ROOM IN THE INN (RITI) We welcome your participation, and know it will be a meaningful experience for you. Room in the Inn from a… Read More »Room in the Inn (RITI) – Guest Perspective
I have a confession to make. It may surprise some of you: I took a quiz on the Internet and it said I am an… Read More »We Have Room In The Inn
The Mission Committee serves as the lens through which St. Stephen focuses its resources for outreach and identifies needs in the community at large—local,… Read More »St. Stephen Mission and Outreach Survey
The Rev. Dr. Laura Mendenhall, Senior Philanthropy Advisor of the Texas Presbyterian Foundation and former President of Columbia Theological Seminary, will be guest preacher on January 22, 2012, when St. Stephen kicks off its three year capital campaign to replace the sanctuary roof and upgrade our HVAC and energy efficiency. There will only be one worship service on January 22nd, at 10:00 a.m., in the main sanctuary, followed by a luncheon in the Parish Hall, prepared by the Capital Campaign Committee.Read More »Mendenhall, Luncheon, Special Time and Special Music, Highlight Capital Campaign Kickoff January 22nd
Yesterday was my last official meeting as a board member of the Presbyterian Night Shelter. Executive Director Toby Owen presented me with a beautiful plaque that is a photo montage of the clients PNS serves—homeless men and women, children from the Women and Children’s Unit, even a couple of staff members. Board President Steve McLauren asked me to close the meeting with prayer. I found myself choking up a bit. I thanked God that during the turmoil of the last six years, the PNS Board has remained focused on its purpose: serving the needs of the homeless in our community. I thanked God for an incredible board, forged by fire; and for an amazing staff, after years of uncertainty.
Matthew 16: 21-28
August 28, 2011
Rev. Dr. Fritz Ritsch, Preacher
The disciple Cephas has really scored. All the other disciples are high-fiving him. He got it right! He figured it out! Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God! And to reward him, Jesus has renamed him “Peter,” which means “The Rock,” and Jesus has told Peter, right in front of everybody, that Peter will be the rock on which Jesus will build His church, and that he, Peter, will have the keys to heaven and hell! He’ll personally decide who is in and who is out!Read More »Too Hard to Believe–A Sermon on Poverty, Politics, and Faith–August 28, 2011
WHERE THE WAVES ARE
Genesis 37.1-4, 12-28 Psalm 105.1-6, 16-22, 45b Romans 10.5-15 Matthew 14.22-33
Seeing is not always believing, especially when you look out into the teeth of a storm. Seeing is not always believing, especially when our heart is full of bitterness, anger, rage, and that sinking feeling of absolute helplessness. The disciples of Jesus had been with him many months, perhaps a couple of years, and they had witnessed his mighty power many, many times. They knew his face like the back of their hands, and yet when they saw him coming to them over the boiling waves, their last ounce of courage evaporated in the face of the storm. The whole boatload of them convulsed into the despair of overwhelming horror. They thought he was a ghost, the grim reaper, come to take them to their watery graves.Read More »Where the Waves Are–Dr. Warner Bailey, Preacher
Remember when you were a kid, and you looked forward to summer as the time when things slowed down and you got to play and relax and watch TV and sleep late and go to the beach? That early training sticks with me as an adult. I still imagine summer is going to be slow and relaxed.
Of course, the truth was I spent a whole lot of the summer pretty bored, wishing there was something to do.
And there’s plenty to do here at SSPC! Summer is prime time for ministry. Whether it’s celebrations, summer camps, reaching out to the needy struggling through this hot Texas summer, or preparing for the upcoming year, one thing I can say with authority is that summers are NOT slow at St. Stephen.Read More »Summertime, and the Livin’ is Easy–Not!
The Room in the Inn program, in support of the homeless,continues its fourth summer session at St.Stephen! Beginning Tuesday, July 5, and continuing each Tuesday… Read More »Room in the Inn, Our Ministry with the Homeless
The three men stood elbow to elbow to demonstrate how closely the sleeping mats are spaced at the Presbyterian Night Shelter. “Sometimes they roll over and throw their arm across you,” said one man, and the others nodded in agreement. “You have to put your shoes under your head or they’ll steal them.”Read More »Night Time at Room In The Inn
