September 3, 2023
Listen to the Longings of Your Heart
Jess Williams reflects on home and the longings of the heart that led her to St. Stephen. She talks about loving her heart for leading her well, and how her (sometimes messy!) life, and belonging to this community is teaching her to let go of perfectionism (fear!) and trust that our belovedness has nothing to do with what we are able to achieve or perform.
August 27, 2023
Bible Trigger Warning vs. Transformational Wisdom
Rachael considers what trigger warnings we might want the Romans 12 lectionary reading to come with in light of the harmful ways it’s sometimes been interpreted and used, and then how a “renewed” interpretation can offer us transformational wisdom for our real lives and beloved selves.
August 20, 2023
Friendship & Connection
Our well-being benefits greatly from healthy mutually beneficial relationships. In this conversation Marilyn and Virginia explore knowing what you need from connection and thoughts on how to intentionally work on getting our needs for community met.
August 13, 2023
Gardening in Community
Today, Walter interviewed Ray Funk about the value of gardening in community. Listen to some of the history and hopes and outcomes of our community garden – Victoria St. Community Garden
August 6, 2023
Goodness & Rest
This morning, Walter emphasized the importance of a rhythm that encourages us to acknowledge goodness and take a real rest – the rhythm of Sabbath. We hope that […]
August 2, 2023
Jesus: New And Old
In the lectionary readings this week, we read how Jesus explained the Kingdom of God as “the new and the old.” Mark Groleau focuses on how polarized Jesus’ time was – just like today. But Jesus’ “new way” was compassion, and the conviction that he had started a new age of healing and equality among his followers.
July 23, 2023
A sheltering tree (and a shaping river)
Rachael shares some summer story-telling from her month in England, featuring an ancient oak tree and with a guest appearance from a moorland river. Woven through the personal stories are reflections and questions related to the nature of prayer and God
July 16, 2023
The Serenity to Endure
Today Walter shared some thoughts on making it easier to endure pain and hardship if we help each other tell ourselves better stories, using a paraphrase of Romans 5.1-4 (and his own experience) as an example.
July 10, 2023
Gathered Listening (2nd Breakfast)
Laurens van Esch shares some experiences with silence, connection and listening in the Quaker and Plum Village Traditions.
July 2, 2023
Don’t Grow Weary
We were joined today by Passionate Ncube, Atlantic Rep for MCC (Mennonite Central Committee). He encouraged us “not to grow weary in our resistance to injustice.
June 25, 2023
Blessing The Truth
Jess offered some personal reflections on accepting and blessing the truth of our lives. She connected this with Hagar’s experience of oppression and abuse in the home of Abraham and Sarah, and of encountering God in the desert. Then she considered how God is with us — even and especially when things are not okay
June 18, 2023
Honesty, Courage & Wholeness
 Walter reflects on being continually reminded of how important it is for our healing and wholeness to have the courage to ‘bear honest witness to our experience’ – which, as Jesus says, ‘sets us free.’ He also tells barely relevant stories of his trip with a few irrelevant pictures.