St Stephen's Episcopal Church Oak Harbor,WA

06/04/2026

06/02/2026

Lets pack the hall and get the support we deserve.

Calling all Oak Harbor LGBTQ+ folks and allies! Come join us at Oak Harbor's City Council meeting on Tuesday, June 2nd at 5:30 pm. We are asking the city council to fly the Pride flag at City Hall and Flintstone Park during June! Come say a few words about why this is important to you or simply show up to support us!

06/02/2026

As Pride month begins, save the date for a gathering commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1976 General Convention resolution declaring that LGBTQ+ people have a full and equal claim to the pastoral care and support of The Episcopal Church. The event, “Full and Equal: 50 Years in Pursuit of a Promise,” will celebrate progress and acknowledge the work that remains.

The three-day gathering, held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Sept. 3-5, will include storytelling coaching, workshops, a banquet, and a Eucharist featuring Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe as presider and Bishop Gene Robinson as preacher. Spanish-language interpretation will be available.

More registration details will follow. Please save the date and help spread the word.

05/31/2026

A Word from our Senior Warden

So, tomorrow is Pentecost Sunday, fifty days after Easter (has it really been 50 days already? Yes, I just counted; it includes Easter Sunday and Pentecost Sunday.). This Sunday remembers an ancient event: the coming of God’s Holy Spirit upon the gathered early Christians in an upper room (the same one that the disciples had celebrated the last supper with Jesus a few weeks earlier?) It must have been either a big space or a packed room; there were, Luke tells us, 120 people present (who counted? The ushers, as in St. Stephen’s?)

All believers in Jesus, all his followers, even all-too-human ones, like me and you, receive the Holy Spirit, the presence of Jesus and the Father, who comes into our lives, most often silently, gently, barely discernible, like a still soft voice, or breath (the word for S(s)pirit in Greek is pneuma. It means breath, wind, spirit. But on that first Pentecost, according to Luke’s narrative, that wind was more like a tornado, a fire-breathing wind, that surrounded them, like a giant WHOOSH, and landed on each of them, empowering them to sing and say God’s praises in the languages of the different peoples who came running to see and hear what was going on.

But what do we make of Pentecost today? Well, most of all, I am thankful for the presence of God, by the Spirit, in all our lives, in each one of us, united as one people, despite our diverse faith and life journeys. God loves both diversity (look at the amazing variety in the natural world!) and unity. God in Godself is both diverse (three “persons”) yet one, one God. And so are we. We have different roles at St. Stephen’s, as the Spirit has gifted us, and according to 1 Corinthians 12:7: “To each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” That means you. You have a God-given way of serving at St. Stephen’s.



In her most recent essay on the Journey with Jesus website, writer Amy Frykholm asks: “how can we let Pentecost inform and transform our ordinary practice?” And she suggests: “Seek to grow in the capacity to have the spiritual ears to hear and eyes to see. In Open Mind, Open Heart, Thomas Keating writes, ‘Our awakening to the presence and action of the Spirit is the unfolding of Christ’s resurrection in us.’” Pentecost passes on the power of Jesus’ resurrection to us, even us, God’s humble servants at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, on the east side of Oak Harbor, a village in the north of Whidbey Island.

Tom Johnson

Senior Warden

05/31/2026

A Word From Our Rector Paul+

FOCUS

There is a character in the film Up with whom I sympathize. His name is Doug and he is a dog. If you’ve ever seen the film, you’ll know that Doug will be speaking and then just interject, “squirrel!” He has been distracted whether there was a squirrel around or not. Doug has lost focus and has to be brought back to the conversation.

Sometimes I find myself like this when I’m in conversation with God. While I don’t turn and say “Squirrel!” I find other thoughts creeping into my conversation. Replaying earlier interactions, thinking about what I need to do next, or just getting tired and falling asleep.

It’s not always easy to sit in meditation or prayer. One way I’ve learned to deal with these interruptions, squirrels, is to hand them over to God. If something is distracting me from prayer and meditation, there must be a reason. I give myself a little time to explore it and then hand it over.

Sleep is the hardest. I once had a spiritual director who told me that sleep is a gift from God. Sometimes a nap is exactly what we need.

Here are a few tips I’ve found when I meditate. First, find a comfortable place. If you are already distracted by surroundings, then you’re not going to meditate. Set a timer. Give yourself a set time. Don’t rely on checking your watch or phone. And when you do set a timer, use a gentle alert to come back to the world. Next, find a focal point. I find a candle flame, an icon, or a short phrase are good focal points. Use them to bring yourself back to your prayers and meditation when you get distracted.

Don’t shortchange yourself on your time. Use it all even if you think you’re done. In time, you will use it all and wonder where the time went.

Finally, find a prayer to wrap up your time with God. The Lord’s prayer is a good one. I like the Song of Simeon found on page 93 in the BCP.

Please know that the chapel is open Wednesdays from 9 to 5. It offers a good place for prayer and meditation. Come and join us and give yourself a time to practice your mediation and be in conversation with God.

Peace,

Paul+