If you missed breakfast.......

you missed quite a few treats, at least two different egg dishes, sweet rolls, fruit and other sweets.
The video which profiled three separate churches in an inner city setting could have been the story of St Stephens, churches that provided much needed services to the community at large and to the congregation on a limited budget.
I remember a funny work saying "We the few, working instead of the unwilling, have become so accustomed to doing so much with so little we are now qualified to do anything with nothing"
We have done anything for everyone for so long on nothing that our building is in danger. Not only the beautiful windows (I have seen a major crack in one of the windows over the choir loft), but some of the hallways and stairways (the stairway at the end of the main hallway past the restrooms is closed off due to crumbling and falling plaster), to say nothing of the bell tower and roof, electrical system, the lights, the kitchen, parish hall carpeting, the _____________(fill in the blank with what you have noticed).
Lois is a wonder, she has found the funding for the dental clinic, reorganized the health clinic, and is now pursuing renovating the old (read ancient) downstairs kitchen to a pharmacy (no, not for controlled substances)but she is only one person.
We are not asking the congregation to do more financially (remember "we are doing so much with so little") what we are asking for is support. Tell St Stephens story - to your friends, neighbors, your doctors, family members - take the basket off the candle and let it shine for all to see.
There are three groups that formed last Sunday:
1. History - those that know something ( you don't need to know all of it) of St Stephens history, where we came from, what we did. If you're interested see Tony Brooks and join that team.
2. What we do - the stuff we do now on a daily basis, the events, the services, the impact we have on the community around us (I have no hard data but I honestly think that the least busiest day at St Stephens is Sunday, don't think that what goes on on Sunday is unimportant or un-needed but that joint is BUSY Monday thru Friday) If you're interested in being a part of this team see Mary Clemm
How much it is worth - the nuts and bolts, and how much it costs to replace it. Our size, the heat, the insurance, the real value of what is contained in our walls or or property lines. If you have knowledge and experience in this field talk to Frank Conyngham.

If you think you have nothing to contribute, I ask you to think of one thing...
Turning off of Northampton Street onto North Franklin Street, seeing First Presbyterian Church, Osterhout Free Library, Westmoreland Club, the Historical Society ..............than nothing, an empty lot, covered in dirt and weeds- a large parking lot for a law firm or bank, or city parking lot. If you don't like that mental image, if it hurts to much to contemplate... than you have something to contribute.