Inclement Weather
When weather affects events at St. Stephen’s Church, how will you know?
- Be sure you are subscribed to the eSpirit. Not only do we send important weekly information through this Thursday morning newsletter, but it is also the way we contact you for special announcements, including office closings, cancellations or postponements. You can subscribe here.
- Our social media channels are Facebook and Instagram.
- The greeting on our office phone (804.288.2867) will also note a weather-related closing.
- Visit this website.
We do not use local TV and radio to post cancellations, closings, or other adjustments to our schedule. If you see or hear a mention of events being affected at “St. Stephen’s Church” or “St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church,” please be aware that it refers to a different St. Stephen’s Church–either a different denomination or in a city or town other than Richmond.
Please remember, when the parish office is closed for inclement weather, the following will also be true:
- The Café @ St. Stephen’s will be closed.
- There will be no weekday Morning Prayer service.
- The May Fair House will be closed.
- No events or meetings will take place.
- If you have a pastoral emergency, call the church office at 804.288.2867 and press 4.
Be sure to subscribe to the eSpirit to receive updates via email.
Below are the most recent announcements about inclement weather, organized by the date they were sent.
Secondary roads remain treacherous after last weekend’s storm, and we hope you are able to stay home! Due to those continuing unsafe conditions, we will keep our campus closed for another day on Wednesday, with the goal of a delayed opening on Thursday. Please read on for important details.
As we mentioned previously, our parking lot has been plowed but is still icy so it will be treated again before we re-open.
On Wednesday, our staff will continue to work from home, holding meetings on Zoom, and checking their email regularly.
The May Fair House and the Café @ St. Stephen’s will be closed, and there will be no Morning Prayer, Wednesday supper, or other on-site activities.
Please note: On Wednesday evening, the Rev. Cate Anthony will offer session 2 of her three-session “Being With: Creation” class on Zoom at 6:30 p.m.. Use this link to connect to the virtual class on Wednesday evening.
Thursday’s plans: late opening
- We plan to open on Thursday at 10 a.m. No activities scheduled before then, including Morning Prayer, will take place.
- The Café @ St. Stephen’s will not be open since their normal hours conclude at 11 a.m., soon after the buildings open.
- We will hold the Thursday Bible Study in person at 10 a.m.
- The Winter Ministry Night will be virtual and the dinner portion is cancelled. Since this event would have people heading home well after dark when roads refreeze, we do not want to have it on-site. We hope those who planned to attend will participate via Zoom in the opening session and brief worship, and the committee meetings that follow. A link and instructions will be in the eSpirit which comes out Thursday morning at 6 a.m. Ministry Night will begin at 5:30 p.m.
We are aware of the potential for another winter storm this weekend and are monitoring the situation. At this point, all weekend activities remain on the schedule.
We hope you remain safe and warm as the effects of this storm continue. As always, if you have a pastoral emergency, call the main office number at 804.288.2867, and press 4 for directions on how to reach the priest on call.
We hope you are safe and warm in this wintry weather.
While our parking lot has been cleared, many of the roads around the church have not been. Our priority is the safety of our parishioners, visitors, and staff, and we are not confident that it’s advisable to venture to St. Stephen’s yet. So our buildings and grounds will remain closed on Tuesday.
Staff are working from home, holding meetings on Zoom, and checking their email regularly. If you need to find a staff email address, visit the staff page of this site under “About.”
Once a decision is made about Wednesday, we will send another email and communicate plans on this page, on Facebook, and through our telephone greeting.
We hope you remain safe and warm as the effects of this storm continue. As always, if you have a pastoral emergency, call the main office number at 804.288.2867, and press 4 for directions on how to reach the priest on call.
We hope you are safe and warm in this wintry weather.
With freezing precipitation forecast to continue throughout the day, St. Stephen’s Church will be closed Monday, January 26. We will work to clear the parking lot and walkways tomorrow as weather permits, and re-evaluate the safety of the campus Monday afternoon before deciding about Tuesday’s schedule. The safety of parishioners, visitors, and staff is our priority.
This means that no activities will take place in our buildings on Monday (no Morning Prayer, food pantry, meetings, events, café; the May Fair House is regularly closed on Mondays). The weekly food pantry and fruit distribution will take place once we re-open.
While staff will not be available by phone, they will check email as they are able. Visit the staff page if you need to find a staff email address.
Once a decision is made about Tuesday, we will communicate our plans on this page as well as via email, Facebook, and on our telephone greeting.
We hope you remain safe and warm throughout this storm. As always, if you have a pastoral emergency, call the main office number at 804.288.2867, and press 4 for directions on how to reach the priest on call.
In the interest of safety, St. Stephen’s Church will not hold any Sunday services or other activities on January 25, 2026. While it’s unusual for us to cancel Sunday services, the significant winter storm affecting a large portion of the United States is expected to bring not only several inches of snow, but freezing precipitation and extreme temperatures which will make travel particularly dangerous on Sunday.
We do plan to hold the farmers market on Saturday since the snow is not expected until later in the day. The market takes place from 9 a.m. until noon in the fellowship hall and the parking lot.
We will make a decision about Monday’s activities on Sunday afternoon and communicate using the eSpirit list, this page of our website, Facebook, and our telephone greeting.
We have added some prayer and worship resources to the “This Sunday” page of our website for you to use at home, if you wish.
We hope you remain safe and warm throughout this storm. As always, if you have a pastoral emergency, call the main office number at 804.288.2867, and press 4 for directions on how to reach the priest on call.