St. Stephen's Lutheran Church

There were two articles I read recently that were intriguing. First was "I'm a 'church leader' who doesn't really go to church," by Adam J. Copeland, and printed in The Christian Century, March 8, 2019. Copeland is director of the Center for Stewardship Leaders at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN. He was ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA). The second was "Some Pro-tips for Church Leaders Who Don't Go to Church | Adam Copeland I'm Looking At You" by Clint Schnekloth and

Where does your life and faith intersect? For some, they see their faith and their everyday life as two separate things - and the two shall never meet. Some go to church and when they leave, they leave. Others might see their faith and their life walking hand in hand - as if they are riding a tandem bicycle. Moving both in sync where life and faith are one. Yet I am going to make an assumption here (and we all know what that makes out of you and me), however I believe it to b

It started with a simple question on Facebook. Could we get the fire-belching trombone for Easter morning? How long can it be played before it gets too hot? Can my son play it? Jason chimed in with his continuing request for a grass broom to sprinkle (i.e., douse) water on folks during the thanksgiving for baptism. Oh, and one for the bishop who will be with us on Easter morning. Which brought up a reminder about the bishop's "donkey stick." Two of our newer members responded

Today, we are invited to the “discipline of Lent—self-examination and repentance, prayer and fasting, sacrificial giving and works of love—strengthened by the gifts of word and sacrament.” The invitation, part of the Ash Wednesday liturgy, is an intentional message for the church universal to turn towards a discipline that is very different from the rest of the year. We are invited to take a look at our reflection in the mirror and examine our lives as we prepare for the glor