Editor/Creator:Patrice Y. Toney

Main Photographer:Melton Sadler

Contributors to this Issue:Elnora GoreMelton SadlerBrad VaughnBernice C. ToneyPatrice Y. ToneyRev. Hector Sintim

Please email pictures andsubmissions for the Grapevineto: ptoney1@aol.com

Priest’s Pen

Bishop’s Visit andConfirmations

195TH AnnualConvention Report

Wedding Bells for AngelaGrant and John Lopp

Loni Worsley’s BabyShower

Black HistoryObservances

Lenten Series“The 7 Last Words”

The ECW 2011Schedule of Events

Annual Shrove TuesdayPancake Supper

ECW UpcomingActivities

Episcopal Church Men

Blog by Candice Benbow

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church810 N Highland Ave

Winston-Salem, NC 27101

(336) 724-2416

Rev. Dr. Hector SintimPriest-in-Charge

Holy EucharistSundays, 11:00am Service

Mid-week ServiceWednesdays, 12 noon

Sunday SchoolSunday Mornings, 10am

Family Prayer NightLast Saturdays of the Month, 5pm

Lenten and Advent StudiesWednesdays during Lent and

Advent Season, 6pm

Prayer and Bible StudyWednesdays, 6pm

Join us for ourServices and Study

Series

During the last convention of the dio-cese of North Carolina held in WinstonSalem, l listened to Bishop MichaelCurry’s message about going to Galilee. Itook a copy of the booklet and spentsome time to internalize the contents ofthe message. I started to ask myselfsome deep human and divine questionsby looking at Jesus’ ministry or if you

will his vision and mission in Galilee.Jesus spent most of his life and ministry in the region of

Galilee. According to the gospels, Jesus’ earthly ministry cen-tered around the Sea of Galilee. While important events oc-curred in Jerusalem, the Lord spent most of the three years ofHis ministry along the shore of this freshwater lake. Here Hegave more than half of His parables and here Heperformed most of his miracles...

The significance of the Sea of Galilee in Jesus’ministry is indicated by the fact that some of the firstand some of the last events in His ministry occurredhere. Shortly after the temptation, Jesus traveled to Caper-naum with His family (John 2:12). Later Jesus would live inCapernaum and call four of His disciples from among thefishermen in the area (Mt 4). While He performed many mira-cles at points along the lakeshore, two of His most dramaticmiracles were done on the water itself when He stilled thestorm (Luke 8:22–25) and walked on the water (Mark 6:47–52). Following His resurrection, Jesus cooked breakfast on theshore for seven of the disciples (John 21).

Encourage, Empower, Equip...and Educate one another for …

In other words, the religionof Galilee, was the focal point ofmany events and teachings in Je-sus' ministry. Out of thirty-twoeducative, empowering, equip-ping and encouraging parablesno less than 19 were spoken inGalilee. 25 out of Jesus' 33 greatmiracles were wrought in thisprovince. Jesus' first publicmiracle was at the wed-ding in Cana of Galileeas well as his last oneperformed on theshore of Galilee's seaafter his resurrection.It was from Galilee thatJesus gave his well-known message called ‘The Ser-mon on the Mount’ (Matthew 5-7; Luke 6:20-49). In a summary,it was in galley that Jesus En-courage, Empower, Equip andEducate not only himself, butthat of the disciples and all thosehe came into contact with. Today,Jesus is giving that same man-date of doing 1or 2 of these 4-E’S

for ourselves and to someoneelse, wherever you shallmeet. Why Should we prac-tice the 4-E’S? Jesus longsto have relationship with

you. To know Him is to realize

that we are in a covenantrelationship with Him. You areHis child. He is your Father. Youare His bride. He is your Groom.Jesus warns us that we can doHis works and not be known ofHim or His Father. Spend Timewith the Lord, daily. In anyearthly relationship, the way todevelop relationship with some-

one is to spend timewith them. Intimate re-lationships are born bylearning to trust. Beingopen and vulnerable andbeing willing to show allof your heart invites in-timacy. To be intimate is

to be willing to show all that isin your heart to the person. Tobe an intimate friend of Jesus,you need to be able to pour outyour heart to Him, sharing themost intimate details of your life,your hopes, your dreams andyour very heart with Him. Youcan do this by Encouraging, Em-powering, Equipping, and Edu-cating yourself through yourpersonal relationship with Himand others for early Galileanministry in your community.Keep the faith, stand firm andkeep the fire of prayer burning.

Rev. Dr. Hector Sintim

FOUR PERSONS ARE CONFIRMEDOn Sunday, March 13, the First Sunday of Lent, St. Stephen’s welcomedfour new confirmands into full communion with the Episcopal Church.The occasion was the annual visit of the Right Reverend Michael B.Curry and the Confirmation Service was a part of that visit.

We welcome the newly confirmed into the family of St. Stephen’s.

Mary M. Anderson Monica Fowler

Rhyes S. Anderson Janya Davis

195TH ANNUAL CONVENTION REPORT

The 195th Annual Convention of the Diocese of North Carolina convened on Friday,January 21st and Saturday, January 22nd, at the Benton Convention Center inWinston-Salem. The general theme for the convention was “Reflecting the RadicalWelcome of Jesus By Being A Church For Others.”The Bishop’s Pastoral Address was entitled “Come, Let Us Go to Galilee.” The messagewas taken from Matthew’s Gospel on the Resurrection: “He has been raised from thedead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.” TheBishop’s message invites us all to Galilee to see him.Several opportunities were announced that allowed the attendees to live out thetheme during the convention: Collecting 5,000 canned goods; Making 12,000 Bible fig-ures; Saving lives by providing 40,000 mosquito nets to prevent malaria; participatingin Liturgy of Repentance and Reconciliation for the Legacy of Slavery; and learningfrom the author of Radical Welcome, the Reverend Stephanie Spellers. She is the au-thor of Radical Welcome: Embracing God, the Other, and the Spirit of Transformation,and was the preacher for the convention Eucharist and the keynoter during the Sat-urday business session.

A number of Resolutions were passed by the 195th Annual Convention, including aresolution to reaffirm support of the Millennium Development Goals of the GeneralConvention, which requires the allocating of at least 0.7% of church income to sup-port projects which address one or more of the eight goals; changes in the structureand method of electing members of the Disciplinary Board; encouraging congrega-tions to organize committees on Environmental Stewardship; the participation of con-gregations in the NetsforLife Campaign; and a reduction in the percentage of churchincome for the Fair Share Percentage for 2012.Several Elections were conducted during the Convention and the results are availableon the Diocese website. We were reminded that the 77th General Convention will beheld in 2012, an event which occurs every three years, with the last having been heldin 2009 in Anaheim, CA.The delegates representing St. Stephen’s were Harold Kennedy and Melton Sadler. Al-ternates were Paula Stevenson and Clevetta Gilliam, all as Lay persons. Also, Rev. Hec-tor Sintim and Rev. Bill Pendleton attended the convention in the Clergy category. The196th Convention will, again, be held in Winston-Salem in January, 2012.For more information, please go to: http://www.dionc.org/dfc/newsdetail_2/15

Submitted by Melton Sadler

CCONGRATULATIONS!!ONGRATULATIONS!!On Saturday, February 12th, 2011, Angela Laverne Grantand John Andrew Lopp were united in Holy Matrimony atSt. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. LaShay Carter was theMaid of Honor; Robert Young was the Best Man; GeorgeHenderson served as the Groomsman; and WilliamMurchison gave the bride away. A reception was held inthe fellowship hall of the church which was catered byValeria Dove. Congratulations and Best Wishes to thenewly wed couple!

On Sunday, April3rd, 2011, the ECWof St. Stephen’sparticipated in aBaby Shower forLoni Worsley.Gertrude Murchisonhosted the event,with games led byPatrice Toney andCarrie “Granny”Worsley.The mother-to-bewas showered withan array of nicebaby gifts.0

Best Wishes Loni!

The 2011 Black HistoryObservance highlighted Doers of St.

Stephen’s Episcopal. Two persons with ties tothe church were honored and individual mem-bers in that particular field were recognizedeach Sunday in the fields of Military, Religion,Education/Business and Science/Health.

Feb. 6- MILITARY HONOREES were Mar-shall B. Bass and The Honorable Togo D.West, Jr.Feb. 13- RELIGION honorees were The Rt.Rev. Michael B. Curry and Rev. AbsalomJones.Feb. 20- EDUCATION/BUSINESS honoreeswere Palmer G. Friende and Thomas H.and Johnnye Hooper.Feb. 27- SCIENCE/HEALTH honoreeswere Drs. Edward L. Davis and Joseph G.Gordon.

The families of Mr. Friende and Dr. Gordon wor-shipped with St. Stephen’s during those ser-vices. Each of the honorees were long timeservants and participants of the church whoserved as Acolytes, Wardens, Choir members,Sunday school teachers and in many other ca-pacities. We are thankful for their leadership inthe church as well as in the communities andthe world. They each took advantage of the trailblazed by others who marched, planned andsometimes gave their lives to move our peopleforward. They found many ways to be of ser-vice in the community. St. Stephen’s is thankfulfor them and proud to honor them.

REFLECTIONS ON THE SREFLECTIONS ON THE SREFLECTIONS ON THE SEVEN WORDS OF JESUSEVEN WORDS OF JESUSEVEN WORDS OF JESUS...What it means to us today.

Presenter: Alvah WhealtonDate: MARCH 9MATTHEW 27:46 tells us that about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lamasabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Here, Jesus was express-ing His feelings of abandonment as God placed the sins of the world on Him – and because of that, God hadto “turn away” from Jesus. As Jesus was feeling that weight of sin, He was experiencing a separation fromGod for the only time in all of eternity. This was also a fulfillment of the prophetic statement in PSALM22:1. Q- ln what ways do we FORSAKE GOD, OURSELF AND OTHERS in our community and in the church.

Presenter: Lynnette StevensonDATE: MARCH 16“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” LUKE 23:34Those who crucified Je-sus were not aware of the full scope of what they were doing because they did not recognize Him as theMessiah. While their ignorance of divine truth did not mean they deserved forgiveness, Christ’s prayer inthe midst of their mocking Him is an expression of the limitless compassion of divine grace. Q- What is theimportance of forgiveness in the lives of believers?

Presenter: William GoreDATE: MARCH 23“I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise” LUKE 23:43 In this passage, Jesus is assur-ing one of the criminals on the cross that when he died, he would be with Jesus in heaven. This was grantedbecause even at the hour of his death, the criminal had expressed his faith in Jesus, recognizing Him forwho He was LUKE 23:42. Q- Why is keeping promises important. What do we have to do to experienceparadise while on earth?

Presenter; Sylvia HamlinDATE: MARCH 30“Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit” LUKE 23:46 Here, Jesus is willingly giving up His soul intothe Father’s hands, indicating that He was about to die – and that God had accepted His sacrifice. He“offered up Himself unblemished to God” HEBREWS 9:14. Q – what is God expecting to commit into hiscare and why do we have to do this.

Presenter: Earleen ReidDATE: APRIL 6“Dear Woman, here is your son!” and “Here is your mother!” When Jesus saw His mother standingnear the cross with the Apostle John, whom He loved, He committed His mother’s care into John’s hands.And from that hour John took her unto his own home JOHN 19:26-27. In this verse Jesus, ever the compas-sionate Son is making sure His earthly mother is cared for after His death. Q – Why is relationship buildingvery important or what are some of the ways can we care for others in the church and the community.

Presenter: Donyetta DrumgooleDATE: APRIL 13“I am thirsty” JOHN 19:28. Jesus was here fulfilling the Messianic prophecy from PSALM 69:21 “Theyput gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.” By saying He was thirsty, He prompted the Romanguards to give Him vinegar, which was customary at a crucifixion, thereby fulfilling the prophecy.Q- In what ways to we always get thirsty, what do we have to do over them, what should we thirsty.

Presenter; Patrice ToneyDATE: APRIL 20

‘It is finished’ JOHN 19:30 Jesus’ last words meant that His suffering was over and the whole work HisFather had given Him to do, which was to preach the Gospel, work miracles, and obtain eternal salvationfor His people, was done, accomplished, fulfilled. The debt of sin was paid. Q– What is it in our lives thatneed to be finished? How do we do that or what are some of the ways to finish something that you started.

ECW 2011 CALENDAR OF EVENTSECW 2011 CALENDAR OF EVENTSApril 9 Bus Trip to RaleighMay 14 Business Meeting, 10:30amMay 21-22 Women’s Day Celebration – St. Mary’s GuildJune 11 Women’s RetreatJune 18 Family Fun Night – St. Anne’sSeptember 2 Grandparent’s and Senior Citizens

September 10 Business Meeting, 10:30amSeptember 11 College Week-endOctober 8 Outing (Trip to the mountain)November 4 Fall Food Festival – St. Agnes’ GuildNovember 19 Business Meeting, 10:30amDecember 10 Christmas Outreach(Christmas Baskets for the sick and shut-ins)

“The Best Pancakes in Winston-Salem,” is the quote

given by many who eat pancakes at St. Stephen’s EpiscopalChurch, 810 N. Highland Avenue. The Annual Shrove TuesdayPancake Supper has been a fundraising event for over fortyyears. It is sponsored by the Episcopal Churchwomen (ECW) ofthe church and the funds generated are used as outreach in thelocal and wider communities. Some of the agencies that benefitare: Crisis Control Ministry, Hosanna House, Samaritan Kitchenand NetsforLife; purchasing nets to prevent Malaria. A new out-reach this year is sponsoring a team of walkers in the Susan G.Komen Race for the Cure in honor of breast cancer survivors inthe church.The Pancake Supper featured:All You Care to Eat Pancakes,Sausage: Turkey and Pork and Beverage.The cost was $5.00. That is a bargain!The homemade batter is made froma recipe by Mrs. Juanita Gordon whodied this year and this is a wonderfullegacy to her.This is a big (Fat Tuesday) ShroveTuesday Event held the day beforethe start of the Lenten (Self Denial)Season of the Church. All are welcome!

Article Submitted by:Mrs. Elnora Gore, Clerk to the Vestry

Join the ECW on Saturday, May 7th as wesponsor a team of walkers in the Susan G.Komen Race for the Cure, in honor of breastcancer survivors in our church. Visitwww.komennctriad.org to join the St.Stephen’s Team. Contact Elnora Gore formore information.

Put on your walking shoes as the ECWprepares to symbolically walk to Galilee! Eachmember will keep track of the miles that theywalk and it will be added to the total miles forthe group. There will also be opportunities towalk as a group at scheduled times. ContactShirley Sadler if you are interested in walking.

The ECW’s Annual Family Fun Nightwill be held on Saturday, June 18th.This day of family fun and games willbe organized by St. Anne’s Guild ofthe ECW this year. Please see LorettaDavis for more information.

Mark your calendars for the AnnualFall Food Festival/Bazaar, which willbe held on Friday, November 4th, 2011.This year’s Bazaar will be organizedmy St. Agnes's Guild, which is chairedby Betty Dillard.

Beverly Boykin Robinson is a native of Winston-Salem, North Caro-lina. She attended Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama. Beverly ob-tained her Master’s Degree in Business/Organizational Management at Le-Tourneau University in Houston, Texas. Beverly is married to her collegesweetheart, Ted Odell Robinson. To their union was born Carmen Robinson,a graduate of Pine Forge Academy, a lyric soprano and is a third-year medi-cal student at Wake Forest School of Medicine, and Christopher Robinson,also a graduate of Pine Forge Academy, a poet and literature writer and is aHospital Medical Corpsman in the United States Navy. On May 10th, 2011,Beverly and Odell will celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary.

Beverly is the creator Patmos Greeting Cards ™ (Reaching The ForgottenOnes). These specialty cards utilize language that encourage and upliftthose who are incarcerated (men and women) within the penal system. Bev-

erly has also created a customized line of inspirational cards for persons diagnosed HIV Positive, and aline of encouraging cards for the families and friends of persons with HIV/AIDS. The most recent line ofencouragement cards are for those individuals who are homeless. These lines of greetings seek to upliftpersons who are challenged with housing situations and encourage them to continue a positive jour-ney. Finally, Patmos Greetings provide a line of inspirational cards for our men and women who serve ourcountry in each branch of the Military. Patmos Greeting Cards can be found online atwww.patmosgreetings.

Debra Terry will be the Christian Comedian during the women’sday Luncheon on Saturday, May 21st. Churches, colleges, club own-ers, promoters, actors and other comedians describe Terry as“clever and classy”. She deals with everyday life and her own unre-solved issues using references from movies, commercials, songparodies and female singer impersonations for a show to remem-ber. Her versatility as a comedian, actor and singer give her massappeal. Her down-to-earth personality and eagerness to inspire,educate and entertain are breaths of fresh air for all who experi-ence her.

Lisa Clark, from Raleigh will be the Women’s Day

Speaker on Sunday, May 22nd. All are welcome to par-ticipate in the Women’s Day Weekend activities and tojoin us for fellowship after the 11am Holy EucharistService. Bernice C. Toney is the chair of St. Mary’sguild which is coordinating this year’s Women’s DayFundraiser. Each woman is expected to make a contribution.

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church Men (ECM) relaunchedtheir Men’s Group with a slate of upcoming meetingsand fundraising activities for the church. Aston Kingis serving as the President and Al Wheaton is theClerk/Treasurer. Bernice Toney is as the VestryLiason to the ECM.

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church Men (ECM) relaunched

Mother Teresa once said “prayer, in action, is love and love, in action, is service”. From the mo-ment I first read her words, I understood the greater power of my prayers. They were not idlewords sent into the universe in hopes of better days. They were my ability to transform thelife of someone else. It is not enough to verbally request that conditions be improved; myhands and feet must become involved in the work. My mother tells the story of me being 2years and I, with tears in my eyes, packed all of my toys into a brown paper bag. She said I’dseen a commercial about children in Ethiopia and realized they had so little and I so much. Iwanted their lives to be better and believed it could start with my dolls and train set.Twenty seven years later, I am not far removed from the day I saw that commercial. I stillwant to live in service. I pray that God does the radical work within me that allows me to em-body love in ways unimaginable. As I prayed for a more compassionate heart geared towardservice, I became more intrigued by a denomination I always believed had their finger on thepulse of that: the Episcopal Church. My research of the Episcopal tradition took me beyond itsearly beginnings to learning more of the fight for racial and gender equality. As I read bookslike Yet With A Steady Beat: The African-American Struggle for Recognition in the EpiscopalChurch and Episcopal Women: Gender, Spirituality and Commitment in an American MainlineDenomination, I saw that all the steps taken by the Church were not easy but members chal-lenged each other to personify the very love for which they worshipped God. And today, I ad-mire the transparency of the Episcopal Church when it speaks of its plateaus and declines inmembership. But most importantly, I admire how they refuse to allow that to impact theirability to serve the people of the world regardless of race, gender, age, class or sexual orienta-tion. Because their love has always inspired me, I chose to visit this past Sunday. I attended St.Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Winston Salem, North Carolina.St. Stephen’s has always been in the heart of the African-American and lends itself as a beaconof hope for so many. Though Sunday was my first time there, I had no idea how integral St.Stephen’s was to my growth and development. As a second grade student, my mother’steacher asked her to speak before her St. Stephen’s congregation. As a child who was encour-aged by my mother to speak before our church congregation and as an adult who has spokenin many churches across this country, it was humbling to worship among the same peoplewho encouraged her all those years ago. Connecting much of my future to her past in thatpresent was amazing.

The Greatest of These isLove: My Episcopalian

Worship Experience

By Candice Benbow

There’s always the myth presented by so many unfamiliar with the Episcopal traditionthat they do not read the Bible; that couldn’t be further from the truth. Though they useThe Book of Common Prayer for services, it is filled with numerous passages of Scrip-ture. The service I attended, known as the Holy Eucharist, was simplistic in nature butchallenged me to a higher level of love in the grandest of ways. First, a member of the St.Stephen’s clergy entered the sanctuary with a service dog. I’d seen dogs before but neverin a church! I can only imagine the love and warmth he must have experienced to feelcomfortable to continue worshipping there. Too often those who do not look, act or seemlike us are ostracized by the ones who profess to be so welcoming. Just in seeing himthere, I was challenged to find ways to make the love I give more inviting to those differ-ent than me.The pastor, a Ghanaian, delivered a sermon about mirrors reflecting what they see andbeing an opportunity to change what we see. Using a mirror as his prop, he showed ushow God does the same thing. Through Him, we can see ourselves and change thosethings necessary to be even greater servants. I understood, then, why Episcopalianscould lead lives of service. They concentrate on inward development that allows for agreater outward witness. That was also evidenced when the Priest read the job openingshe received that week and reminded the congregation of the members who worked inthose places. The Priest understood the need for collective work and responsibility to en-suring better lives for us all. If you can’t find a better way in the church, where can yougo?And it was in a special moment that I finally “got it”. Having read the Prayer of SaintFrancis so many times, I was finally in a congregation of individuals who looked like meand shared some of the same experiences I did. It was in the same sacred place wheremy mother once spoke about having peace on earth and goodwill toward men that I said“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love.”Like Mother Teresa and Saint Francis, my desire should be that God use me to be the an-swer to whatever I pray. My desire should be that daily I strive to be a more willing vesselthan I was before.Since worshipping four days ago, I’ve begun to study the Episcopal Church more; I haveeven ordered my own Book of Common Prayer. St. Stephen’s is a special place. It wasthere I connected with a history of myself that made my journey make sense. It wasthere I saw love personified. It was there I was introduced to a higher sense of purpose. Iwas created to serve- to serve God and His people. Where is there is no love, I was de-signed to fill those places.Selah and Amen.CMB, ©2011

Join Candice Benbow on her new radio Talk Show called “Divine Dialogues” atwww.blogtalkradio.com/divinedialogue, on Thursdays at 7:00pm, to discuss religiousissues impacting Black America.

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church810 N Highland Ave

Winston-Salem, NC 27101

(336) 724-2416

Rev. Dr. Hector SintimPriest-in-Charge