| Welcome to |
| St. Stephen Lutheran Church |
| Member LogIn |
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** Announcements are usually updated weekly. If they are not, it is due to computer problems or family needs. Thanks for your patience. |
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Ministry Structure:
Ministries: All volunteer ministry leaders work with the Director of Volunteers but are accountable to the pastor. | ||||||||
 Worship Planning Our wonderfully talented Music Director, Scott Ballard works closely with Pastor Jim to plan the 8:30 formal and 11 AM contemporary services as well as special worship times. These include Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. This past summer, we added a Wednesday service for those who would be out of town over the weekends or for those wishing to enjoy additional scripture learning and fellowship. Due to very low attendance, these services were deemed to not be a good use of our limited resources and have been cancelled. We replaced the service time with supper & book study which began in the fall of 2009. Acolytes Young people in the fifth grade or older who have had first communion are trained to serve as acolytes for our worship services. Acolytes provide a very important service to our worship experience. They light the candles calling us to worship. They assist with the offering and communion and extinguish the candles to prepare us for dismissal from worship. We encourage all of these young people to participate in this role on a rotational basis as an opportunity to serve our Lord. A special thank you to Debbie Lock for working diligently to organize our participants this year. Lay Assistants Lay Assistants aid the Pastor during the service. They read the Scripture lessons, assist with communion, and give the departure bid. A schedule is put together by our assistant coordinator. The is a group of our song leaders and those who love to make a joyous note, getting together with our Music Director to share their love of music with the congregation. Many of our teenage and college youth also participate, playing contemporary instruments. We encourage all to participate. Scott Ballard coordinates this group. A special thank you to recent U of T Music grad Aaron Ziegler, for his superior drum skills put into play at our contemporary service. Thank you as well to Jacob Pratt, Tim Tefft, Cathy Gustafson, Sally Goetz, and Kathy Ziegler for their hours volunteered in playing or singing, adding to the joyous sounds of the music portion of our worship services. Children's Choir Our children sing at different times of the year during worship services. The children's singing takes place on Sunday morning at the beginning of Sunday School at 9:35 a.m. Altar Preparation Women and men are welcome to participate as members of the Altar Preparation Team under the direction of Pat Hoehing. The Altar Prep Team sets the table for communion before worship services and cleans up after the service is over. Other responsibilities include providing baptismal candles and, when made aware of a birth, roses for newborn babies. They maintain all altar linens, candles, and change the paraments according to the church calendar. A schedule covering all services is put together by our altar preparation coordinator. Our thanks to Ruth Moeller for coordinating this team of volunteers and to Pat Hoehing for ensuring we have the right supplies on hand. Greeters and Ushers Men, women, couples, families are all welcome to participate as greeters for our worship services. Greeters welcome visitors and give them information about our service and building. Ushers hand out bulletins and any other important literature pertinent to ministry as necessary, collect the offering and guide people during communion. We encourage all members to participate in this role on a rotational basis. Celebration of Marriage Technology A team of members of our congregation have been meeting this year to look at the technology needs of St. Stephen. We updated our website and the office computer, installed a computer in the sanctuary, implemented a “phone tree” to handle the prayer chain and put together a list of future needs/wants. We are working to prioritize these with Pastor Jim and look forward to an effective use of this functionality. If technology is of interest to you and you are looking for a way to get more involved, please contact one of the following team members: Dave Davis, Jeremy Hopkins, and John Lock. | ||||||||
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YOUTH AND FAMILY MINISTRY TEAM Pastoral Partner Pastoral Partner ministry is a ministry by our members to our members. Pastoral Partners are assigned a small group of families or individuals who make up their pastoral cluster. The Pastoral Partners pray every day for the members of their cluster, keep contact with their members through phone calls and/or cards, and refer any needs or concerns that need more care to the Pastor or members of the Pastoral Partner committee. Pastoral Partners are helpers for the pastor as he ministers to the people of the congregation. Pastoral Partners meet every two months or so for continued education, support, and prayer. Community and Fellowship There are many opportunities for fellowship at St. Stephen. Church picnics, cookouts and potlucks are lively times of food and fellowship. We have a monthly bridge group which originated with St. Stephen and now is more community Family Game Night. Members and friends bring games, snacks, and beverages and have an evening of family fun. We also initiated an “Eight for Ate” dinner group. Eight people, singles and couples sign up and then 8 are assigned a group. The group decides when to meet and how to arrange their plans. Groups organize twice a year. Fantasy Baseball Men and boys who are baseball fans participate in a Fantasy Baseball League. They conduct a “draft” in the early spring to choose players for their “teams”. Using a point system they follow their teams players and at the end of the season the “owner” with the most points wins. Youth Group Our youth group meets twice a month on Sunday evenings. The youth plan their activities under the direction of the leaders. They offer service to the congregation and the community. They have fun activities and parties. They have participated in Synod youth retreats. JOY Club Just Older Youth meet monthly for lunch and to explore various local venues and activities. Once a year, they meet to decide future lunch sites and activities. | ||||||||
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CHRISTIAN EDUCATION MINISTRY TEAM Christian education statement: Christian education builds a foundation of faith through continual study of God's Word. The goal of each learning opportunity is individual spiritual growth that will equip us to share the message of salvation in Christ with the community. Sunday School We have Sunday School classes for children ages pre-school through grade 6 from September to May. We continue with a Summer Sunday School program. Because of family vacation schedules, this is an active time of fun for our young people with independent weekly lessons. Children of all ages are welcome to all Sunday School classes. Teachers are always prepared and eager to welcome new children. Vacation Bible School Vacation Bible School is planned for various times during the summer months. Please check with the church office for details of this year's vacation Bible school Confirmation Confirmation class is for students in grades 7 and 8. Pr. Wicker is teaching our confirmation during the Sunday School hour. Adult Christian Education Our adult Sunday School class, the Gathering Space, meets during the Sunday School hour. We offer a varied program from Bible studies to book studies and use a variety of media and many leaders to promote participation and discussion. Bible Study We offer Bible studies at different times throughout the year. It is our goal to present the Bible as relevant to our lives today. Spiritual Gifts Spiritual Gifts is a program offered to anyone wished to discover how they are "uniquely gifted" for service in the church. The Bible teaches that we are all given different gifts and that we are called to share those gifts in building up the life of the community of faith. It is in discovering our gifts that we can learn how and when God want us to serve Him. | ||||||||
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Advertising and Publicity We advertise weekly in the Sylvania Herald newspaper. Task forces for advertising special events are appointed on an as needed basis. Bread Ministry Several members of St. Stephen are available to bake bread to take to visitors after their first visit to St. Stephen for worship. Kay Bork coordinates this ministry. She would welcome anyone who enjoys baking and/or is willing to drive and deliver bread to visitors. Webmaster We have a web site to promote and inform the community about the ministry of St. Stephen and to offer opportunity of service to the community. Our address is www.ststephensylvania.org. Sylvania Area Family Services We have for several years collected and coordinated food and gift baskets for families in conjunction with the SAFS. We provide food at Thanksgiving, food and gifts at Christmas, food and Easter baskets at Easter. | ||||||||
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Finance Finance The finance ministry team manages the church finances. Finance ministry team meetings are scheduled quarterly. These meetings are held at the church and all active members are invited to attend. Meetings are announced in the church bulletin. Counters for Sunday offerings are trained and scheduled yearly. The Financial Secretary is responsible for keeping a record of all income from contributing members. Members are given a detailed year-to-date listing of their envelope giving and special giving twice a year. Special Stewardship Ministry Team Special Stewardship Emphasis We are all called to be good stewards of our time, talent, and monies. We believe that all we have comes from God and we are called to manage our resources according to Biblical teachings.Spiritual Gifts Spiritual Gifts is a program offered to anyone wished to discover how they are “uniquely gifted” for service in the church. The Bible teaches that we are all given different gifts and that we are called to share those gifts in building up the life of the community of faith. It is in discovering our gifts that we can learn how and when God want us to serve Him. | ||||||||
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PRAYER MINISTRY TEAM
Prayer Chain
All members of St. Stephen are included in our emergency prayer chain. Marilyn Martin coordinates the prayer chain. When she receives a call asking for prayer for someone in a crisis situation, she calls a number of callers who each proceed to call a list of members. Within a short time all the members are supporting that person in need in prayer.
The prayer chain is also used on occasion to provide good news or information to the congregation. The pastor decides when the prayer chain is used in this manner.
Lighthouse of Prayer
Our members have joined with many of the body of Christ across the nation to become Lighthouses of Prayer in their neighborhoods. They pray for neighbors, friends, or relatives who do not know Christ. They also seek opportunities to do acts of kindness for those people in order to show Christ's love.
Prayer Intercessors
We have a group of Prayer Intercessors who pray for the pastor every day. They also pray for any needs brought to them by members of the congregation everyday until they are told an answer has been received.
Early prayer before worship
Every Sunday at 8 a.m. members of the congregation join with the pastor in our prayer chapel to pray for the worship services, for our congregation, for our visitors, for those leading the worship service, and for our pastor. | ||||||||
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PROPERTY MINISTRY TEAM Various members are on call for maintenance of the church property. Many of our members work to maintain our property. Lawn maintenance is done by contract. Regular weekly cleaning is done by contract. Any painting, cleaning, washing, and repairs necessary to the continuing maintenance of God's property is done by members of St. Stephen. Adopt-a-bed Members of St. Stephen may sign up in the spring to adopt a flowerbed around the building. They prepare the bed, plant flowers and/or shrubs, weed, water and maintain the bed throughout the growing season. In the fall, after the growing season is over, they clean out the bed and leave it ready for next year. Last year, in addition to our addition, we also had to do some landscaping. Through the generosity of our congregation and working with a landscaping company and the coordination by Pat Hoehing, we planted the grounds to enhance God's property. | ||||||||
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Missions The members of St. Stephen in cooperation with the Women of St. Stephen, have for several years provided food and gift baskets at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter to needy families through Sylvania Community Services. Operation Christmas Child is a ministry of Samaritan's Purse. We have supported this ministry for several years by filling shoeboxes with small gift items, wrap the box and indicate if it for a girl or boy and the age. If possible, those filling the boxes include $5 per box to help cover the cost of shipping. They are then sent to Samaritan's Purse for worldwide distribution. Our congregation has also been involved with Habitat for Humanity. We have contributed financial support and many of our members have given their time and talent to help in the construction and completion of homes. Several of our members have served on the board of Habitat for Humanity. We have also participated in collections for Lutheran World Relief. We have collected soap, school supplies and made school bags for children, and put together sewing kits. Employment Resource Center The Employment Resource Center is open every Tuesday morning from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. This is a free service to the community offering critiquing of resumes, interviewing skills, and aggressive networking skills. Three retired businessmen staff the center. Dick Lock from St. Stephen, Roger Ritzert from Sylvania United Church of Christ, and Chuck Camarote from St. Joseph Catholic Church. | ||||||||
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Writer Besides staff members and ministry leaders, we have some members of the congregation with a gift of writing. We are always blessed and encouraged by the witness and wisdom of those who share with us by writing for the newsletter. Secret Pal We ask members of the congregation to become a "Secret Pal" to one of our college students. As a secret pal, the member sends notes, cards, and small gifts to the student for special occasions (birthday, holidays, exam week) and offers encouragement and support. We feel this is a way of keeping our students aware of the congregations continuing love an interest. Church Historian The Church Historian uses pictures and newspaper articles to keep a record of the life of St. Stephen Lutheran Church. This is accomplished by putting pictures, articles, and comments into scrapbooks. Pictures are also placed on the bulletin board from time to time to celebrate special events or programs in the life of the congregation. We have several members who are willing to take photographs and who clip newspaper articles and turn them in for inclusion in a notebook. Task Force We often form a Task Force to serve for short-term ministries. | ||||||||
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Pastor: Reverend James W. Wicker 
