In early October we take inspiration from Francis of Assisi, a saint famed for his simplicity of life and love for all living creatures. In honor of St. Francis, we offer a blessing to each animal brought to church.
The occasion brought out many dogs, and some were happy to attend the service!
Other pets were more comfortable outdoors.
This month we celebrated James Turner's 21 years of stellar service to St. Stephen's as Music Director and Organist.
James led into the service with three beautiful preludes by Bach and Pachelbel.
Fr Garrett presented a video of appreciation with contributions from parishioners old and new….
...and he presented gifts of appreciation to James and Claire.
James, an accountant by day, reflected on the interesting path that led to his musical avocation, and his memories of decades at St. Stephen's.
It was both special and appropriate to have our two long-serving rectors who James worked with make an appearance -- Fr Nils was there in person along with Kelly...
...and Fr Harry made his appearance via video!
Thank you, James and Claire, for 21 years of outstanding musical contributions to St. Stephen’s!
Lena Cavanna, head of our Mission & Outreach Committee, worked with Treasures co-managers Lauren Thompson and Sharon Stern, to hold our second annual reception for the beneficiaries of Treasures net proceeds. We donated $50,000 to these important nonprofit organizations.
St. Stephen's members and non-profit representatives had a chance to meet and mingle.
Barbara Turk of Hope's Door told about their essential mission to end domestic violence, offering 19 beds to shelter the survivors, and working to end the cycle of abuse by educating young people.
Sean Pica of Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison was inspiring, relating how his organization works with seven NY prisons to educate the incarcerated and prepare them to become positive members of their communities. With a typical prison recidivism rate of 60%, Hudson Link students have a rate of 2%. He expressed gratitude not just for the financial donation, but also for men's clothing donated by the shop, allowing their graduates to make good impressions as they re-enter the work force.
The non-profit representatives attending were, from left, Chet and Mary Edwards (Hudson Valley Honor Flight), Sean Pica (Hudson Link), Sharon Seidell and Trina Fontaine (Mount Kisco Interfaith Food Pantry), Alison Leisawitz (Neighbors Link), JoAnne Hochstein (Emergency Shelter Partnership), and Barbara Turk (Hope's Door).
Our indefatigable Treasures volunteers were thanked for their hard work, yielding a banner year.
To top off the day, Fr. Garrett, Lauren Thompson and Sharon Stern delivered a framed print of the Wampus Pond gazebo, with a plaque of appreciation, to John DeCicco, to honor their continuing delicious provisions donated to St. Stephen's and the Emergency Shelter Partnership. We are so grateful to our generous neighbors, DeCicco's!
St. Stephen's had three acolytes graduate from high school this year, Erica Kaiser, Dale Kaiser and Hester Turner. Fr Garrett presented each of them with the Bard Acolyte Award in appreciation of their many years of acolyte service.
Fr Garrett also wrote a letter to each acknowledging this milestone, and reminding them of God's presence on their journey. We wish them the best as they depart to attend college in the fall.
Trina Fontaine has been appointed Executive Director at the Mount Kisco Interfaith Food Pantry, an essential local non-profit that St. Stephen's has supported for many years. Trina's wealth of non-profit experience gained as Senior Development Director at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation was followed by two years of serving as our volunteer Director of Treasures Thrift Shop 2.0, overhauling and restarting our shop after the COVID pandemic closure -- the happy results in increased donations, revenues and volunteerism speak for themselves!
Trina served on the Food Pantry board in 2010-11, and more recently offered them assistance with pro bono grant writing. We admire the synergy, and offer our congratulations to Trina as she starts her latest challenge, working to sustain and grow MKIFP, this essential resource to our community.
Trina acknowledged her appreciation to all the volunteers and donors to the Food Pantry from St. Stephen's, whose support over the years has been a boon to the organization.
In April, Bishop Andrew Dietsche visited St. Stephen’s.
The Bishop conducted the confirmation of two of St. Stephen’s youth.
The Anderson and Kane/Verma families hosted a celebratory lunch for the parish after the service!
It was time to remove our decommissioned oil tank. Thanks to our vestry member for Buildings and Grounds, Fred Runne, this chore is finally complete.
The crew from Envirostar was very professional, and you can’t even tell such a big excavation took place!
Early this month a group of our Treasures volunteers enjoyed an outing to the Bedford Playhouse to see Downton Abbey: A New Era. First the group enjoyed refreshments in the lobby bar.
Then they adjourned to a cushy private screening room, to catch up on the latest with the Downton Abbey family and staff. We thank Laura for setting up this outing to thank our dedicated volunteers!
Come one, come all!
Let your rotting vegetables answer the call...to compost!
Last year, as part of his Eagle Scout service project, Luca Kingston built three very large and very sturdy compost bins.
Today, the Scouts of Troop 94 are just itching to facilitate the natural process of recycling organic matter.
Instead of letting your left-over fruits, vegetables, and coffee grounds languish in the garbage, let them serve a more worthwhile cause.
The resulting compost will be used to recycle nutrients and improve the soil health of the St. Stephen's grounds.
Simply collect items from the list below and drop them in the compost bin at the far end of the cemetery (into the third bin, the farthest from the church._
That's it! The Troop 94 Scouts take care of the rest.
ITEMS THAT CAN BE COMPOSTED
Small uncoated pieces of Cardboard and Paper
Coffee grounds and filters
Eggshells
Fireplace ashes (natural wood only)
Fruits and vegetables
Grass clippings
Hair and fur
Hay and straw
Houseplants
Leaves
Shredded newspaper
Nutshells
Sawdust
Tea Bags
Wood chips
Yard trimmings (only if not treated with pesticide!)
PLEASE DON'T BRING: Fats, grease, meat, fish scraps, dairy, eggs, diseased or insect ridden plants, charcoal ash, black walnut tree leaves or twigs.
See here for more information: https://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home
Thank you from Scout Troop 94!
The wardens and vestry are delighted to announce that St. Stephen’s has called Fr. Garrett Mettler to become our rector for the next three years, and he has accepted.
Fr. Garrett has been serving as our interim minister since January and has been instrumental in helping us to weather this period of transition. Not only an inspirational preacher and enthusiastic teacher, Fr. Garrett also brings a great deal of experience in strategic thinking and lay leadership development. He describes his motivation in ministry as “creating space for people to have genuine encounters with God through worship, prayer, scripture, fellowship, and service.”
We look forward to deepening our relationship with this gifted minister as we heal and rebuild following the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we encourage everyone to reach out to Fr. Garrett in welcome and encouragement. Welcome, Fr. Garrett!
After two years of Covid related restrictions, this year we had a wonderful Easter service, with a church full of worshippers!
Holy Week requires support from the parish to hold the different services. We are grateful to all who participated. Special thanks go to Annlee Milani and Lauren Thompson for undertaking the physical requirements of each service, in the sanctuary and at the altar.
One distinctive aspect of our traditional Easter service, the "hoisting of the hyacinths", was in jeopardy this year, as our hyacinth purveyor of many decades wasn't taking orders. Other flower wholesalers we tried couldn't obtain them either.
So kudos to our Flower Guild, especially Lauren Thompson, who called nurseries and drove to plant centers all over Westchester and Fairfield County, buying up hyacinths wherever they could be found. It was a quest of many days, and hyacinths were most often found in small numbers at Shop Rite and Stop & Shop -- go figure!
Many hyacinths were planted three to a pot, so they required repotting as singles. See Lauren above, diligently repotting. Thank you, Lauren, for saving the day!
Enjoy these images of hyacinths -- make our quest worthwhile!
Natalie Mettler was looking forward to her Spring vacation from school with the typical eagerness of a 12-year-old. But she was also concerned. Her parents had shared some of the news of the devastation and desperate conditions in Ukraine. Many people that she knew seemed unfazed or didn’t know how to help.
"I kept hearing people say things like, 'Aw, that is so unfortunate,' or 'Oh what a shame' but no one was actually doing anything," Natalie said. "That’s when I decided that I needed to do something."
Natalie wrote and designed a flyer in the colors of the Ukrainian flag to distribute to her neighbors: “I am selling baked goods door to door to help the people of Ukraine that are struggling and have nowhere to go. It is very important we do all we can to help them in any way possible. All money raised will go directly to purchase most needed supplies through Episcopal Relief & Development. Their mission is to help human suffering.” She then set out along her street distributing the flyer in mailboxes.
Natalie decided to make chocolate chip cookies, brownies and Rice Krispies treats, and she sprung into action, shopping for the ingredients, mixing, baking and bagging her treats, tying them with blue and yellow ribbons. As her day of preparation came to an end Natalie went to bed tired but hopeful that the fruits of her labor would be abundant the following day.
On Sunday morning Natalie arrived early to St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church — where her father serves as the Interim Priest — and set up a table in the fellowship hall. During the worship service she shared with the congregation why she was moved to take action and invited all in attendance to join her in making a difference by visiting her table during the coffee hour.
Many church members bought Natalie's baked goods, and when it was time to leave she was excited to see $117 in her collection box. Then came the text message.
A church member who had watched the church’s live stream wrote, "Please let Natalie know that we have made a donation of $100 to Episcopal Relief & Development for the Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund as a result of her appeal today. My company [also] has a matching program" that would double the gift. "Please thank Natalie for doing this and speaking so beautifully."
"I was blown away by that and how much the people of St. Stephen’s responded," Natalie later said. "And we hadn’t even gone out into my neighborhood yet."
That afternoon was cold, with a temperature in the low 40s, but Natalie was so eager to go out upon arriving home that she skipped lunch saying, "I had a bagel at coffee hour. That’s enough."
Natalie received warm welcomes in her neighborhood. Neighbors complimented her on her initiative and compassion. "I can’t eat any of your baked items, but I want you to have this," one woman said, handing Natalie an envelope. Inside was $50.
"I thought I would be the one thanking people for their generosity," Natalie said. "But I was really surprised by how many people thanked me for doing this.
I met so many amazing people on this journey."
At last, Natalie sat down at her kitchen table and began to tally what she had raised, feeling grateful for the outpouring of support her project had received and remembering all the unexpected encouragement she had gotten throughout the day. The final total stunned Natalie—$642.50!
"While I was baking I thought it would be great if I could raise $200," Natalie remembered. "This weekend just showed me that if you feel strongly about something that is happening, do something to make a difference. You never know what will come out of it."
You may donate to Episcopal Relief and Development's Humanitarian Response to Ukraine here
As many of you know St Stephens Charters Boy Scout Troop 94 and Cub Scout Pack 94 of Armonk. As a way of showing appreciation for and giving back to the Church Community they will be presenting a donation to St Stephens at the 10:00 service on Sunday June 27. The donation comes from money raised by the Troop and Pack through a joint firewood sales effort.
The boys identified wood sources, cut, split and bundled the wood and then sold it in the Church parking lot.
We are excited to announce that Treasures started accepting new/gently used donations again this past Saturday, January 30th. We will continue to be open on Saturdays from 10-3. Please use the door to the right under the red banner (by the fenced in area in the parking lot). Masks are optional but recommended as is social distancing. We will have receipts for your tax purposes ready to get you in and out safely! Please check ststephensarmonk.org for accepted items. Looking forward to seeing you!
We held our annual meeting on Sunday, January 24, 2021. If anyone missed the meeting, you can watch the video presentation, which includes the beautiful overhead shot of St. Stephen's pictured, by clicking this link.
Vestry elections were held at the annual meeting. John Bernson was reelected as Warden, and Fred Runne was elected to his first term on the vestry. Congratulations, John and Fred!
Our special thanks goes out to Sharon Kane, Trina Fontaine, Mari-Anne Baumann, Charity Lunder, and Donald Gregg for their service to St. Stephen’s.
On Sunday, December 20th, Parish Life Chair, Cathy Gates, Father Nils, and Warden John Bernson delivered and distributed cookies to parishioners via a Drive-Through at St. Stephen’s. Special thanks to DiCicco’s for this year’s cookie donations.
Special thanks to all of our volunteers who helped prepare the church for Christmas (and take down afterwards) . We truly appreciate the help we get from our volunteers. If you are interested in getting involved in 2021, please email Vicki in the office @ office@ststephensarmonk.org for more information.
Father Nils and Music Director, James Turner have put many hours into upgrading our streaming capabilities.
Daniel Turner and other parishioners are learning to run the AV equipment. Contact us if you are interested in volunteering to help with this responsibility.
Due to Covid-19 concerns, the Blessing of the Animals was held in our parking lot on a Drive Through basis this year.
Only one or two people brought their pets to the church service.
The rest brought their pets to the parking lot after the service.
So many well behaved pets attended!
Pets who couldn't appear in person were blessed in absentia.
Some came specially dressed for the occasion!
We even streamed the animals being blessed online, and we hope you enjoyed it!