another remains in effect and in most cases this will dictate how many people will actually be able to gather indoors. 

Please send me your parish plan for reopening your building or if your parish has decided to wait, please let me know. As I have said before, no parish is required to re-open their building for worship at this time. I am reprinting the issues you need to consider when deciding to begin in person worship gatherings. - We need to move slowly. In all decisions we need to hold uppermost the care for those most vulnerable to the virus. - Just because we can, doesn’t mean we have to. Parishes may choose to wait longer before beginning to gather in person for worship. 

- As of June 26 groups of up to 50 people may gather for worship in Prince Edward Island. As of today’s date we are restricted to gatherings of 10 people indoors in Nova Scotia and up to 15 for weddings and funerals (plus an officiant) outdoors. These restrictions on numbers are expected to be increased by the end of this week. We do not know what the new regulations will be. It might be an increase in the number or it might be that we are allowed to use a percentage of our buildings rated capacity. 

- Even when we are permitted to gather in greater numbers, Physical distancing between individuals/households will continue; 6 ft. in all directions - 36sq ft. per person (or household) 

- Personal hygiene is the best defense against the virus: frequent hand washing or using hand sanitizer (containing at least 60% alcohol). Do not touch your face. Do not shake hands or hug. Parishes must provide adequate facilities to support these requirements. 

- Church buildings or other places for worship will need to be cleaned before and after worship, especially high touch surfaces. If there is more than one worship service in the same building on the same day, the building will need to be sanitized between worship services. 

- A list must be maintained of the names of those who are present for worship. It would be best for the “greeters” to record the names- do not have persons sharing pens to sign a list. The lists should be retained in the parish office in case contact tracing is required. 

- Offering plates cannot be passed from hand to hand. They can be left in one place in order to receive offerings. 

- No physical touch when “passing the peace”- use other means of greeting.

 - There is some evidence that singing has the potential to spread the virus more than simply talking. Therefore, at this time there will be no congregational singing in worship. There may be a soloist or small vocal group to provide music. They must be at a greater physical distance from the congregation.

 - When Eucharist is offered it will be in one kind, with only the presider receiving in both kinds

. - The presider will wash their hands before the Eucharistic prayer and again following the prayer, before distributing communion. The presider must wear a mask during the distribution of communion as they would not be able to maintain the required physical distancing at that time. In some buildings it may be better if the presider/Eucharistic minister takes the sacrament to people in their seats rather than have people proceed to the communion rail. In the latter circumstance people must maintain the physical distancing requirements. 

- Some parishes have indicated that they are going to offer a “service of the Word” for their first few weeks back in their buildings, as a way of figuring out how the gatherings can take place in a safe manner before they celebrate Eucharist. 

- There will be no “receiving lines” at the end of worship. No encouragement to linger to chat. There needs to be a plan for the orderly dismissing of the congregation. 

- No sharing of food (pot-lucks, coffee hours, etc.) 

7) Vacation I have been asked by a couple of clergy about taking vacation. The short answer is - yes. It has been earned- more than earned with all of the new things we have had to learn and adapt over the past three months. I appreciate that everyone in leadership has been working extra hard to meet the needs of ministry while working under significant anxiety and in very different ways. It is important that we have a time for rest and re-creation, especially as it seems we will be in an ongoing situation of adaptation in the fall. 

This Sunday is Father’s Day, it is also the National Indigenous Day of Prayer This is the Collect prepared for the Day of Prayer: Creator God, from you every family in heaven and earth takes its name. You have rooted and grounded us in your covenant love, and empowered us by your Spirit to speak the truth in love, and to walk in your way towards justice and wholeness. Mercifully grant that your people, journeying together in partnership, may be strengthened and guided to help one another to grow into the full stature of Christ, who is our light and our life. Amen 

Blessings, +Ron  

The Worship Bulletin for Sunday morning, the National Indigenous Day of Prayer

21 June 2020. We hope you find this helpful in following along with the service. You are encouraged to respond in the appropriate places. The service is taken from the Book of Common Prayer. If you do not have a copy, you can access it at either https://www.anglican.ca/wp-content/uploads/BCP.pdf  or    http://prayerbook.ca/resources/bcponline/.

        

St. Stephen’s Anglican Parish

11:00 am St. Stephen’s On-line Service, Chester

National Indigenous Day of Prayer

21 June 2020   

Our mission is to worship God and care for

God’s people in the spirit of Christ….

MORNING PRAYER

(Book of Common Prayer)

The Penitential Rite:                          p. 4

Responsory:                                        p. 5

Venite:                                                 p. 6

The Proclamation of the Word

Psalm:                                       Psalm 19 – p. 351

Lesson:

Reader: A Reading from Isaiah (40:25-31)

To whom then will you compare me, or who is my equal? says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these? He who brings out their host and numbers them, calling them all by name; because he is great in strength, mighty in power, not one is missing. Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God”? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

Reader: The Word of the Lord.

All: Thanks be to God.

Te Deum:                                            p. 7

Epistle:                                  

Reader: A Reading from the Letter to the Philippians (4:4-9)

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

Reader: The Word of the Lord.

All: Thanks be to God.

Benedictus:                                        p. 9

Gospel Lesson: Reader: A Reading from the Gospel According to John (1:1-18)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’”) From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

Reader: The Word of the Lord.

All: Thanks be to God.

Reflection:

Apostles’ Creed:                                p. 10

Lord’s Prayer:                                     p. 11

Versicles and Responses:                 p. 11

Collect:

Creator God, from you every family in heaven and earth takes its name. You have rooted and grounded us in your covenant love, and empowered us by your Spirit to speak the truth in love, and to walk in your way towards justice and wholeness. Mercifully grant that your people, journeying together in partnership, may be strengthened and guided to help one another to grow into the full stature  of Christ, who is our light and our life. Amen.

  

Collects for Peace and Grace:                p. 11-12

Intercessory Prayers

General Thanksgiving, Prayer of Saint Chrysostom, The Grace p.14-15 

The Worship Bulletin for Sunday morning, the Second Sunday of Pentecost  We hope you find this helpful in following along with the service. You are encouraged to respond in the appropriate places. The service is taken from the Book of Common Prayer. If you do not have a copy, you can access it at either https://www.anglican.ca/wp-content/uploads/BCP.pdf  or    http://prayerbook.ca/resources/bcponline/.

        

St. Stephen’s Anglican Parish

11:00 am St. Stephen’s On-line Service,                                                                       Second Sunday of Pentecost                                                                          

 14 June 2020   

Our mission is to worship God and care for

God’s people in the spirit of Christ….

MORNING PRAYER

(Book of Common Prayer)

The Penitential Rite:                          p. 4

Responsory:                                        p. 5

Venite:                                                 p. 6

The Proclamation of the Word

Psalm:                                       116:1-2, 11-17 p. 481

Lesson:                                   Genesis 18:1-15 (21:1-7)

The Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground. He said, "My lord, if I find favour with you, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on-since you have come to your servant." So they said, "Do as you have said." And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, "Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes." Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate. They said to him, "Where is your wife Sarah?" And he said, "There, in the tent." Then one said, "I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son." And Sarah was listening at the tent entrance behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, "After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?" The Lord said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, and say, 'Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?' Is anything too wonderful for the Lord? At the set time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah shall have a son." But Sarah denied, saying, "I did not laugh"; for she was afraid. He said, "Oh yes, you did laugh."

The Lord dealt with Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as he had promised. Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the time of which God had spoken to him. Abraham gave the name Isaac to his son whom Sarah bore him. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. Now Sarah said, "God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me." And she said, "Who would ever have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age."

The Word of the Lord

All: Thanks be to God

Te Deum:                                            p. 7

Epistle:                                   Romans 5:1-8

Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.

The Word of the Lord

All: Thanks be to God

Benedictus:                                        p. 9

Gospel Lesson:                            Matthew 9:35-10:8

Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest." Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him. These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: "Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.' Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment.

The Word of the Lord

All: Thanks be to God

Reflection:

Apostles’ Creed:                                 p. 10

Lord’s Prayer:                                     p. 11

Versicles and Responses:                  p. 11

Collect:

God of the prophets and apostles, your Son commissioned the twelve disciples to proclaim good news. Send us into your world to proclaim your kingdom, heal the sick, resist evil and bring the exile home; in the name of Christ who calls us all. Amen.  

Collects for Peace and Grace:                p. 11-12

Intercessory Prayers

General Thanksgiving, Prayer of Saint Chrysostom, The Grace p.14-15