On October 30, a mere five days before his retirement, Bishop Bud Cederholm made his first ever visit to St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church.  As noted by one of the St. Stephen’s staff, Bishop Bud had “saved the best for last!”  By the end of the day, Bishop Bud heartily agreed!

The day began with Bishop Bud chatting with some of our young people over breakfast of waffles and turkey sausages. At St. Stephen’s, we serve our young people (and parents) breakfast every Sunday before our Christian Education classes begin.

Then came a service filled with prayer, song, and joy! More than 100 people participated in our regular worship service.  Bishop Bud preached about humility and the importance of our Christian commitment to the environment.  He also offered young people a  message about Jesus’ love for everyone and our need to return that love.  How? By acting on the message to “feed my sheep.”  (When asked who were the sheep we needed to feed, one young person said “my sister!”)

After an amazing potluck spread of delicious food and some discussion with the congregation, Bishop Bud joined leaders from the Executive Committee of the church and the staff of the St. Stephen’s Youth Programs. Together, we talked about the importance of the work we do (and how much more there is to do). One teen spoke about the job experience she and all teens are getting as CITs.  Another teen spoke about the support St. Stephen’s offered her family as she grew up in the program and how she sees other families getting that same support.  One adult leader spoke about how all generations in her family feel welcome because our services are in English AND Spanish.  Many people in the room spoke about St. Stephen’s being like a family or being a second home.

And then, Bishop Bud asked where we see ourselves in five to ten years.  One teen from St. Stephen’s and another from St. Augustine & Martin, both of whom have grown up in our programs, spoke about going off to college for four years, studying a relevant field, and then coming back to be a site director at one of our B-READY or B-SAFE sites.  An adult spoke about St. Stephen’s being a model to other urban hubs wanting to start similar youth programming. And I spoke about the impact I hope and pray we will have on the neighborhoods around our sites — helping the Blackstone School successfully complete its turnaround process, changing the quality of life issues evident in the Lenox neighborhood, and transforming vacant lots into community gardens.

The energy and the vision in the room was palpable. One of our  interns in the Youth Programs said it best.  She wants to come five days a week (and has arranged her academic schedule accordingly) because she sees the kingdom of God being built — little by little, brick by brick — by what we are doing together.  May it be so!

Posted by the Reverend Liz Steinhauser, Priest Associate and Director of Youth Programs

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