Serve: Worship Ministries

Serving in Worship Ministry

All people, whether newer to this community or or a lifelong member of St. Stephen’s Church, are invited to share their gifts through service in ministry. The interest form for serving in one or more of our worship ministries describes 22 opportunities to collaboratively support and enrich our worship life. Those opportunities are listed below by category; click on the purple bars to see what these roles are.

Guilds and set-up teams are involved in preparing sacred spaces for worship. These include the following; additional details are in the interest form.

  • Altar guild: working in rotating teams, members prepare the sanctuary for Sunday services, weddings, funerals, and seasonal and special services
  • Flower guild: working in rotating teams, members arrange flowers for the main altar, the altar in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit, and on special occasions such as Christmas and Easter, decorates the church with seasonal greenery, flowers, and candles
  • Needlepoint guild: coordinates the planning, creation, and installation of needlepointed kneelers and other church furnishings. Individuals with needlepoint skills may volunteer to stitch individual pieces.
  • Wedding guild: members work with the clergy and other staff to facilitate wedding rehearsals and services.
  • Celtic Set-up: teams place plants, place and light candles, and otherwise prepare the worship space for our Sunday evening contemplative service, Celtic Evensong and Communion.
  • Votive Candle Prep: tending to the votive candles used in stands during the Celtic service (this is a weekday, not a Sunday task).
  • Compline Set-up: setting up the church for the 8 p.m. Compline service, which is lit entirely by candles placed throughout the chancel, in the windows, and on the columns.

Liturgical ministers offer God the precious gifts of their attention, intention, and time so that the worship of the church may be faithful and holy, gracious and generous, dignified and joyfully reverent. There are many and varied ways to serve in worship ministries, all of which contribute directly to the extraordinary worship life of this community. More detailed descriptions are in the sign-up form. Training is provided for these roles.

Reader/Intercessor: reads the lesson(s) and/or the prayers of the people during worship services
Chalice Bearer: serves the wine during Holy Communion
Usher: welcomes people to a worship service, distributes worship bulletins, assists people to find seats, receives offerings and presents them during the Offertory, guides people to Communion stations; roles are available for Sunday services, funerals, and other occasions.
Greeter: Before a service, greets people at entrances to the parish house, provides guidance to the nursery, the worship spaces, restrooms, etc. There are roles for Sunday services, special services, funerals, and special events.
Subdeacon: Assists the deacon in preparing the altar for Communion during a service.
Lay Eucharistic Visitor: Takes Communion from a Sunday service to someone who is not able to attend in person.
Morning Prayer Reader/Officiant: Leads the weekday service of Morning Prayer in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit, and/or reads the lessons.
Healing Prayer and Anointing: Provides healing prayer and anointing with blessed oil for those who desire it during the Sunday evening Celtic service.
Reflector (Celtic service): Gives a brief (five-minute) reflection about one’s personal experience of God.

(To sign up for youth liturgical ministries for acolytes (grades 9-12), ushers (grades 6-8), and readers (grades 9-12), as well as children and parent liturgical ministries in Palmer Hall, please use the family ministry registration form.)

St. Stephen’s Church extends a welcome to all, and the broad spectrum of music offered at St. Stephen’s seeks to reflect this welcome. We highly value congregational singing, and offer choirs for people of all ages and varied levels of time commitment. Instrumental music offered by local professionals is a vital element of our service of Celtic Evensong. We also extend an invitation to young people who are studying an instrument to offer their gifts during services in Palmer Hall. Our handbell choir is a wonderful musical opportunity for those who enjoy ensemble music-making. Those interested in the St. Stephen’s Choir, St. Stephen’s Choristers, or Sanctuary will be invited to meet with the music staff for an informal audition.

More detailed descriptions of each of the following opportunities are available in the interest form. You can also read more about music at St. Stephen’s here.

  • St. Stephen’s Choir (sings mainly for Sunday morning services; weekly Thursday evening rehearsals)
  • Hymn Choir (open to all; sings for one Sunday morning service per month during the program year)
  • St. Stephen’s Choristers (welcomes young people of all genders in grades 1-6)
  • Sanctuary (a cappella Compline choir)
  • Handbell Choir (rings twice per semester)
  • Instrumentalists (adult professionals for Celtic Evensong, young instrumentalists in Palmer Hall)