January 16, 2012 by admin.

The annual parish meeting and election of vestry is scheduled for Jan. 29, following the 10 a.m. service. A light lunch will be served. Please submit your reports to the office no later than Jan. 22.

Other announcements:

• Welcome Carolyn Slaugh as our guest organist! Carolyn is filling in during Georgia’s vacation.
• Please call the office if you would like to place flowers on the altar. The cost per vase is $15. Jan. 22 and 29 and Feb. 5, 12, 19 and 26 are available.

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January 16, 2012 by admin.

Four candidates are under consideration to become the next Bishop of Pittsburgh, the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh has announced.

The preliminary slate was unanimously recommended by the nominating committee and unanimously accepted by the diocese’s standing committee. The slate is preliminary because names may be added to the ballot by petition. (Download PDF.)

Petitions may be downloaded from the diocesan website and must be postmarked by Feb. 5.

The candidates (in alphabetical order) are:

Rev. Canon Michael N. Ambler Jr., rector, Grace Episcopal Church, Bath, Maine

Rev. Dorsey W.M. McConnell, rector, Church of the Redeemer, Chestnut Hill, Mass.

Rev. R. Stanley Runnels, rector, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Kansas City, Mo.

Rev. Ruth Woodliff-Stanley, rector, St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Denver, Colo.

The four were selected from an initial field of 125 names submitted to the nominating committee last year, a diocesan spokesperson said. The committee then narrowed the selection over the course of several months through a review of submitted documents, telephone interviews and face-to-face meetings.

All candidates on the final slate are scheduled to visit the diocese and answer questions in a series of public forums known as “walk-abouts.”   These are scheduled to take place from 6 to 9 p.m. on:

• Tuesday, March 20 – St. Brendan’s, Franklin Park
• Wednesday, March 21 – St. Peter’s, Brentwood
• Thursday, March 22 – Holy Cross, Homewood
• Friday, March 23 – St. Michael’s of the Valley, Ligonier

The Eighth Bishop of Pittsburgh will be elected at a special convention of the diocese to be held at Trinity Cathedral on April 21.

(All information supplied by Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh)

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December 16, 2011 by admin.

Advent is the story of a loving God who loved the world so much he sent His son to come into the world to save those who put their trust in him.

The word “Advent” comes from the Latin advenire which means coming to or arriving at. It refers to God’s coming into the world through Jesus.

Christmas is a time to spend with your family and friends. We are inviting you to come spend time with your church family and friends by attending a worship service at St. Stephen’s praising the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

St. Stephen’s continues to preach the Gospel at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Sundays, proclaiming that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that our salvation is His gift to us.

Our Christmas Eve service at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 24, with the Rev. David Kinsey will be a joyous affair, followed by a Christmas Day service at 10 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 25.

Our prayer for all of you and yours is for a blessed Christmas Season.

—The Vestry of St. Stephen’s

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December 8, 2011 by admin.

• Services for Christmas will be held at 7 p.m. Dec. 24 and 10 a.m. Dec. 25 with the Rev. David L. Kinsey, celebrant. There will be no 8 a.m. worship on Dec. 25.
• The church office will be closed Dec. 26 through 30, but Sharon will be checking messages during the week. If you have a pastoral emergency, please call (412) 401-3934.
• Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Salvation Army’s “Treasures for Children” campaign. We even had to go back and ask the Salvation Army for more names! Thank you for helping the Salvation Army help children. The deadline to return the gifts to the church is Dec. 12.
• Advent potluck and Bible Study will be held Dec. 13 and 20, with dinner at 6:30 and bible study following.

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November 18, 2011 by admin.

The November church newsletter is now online. You will need a PDF reader (such as Adobe Acrobat) to view the file.

(Download the November 2011 newsletter)

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November 18, 2011 by admin.

POTLUCK & BIBLE STUDY: Advent potluck dinners and bible study will be held Nov. 29 and Dec.6, 13 and 20. Dinner is at 6:30 p.m. and bible study begins at 7.

Bring your favorite dish and join us for a good time of learning and fellowship!

TREASURES FOR CHILDREN: As has been our custom for the last several years, we will participate in Salvation Army’s Treasures for Children.

Within the next couple of weeks you will find names in the undercroft. If you are interested in participating in the program, take a tag, purchase a toy for that child (between $10 and $15), wrap the gift, tape the tag to the gift and return the gift to the office.

The deadline for returning the gifts to the office is Monday, Dec. 12.

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October 29, 2011 by admin.

• The Salvation Army is once again asking for our help with their 2011 Red Kettle Campaign. We have scheduled Saturday, Dec. 10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. as our time to ring bells at the Giant Eagle in Oak Park Mall in White Oak.A sign-up sheet will be posted in the church. We are looking for at least 12 volunteers. Please consider supporting the Salvation Army and those it serves by giving up one hour of your time on Saturday, Dec. 10.
• The Altar Guild has the following weeks available for placing flowers at the altar: Nov. 6, 13, 20, 27; and Dec. 4, 11, 18 and 25. Call the office at 412-664-9379 to place flowers for any of those weeks.
• Vestry meetings for the rest of the year are 7 p.m. Nov. 14 and Dec. 12.

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October 26, 2011 by admin.

Know someone who needs a little inspiration … maybe a former McKeesporter who’s homesick? Or would you like to “hear” St. Stephen’s during the week?

Now you can take scripture, song and sermon from St. Stephen’s with you on your iPod or smartphone, or any other device that can download music. St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church is podcasting a portion of its Sunday morning service.

You can find our new podcast in Apple’s iTunes store, or copy this link: podcast.ststephensmckeesport.com/feed.xml

The podcast is an MP3 file and is absolutely free!

Note: You do not have to have iTunes or an Apple computer to get the podcast. It should work with any brand or kind of MP3 player that can download podcasts.

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October 17, 2011 by admin.

The following proposed change to the church bylaws was read aloud at Sunday’s service and posted on the church bulletin boards. It will be read aloud again in November and then put to a vote at the next parish meeting.

A motion to change St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church bylaws:

Article IV, Section 1: The vestry shall consist of seven (7) persons, elected to serve for a term of three (3) years on a rotating basis, with at least two (2) persons being elected each year. At each annual parish meeting, the vacancies created by the retiring group shall be filled by the election in the manner hereafter provided. No member of the vestry who has served a full regular term may begin to serve another regular term until one (1) year following the expiration of such term. In addition, let it be known that if any vestry member is absent three (3) consecutive vestry meetings, that the senior warden and/or the junior warden would contact that member to request at that time a recommitment to the vestry, or for a resignation from said member; this to be done only for the good of the church and to maintain a viable vestry at all times, and to ensure that all church business may be handled in a timely manner.

The notice has been posted on all church bulletin boards.

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September 29, 2011 by admin.

Reposted from the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh website:

The Ven. Canon Daniel Selvage, Episcopal Chaplain at Penn State, a ministry in the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania, is reminding us that the university does not provide campus ministry groups with the names of incoming or returning students … even when students have self-identified as members of a particular faith group.

Accordingly, he is asking that you contact him with the name(s) of any students from your parish that will be attending the main campus of Penn State this fall. Additional information including the student’s email address, phone number, home and/or campus address, etc., would be greatly appreciated.

Canon Selvage may be reached by email at dls87@psu.edu or by phone at 814-867-3397. His office is 214 Eisenhower Chapel. Services are held Sundays at 6:15 p.m. and Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m., with Bible study at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays.

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