Seasons of the Spirit, Spring 2023 | Issue 46

INSIDE:

HOLY BAPTISM AT THE CENTER OF OUR LIVES

Meet Abby Kocher

A preschool at St. Stephen’s EXPANDING OUR REPERTOIRE

From Advent to Lent & more

BAPTISM AT THE CENTER

OF OUR

LIVES

Holy Baptism to take place at a variety of Sunday services

YOU ARE SEALED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT IN BAPTISM AND MARKED AS CHRIST’S OWN FOR EVER THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER

Ihave always wanted to serve in a church that has the baptismal font right in the middle of the aisle, as it is at St. Stephen’s Church. We should all have to bump into the font on the way to our pew, because it is a tangible reminder of what lies at the center of the Christian life—our membership in the Body of Christ and our call to live out our baptismal vows each day.

By the Rev. John Rohrs

The clergy of St. Stephen’s made a recent decision to locate all of our baptismal celebrations in the context of our various

Sunday liturgies. For some time previously, we had been offering Holy Baptism during Saturday liturgies as well as on designated Sundays in the church year. This practice was in place for natural reasons: namely because we have such a large number of children (and adults) being baptized in the course of a year. But the consequence is that it had separated those celebrations from the context of our gathered worshipping community on Sundays. We have been missing the chance to embrace those families and welcome them into the Body of Christ, and we have also missed opportunities to renew our own baptismal vows—placing them back, again and again, at the center of our lives.

Jay Paul

That is why we are shifting all those celebrations back to Sunday. We will spread them out so that everyone has a chance to participate and so that it isn’t too heavy a liturgical burden on any one service. You will see Holy Baptism in Palmer Hall, at the 9:00 and 11:15 services in the main church, and occasionally at the Celtic service in the evening. They will be joyful days (if a little chaotic), and no doubt we’ll get a crier now and then. Just remember that this is the sound of new life and of faith being passed down in this place from one generation to the next. That is a joyful sound at any volume.

One of the admirable practices at St. Stephen’s Church is the explicit and unbounded welcome to share in the sacrament of Communion. We emphasize each week that all are welcome, and we place that table at the center of our worship. I am committed to continuing that practice, and my hope is that we will strive to emphasize Baptism as an equally central sacrament in our common life. Baptism and Eucharist are two sides of the same coin, drawing us into community, renewing our commitments of faith, and sending us out into the world in love. In each case, they mark us as Christ’s own. Thanks be to God!

SPRING 2023

Issue Number 46

Seasons of the Spirit

Sarah Bartenstein, editor

Steven Longstaff, art director

Contributors: Cate Anthony, Diana Chou, Scott Finn, Dillon Gwaltney, John Jenkins, Deb Lawrence, Lydia Mercado, JoAnne Palmore, Jay Paul, John Rohrs, Fred Staley

Copyright © 2023, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Richmond, Virginia Requests to reprint material from Seasons of the Spirit should be addressed to Sarah Bartenstein at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 6000 Grove Avenue, Richmond, Virginia 23226, or sbartenstein@ststephensRVA.org On

The Rev. John D. Rohrs is rector of St. Stephen’s Church.

(Facing page) The font and the altar represent the two primary sacraments of the church: Holy Baptism and Holy Communion.

(Below) John and the Rev. Cate Anthony in the Palmer Hall service.

Sarah Bartenstein

Meet Abby Kocher

Our new director of children’s ministry

Children’s ministry at St. Stephen’s Church is in an exciting new phase. Not only is Dogwood Preschool moving to St. Stephen’s later this year, but in February, the Rev. John D. Rohrs, rector of St. Stephen’s Church, announced that the Rev. Abby Kocher had accepted his call to serve as St. Stephen’s director of children’s ministry.

Abby was already known to many people at St. Stephen’s. Her children attended St. Stephen’s Preschool. As a trained catechist, she has been a familiar figure in our Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program. When she accepted John’s call, she was an early childhood assistant at Richmond Montessori School, where she supported classroom teachers for children from age 18 months to six years in a Montessori learning environment.

As an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church, Abby has served on the staffs of Duke University Chapel and Richmond’s Reveille United Methodist Church. She has also served three North Carolina churches: Oak Ridge United Methodist Church in Greensboro, Salem United Methodist Church in Morganton, and Davidson United Methodist Church in Davidson.

Abby is a graduate of Duke University, where she received her bachelor of arts in psychology cum laude, and Duke Divinity School, receiving the master of divinity summa cum laude.

She and her husband, the Rev. Dr. Craig Kocher, chaplain at the University of Richmond, have two daughters, Caroline and Catherine.

“This is one of those occasions where it feels like the Holy Spirit is at work,” said John.

“Abby’s journey as a parent led her to St. Stephen’s Preschool some years ago, and that in turn led her to Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. She will bring that background to this role.

“She also has extensive experience as an ordained pastor in the United Methodist tradition, which will translate well to the Palmer Hall community and to other aspects of our children’s ministry. I’m excited to welcome Abby to our ministry team.”

HONORING CHILDREN AT ST. STEPHEN’S

“There is something really special about the way St. Stephen’s honors children,” Abby reflected.

“I’ve experienced that as a parent through my own children who seemed to sense, in the way that children do, that this community of faith is one where they could deeply belong. Through the preschool and children’s formation opportunities, I’ve seen their souls grow. I’ve grown alongside them as I took training as a catechist and became involved in Sunday morning Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.”

She added, “My background in ministry prepared me for many things, but it had not prepared me for the ways I would grow in faith by sitting on the floor trusting the ways the Holy Spirit is already alive in our children. For me, it has been the experience of re-encountering the gospel through children that has cultivated my interest in this particular ministry.

“I look forward to living together as the kind of community that receives the gifts of children. Whether it is in Palmer Hall or on the

By Sarah Bartenstein

Abby in the atrium at St. Stephen’s Church.

Photos: Sarah Bartenstein

playground, I am eager to grow together with the families of this parish.”

Along with the rector, the interview process included the Rev. Cate Anthony, who has been the primary priest in the Palmer Hall service; the Rev. Will Stanley, vicar; and two of the parents who serve on our family ministry guild, Katherine Farley, and Whitney Robertson.

“I am so excited to collaborate with Abby in generating rich, thoughtful children’s formation at St. Stephen’s,” said Cate.

“I admire Abby’s commitment to and wisdom about creating many access points for children at church, meeting the wide spectrum of needs and abilities represented in our community. I know she will walk tenderly with our children and parents as we all journey in faith as one body of Christ.”

Whitney said, “Abby is already an integral part of our children’s and family ministries team, and I’m thrilled that she’ll be stepping into this central role. She brings warmth, knowledge, and a uniquely inviting presence to her work, as well as extensive experience in ordained parish ministry and in Catechesis. Abby also carries the valuable perspective of a parent of young children and a participant in our parish life. I know that our programming and community will grow in exciting ways under Abby’s leadership, and I can’t wait to work with her in her new role!”

Katherine is enthusiastic as well: “Abby comes to us with great experience, a love of our church and a desire to build on what already makes the children’s ministry at St. Stephen’s so special. I am excited for what the future brings.”

John added, “I want to acknowledge the wonderful foundation that Betsy Tyson laid as the previous chaplain to Palmer Hall, and the great work that Cate Anthony has done in shepherding our children’s ministries these past months. Cate and Abby will make a terrific team going forward, alongside the children and families who enliven our hallways and our hearts each week.” Sarah Bartenstein is director of communications at St. Stephen’s Church and editor of Seasons of the Spirit.

Dogwood Preschool to move to St. Stephen’s this

summer

Our downstairs classrooms will once again be home to a preschool ministry

By Sarah Bartenstein

In mid-January, leaders of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church and Dogwood Preschool made an exciting announcement: Dogwood will relocate its outstanding program to St. Stephen’s, using the classroom spaces used by St. Stephen’s Preschool until 2020.

For 50 years, St. Stephen’s was home to an excellent preschool for the benefit of the children of the parish and the wider community. In 2020, the school closed temporarily as the COVID-19 pandemic affected public and private schools throughout the United States. Later that year St. Stephen’s announced the preschool would remain closed for the 2020-21 school year and that a decision on its future would follow a period of discernment.

During that time, Dogwood Preschool was born, growing out of a desire by families and staff of the former St. Stephen’s Preschool to continue and build on the work of that beloved program. Its approach, philosophy and even some of its leaders and staff will be familiar to those who’ve had a past relationship with the church’s preschool.

The Rev. John Rohrs, who arrived as rector of St. Stephen’s in early September 2022, notes that during the ‘meet and greet’ sessions taking place throughout the fall, “the preschool came up again and again. It was clear to me how meaningful the preschool ministry had been for many of our parishioners.”

During this time, Andy Luke, a vestry member and former president of St. Stephen’s Preschool’s board of advisors, had stayed in touch with many in the former preschool community, including leadership at Dogwood.

“We did not begin conversations with Dogwood with any expectation of their move to St. Stephen’s, but to engage its leaders and the broader preschool community in conversation,” he said. “Many were saddened by the loss of the preschool and hopeful that one day it might return. But we knew we needed to heal as a community before moving forward.”

Andy continues, “Along the way we learned from Dogwood leadership that the program was growing and needed more space. The team indicated that the space once occupied by St. Stephen’s Preschool would be ideal as it had been designed for that purpose.”

Still, says John, “We took things slowly, wanting to be sure that we were doing this for the right reasons. The decision couldn’t be driven by nostalgia; it had to be the right choice for Dogwood and for St. Stephen’s.”

Giving thanks for the birth of a child

In early February, congregants in Palmer Hall participated in one of the most ancient rites in the Book of Common Prayer: “A Thanksgiving for the Birth of a Child.” In its original, 16th-century form, this rite was more commonly known as the “Churching of Women.” The rite has roots in the Presentation of Jesus in the temple by his mother Mary, eight days after his birth.

The story is recorded in the Gospel of Luke: When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, [Joseph and Mary] brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.” Luke 2:22-24

By the Rev.

In traditional Jewish custom, purification rituals acted as a bridge between a person and their community during and after experiences of “uncleanliness” (think severe illness, menstruation and childbirth, or eating unclean foods). To our modern Christian context, these rituals may seem overly rigid or judgmental. In fact, they were deeply restorative in nature, serving to facilitate a person’s re-entry into community after a time of separation.

Churching of women stemmed from this biblical narrative of Mary’s own purification and re-entry into her community following the birth of Jesus. In the Christian rite, the focus is twofold: first, gratitude for the safe delivery of the mother through the perils of childbirth; and second, thanksgiving for the arrival of a new child. For the full rite, see the Book of Common Prayer, pages 439-445.

In February, the Palmer Hall community gathered around Aletheia Katta (just three weeks old!) and her parents, the Rev. Zaccheaus Katta and Sucharitha Ittamalla. Together, we prayed joyfully in thanksgiving for her nascent life, saying “I love the Lord, because he has heard the voice of my supplication... How shall I repay the Lord for all the good things he has done for me? Hallelujah!”

I hope we will use “A Thanksgiving for the Birth of a Child” more frequently in Palmer Hall—there are so many new children born into our community all the time! More than that, it is my hope that the Palmer Hall community will continue to grow in how we accompany people on all paths to creating a family. I’m very grateful that the Episcopal Church also has liturgies to recognize and celebrate adoptions. For those for whom creating a family is a path of trial and sorrow, we also have rituals related to loss during pregnancy, infertility, or the death of a child.

If you or your family are interested in knowing more about any of these rituals, please reach out. It is our honor to create sacred space for every experience you carry.

The Rev Cate Anthony is an associate priest at St. Stephen’s. You can watch a video of Cate discussing the Palmer Hall service and the special community it has created at ststephensRVA.org/palmerhall

Cate Anthony

In February, the congregation in Palmer Hall participated in a rite that, while in our Prayer Book, has not traditionally been used here.

Sarah Bartenstein

ReWork’s holistic approach results in promising careers

Member with connections to our East End partners is thriving in a new position

she had a college degree. Since she was financially supporting her ill mother and younger brother, Jada knew she needed to make a change. Jada says what attracted her to ReWork was “the organization’s holistic approach and focus on the complete person, and the individual pathway creation to a sustaining career.”

ReWork Richmond, the partnership among St. Stephen’s Church, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Church Hill, the City of Richmond’s Office of Community Wealth Building, and Challenge Discovery Projects, continues to work alongside their participants (called members) and create pathways to lasting careers.

By Deb Lawrence

The mission of this workforce development program is to empower underemployed adults living in Richmond’s East End by helping them obtain the skills and support needed to qualify for, and ultimately gain, thriving living wage careers.

Born of the capital campaign that St. Stephen’s conducted as part of its centennial observance, the organization takes a unique, comprehensive approach to employment. ReWork provides support and job sourcing to create lasting career opportunities, as opposed to entry level jobs. The program is structured to provide an array of personal support and employment referral services tailored to meet the individual goals of each ReWork member.

With financial support from St. Stephen’s, and many invested community partners and individuals, ReWork Richmond is positively affecting the lives of East End adults and families. Members are excited to be a part of ReWork and are working hard towards stable, thriving careers.

MEMBER WITH ST. STEPHEN’S CONNECTION ACHIEVES THRIVING CAREER

One such member is Jada R. who was recommended to ReWork by one of our community partners, Anna Julia Cooper School. When Jada came to ReWork, she was stuck in a part-time job that had no upward mobility nor the option to move to full-time, even though

A few months after enrolling with ReWork, Jada obtained an interview for a marketing position with a data security company. ReWork staff assisted Jada with resume work and interview preparation, ensuring that she was well situated for both the interview and the position with the company. The interview went well, and Jada received an offer to fill the position in marketing operations, earning a salary and benefits that would sustain her and her family. But the story doesn’t end there. After only 10 months on the job, Jada has received a major promotion, filling the open position of marketing operations manager. She is now earning a salary that is far above a living wage and she has opportunities for growth.

There is a twist to this story that involves St. Stephen’s relationships in the East End. As children, Jada and her younger brother Philip were after-school students at Peter Paul. While in 5th grade, Philip was introduced to longtime St. Stephen’s parishioner Cotes Pinckney. Philip and Cotes connected well, and Cotes began to tutor Philip in the afternoons at Peter Paul, becoming acquainted with Philip’s family, including Jada. Philip attended Anna Julia Cooper School in grades 6-8, and then Christchurch School (one of the Church Schools in the Diocese of Virginia) in grades 9-12. Throughout that time, at the urging of Philip and Jada’s mother, Cotes continued to spend time with Philip, serving as a mentor and friend to this young man. Philip, now 22 years old, is scheduled to graduate from Longwood University in December. He and Cotes still see each other.

When asked about the relevance of St. Stephen’s partnerships in the East End, Jada says, “What a small world it is and how remarkable that the organizations Philip and I were a part of have ties to St. Stephen’s; Peter Paul, Anna Julia Cooper School, and now my participation with ReWork Richmond. It has truly been a blessing for my family.”

Cotes is is delighted that Jada is doing so well. We at ReWork believe the sky is the limit for Jada and can’t wait to see what’s next for her.

OTHER WAYS TO HELP

We seek committed volunteers to provide career and financial coaching, to assist with resume writing and interview skills, or to connect us to potential employer partners. To explore how your generosity and skills can help, contact me at deblawrence@ reworkrichmond.org or 804.869.3704.

Deb Lawrence is executive director of ReWork Richmond and a long-time St. Stephen’s parishioner. For many years she served as director of outreach for St. Stephen’s Church.

Jada in the ReWork office

Photo courtesy of ReWork Richmond

A great host of composers

St. Stephen’s music staff are expanding our repertoire

These words of invitation —and their underlying message that all are welcome— express the core of our identity and mission at St. Stephen’s Church. It is an unfortunate truth, however, that most social institutions (including the concert hall, academia, and many Christian denominations) historically have not invited everyone to the table, a place in the choir stalls, or a space in the choral music library. As Louise Stewart, editor of Multitude of Voyces, an anthology series of sacred choral music by female composers, explains: “In the Anglican church [and musical practice] we have inherited an extraordinarily beautiful choral tradition, that is without question. It almost exclusively lacks compositions by women composers, however.” And I would add here, composers of color. Stewart adds

that while “we cannot change the past… we can look more carefully to see if there is something of value that we have overlooked along the way… it is not too late to include music composed by [those] who, in their own lifetimes, were not included.”

practice. If all are truly welcome at the table, is it not part of the broader mission of the Church to uphold that principle in our music as well—by building a repertoire reflective and inclusive of all siblings in Christ?

By Diana Chou

It’s worth noting that tradition and inclusion need not operate as a mutually exclusive binary; expanding our choral libraries to include underrepresented voices doesn’t come at the expense of traditional “classics” of the choral canon. Rather, it recognizes that there’s room to hear from a more diverse chorus of voices, which can only enrich the musical soundscape of our liturgies. There is a difference between honoring tradition and letting it become a force of what Susan Matthews calls “silencing inertia,” a barrier to stepping outside our usual modes and patterns because “it’s always been done this way.” An ossified musical canon doesn’t reflect that the church is not merely an inherited set of precepts, but a community of people and living

EXPANDING OUR REPERTOIRE WITH NEW VOICES

Over the last few years, my music staff colleagues Brent te Velde and Chris Edwards have begun working to diversify the repertoire at all of St. Stephen’s musical services, incorporating voices denied fair due during their lifetimes such as Amy Beach (1867-1944), Vicente Lusitano (ca. 1520-1621), and Rafaella Aleotti (ca. 1575-1620). In addition, we are making efforts to amplify the voices of living women and musicians of color—including composers such as Joan Szymko (b. 1957), Kerensa Briggs (b. 1991), Maggie Burk (b. 1990), David Hurd (b. 1950), and Cecilia McDowall (b. 1951)—laying a foundation for a more diverse and inclusive future musical practice here.

Undine Smith Moore, called ‘The Dean of Black Women Composers,’ was a native of Virginia. In addition to teaching at Fisk University and other institutions, she taught at Virginia Union University and Virginia State University.

David Hurd’s compositions include 13 hymn tunes in our Hymnal 1982.

THIS IS THE TABLE NOT OF THE CHURCH, BUT OF THE LORD FROM THE INVITATION TO COMMUNION

Working towards diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI, isn’t easy; good allyship requires self-education. In a March 2022 panel, “Intentional Diversity in Church and Choral Music,” hosted by Trinity Episcopal Church on the Green in New Haven, Connecticut, church musicians Janet Yieh, Nathaniel Gumbs, and Walden Moore noted that this important and necessary work takes “time and intention,” and needs to be informed by “authenticity and context.” Meaningful inclusion requires that we study music by composers of color as seriously as we study Bach or Duruflé, approaching it “with the same integrity as it takes learning the [traditional] canon.”

It has been heartening to see growing public consciousness around the importance of DEI, with a particularly heightened sense of urgency in the last few years, catalyzed by dialogue from movements like #MeToo and Black Lives Matter. Resources supporting DEI in music have grown in number and ease of access; music publishing companies are also re-issuing out-of-print works (or printing posthumous, never-before published works) by women and Black, indigenous and people of color as well as slowly-increasing numbers of new works by underrepresented composers. Still, translating this into service and practice takes time: time to comb through and absorb resources and get to know pieces,

time to assess what’s a good match stylistically and in terms of difficulty for different choral ensembles, and time to order or arrange scores and implement pieces into service planning.

THE TEMPTATION TO STICK WITH THE KNOWN

In his 2018 New Yorker article on the “rediscovery” of the music of Black American composer Florence Price, Alex Ross observes that the establishment often “stick[s] with the known,” not because there isn’t anything good in the unknown, but “in order to avoid the hard work of exploring the unknown.” Questions of hard work aside, we do run into practical issues. Learning new music requires an investment of time, and rehearsal time is finite; as Walden Moore admits, out of necessity, some weeks we have to balance our time by “fall[ing] back on that which we know.” Rather than considering this a failing, Moore interprets it as a signal of work we need to do: we should aim to get to the point that pieces by underrepresented voices are amongst our familiar musical repertory, the works we can comfortably and fondly fall back on when needed.

This highlights how work towards DEI must remain a continual process. Programming composers of color on occasions like Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend or Black History Month is one

step, but only a first step if we want to move beyond the impression of token inclusions of underrepresented voices. Meaningful change requires a consistent and long-term input of work; the goal is not simply to feature underrepresented voices more often, but for those voices eventually to number among the regular representatives in our music and liturgies. It’s been encouraging to see works by Eleanor Daley, Sarah MacDonald, Alice Parker, Stephanie Martin, Undine Smith Moore, William Grant Still, and others incorporated into the fabric of our growing and evolving St. Stephen’s musical canon. Many of these pieces were new to the choral and organ libraries here only a few years ago, but have already established themselves firmly enough in our repertory to become recurring works, joined in the library by additional pieces by the same composer, or both. Seeing this progress has been meaningful, and I look forward to sharing in this continuing work with Brent and Chris.

Diana Chou is associate director of music at St. Stephen’s Church. She has prepared a reading list for any who wish to delve more deeply into this topic. It’s available at ststephensRVA.org/composers, and hard copies are at Information Central, the area outside the parish office with a large computer monitor and a table and racks with printed materials.

Amy Beach became the preeminent female composer in the United States, with more than 150 numbered works, acclaimed in the U.S. and Europe.

We cannot change the past… we can look more carefully to see if there is something of value that we have overlooked along the way… it is not too late to include music composed by [those] who, in their own lifetimes, were not included.

Staff member creates podcast on ways to communicate kindly

Mary Feldman hosts podcast with Karen McCormick

During the entrepreneurial course, when participants learned about podcasting, Mary thought, “there is no way I’d ever be a podcaster.” But she wanted something that would stretch her. When she spoke to her lifelong friend Karen McCormick of Philadelphia about the idea, Karen responded, “Let’s just do it!”

Mary spends her weekends editing these conversations to produce the podcast, titled “Communicate Kindly: The Podcast.”

want people to speak more kindly. It’s breaking my heart that we can’t communicate with one another.”

That’s one of the things that Mary Feldman learned about herself during a 12-week entrepreneurial course designed to help participants discover their passion and purpose. As she reflected on what calls to her, what emerged was helping people improve their relationships by communicating with kindness and compassion.

Monday through Friday, Mary serves as executive assistant to the rector and vicar at St. Stephen’s Church, and since she also has responsibility for many aspects of pastoral care, her calling is on display here. But on the weekends, she produces a podcast designed to encourage others to communicate kindly, too.

Since they live in different cities, Mary and Karen get together on Zoom and simply have a conversation about the week’s topic. One topic was gaslighting —making people feel as if what they’re seeing and hearing is not true. Another topic was road rage. Sometimes they welcome guests as they seek to bridge divides, such as generational differences, that can make it challenging to understand one another.

Available on Apple podcasts and Spotify, “Communicate Kindly: The Podcast” has had 500 downloads of its seven episodes so far. Mary and Karen’s mission is “to transform the world, one conversation at a time.” In the divided culture in which we live, could there be a more worthy goal?

Or, as the late writer and Presbyterian minister Frederick Buechner put it, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”

Mary and Karen get together on Zoom and simply have a conversation about the week’s topic. A recent one was gaslighting, for example—making people feel as if what they’re seeing and hearing is not true.

“Ireally

Mary Feldman

Dogwood, continued from page page 5

“As an independent school,” says John, “they’ve done tremendous work in establishing themselves as Dogwood Preschool over these last few years. We had to determine what a new partnership would look like, and how we would share space and decisions and resources.”

Dogwood will lease space downstairs in our parish house, with the initial three-year term beginning July 1.

“We have every intention of this being a long-term relationship with leases that renew over time,” says John.

The school is recognized by the Virginia Department of Education as a licensed Child Day Center. The Dogwood School, Inc. doing business as Dogwood Preschool is a Virginia non-stock corporation recognized as a tax-exempt non-profit under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code. It is governed by a board of directors.

When Dogwood moves to St. Stephen’s, it will continue as an independent preschool located at St. Stephen’s Church and will continue to have its own board of directors. The rector of St. Stephen’s or his designee will have a seat on that board, as will a current vestry member.

The school will be known as Dogwood Preschool at St. Stephen’s.

Dogwood provides high-quality early childhood education to children of residents of greater Richmond. Each classroom offers ageappropriate educational choices designed to draw in each individual child. Choices include cognitive, fine motor, gross motor, practical life, art, music, reading, and more. The program is based on the best features of well-regarded early childhood education philosophies including Montessori, Reggio Emilia, and Piaget.

Dogwood Preschool is a non-denominational Christian preschool and children are offered the foundational principles of Christianity through the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd—the same Montessori-based spiritual formation program St. Stephen’s Church uses. Dogwood celebrates and embraces children from any religious or non-religious background.

John thanked Dick Hamrick and Andy Luke for their diligence during the discernment process. “They have worked tirelessly to balance this great opportunity with the needs and interests of the church.”(Dick was senior warden and Andy, junior warden, during this process.)

John also expressed deep gratitude to Dogwood Preschool’s director and St. Stephen’s parishioner Kate Batten, board chair Kari Teagno Hyman, and program director Marion Chenault. Mario, also a St. Stephen’s parishioner, is a former director of St. Stephen’s Preschool.

“They have been so faithful throughout this process and they represent the wonderful leadership and future of this school.”

Kate and Kari echo the enthusiasm of St. Stephen’s leadership. “We are so excited, and look forward to making a new home at St. Stephen’s Church,” Kate says; Kari agrees, adding, “St. Stephen’s has been a pleasure to work with.”

John notes that this new arrangement “will be different than it was before when St. Stephen’s managed a preschool as one of its own ministries, but that’s not a bad thing. At my last church we leased space to an independent preschool that had been there for more than 80 years. We had the benefits of a great partnership but the church didn’t have the challenges of managing and financing the program, hiring teachers, and so forth. It worked really well there and I think it will work well here.”

“I am really excited about this partnership,” John said. “We toured the school and saw their students and teachers. We know they will bring great joy and life to our classrooms downstairs, and we look forward to inviting those children and families into the fuller life of St. Stephen’s, if they are interested.”

Parents who are interested in applying for a place for their children at Dogwood Preschool @ St. Stephen’s should contact the school directly; information is at dogwoodpreschool.org.

As he thinks about this new relationship and the name of the new preschool to which St. Stephen’s will be home, John reflects on the legend of the dogwood tree:

“Some people find meaning in the marks of the dogwood flowers and their resemblance to a cross, in conjunction with their blooming time around Easter. It’s not lost on me that after a difficult departure from St. Stephen’s Church, the Dogwood Preschool was reborn–resurrected, you might say–and is now coming back to be a source of new life on our campus.”

Dogwood Director Kate Batten

Photos courtesy of Dogwood Preschool

Spiritual reclaimingdirection: an ancient spiritual practice

THE MINISTRY OF SPIRITUAL DIRECTION: WHAT, WHEN, FOR WHOM?

There are times in life when what we most need is neither a friend nor a counselor but one who has cultivated the gift of spiritual companioning or what is variously known in the Christian tradition as the ministry of spiritual direction or guidance. God always is present and working within us and so it should come as no surprise when, for internal or external causes, an awareness arises within, howsoever attenuated or overt, that either invites or compels us to attend to our spiritual life in a new way. How? Too few Christians are aware that there are people whose ministry is spiritual guidance.

Lydia Mercado, one of many spiritual directors affiliated with Richmond Hill, a local ecumenical Christian community in Church Hill, offers this introduction about spiritual direction.

St. Stephen’s clergy are a valuable resource who can help you learn more about spiritual direction and discern whether direction may be life-giving at this time in your journey.

The Rev. John W.A. Jenkins

Spiritual direction is an ancient discipline that helps us hear, see, and respond to God in our life journey.1 The focus is religious or spiritual experience, rather than ideas. Such experience is viewed, not as an isolated event, but as an expression of the ongoing personal relationship we each have with the Indwelling Presence of our life. The basic concern addressed by spiritual direction is not with external actions as such, but with the inner life, the “heart,” the personal core out of which come the good and evil that we think and do. It includes “head,” but points to more than reason and more than knowledge. It also reminds us that another Spirit, the spirit of the Lord of Life, is involved. “Direction” implies that those who seek it are going somewhere and want to talk to someone on the way. It implies, too, that the talk will not be casual and aimless, but apt to help us find the way.2

By Lydia Mercado

Spiritual direction is rooted in two basic convictions. First, that our relationship with God is of primary and fundamental importance. Without a sense of connection with God, all other relationships are impoverished. And second, that our

relationship with God is bound up with our relationship with one another and with the whole created order. Sometimes our energies will be focused almost exclusively on one or the other of these points of reference. At certain periods of our lives the sense of connection with God (what is sometimes called the vertical dimension) is all we have to pull us through a difficult time. At other periods we are called upon to concentrate on our relationships with others (what is sometimes called the horizontal dimension). Both are necessary. Each is related to the other and it is no accident that the horizontal and the vertical, when placed together, form a cross. It is that saving symbol that illuminates all attempts at spiritual guidance. Spiritual direction is a relationship entered into with another under mutual obedience to the revelation of God in Christ to perceive the Indwelling Presence in our very human, frail existence.3

We may come to spiritual direction for a variety of reasons, such as to deepen our spiritual practices, bring coherence between the inner life and the external life, discern, and make choices about our journey, share our hopes, struggles and losses, as well as live the essence of the Gospel with integrity.

Spiritual directors typically meet monthly for one hour with a directee. The meeting takes place at a church, retreat center, or other agreed-upon location. After three or four meetings, the

directee determines whether to continue the relationship and for how long; it may continue for years or for only a short period of time. It is very important to be comfortable with one’s spiritual director. What is shared is held in strict confidence. Many retreat centers, convents and monasteries offer a ministry of spiritual direction. Locally, Richmond Hill, an ecumenical Christian community, offers a vibrant ministry of spiritual guidance where seekers are matched with trained spiritual directors.

We may come to spiritual direction for a variety of reasons, such as to deepen our spiritual practices, bring coherence between the inner life and the external life, discern, and make choices about our journey, share our hopes, struggles and losses, as well as live the essence of the Gospel with integrity.

Lydia Mercado is one of the spiritual directors associated with Richmond Hill, the ecumenical community located in Richmond’s Church Hill.

1 Jeannette A. Bakke, Exploring Spiritual Direction: Holy Invitations, 2000, p. 18. 2 William A. Barry and William J. Connolly, The Practice of Spiritual Direction, 1982, p. 10-11. 3 Alan Jones, Exploring Spiritual Direction: An Essay on Christian Friendship, 1982, p. 2, 4. Photos courtesy of Richmond Hill

Pollinator garden addresses important environmental stewardship concern

By JoAnne Palmore

Caring for the earth has increasingly become a matter of grave concern throughout the world. St. Stephen’s Church has responded to this challenge by deepening its commitment to environmental stewardship. Our creation care group has been very active in providing educational offerings to raise awareness, participating in outreach activities to address environmental concerns in the community, and suggesting to the vestry changes to our buildings and grounds to reduce the strain on natural resources.

Last spring the group proposed that the funds raised from their electronics recycling effort be used to plant a pollinator garden in the strip of land just off the parking lot, running about 100 feet down the alley. This seemed like an outstanding way to help address the urgent environmental issue of a declining pollinator population and at the same time enhance St. Stephen’s lovely grounds. The vestry agreed.

A pollinator can be a bee, beetle, wasp, butterfly, moth, hummingbird, bat, or even a small mammal. We often forget how vital these small creatures are to the health of our planet. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, about 75 percent of the world’s flowering plants and about 35 percent of the world’s food crops need pollination to reproduce. Scientists estimate that one out of every three bites of food we eat is dependent on pollination. In addition, pollinators support healthy ecosystems that clean the air, stabilize soils, and support other wildlife. Clearly, we need pollinators to maintain a healthy world.

Yet pollinator populations are dwindling at a rapid rate due to urban sprawl, pesticides, disease, and climate change. Some studies indicate that as much as 40 percent of the insect world faces extinction. Fortunately, this alarming trend can be reversed if we all do our part…and St. Stephen’s is eager to do just that!

Thus, a band of enthusiastic gardeners—both amateur and professional—formed a pollinator garden committee and began meeting last summer. Throughout the fall, the committee addressed the major challenges to creating this garden, especially the steep slope to the land, access to a spigot for watering, quality of the soil, ongoing maintenance, and fundraising.

After much discussion, committee member Diana Crook, a professional landscape designer, created an outstanding conceptual garden plan which captures all the features the committee discussed as being essential, including emphasis on native plants, incorporation of a variety of plants that bloom from early spring into late fall, shade and drought tolerance, low maintenance, and most importantly, good sources of food and shelter for pollinators. Plus, it will be naturally beautiful!

We hope that implementation will begin this spring and proceed in stages. First the smaller shrubs and trees will be planted to anchor the site, followed by native perennials to provide food and habitat for pollinators, and finally, annual plants to add color and attract pollinators to the site. We need many hands to achieve this important goal, especially with fundraising, planting and maintenance. If you are interested in becoming involved, please contact me at joannepalmore@gmail.com

JoAnne Palmore is a long-time member of St. Stephen’s Church and an avid gardener. For many years she helped manage the May Fair House.

SMALL CREATURES HAVE A HUGE IMPACT ON FOOD SUPPLIES AND THE ENVIRONMENT

THE LORD GOD TOOK THE MAN AND PUT HIM IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN TO WORK IT AND TAKE CARE OF IT. GENESIS 2:15

FROM ADVENT TO LENT

A new church year began on the First Sunday in Advent with the annual all-ages Advent Fair (1). Advent came to a close with the Live Nativity outdoors (4), and the youth Christmas pageant in the church, giving way to a beautiful Christmas. For the first time in many years, St. Stephen’s held a service of Choral Evensong on the Feast of the Epiphany, concluding outdoors with the burning of Christmas greens (2, 3), and followed by a well-attended parish supper and chili cook-off. The transition from Epiphany to Lent, Shrove Tuesday, brought folks to church for a pancake supper (5) and burning of palms from Palm Sunday 2022. Lent began on February 22, with Holy Eucharist and the Imposition of Ashes using the ashes from the Shrove Tuesday fire (6). Photos by Dillon Gwaltney, Sarah Bartenstein, and Scott Finn.

SPIRIT

SPRING 2023

Issue Number 46

ST. STEPHEN’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH

6000 Grove Avenue l Richmond, Virginia 23226 ststephensRVA.org

Parish Staff

To reach a staff member, call 804.288.2867 or send an email using the initial and name provided in parentheses @ststephensRVA.org

The Rev. Cate Anthony (canthony), Associate Priest

Kitty Ball (kball), Administrative Assistant

Sarah R. Bartenstein (sbartenstein), Director of Communication

Larry Bidwell (lbidwell), Facilities Manager

Michelle Carter (mcarter), Ministry Coordinator

Omar Catedral (ocatedral), Sexton

Diana Chou (dchou), Associate Director of Music

Chris Edwards (cedwards), Director, St. Stephen’s Choir

Mary Feldman (mfeldman), Executive Assistant to the Rector and Vicar

Dillon Gwaltney (dgwaltney), Communications Associate/Video Producer

Claire Hackley (chackley), Church Supper Coordinator

Chris Holman (cholman), Sexton

Jack Hotchkiss (jhotchkiss), Sexton

The Rev. John Jenkins (jjenkins), Associate Priest

Anna F. Jones, (ajones), Farmers Market Manager; Assistant Director of Outreach

Wondell Kareem (wkareem), Sexton

Abby Kocher, (akocher), Director of Children’s Ministry

The Rev. John Rohrs (jrohrs), Rector

The Rev. William L. Sachs (bsachs) Priest Associate

Fred Staley (fstaley), Executive Director of Church Operations

The Rev. William S. Stanley (wstanley), Vicar

Brent te Velde (btevelde), Director of Music

Ethan B. White (ewhite), Assistant for Family Ministry

Our Missionaries

Heidi Schmidt

Monica Vega

Vestry

Serving until 2/2024

Richard Hamrick

David Hodge

Anne McElroy

Penn Rogers, treasurer

Martha Sherman, junior warden

Nancy Thompson

Serving until 2/2025

Steven Dalle Mura

Jeff Johnson

Andy Luke, senior warden

Brenda McDowell

Anne Pinion, register

Whitney Van Der Hyde

CHANGES UNDERWAY IN FINANCIAL PROCESSING

Outside firm will save money—but our staff is still here for you!

Like many churches across the country, St. Stephen’s is moving away from onsite bookkeeping staff to third-party accounting firms specializing in church accounting. This arrangement offers several advantages.

Serving until 2/2026

Robert Birdsey

Kathy Brock

John Crowder

May Fox

Mary Ashburn Pearson

Christopher Smith

First, internal controls become much better. An additional set of eyes from outside the church office is looking at our controls and can recommend improvements. While St. Stephen’s Church undergoes regular financial audits, our new arrangement with GuideServe is involved in day-to-day processing and has a better understanding of the processes than our auditors do—not only how they are designed, but how they function daily.

By Fred Staley

Second, this allows for proper segregation of duties, something auditors routinely recommend but which isn’t possible with a one-person accounting staff as ours has been in the past. We now have payables and payroll specialists as well as CPA-level oversight of every transaction. Our contract comes with best-in-industry software and we receive better, more readable reports with a wide range of reporting possibilities. Even with all these advantages, using this model saves us about $35,000 annually.

How does all this affect you as a parishioner? Your contributions will continue to be processed onsite by a staff member with whom you may interact. We will hire a part-time financial assistant for that function.

I will also be available to you. Our contracted firm works with staff but not with parishioners, so if you have any questions, please call me at 804.288.2867. In addition to the part-time financial assistant, we will train some of our administrative staff to answer simple questions about pledge balances and giving.

The software we’re using is cloud-based and data transfers are made electronically via secure portals. So your information will be as secure— or more secure—than it has been. n