Holy Week Baking

FOR MAUNDY THURSDAY EVENING AND/OR EASTER DAY 2020

In Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the neighborhood called ‘Old Salem’ is one of the oldest continuous religious communities of America: The Moravian Church. Although that's a denomination found across America, Old Salem, NC is one of its principal locations. Its eighteenth century church building is still in use, as are many of its traditions, which came from the Czech/Slovak area of central Europe.

A few times a year, the Moravians celebrate what is called a ‘love feast’ as part of the church service. In other parts of the world this is also known as an ‘agape’ from one of the four Greek words for different kinds of love – agape being akin to Christian love for one’s neighbor.

This is how one Moravian describes the ‘love feast’ and how it differs from that other Christian ‘meal’, the Eucharist:

“Crumbs, coffee, sugar, bread, milk, mugs, chewing, slurping, singing, spilling, visiting,laughing, feasting. The Love Feast, a ritual meal based on the ancient Christian agape meal, occurs several times a year during Moravian worship. While the Eucharist, the sacrament of Christ’s body and blood, focuses on the relationship between God and humans, celebrating our redemption in Christ and Christ’s presence in our lives, the Love Feast continues the Eucharistic blessing and celebration by connecting humans with each other so that for a few minutes, we may see Christ in each other — even the dirty, difficult other.

Made with mashed potatoes, flour, sugar, lemon juice, lemon and orange zests, the Love Feast bun is a cross between a sweet roll and a hamburger bun.”

Because we are all apart from each other this Holy Week and Easter during this pandemic, and because we cannot celebrate the Eucharist together during this time, I encourage you to consider celebrating this very short form of prayer service with Moravian ‘love feast’ buns, coffee and each other around the dining table. You can do this any time, of course, but on Maundy Thursday or later during Holy Week, why not do this as part of your family meal time, echoing the way in which Jesus gathered with his nearest and dearest around a meal table in the Upper Room to share both conviviality and his hopes and fears with his friends. Then, on Easter Day, we celebrate the new light and life of Christ and what better way to do this than with the conviviality of sweet dessert and laughter!

So.... here’s what to do:

1. Bake some Moravian Love Feast Buns! The recipe is below, adapted from the Winkler Bakery recipe from Old Salem, NC, baked there since 1800 in their wood stove!

2. Bring enough buns for everyone to have one, placed on a platter and set on the table, with a lit candle and, if possible, placed atop a small cloth.

3. Going around the table, each person says one thing which they are most hopeful about / hopeful for, right now.

4. The platter of buns is passed from person to person, each taking one. One person, acting as host, or leader, receives their bun last and offers a few very brief words of reflection.

5. All, together, around the table, pray this prayer before eating the buns:

Be present at our table, Lord;

Be here and everywhere adored;

Thy creatures bless, and grant that we

May feast in paradise with Thee.
John Cennick (1718-1755)

6. Having eaten the buns, all bless each other in the words of The Grace:

The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,

And the Love of God,

And the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit,

Be with us all, evermore. Amen.

OLD SALEM MORAVIAN LOVE FEAST BUNS
INGREDIENTS (makes about 15 buns)

1/2 cup hot mashed potatoes, unseasoned, without milk or butter

1/4 cup scalded milk

1/2 cup sugar

1⁄4 cup butter, room temperature

1 egg, beaten

3/4 pounds flour

1⁄8 tsp (pinch) nutmeg

1 package yeast

1⁄4 cup warm water

1 Tbsp. orange rind, grated

1 Tbsp. lemon rind, grated

1 Tbsp. orange juice

1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1⁄4 tsp. mace or nutmeg

DIRECTIONS

1. Cream butter and sugar; add potatoes, mix well. Add lukewarm milk, then egg, mix well.

2. Dissolve yeast in warm water and add to mixture.

3. Combine seasonings and rind. Add enough flour to make a soft dough.

4. Knead on a well-floured surface. Form into ball, place in a greased bowl. Cover with a cloth and let rise in a warm place until double in size.

5. Punch down; let rise again five to ten minutes. Flouring hands well (dough will be sticky)form in to small balls (about three ounces)

.6. Place on a cookie sheet. Slash tops with a knife (to release air). Cover. Let rise untildouble in size.

7. Bake at 350 degrees till golden brown all over (15 to 20 minutes).

A 63rd Wedding Anniversary!

Beloved longtime parishioners Ray and George Pouder celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary last Sunday!

Many parishioners gathered around to watch them cut their cake. Congratulations, George and Ray!

Father Nils' Fifth Anniversary at St. Stephen's

On January 19 we celebrated the Fifth Anniversary of Father Nils and Kelly joining us at St. Stephen's. Our Warden John Benson offered words of appreciation for all Nils and Kelly have brought to our church, and they received an ovation from the parish.

The celebration included a delicious gluten-free cake from By the Way Bakery in Greenwich.

Happy 5th Anniversary, Nils and Kelly!

The Blessing of the Animals

In October, on the Sunday closest to the Feast of St. Francis, we hold the Blessing of the Animals.

Dogs outnumbered other pets.

And they were amazingly well behaved.

It was an opportunity to wear themed attire!

This cockatiel was an eye catching presence.

Cats were shy in the company of all the dogs.

Father Nils’ dog Paddy stood by to conclude the blessing.

The Blessing of the Backpacks and Annual Picnic

Each September, as school begins anew, St. Stephen's holds The Blessing of the Backpacks.

We ask students and teachers to come forward...

...and they are blessed and prayed for.

The annual parish picnic follows the service.

There were activities for the children.

And there are cozy spots to recline, for anyone who needed a moment alone!

St. Stephen's hosts a Prayer Booth at the Fol de Rol

St. Stephen's set up a Prayer Booth at the Fol de Rol.

People submitted their prayers on sticky notes which they pinned to the board. Then they poured colored sand into a vase, to represent their prayer.

We brought the vase and the sticky notes to church the following Sunday, and the congregation chose notes to pray.

Youth Group Leader Trina Fontaine makes case for Youth Minister

Youth Leader Trina Fontaine made the case for St. Stephen's getting a Youth Minister.

Youth Group raises funds for Cystic Fibrosis

Members of the Youth Group from St. Stephens', and want-to-be youth, took on the challenge to climb over 2,800 steps to raise funds and awareness for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Cystic fibrosis is a progressive, genetic disease that causes persistent lung infections and over time it limits the ability to breathe.

The rain held off, we completed the climb successfully and after a yummy BBQ were able to venture onto the football field and into the Giants and Jet's locker rooms which was a cool experience. (In case you are wondering, the Jets' was more impressive). At press time, we raised $1,647. Thank you to everyone who supported us!

Easter at St. Stephen's

St. Stephen's Hosts the Emergency Shelter Partnership

As part of the Emergency Shelter Partnership, St. Stephen's hosted 10-14 men overnight from March 25-31.

Our Youth Group organized and served one night.

St. Stephen's volunteers (pictured) thank our friends at DeCicco's for generously providing hot dinners.

Participating with us were St. Nersess Armenian Seminary...

the Hillside Church...

and Congregation B'nai Yisrael.

Thank you to all participants for their support of ESP, and many thanks to John Bernson for a stellar job organizing the effort!

Music from a handmade violin

On Sunday Ella Skaggs, Kelly and Nils' niece, played a piece on a violin made by Nils' Swedish grandfather. He took up violin making as a hobby after he retired, and each of his grandchildren received one of his handmade instruments.

Thank you, Ella, for a lovely musical interlude!

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper!

St. Stephen’s and Scout Troop 94 held our Annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, open to the community. It was a delicious pancake feast, and a wonderful gathering!

It takes six griddles to make all the pancakes — blueberry, chocolate chip, and classic plain.

The supply was plentiful…

…and our scout chefs were in the spirit of the day!

Pancakes and sausages were popular with all ages. Thank you, scouts, for making the event such a success.

St. Stephen's holds our Annual Meeting

We held our Annual Meeting after an abbreviated Sunday morning service on January 27.

Father Nils thanked Harrison Fontaine and Meagan Eickelbeck for their service providing child care last year.

We also thanked Claire Turner for all her work on the vestry. Claire had finished her term and stepped down. We welcome new vestry members MaryBeth Weisner, Cathy Gates and Trina Fontaine. Our new Warden is John Bernson.

Ice Storm delays our Annual Meeting

With snow and ice on Sunday morning, St. Stephen's postponed our Annual Meeting for a week. Our Music Director and Organist James Turner chose the prudent course and stayed home. So Father Nils served dual roles at that service: officiant and organist!

Our Third Annual Cemetery Tour

Our third annual Cemetery Tour told the history of ten people interred in St. Stephen’s cemetery. Their stories illustrate the history of our town. Here we see Ed Woodyard portraying James Stivers, the blacksmith whose shop is now located behind Smith Tavern.

Father Nils portrayed Rev. Samuel Bushnel. Kudos to Dakota Martin for her direction, and thank you to all the performers!

First Good Neighbor Award presented to DeCicco's

St. Stephen's presented the first Good Neighbor Award to our wonderful local food market, DeCicco's.

Lena Cavanna, of St. Stephen's Mission & Outreach Committee, introduced this first award, and told of the many good works DeCicco's has performed in our community.

The DeCicco family posed with members of our Mission & Outreach Committee. The plaque presented was made from 300 year old maple that once bordered our cemetery and the DeCicco property.

Armistice Day Centenary commemoration

Sunday, November 11, was the 100th anniversary of the Armistice of World War I. Our very moving Sunday service commemorated this event. The flowers by Kelly Skaggs made an immediate visual reference to World War I, with "poppies," the flower that's come to be an emblem of the day.

We hosted a representative of the Hudson Valley Honor Flight, Bill Sestrom, who presented a review of the program, which flies veterans (free of charge) from the area to Washington, D.C. to visit the memorials and be honored and thanked for their service.

A highlight of the service was the reading of a letter written by a parishioner's father who was present in Paris when the Armistice was signed on November 11, 1918. Cole Kaiser did a wonderful job reading the touching letter describing the jubilation in the French capital, as Ralph Bradley of the U.S. Army 14th Engineers Battalion "saw the soul of France that day."

Nancy Woodyard brought a German helmet found by her grandfather in the trenches during his service in World War I. It sat on the altar during the service, a symbol of all who fought in that terrible war.

Here are more pictures of the service.

We collected the histories of parishioners’ relatives who served, and made a booklet of their stories and photos. Download the booklet here, or contact the church office if you’d like a hard copy!

Our Youth help feed Westchester

St. Stephen’s Youth Group is supporting Feeding Westchester by contributing to their "Breakfast in a Bag" program.

The group assembled bags containing cereal, Nutri-Grain bars and juice or milk along with a special handwritten note to brighten the recipient's day. These breakfast bags will be distributed to Westchester children and seniors in need.

Report on the 242nd New York Diocesan Convention

St. Stephen’s Delegate to Diocesan Convention, Doug Campbell, and Alternate, John Bernson report:

Doug Campbell

The annual convention for the Diocese of New York was held in White Plains November 9-10. St. Stephen's was represented by lay delegates Doug Campbell and John Bernson, and Clergy was represented by our Pastor, Father Nils Chittenden. Overall, 300 clergy and lay delegates were in attendance. The attendees were a diverse group -- Hispanic, African-American, South Asian, North Asian, and of course, male and female, gay and straight -- fully representative of the New York metro region.

The convention focused on a common theme of "The Beloved Community" and highlighted activities of the Diocese that promoted health, love and caring within our communities and on a global basis.

John Bernson

The convention was both positive in tone and efficient, with a balanced budget presented of $11.2 million. Bishops Dietsche, Shin and Glasspool all addressed the assembly, and their messages are well worth reading on the Diocesan website.

The Convention's first day concentrated on two themes: community and historical reflection. In the morning we participated in a workshop about how to build trusting relationships with people who are different from ourselves. We learned that we need try to listen better (more empathetically), to think more before speaking, to examine our own assumptions more carefully, to trust ambiguity and uncertainty, and to avoid hasty judgments.

In the afternoon, we watched a moving play about slavery and the Episcopal church - a mixed history. Among the few Episcopal heroes of the anti-slavery movement were William Jay (of Katonah) and his son, John Jay II, both of whom withstood fierce criticism from the Church and from local residents for their anti-slavery activities.

Bishop of New York, Andrew ML Dietsche at the Diocesan Convention

We were pleasantly surprised to learn that St. Stephen's is one of a small minority of congregations fully compliant with all of the Church's guidelines - another indication that St. Stephen's punches above its weight class.

On the second day, a common workshop was led by Dr. Eric Law, founder of the Kaleidoscope Partnership, that specializes in conflict resolution. All attendees actively participated in techniques for creating a "Beloved Community". His one final takeaway was "listen to the silent ones to learn the truth".

Job Opening with Episcopal Church Center in NYC

The Episcopal Church is accepting applications for the position of Deputy to Executive Officer, a member of the Executive Office of the General Convention.

The Deputy to the Executive Officer organizes and oversees the canonical research work of the General Convention (Parochial and Diocesan Reports and related data), working with professional consultants, Church Pension Group (CPG), and other partners doing demographic and statistical analysis. The Deputy also organizes and oversees the responsibilities of the General Convention Office (GCO) related to face-to-face meetings and events planning/execution, and coordinates staff and consultants in the logistics of the meetings of General Convention, Executive Council, Interim Bodies, and other such meetings as they are planned and accomplished. At the request of the Executive Officer, the Deputy represents the Executive Officer at meetings and as Deputy Registrar, and does other duties as assigned.

This Deputy will also be required to cross-train with the Deputy for Legislation, acquiring knowledge of the legislative functions of the GCO and providing back-up as necessary.

Information about the position and details for applying are available here. In addition to completing the profile and submitting your résumé, please submit a cover letter that includes at least three professional references. Deadline for applications is December 21, 2018.

For more information contact Episcopal Church Human Resources at HRM@episcopalchurch.org.

The Episcopal Church Center is the office of The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society (DFMS), the corporate body of the Episcopal Church. The DFMS is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from qualified members of groups protected against discrimination in employment under applicable federal, state, and municipal laws as well as the Canons of the Church and resolutions of General Convention.