We Persist!

Needless to say, the plans we had for worship and fellowship in March and April were changed dramatically due to the Covid-19 virus. Below are photos of parishioners worshiping from home during Holy Week, and then of folks coming to visit our glorious flowered cross on Easter Sunday. Many thanks to all who participated in our online worship! 

Moving Forward this month, please join us: 

• Each Sunday morning for worship live streamed at 10am from St. Stephen’s 

• Wednesday, May 6th and 13th at 7pm by way of zoom. This will be a chance for us to catch up with one another, and Giulianna will close each gathering with Compline. More information will be sent by email 

A Note of Goodbye and Thanksgiving from Giulianna

Priests come. Priests go. You’ve been in the church long enough to know that by now.

I’m aware that the news of my departure likely struck each of you in different ways. The news of priests leaving is sometimes met by relief, sometimes ambivalence, and sometimes sadness.

I first learned about the congregation when I read about you from the parish profile now-retired Canon David Johnson passed along to me for my discernment back in the end of 2013. I remember reading about your hopes of calling a priest who would be an apt preacher, teacher, and pastoral care giver. I also remember reading a hope that your next priest would increase your presence in the larger community.

I’m grateful we now have had more than 6 years together. I accepted the vestry’s call to come serve St. Stephen’s in 2014. The primary hope I had when I started was simply that l would leave the parish in a better place when my tenure came to an end.

At the first book study I led at St. Stephen’s, we read The Altar in the World, by Barbara Brown Taylor. I still remember a quote we discussed in the group that has stayed in my mind all these years: “Those who belong to communities of faith have acquired a certain patience with what is called organized religion. They have learned to forgive its shortcomings as they have learned to forgive themselves.”

As we part ways this month, I hope you will forgive me for my own shortcomings and for mistakes I may have made through the years. Even if a given rector has done his or her very best, there is never a guarantee that a leader’s best has been a good fit for a community. Furthermore, not a single one of us is perfect, and all of us do make mistakes along the way.

I thank you for the multitude of graces I have received from you over the years. You have walked with me as we have done such good work together. You have shepherded our children in ways I will never forget. We have shared holy work and holy time.

No community is perfect. No priest is perfect. But God’s love for us is perfect! How good, brothers and sisters, that we have a savior who blesses even our best, imperfect efforts that they might bear fruit for Christ’s own beloved kingdom.

I believe, wholeheartedly, that St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church will still be in a good place when our family moves to Sewanee, Tennessee later this month. St. Stephen’s is a small church with big heart! Your love for one another, your loyal commitment to serve the church and larger community, and your steadfast faith in Christ will carry you from this season to the next.

I wish that the circumstances were different, and that we could plan our final gatherings as we had first imaged. I was looking forward to a final Spring picnic with you this year! Nonetheless, we persist and will find ways to share conversation this month. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you would like to share time on the phone, or if you would like to meet for a socially distant gathering on a patio over the next few weeks.

Finally, know that I will continue holding you in my prayers during this coming time of transition. I pray that God pour upon you an abundance of faith, hope, and love in this life and in the life to come.

Giulianna+

Time flies! Look how our family has grown!

May Update From Our Senior Warden

Dear St. Stephen’s Parishioners,

In ending our past vestry meeting, which was Giulianna’s last with us, I noted what a blessing it had been to have walked with her as we all cultivated our relationship with our Lord. I am so happy for those times and equally as happy for the future of Giulianna’s family. Thanks be to God! I am very confident in St Stephen’s future for we are composed of so much talent and have been so well prepared, so on to God’s work!

I want to start off by thanking Pam Woo for the great work she has done as chairwoman of St Stephen’s outreach program. Our church supports many worthwhile programs and Pam has been integral in not just giving the funds but also validating the program’s goals. THANKS, PAM! I also want to thank Walton Gresham for volunteering to head our ongoing outreach program.

So now I will try to give you a glimpse at what the near future looks like. The search process will most likely take a year. During this time our vestry has chosen to pursue a part time interim priest. We are in communication with the diocese but as you can imagine the corona virus has thrown some kinks into the process. I will keep you posted as this progresses.

On the matter of the search for our next priest, the vestry has asked Woods Eastland to be the chairman of the search committee. Thank you Woods for accepting. We are moving forward with creating the committee and will pass this info on soon.

In ending, I want to encourage you to reach out to Giulianna to find a way to say good bye. I also want you to continue to follow worship within our parish through online services. If you need help with this call the office and we will find you some tech help. Please be mindful of your health and safety during the pandemic.

God’s Peace,
David Allen

Pancake Supper 2020 was a Success!

“This year’s pancake supper was very successful. There were many comments about how good they tasted. Thanks to Co chairmen, Joe Lee and all of you for all of your efforts. “ 

Woods Eastland 

Delegation to the Annual Council

The Annual Council delegation for St. Stephen’s is pictured. From the left are Evan Griffin, Pam and Raymond Woo, Stan Berry and Giulianna Gray. Not pictured is Jack Allen who was busy assisting with youth program. The 2021 Council will be held in Jackson, at St. Andrew’s School! 

New Members!

Welcome! What joy to welcome new members on Sunday, May 1st! Pictured from the left are Mary Lou Foster, Victoria Abraham, Nicole Bishop, Tyler Neal (holding Walker), and Mary Chandler Neal (who has another little one on the way). Also pictured are the Rev. Giulianna Gray, and Rt. Rev. Brian Seage. 

Vestry Matters

During times of clergy leadership transitions, vestry leadership is of particular importance. 

David Allen, Senior Warden, has hit the ground running already. Over the coming months, David will communicate closely with the Diocesan staff to arrange for clergy coverage after Giulianna’s departure on May 17th. 

David, along with the whole vestry, will begin the groundwork toward an upcoming search for a new rector. You are invited to offer prayer for David, and for the entire vestry as they seek to discern the next right steps for St. Stephen’s. 

On March 29th, the vestry will gather from 2-5pm for a time of retreat. This gathering will be led by Mrs. Alice Perry. Alice, a Jackson native and parishioner at St. James Episcopal Church, is a trained search consultant who came highly recommended by the Diocese. 

A Note from Giulianna

The Bishop visited on Sunday. It was perfect timing. Bishop Seage confirmed/received/reaffirmed a wonderful group of individuals. He also provided helpful encouragement and information to follow the announcement made last week. 

My husband, Peter, has been called to serve as Chaplain for students, faculty, and staff at Sewanee: the University of the South. As you can imagine, a lot of mutual discernment took place before he accepted the position. I have come to believe that Peter is being faithful to the movement of the Holy Spirit as he prepares himself for a chapter of ministry that will take him into a new role that is based in the context of the academy. He will preach regularly at the beautiful campus worship space, and assist the institution in a variety of ways as Sewanee lives into her identity in this new era as a southern, Episcopal institution of higher learning. 

So many of you have asked what I will do. Thank you for asking! I have a lot of energy and joy for priestly ministry. My initial plan is to continue using my energy and joy for ministry right here where I have been planted these last 6 years until my final Sunday with you on May 17th. When the time is right (and after we get Joseph and Francesca settled in our new community at Sewanee), I will work with the Canon to the Ordinary and others in the Diocese of Tennessee to discern where it is that I may be called to use my gifts to serve. 

These years at St. Stephen’s have been a blessing to me. I am glad we’ll have some more time together. We will walk through another Lent and Holy Week together, celebrate the joy of the resurrection of another Easter, and continue until the end of the program year. 

I hope you’ll each be present as you can be through the Spring. Faith communities that stay close in times of transition are able to grow in faith, hope, and love, even in times of change. 

While I will miss you deeply, I will be leaving you in good hands. You have a wonderful senior warden in David Allen. You have a strong vestry with many years of dedicated service to St. Stephen’s. You have a talented parish administrator in Jennifer Zepponi, and you could not ask for a more dependable housekeeper in Leunice Jernigan. Additionally, the Diocesan support staff has already made themselves very available to us to prepare St. Stephen’s for the next steps, and a number of good conversations have already taken place. 

Change can be hard. But when we keep our eyes and our hearts open, and our feet walking that path of following Jesus, change is just one of curve in the road that will be bring us closer to where we need to be. 

I love you, St. Stephen’s. Keep the faith. Let’s keep walking! 

Giulianna+

Seeking the Light of Christ

Our Epiphany season began with the first bonfire St. Stephen’s has had in decades. What fun it was to gather in the country over a pile of dried Christmas trees set ablaze! 

Once the brightness of the feast of Epiphany fades however, the season of seeking the light of Christ is just beginning for us. February is here, and the season of Epiphany continues. 

With the winter holidays over, we have a chance to settle into our routines. Routines are helpful to us. They help us to recalibrate. We are more able to achieve the balance we know we need for healthy minds, and bodies, and spirits when our days and weeks are paced by a steady rhythm. 

During Epiphany, the church in her wisdom encourages us to look at the many places the light of Christ is made manifest. This is the time when we seek the light of Christ wherever it may be found. 

At St. Stephen’s, this season offers us a time for growth. This month, we are beginning several opportunities for group study. Among these is our Sunday morning formation, which is open to all. The book we now are reading together focuses on faith practices that sustain us for the journey. I can already tell will be a timely topic for us! 

Below is the beginning of my favorite Epiphany prayer. As you set your intentions for this month ahead, I offer it to you as one of the many prayers you may pray on behalf of yourself and the larger church: 

Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: 
Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, 
may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory. 

In your coming and your going, may God bless you and those you love with the brightness of Christ’s glory! And, like the wise who go before us, may you keep seeking the light of Christ. 

Giulianna+ 

The Saints of St. Stephen’s

We had a joyous All Saints’ Day celebration this year! We remembered those who have shined light for us in previous generations and honored them with new memorial dedications. This photo gives a glimpse of our St. Stephen’s church family and was our first parish photo in many years. Some were missing, so we decided we want to try another in 2020. 

Advent Focus

“Attentiveness is the root of all prayer”, Mary Oliver once said. 

During the season of Advent, we focus. We need to. We know that if we cannot find some way to find a focus for our lives, we will live as people who are constantly unsatisfied. 

Advent tells us to hush. Advent tells us to be quiet. Advent tells us to pay attention, open our eyes, and wait. 

This is all very countercultural. The culture guides us to do more, and buy more, and keep busy. 

Because Advent keeping is countercultural, we need both company and help if we are going to practice Advent with any success at all. But it is so worth it. 

When we find ways to practice Advent as a spirit-filled season of its own, we discover peace even in the midst of busyness. We get in touch with our own need for a savior. And we catch a fresh glimpse of the joy of Christ-mas unfolding as gradually the dawn. 

December 1st, we will give each other company and start this journey together. Some of us will get to work, making wreaths for our home. Some will have brought along evergreen branches we can share. Others of us may want to simply gather to discover some new devotional resources we will have at church, or for worship to hear the different prayers we use which will mark this new season. 

I believe that the best Advent disciplines are ones that are simple. Perhaps an ideal practice for you to adopt would include planned times for breaks from technology, periods of silent prayer, time spent by the Christmas tree in a dim room or a fire in the fireplace. 

In our home, a goal I have is to try to keep the Advent wreath busier than my smart phone. We place our wreath at the very center of our dining room table. I like to have my time of daily devotion in sight of the wreath, and we gather around it when we pray before we share meals together. 

There is nothing magical about our advent wreath, of course. It is simple. But what it does is help us focus. And when we focus, we can pay attention; and when we pay attention, we can pray. 

Advent is here. It is a perfect time to consider where you want your focus to be over the next few months. I look forward to walking this joyful journey again with you this year. 

Giulianna+ 

Welcome Friends!

It was a great joy to welcome a group of visitors from Rasberry United Methodist Church on Sunday, October 20th. If you look closely, you will see the familiar face of Leunice Jernigan. Mrs. Jernigan has served as our wonderful housekeeper for many years. 

This was a good reminder to us to keep inviting folks to church! It is a such a joy to gather to celebrate the love of Christ with friends, new and old. 

St. Francis Blessing of the Animals 2019

All creatures of our God and King were welcomed again! 

Why We Celebrate Saints

All Saints Day reminds us Christians that we have a really big family! We all are members of a family that includes those who are seen and unseen, the living and the dead. 

By the power of Jesus’ resurrection, the entire family of God enjoys eternal life and lives in communion with God forever. At every celebration of Holy Eucharist, we acknowledge our belief that we worship alongside all of the saints who have gone before us. 

It is right to give thanks for the saints in light. As our catechism tells us, “we are bound together with all of the saints in one holy communion by sacrament, prayer, and praise”. 

All Saints’ Day is a day of celebration that is both particular and universal. We remember the dearly departed members of our larger family who have been saints to us; whose witness in our lives helped to make us the people we are today. We also rejoice and give thanks for all of the saints in light who are being made perfect by the power of the resurrection. 

I am looking forward to our All Saints’ Day celebrations this year which will be held on Sunday, November 3rd. We have some special things planned, and there will be something for everyone! 

We will begin at 10am on Sunday, November 3rd for a formation and fellowship time for all ages. We invite you to bring a picture of a person who was a saint in your life. We will celebrate Holy Eucharist at 11am, take a parish-wide photo, and finally enjoy a potluck lunch afterward in the parish hall. Please feel free to invite friends or family to this celebration! 

Inside this newsletter, you will find a list of the saints of St. Stephen’s who will be honored in a special way on All Saints’ Day. These individuals have gone to glory in recent years and have had a real impact on the life of our community. Your vestry has been hard at work to act as good stewards of the parish memorial fund in working on projects that have enhanced our life together. It will be a wonderful thing to dedicate the projects to the glory of God and in loving memory of these saints. 

One final reason we celebrate the saints is for our own encouragement. We, the saints still striving, are inspired to persevere in our own day as we remember the faith and courage of those who’ve gone before us. 

Friends, may you be blessed with the continued nourishment you need to follow Christ in our daily lives! 

God Bless You, 

Giulianna+ 

Assisting the Indianola Honduras Medical Mission

It’s been our practice in recent years to organize and prepare shoes that will be sent along with the Indianola Honduras medical mission. Once again, we found that many hands do make light work. As we are learning in our James study, applying works to our faith is a way our faith remains alive! 

Outreach Sunday

On the last Sunday of September, our church family worked together in a variety of ways to provide concrete blessings to our neighbors after worship. 

Here is a picture of some of our parishioners writing notes of blessing and encouragement that were placed in bags of food prepared for the hungry right here in Indianola. 

Reflecting on Sabbatical Learning

The Fall Kick-off this year featured our rector and her husband, Peter, sharing spiritual and historical insights related to their sabbatical learning this summer. 

All Things Bright and Beautiful

All things bright and beautiful He gave us eyes to see them, and lips that we might tell. All creatures, great and small. All things wise and wonderful, How great is God almighty, The Lord God made them all. Who has made all things well! 

It is nearly time to celebrate Saint Francis! Francis was a person who noticed the bright and beautiful things of the world. 

St. Francis is the patron saint of animals and the environment. His life and witness reminds us to open our eyes and ears and take in the wonders life. This is a day we need now as much as ever! 

Consider modern life. We spend our days in air conditioning, where we are both comfortable and unable to feel the breeze. We rarely walk, but take our cars everywhere we go. Cars efficiently move us from place to place and prevent us from noticing the ground under our feet, hearing the songs of the birds, and seeing the subtle changes of trees and flowers. 

Francis, on the other hand, strived to notice everything. He spent his life counting blessings and giving thanks. His experience of creation brought him closer to the Creator, and our experience with creation can do the same thing. 

Does the picture above look familiar to you? Each year, these gorgeous spider lilies pop up in the very same place, just behind this wrought iron cross. They pop up when it is blazing hot each September, and when they do, I think to myself, ‘Isn’t God amazing?! God remembered the spider lilies!’ These simple flowers speak to me about the constant presence of our God who is renewing the face of the earth. 

When has creation spoken to you of the greatness of God? How might God be using his creation to try to teach you today of his power and mercy and love? 

Together we will gather at 5pm on Sunday, October 6th. We will worship outside. We will take in the world around us, hope for some cool breezes, and enjoy seeing the gorgeous animals that you bring. 

May our God of all creation bless and keep you, 

Giulianna+