Epiphany
Friday evening, January 5, 2024, we will mark the transition from the 12-day season of Christmas to the Epiphany--a feast of the church, and the beginning of the season that lasts until Ash Wednesday and Lent. Join us for a beautiful service, a parish supper, and some friendly competition. No sign-up is needed to attend the service, but we ask for RSVPs for supper, and an entry form for the chili cook-off.
Lessons and Carols
At 6 p.m. on Friday, January 5, St. Stephen's will hold an Epiphany Service of Lessons and Carols in the church. While this type of service is familiar to Episcopalians and Anglicans the world over, and made famous by King's College, Cambridge, most of us have experienced it in the context of Christmas (or sometimes Advent).
The Epiphany service will especially celebrate the revelation of Jesus as the son of God, and the sharing of the light of Christ throughout the world. This will be reflected by the lighting of candles and through choral music by Eric Whitacre, Philip Stopford, and Jonathan Dove.
The service will conclude with a procession outdoors to burn some Christmas greenery on the plaza outside the Three Chopt Road entrance. We invite you to bring a sprig from your Christmas tree to add to the fire.
We will follow the service with a parish supper and chili cook-off.
Parish Supper
The parish supper on January 5 will take place just after the service, at around 7 p.m. This all-ages offering will be very similar to our Wonderful Wednesdays suppers and will be donation-based. The casual and hearty meal will be served buffet style (and a vegetarian option is always available).
Menu: BBQ chicken | Mashed potatoes | Steamed vegetables | Salad | Cobbler
Reservations are not required, but since this event is a new one for us, an RSVP will give us an idea of how much food to prepare. RSVP FOR SUPPER HERE (no RSVP needed to attend the service).
Chili Cook-Off
The chili cook-off is not meant to feed everyone for supper, but simply to show off your favorite recipe and your chili-cooking skills. It will also serve as a fundraiser for our choirs' summer 2024 pilgrimage to the United Kingdom with singers from River Road Church (Baptist).
Here's how it works:
- Sign up to enter HERE.
- Bring any size crockpot of chili and a serving utensil, and drop it off to tables in the fellowship hall before the service of Epiphany Lessons and Carols to plug it in and warm
- Cups for tasting and spoons will be provided
- If you like, bring copies of the recipe for people to take!
- Votes will be cast either with cash in tip jars, which will be provided, or by card with a QR code (also provided).
- Anyone, except contestants, may vote for as many contestants as they like!
- Donations will benefit the St. Stephen's pilgrimage to the UK in 2024, and the biggest earner will earn the St. Stephen's Chili Cook-off Cup and a year's worth of bragging rights!
We hope to see you January 5!