About St. Stephen’s Church
St. Stephen’s Church is a community of hospitality, healing, and hope, sharing the love of Christ.
We are an embracing community open to all.
If you have not visited St. Stephen’s Church in person, you may wonder what you will find in this place. Here are a few characteristics of our community:
We love God, and we love our neighbors as ourselves.
The people of St. Stephen’s Church strive to follow the way of Jesus, who embodied the breadth and depth of God’s love throughout his life. Through Holy Baptism and regular sharing in the Eucharist, we are formed in faith and fellowship. We celebrate together life’s milestones – births and baptisms, graduations and weddings, retirements and funerals. We carry that same spirit of community and connection into the world as we strive to love and serve others in the name of Christ.
We foster healing and wholeness.
We seek to be a place of refuge from the stress of modern life and renewal for those who have been harmed or disillusioned by the church. Through music and worship, support groups and small groups, and a myriad of pastoral care ministries, we nurture an environment of healing and hope. Our evening worship and fellowship have been particular sources of healing for many people. We host a variety of 12-step and recovery groups, yoga classes, and other programs supporting health and wellness. Above all, we seek to battle the plague of isolation by fostering a sense of belonging.
We value diversity and inclusion.
Parishioners come from varied backgrounds and perspectives, finding a common faith in the Episcopal Church. Grounded in the love of Christ, we welcome people from all stages and walks of life, including LGBTQ+ persons, people of color, people from all socioeconomic, religious, or cultural backgrounds, and more. Everyone belongs and everyone is beloved. Marriage and other sacramental rites are open to all. In these divided times, we embrace our identity as a “big tent” parish where we value dialogue amid diversity and celebrate our differences while claiming our oneness in Christ.
We practice hospitality in many ways.
Through various “front porch” ministries we open our doors widely to our neighbors, bringing to mind the image of a village green. Our weekly food pantry is arranged as a grocery store, allowing guests to select their own groceries, honoring their dignity. Saturday mornings year-round we host a farmers market, rated one of the best in Richmond. The Café at St. Stephen’s, open each morning Monday through Saturday, is a gathering place for food and fellowship. May Fair House sells prepared foods and a unique array of gifts and work by local artists, with proceeds funding community grants.
Food Pantry
Our Monday food pantry is arranged as a grocery store, allowing guests to select their own groceries, honoring their dignity.
Farmers Market
Saturday mornings year-round we host a farmers market, consistently rated one of the best in Richmond.
The Café
The Café at St. Stephen’s, open each morning Monday through Saturday, is a gathering place for coffee and tea, food and fellowship, free wifi and rotating exhibits of local art.
May Fair House
May Fair House sells entrees and other food–frozen and ready to reheat–and a unique array of gifts, with all proceeds funding community grants.
We honor children and youth.
Our 9 a.m. Sunday morning service in Palmer Hall is geared entirely to young families, with an interactive children’s sermon, special music and prayers, and elementary-aged choristers, readers, and acolytes joining the clergy and staff to lead worship. Our Sunday morning formation for children is Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a Montessori-based approach that invites the curiosity of every child, while a simultaneous offering for parents provides an important source of community. As children mature, they serve as ushers and acolytes in other services, and participate in our Journey to Adulthood youth program which emphasizes exploration in faith, ministry, and mission. We also are proud to house Dogwood Preschool, one of the most innovative independent preschools in Richmond.
We cultivate adult formation and fellowship.
The Sunday Forum and other adult offerings feature compelling speakers from near and far sparking discussion, reflection, and spiritual growth. We host parish suppers on Wednesday and Sunday evenings: warm meals and warmer conversation. The suppers often give way to a variety of small group offerings including affinity groups, book studies, inquirers classes, and more. We hold regular fellowship events and worship services at two local retirement homes. A racial healing commission and creation care committee share opportunities for additional learning and engagement, while occasional pilgrimages and retreats provide space for deeper connection and spiritual exploration.
We seek and serve Christ beyond our walls.
Each week, parishioners can be found tutoring in schools, delivering fresh fruit to low-income communities, and welcoming people to our food pantry. Our longstanding engagement in the East End of Richmond includes partnerships with Fairfield Court Elementary School and Peter Paul. With local partners, we founded Anna Julia Cooper School, a tuition-free independent school, and ReWork Richmond, an employment initiative helping adults secure family-sustaining careers. Volunteers with Rebuilding Together Richmond make repairs that allow residents to remain safely in their homes. Farther afield, we support two missionaries caring for vulnerable women and children in Argentina, and we have a history of domestic and international mission trips for youth and adults.
We celebrate beauty in art, music, and each other.
Art in all forms is a window to the soul and a pathway to God. Our top-notch musicians and choirs offer beautiful sacred music each week, and periodic concerts feature larger pieces of music. Music is a congregational practice and passion as we join to sing God’s praise, and our robust digital ministry extends the reach of our melody through livestreamed worship services and programs. Flowers and candles adorn our sanctuary, and our gardens and courtyards provide areas for quiet contemplation. We also value the visual arts, hosting rotating art galleries in several spaces in our parish house, offering work by local artists in the May Fair House, and sponsoring popular icon-writing workshops and groups. Most of all, we see beauty in the faces of all who come through our doors and share in our common life.
