St. Stephen’s is a diverse, welcoming, progressive, affirming and inclusive faith community with a variety people at various stages in their faith journey.
We proclaim the Gospel promise of liberation in our preaching and are a congregation whose members are embodied in justice, hospitality, and love. We offer a safe space where everyone will hear an unfailing message of God’s outrageous and unconditional love for you.
We welcome, affirm, and include in every aspect of our church life persons from all walks of life. We invite all those who experience prejudice and oppression because of their identity and who have been profoundly hurt – even by the church – to join us and experience an environment of healing, reconciliation, sanctuary, empowerment and peace. We strive not only to talk the talk, but to walk the walk.
We are a diverse, affirming, inclusive parish with a rich history of outstanding worship, music, preaching and social action. We are fond of saying that while the Christian Church is over 2,000 years old, our thinking here is not–and we encourage you to visit soon, to experience our radical welcome from the church steps to the altar!
To summarize a common set of beliefs will consistently fall far short. But all of us are striving in our various ways to follow Jesus and love God and one another.
There are however some common beliefs that we do cling to as Christians and as Anglicans/Episcopalians.
THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
The Episcopal Church offers a delightful blend of traditional worship and progressive thinking, with an emphasis on scripture, reason, and tradition.
“Love God. Love your neighbors. And while you’re at it, love yourself.” —Most Rev. Michael B. CURRY, Presiding Bishop & Primate of The Episcopal Church
This speaks to the heart of what we believe as Episcopalians. The slogan for our national church has long been ‘The Episcopal Church welcomes you!’ and we at St. Stephen’s strive to practice love for our neighbor and inclusion of all.
We also believe that God loves you. No exceptions. At St.Stephen’s, everyone is welcome and belongs here. That means you and your family! No matter their race, marital status, gender identity, sexual orientation, background, or physical or mental ability.
This is an important part of our message as Christians. Sadly, many people have experienced rejection and marginalization by churches, just for being who they are. ?
HOLY EUCHARIST
Holy Eucharist (or Holy Communion or the Mass) is the heart and soul of our spirituality and our community life. At St. Stephen’s we strive to “live a life of common worship centered around grateful thanksgiving to God in the weekly celebration of the Holy Eucharist.”
St. Stephen’s has an open altar. This is Jesus’ table. ALL WHO DESIRE TO RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNION ARE INVITED TO DO SO. All who are hungry and thirsty for God are welcome at Christ’s table.
HOLY SCRIPTURE
It is through the Word of God contained in Holy Scripture that God continues to speak to us. At St. Stephen’s we gather to listen and to heed that Word, and attempt to carry it from here out into the world. We share the Word of God through how we live our lives, how we share our faith and how we serve God and others in love.
We are Christian
Our faith, practice and worship are firmly grounded in the tradition of the Church–that is, what has been handed on to us– going back to Jesus and the apostles.
Listening:
Our spiritual life is about listening to the voice of God—through prayer, Scripture, liturgy, music, poetry, arts, as well as the depths of our own experience, and in listening to one another in community, through the lives of the saints and to the voice and experiences of the wider church.
Ordered and Regular:
Our spiritual life is formed via an ordered rhythm of prayer and liturgy that is Scriptural and reflective: Anglican/Episcopal prayer has a particular structure and process, which involves contemplating Scripture, sharing in the Sacraments and being receptive to the presence of God as we open ourselves to being transformed.
Balance:
Following Christ is best lived in a balanced way and within a faith community. No single element – prayer, work, rest, worship, learning, or recreation – prospers in the “extreme.” Holiness of life is cultivated through a proper balance of all these things.
The previous was very freely adapted (with all due apologies) from The Apostles Church, an Episcopal-Lutheran mission congregation in Seattle, Washington, headed by Abbess Karen Ward.
We are Liturgical
Eucharistic: A Life Centered in the Holy Eucharist—Everything we do at St. Stephen’s is centered squarely in what we do at the Altar. All our ministries and outreach begin and emanate out from our celebration of the Holy Eucharist.
The Beauty and Reverence of Worship– We worship God in the beauty of holiness. We use incense (on Wednesday evenings), candles, water, color, banners, music, flowers, etc. as an expression of our piety. Such ceremonial is done to honor God, and it is understood to be prayer made visible.
Justice and the Care of All People—Our devotion and worship is useless if we are not engaged with the struggles of our world. Because of our high view of the dignity and worth of every human being, and because God resides in every person, it is imperative that we seek wholeness for the entire creation. The beauty of holiness must lead to a passion for justice and pastoral care.
We are Progressive
Our Progressive Beliefs:
1. THE CHRISTIAN FAITH IS FOUNDED ON THREE PRIMARY CALLS WE SEE THROUGH JESUS; To love God, to love our neighbor, and to love ourselves.
2. THE CHRISTIAN FAITH IS OUR WAY OF BEING FAITHFUL TO GOD. BUT IT IS NOT THE ONLY WAY. Christianity is the truth for us. But it is not the only truth. This principle stems from the reality of the 21st century. We share our lives with people who are Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist. We experience these people as loving and caring by following their religious traditions. To deny that is to deny that God can only draw people with one way. That simply isn’t born out in our experience. The power of the Christian faith to transform lives does not require it to be exclusively true. Exclusivity is born out of fear. The fear that there is one train to God and if you aren’t on the right train, you’ll go to hell. We believe there are many trains and God welcomes them all
3. LOVE OF GOD INVOLVES ALL ASPECTS OF LIFE, NOT JUST HUMAN LIFE. Care of the Earth and its ecosystems is an expression of Christian faith and stewardship. This principle stems from our ever-widening understanding of climate change and influence our “carbon footprint” has on the quality of the air, water and soil. Science and religious faith are friends – each informs the other. Wisdom and insight from both are essential for Christian faith.
4. LOVE OF NEIGHBOR MEANS EXTENDING KINDNESS AND CARE…To those in our family and in our local and global communities. Further, love of neighbor includes affirmation of the LBGTQ community, immigrants, people of other faith traditions and even those who are enemies.
5. LOVE OF SELF MEANS ENGAGING IN SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES Worship, prayer, music, poetry, art, study of the Bible and other literature feeds the mind, heart and spirit. Love of self also includes giving time for rest, recreation, nurturing friendship, a healthy diet and physical exercise. Love of self requires humility and humor.
