St. Stephen's, Waretown, New Jersey

 As Summer vacation ends, and the Fall season begins,  the rhythm of our congregation’s life shifts to a quicker, more intense pace.  Sunday School begins, the choir once again joins the Sunday procession, and those who have been away on great Summer adventures of one sort or another  return and resume their place within our family of God.  In many ways, we can consider Fall to be the beginning of the natural cycle of events that annually unwind from within the life of our church.

This year, we will be launching this new beginning with a special event; “Welcome Home Sunday.”   On September 11, we will “welcome home” our Sunday School, our choir, and all those who have been away for much of the Summer.   We will be sending special invitations to all our current members.  Beyond that, we will also be inviting those who have been absent from our midst for many months, or even years.   This is an opportunity for us to “welcome home” both current and past members of St. Stephen’s Church, and join in one united voice as we offer God our praise and thanksgivings.

After we offer our worship to God, there will be some other activities happening on this day:

Sunday School Registration – this will be the first day of this year’s Sunday School program.  Parents may register their children beginning at 9:45, just before the first class time begins.  Opportunities to register children for this program will also be offered after the 10:00 liturgy.

Ministry Fair – Each group within St. Stephen’s will offer a display in the parish hall, with a volunteer available to tell you more about each of the ministries.  These displays will remind us all of the numerous activities that occur within the life of our parish.   I think we will all be amazed at how much happens at St. Stephen’s in the course of each week!    These displays will be primarily for information purposes; an opportunity to see how our members are using their gifts.   The Ministry Fair will be available in the parish hall after both Sunday liturgies.  (Note to groups: you will be contacted soon asking if you would like to have a display at the Fair, with more details as to how to create such a display.)

BBQ! -  We’ll fire up the grills and offer a sizzling lunch after the 10:00 liturgy (8:00 folks…plan now to come back for this special event!)   Weather permitting, we’ll have tents and tables outside.

If you have more ideas of how to make Welcome Home Sunday an even grander event, or if you’d like to help with some of the activities, please contact a member of the Welcome Home Committee; Beth MacKenzie, Becky Smith, Debbie Kirk or Fr. Terry.

Hello folks!

As your new Rector,  I’m exploring various ways to expand our presence on the net.    This will be the place for reflections, occasional sermons, and various other odds and ends that don’t seem to fit anywhere else.

Also, watch for new features on the website!

Got any ideas?  Let’s talk.

Peace,

Terry Martin