Volume 19 Issue 5 May 2015

Report from the Search Committee

We welcomed Joe Chouinard to our meeting this month. Joe is a dioce-

san resource person assisting parishes in the formulation of their pro-

files and portfolios. He shared with us several suggestions about the

order of our sections and how to condense some areas and expand oth-

ers. With such generous help, we feel on the right path.

In addition, we are taking advantage of the Episcopal Church website,

Episcopal Digital Network, and you are welcome to explore this re-

source to see what our fellow parishes around the country are listing as

their call for new rectors. In many ways, it is comforting to see so

many thinking along the same lines as we are. The challenge then be-

comes to find a way to express our vision for the future of St. Stephen’s

and our next rector is a unique and interesting way. We’d like potential

applicants to see us, see our history as well as our challenges. This is

not an easy task, but each meeting brings us closer to that goal.

We also heard a preliminary report from the subcommittee working on

our mission statement, and have agreed to provide input back to them.

We also are looking over sections of the Parish Portfolio - sort of a

“want ad” approach to describing ourselves and what we are seeking.

We meet most Tuesdays, and retain our sense of excitement in the anxi-

ety of transition and transformation as well as our responsibilities in

representing the whole parish to others seeking placement as a rector.

Thank you for keeping this ministry in your prayers.

Bud Zeuschner, Communications Officer

BAKE SALE FOR

HEIFER INTERNATIONAL MAY 31

Buy Something Tasty Made by Our Kids to Help Feed Other Kids

The Sunday School is taking on a project this month of

raising money for Heifer Interna-tional, an organization with a 70 year history of changing impover-

ished communities by empower-ing families. Instead of giving handouts, Heifer Interna-tional helps to bring sustainable

agriculture and commerce with animals that provide both food and reliable income. When fami-

lies in a community gain this new sustainable income, it brings new opportunities for building schools,

creating agricultural cooperatives, forming community savings and funding small businesses.

During Coffee hour on May 31st our Sunday School kids will sell

Rice Krispie Treats, Pretzels and other baked goods to raise money and will also take direct donations

toward the purchase of chickens and honey bees. By purchasing our children's baked goods, you

have the power to give a hungry family the resources they need to feed

them-selves and their

children.

COMING UP THIS MONTH

May 9 Youth Leader Summit

May 10 Mother’s Day

May 13 St. Andrew’s Men’s Breakfast

May 16 Re-imagining Our Worship

May 24 Pentecost

May 25 Memorial Day

May 31 Trinity Sunday & Bake Sale for Heifer

The Witness Page 2

During Lent we took a journey with

Teresa of Avila and St. John of the

Cross through the Interior Castle and

the Dark Night. Essentially, we

learned that the simple practice for walking through darkness (a time of

aridity, bewilderment, and living in the

unknown) is to say “yes” to God at

every step. “Yes,” I am open to what

the spirit brings today. “Yes,” I am

open to change and transformation.

“Yes,” I am open to going back to the

very beginning and starting over.

“Yes” is the mantra that paves the way

through the darkness and leads us to

light and into a deeper love.

So much of the time when we are going

through a time of change and transition

we find ourselves resisting it either

because we like things just the way

they are or we are afraid to learn a new

way. Unfortunately, resistance makes

the transition more painful whereas

“yes” allows us to breathe into the un-

comfortable feelings and to make space

for what is actually present in the mo-

ment. Christ calls us to be present to God in the moment as Christ is present

to us in the breaking of the bread.

Not knowing the subject of our Lenten

series, Matthew Fox began his lecture

talking about the dark night, the collec-

tive dark night as a time of purifying

chaos where we are “stripped down to

the naked substance of ourselves” and

we are liberated from our old prisons in

favor of real change that brings about

new life. St. Stephen’s is undergoing a

time of change and it may feel chaotic

and unsettling. We may experience a

spectrum of feelings, grief, anger, fear, or joy, during this time of transition.

Whatever we feel during this time – it

is important to remember that the pur-

pose of change leads us from death to

life, from darkness to light, from stag-

nation to dynamism, and ultimately

leads us into a deeper love and under-

standing of who we are and who God

is. In her visions of the passion of

Christ, the 14th century anchorite,

Julian of Norwich came to understand

that the purpose of Christ’s passion was love, “Love was his meaning. Who

showed it to you? Love. What did he

show you? Love. Why did he show

you? For love. Hold on to this and you

will know and understand love more

and more. But you will not know or

learn anything else ever!.”

We can trust that during this time of

transition God loves us and leads us

through this collective darkness so that we might learn to love God more, learn

to say “yes” to the presence of God in

each moment of our day, to say “yes”

to God so that we might bring new life

into the world. Let us say “yes” to

Love.

Amber +

Vacation Bible

Camp

July 13-17,

1:00-4:00 pm

Our theme this summer is “In God's Garden.” The day's pro-gram begins with gathering at the hall and processing to the church for bible study and music. A crea-tive activity is introduced in the hall followed by outdoor play in the park. The closing session is devoted to music and happy dance in the hall. Snack foods are available throughout the day. The cost is just $25 for a whole week of fun, and scholarships are avail-able for families in need. There are also plenty of opportu-nities for adults to help with Vaca-tion Bible Camp, and you can vol-unteer for the full week or just a day or two. Volunteer areas in-clude the Snack Attack Team, Music, Crafts, Games and teach-ing 3-6, 6-9 or 9-11 year olds. Whatever your gift is, there’s sure to be the perfect way to use it in our Vacation Bible School pro-gram to help children have a fun adventure exploring God’s world and learning Christian values. If you have questions or would like to volunteer to help with the program, contact Dianne at diannenlong@gmail.com or Kathleen at kapennington@netscape.net.

FROM AMBER’S DESK

The Witness Page 3

News from Grandmother’s House

Our Annual Raffle/Fundraiser and

Spring Outing was a wild success!

GHCC parents and friends, St. Stephen’s parishioners and our local

community generously supported this

event. Thank You! I’m happy to report that Doris Highland was one of

the prize winners. The funds raised

have been earmarked for Program

Enhancement (i.e. Professional Growth, expanding our Science and

Music Curriculum and facility im-

provement).

April has been designated ‘the Month

of the Child’ and there will be events

around town to celebrate the youth of our community. Grandmother’s

House will partner with Kathleen

Pennington to decorate one of the bulletin boards in the Parish Hall.

You’ll be able to see some of the

creative artwork our students pro-duced.

GHCC is in the midst of enrollment

for the Fall Program. We serve chil-dren between two and five. Please

contact me dottierghcc@gmail.com

or by phone 541-1305, if you are in-terested in touring the school for pos-

sible enrollment. We’d love to have

you join our family.

Respectfully,

Dottie Ryan

Ask the Treasurer

“"What is involved in preparing for the Financial Audit of the Church?"

First, let's talk about the question: "Why is a review of the financial records

needed?" Doing a review of the church financial records is to make sure that the finances and recordkeeping is in accordance with the National Church's

"Manual of Business Methods in Church Affairs". The National Church

requires (by Canon) that all accounts of Parishes be audited annually by a

person authorized by the appropriate diocesan authority. (That would be me as I attended the Audit Workshop last year and am certified to conduct an au-

dit.) The Diocese of El Camino Real requires (also by Canon) that at the close

of each year the Treasurer's accounts shall be reviewed by an entity or person approved by the Finance Committee of the Diocese. A complete copy of the

record review shall be forwarded to the Finance Committee before September

1 of the next year. Note: our last audit was in 2014 and was before we became

computerized with QuickBooks.

We began our preparation with a meeting last week (with Carolyn Platt,

Nancy Foran, and myself) and reviewed the section of the audit entitled "What

materials are needed to have available for the financial review?" This is ba-

sically all materials used to keep finance records for the congregation. It in-cludes:

1) Assets: Bank and Investment accounts, reconciled bank statements 2) Offerings and Deposits: deposit detail, copies of checks, correspondence

regarding contributions

3) Expenditures: cancelled checks, paid invoices, receipts 4) Computer records: General Ledger, year end financial statement, treasurer's

report to the Vestry

5) Other documents: all payroll records, copy of the budget, Parochial Report,

Property tax exemption forms 6) All Church Organizations: Altar Guild, Parish Council, compete review of

bank statements, checkbook registers, paid invoices

7) Discretionary Fund: complete review of bank statements, checkbook regis-ter, paid invoices.

Whew, this is a lot of work, but we do have most of it at our fingertips and

have made lists of things we still need. So, thanks again to Carolyn and

Nancy for being part of this process. We'll keep you posted when we've set up

a time (with another certified auditor) to complete the Audit.

Rabobank bank balances as of March 31, 2015

Operating $61,414.46

Money Market $11,279.39 Endowment Checking $10,473.86

Respectfully Submitted,

Katie Arndt, Treasurer

The Witness Page 4

Scriptures for

May

May 3, 2015

Easter V

The Rev. Amber Sturgess

Acts 8:26-40

Psalm 22:24-30 1 John 4:7-21

John 15:1-8

May 10, 2015

Easter VI

The Rev. Amber Sturgess

Acts 10:44-48

Psalm 98

1 John 5:1-6

John 15:9-17

May 17, 2015

Easter VII

The Rev. Amber Sturgess

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

Psalm 1

1 John 5:9-13

John 17:6-19

May 24, 2015

Day of Pentecost

The Rev. Amber Sturgess

Ezekiel 37:1-14 Psalm 104:25-35, 37

Acts 2:1-21

John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15

May 31, 2015

Trinity Sunday

The Rev. Lyle Grosjean

Isaiah 6:1-8

Canticle 13

Romans 8:12-17

John 3:1-17

Diocesan Youth Leader Summit II: Connect, Share Ideas and Resources

Calling anyone who ministers to children and youth in our diocese!

The Youth Leader Summit II will be held on Saturday, May 9, from 10 am - 3 pm at St. John’s Chapel in Monterey (located at 1490 Mark

Thomas Drive). This is our second gathering for connection, mutual support, and the exchange of ideas and resources. Join us for another rewarding day of sharing and growth. Our topics for the day include: - Vacation Bible School - Using social media in our ministries - A curriculum roundtable Bring fruit, veggies or another plate of snacks to share. A $5 donation is requested for lunch. Register by emailing Mary Beth Powell at marybeth@edecr.org. Email katherine@stfranciswillowglen.org with any questions.

Sexton’S RepoRt

Raise The Roof reached its goal!

Thanks to everyone that donated, we have raised the goal of $4,000 for the new barn/shed!. The shed was ordered in late April to take advantage of a 10% discount that expired on the 24th. The delivery order was put on hold until we get the old shed removed. Besides the base shed, I ordered it painted in colors to match the church and parish hall, 2 wall vents, a skylight, double doors for easier access, a 40 square foot loft, upgraded floor and lifetime shin-gles.

The old shed is emptied (again… people keep putting stuff in there…), thanks to hard work by Jonathan Richardson and Alisha. It’s locked to keep it clean.

We will now disassemble the old shed.

Once the new shed is erected, and before occupation, I plan to paint the in-side white or another light color for appearance, cleanliness, and light. There is enough money left over to purchase some industrial shelves for the inside

In the kitchen, I fixed a drip on the main sink faucets. I also met M&M refrig-eration there on the afternoon of March 26th to repair the pilot burner on the stove griddle. It works, and Bob Levison was able to make pancakes on it for the April Brothers of St. Andrew breakfast.

The urinal partition in the Ramsden hall men’s room is bro-ken off. I’ve stored the partition while I order new brackets.

Respectfully submitted,

Chris Arndt, Sexton

The Witness Page 5

Hands-On Stewardship

at St. Stephen’s!

MAY

BIRTHDAYS

MAY ANNIVERSARIES

5th Amber Sturgess

13th Ngozi Agbo

George Brown

14th Jeff Wheelwright

Lynn Hollister

16th Dick Riggins

17th Jonathan Richardson

18th Jean Arndt

19th Katie Arndt

29th Rosey Parks

25th John & Chris Kellett

THANK YOU TO Eric Fisher & Kathryn Marshall, Jean Wright,

Bud & Linda Zeuschner and the Youth Class for hosting a coffee hour

in April.

THANK YOU TO Carole Merrill, Carole McHugh and Jean Wright

for helping to prepare The Witness for mailing each month.

THANK YOU TO Jim Arndt for supplying our pantry with many

non-perishable foods of juices and pop-top cans of fruit and pasta for

those hungry people who stop by the office in need and to those

donating food in the basket on Sunday for ASN’s pantry.

THANK YOU TO Liz Frost and Roxanna Shaheen for preparing the

receptions following the Matthew Fox lecture and workshop.

THANK YOU TO Katie Arndt, Ann Patry and Deborah Heartwood

for all their work to make it possible to host Matthew Fox at St.

Stephen’s.

THANK YOU TO Doris Highland, Bob Levison, Kathryn Marshall,

Kathleen Pennington, Alison Preston, and Gail Taylor for teaching

Sunday School in April.

Coffee Hour

Coffee hour has happened with a lot of helpful hands. Thank you for

supplying the variety of menu items, washing the towels and table-

cloths, and preparing the table of eatable delights.

Please locate the signup sheet next to the Altar Guild’s Flower and

Candle signup sheets. May and June have a few vacant spots.

Remember June 7 is the Church picnic, no coffee hour that day.

Liz Frost

The Witness Page 6

Against the Tide: A Portrait of a Marriage

Melanie Hahnemann, early feminist,

brings Homeopathy out of the shadows, after a “scandalous” marriage.

Saturday, June 6 at 3:30 p.m.

Courtesy Dr. T. Cook Brit. Inst. Homeopathy

A reading by the author, Elizabeth Galloway Abrahams

Tickets $10.00

All proceeds go to the St. Stephen’s Parish Council for Community Outreach

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church Ramsden Hall

1344 Nipomo Street San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

The Witness Page 7 MAY 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

2

3 Easter V

8am Holy Eucharist I 9am Bible Study BR 10am Holy Eucharist Sunday School 12:00 Youth Comm.

4

5

10:00 Yoga - RH

5:30 Centering Prayer

6

10:30 Women’s Prayer - L 11:30 Healing Service

7

11:00 Bible Study BR 8

9

10am-3pm Youth Leader Summit

at St. John's in Mon-

terey

10 Easter VI 8am Holy Eucharist II 9am Bible Study -L 10am Holy Eucharist &

Sunday School 12:00 History Project

11

.

12

10:00 Yoga - RH 5:30 Centering Prayer

13

8:00 St. Andrew’s B-fast RH

10:30 Women’s Prayer - L 11:30 Healing Service

14

11:00 Bible Study BR

15

16

Reimagining Our Worship Together Workshop 1:00-5pm

17 Easter VII 8am M.P. & HEI 9am Bible Study BR 10am Holy Eucharist Sunday School

18

19

10:00 Yoga - RH

5:30 Centering Prayer 7:00 Vestry BR

20 10:30 Women’s Prayer - L 11:30 Healing Service

6:00 Book Club

21

11:00 Bible Study BR

22

Witness Deadline

23

24 Pentecost 8am Holy Eucharist II 9am Bible Study BR 10am Holy Eucharist &

Sunday School

25 Memorial Day Parish Office Closed

26

5:30 Centering Prayer

27

10:30 Women’s Prayer - L 11:30 Healing Service

28 29

30

31Trinity Sunday

8am HEII 9am Bible Study 10am HEII & Sunday School

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

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 witness@ststephensslo.org

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

BOOK DISCUSSION DINNER Wednesday, May 20 at 6:00 pm

The book chosen for this month’s discussion is Mat-thew Fox’s Meister Eckhart: A Mystic-Warrior for Our Times. Matthew Fox recently gave a lecture and work-shop here at St. Stephen’s. We have a supply of these books available at the office for $17.95. For additional information contact Diane Levison at 544-6486.