St. Stephen's Lutheran Church

I was talking a couple of months ago with Bishop Jim Gonia of the ELCA Rocky Mountain Synod. “An awful lot of moving parts,” he said. We were talking about the situation of the church as we look to the future of the church as we come out of the pandemic and look around us to see a very changed landscape, changed in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. Our conversation reminded me of a conversation I had had a year ago with a counselor who I had asked for guidance as I was trying to

What a wonderful day yesterday (Sunday) was! First, there were just a lot more people present in worship. It made a noticeable difference. There was just a lot of good energy and good spirit in the room. When you are able to be present in worship, you are giving a gift to your fellow church members. Your participation matters! Second, it was a day to celebrate relationships. The celebration was tinged with sadness, as we were saying goodbye to Oksana and her family and to D

As our congregation has lived out its mission over the years there have been many people who have been the right person at the right time to fill a staff position at St. Stephen’s. Oksana has clearly been one of those people. Oksana joined us in 2017 and brought with her an extensive resume’ of worldwide performance experiences and impressive technical skills on both the piano and the organ. What a gift to us that she accepted our offer to be our Cantor! Oksana has enriched o

Recently, we made a revision to our Reconciled in Christ statement. It now reads: As a Reconciling in Christ congregation of the ELCA, we believe that the gospel is God's gift to all people, shared unconditionally and without regard to race, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, socio-economic or family status, age, physical or mental abilities, outward appearance, or religious affiliation. We seek racial equality and justice. In this way, we live into the t

Liminality. The word means “threshold time” like “Kairos,” which is a kind of time that comes from the space when a shuttle opens so that a weaver can put another thread into the rug or whatever it is that’s being woven. At the beginning of the Coronavirus outbreak, I remember several people describing it as a “liminal time,” a time in which something was opening up and everything would be changed. Yesterday at church we honored graduates from Sterling, Colorado, High School,