Worship at St. Stephen's
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Mark 11:24
you are welcome here
Worship & Communion
Worship is an opportunity to gather with people in your community and God. It is a joyous occasion and a celebration. It is a time to be able to thank God for taking care of you all week and confess the ways you fell short so you can be forgiven. You won’t want to miss it!
Children of all ages are welcome in the worship services and at the altar rail for communion. If preferred, a blessing is given instead of the consecrated bread and wine. Busy bags with quiet toys and drawing materials are available and are located on pegs at the rear of the church. St. Stephen's also offers nursery and church school during our 10am Sunday services. Please check out the YOUTH sections to find out more.
In the Episcopal Church all baptized people may receive Holy Communion regardless of age. However, this is the Lord’s Table and not ours, and no one who comes to the altar seeking Christ will be turned away. Both the consecrated bread and wine are offered to all. Some may decline the cup.
Episcopalians worship in many different styles, ranging from very formal, ancient, and multi-sensory rites with lots of singing, music, fancy clothes (called vestments), and incense, to informal services with contemporary music. Yet all worship in the Episcopal Church is based in the Book of Common Prayer, which gives worship a familiar feel, no matter where you go.
Liturgy and Ritual
Worship in the Episcopal Church is said to be liturgical, meaning that the congregation follows service forms and prays from texts that don't change greatly from week to week during a season of the year. This sameness from week to week gives worship a rhythm that becomes comforting and familiar to the worshipers.
For the first-time visitor, liturgy may be exhilarating or confusing. Services may involve standing, sitting, kneeling, sung or spoken responses, and other participatory elements that may provide a challenge for the first-time visitor. However, liturgical worship can be compared with a dance: once you learn the steps, you come to appreciate the rhythm, and it becomes satisfying to dance, again and again, as the music changes.
Audio of the Sunday sermons for 2012 are available on the Archive page.
More information on the worship experience at St. Stephen's can be found here.
Worship is an opportunity to gather with people in your community and God. It is a joyous occasion and a celebration. It is a time to be able to thank God for taking care of you all week and confess the ways you fell short so you can be forgiven. You won’t want to miss it!
Children of all ages are welcome in the worship services and at the altar rail for communion. If preferred, a blessing is given instead of the consecrated bread and wine. Busy bags with quiet toys and drawing materials are available and are located on pegs at the rear of the church. St. Stephen's also offers nursery and church school during our 10am Sunday services. Please check out the YOUTH sections to find out more.
In the Episcopal Church all baptized people may receive Holy Communion regardless of age. However, this is the Lord’s Table and not ours, and no one who comes to the altar seeking Christ will be turned away. Both the consecrated bread and wine are offered to all. Some may decline the cup.
Episcopalians worship in many different styles, ranging from very formal, ancient, and multi-sensory rites with lots of singing, music, fancy clothes (called vestments), and incense, to informal services with contemporary music. Yet all worship in the Episcopal Church is based in the Book of Common Prayer, which gives worship a familiar feel, no matter where you go.
Liturgy and Ritual
Worship in the Episcopal Church is said to be liturgical, meaning that the congregation follows service forms and prays from texts that don't change greatly from week to week during a season of the year. This sameness from week to week gives worship a rhythm that becomes comforting and familiar to the worshipers.
For the first-time visitor, liturgy may be exhilarating or confusing. Services may involve standing, sitting, kneeling, sung or spoken responses, and other participatory elements that may provide a challenge for the first-time visitor. However, liturgical worship can be compared with a dance: once you learn the steps, you come to appreciate the rhythm, and it becomes satisfying to dance, again and again, as the music changes.
Audio of the Sunday sermons for 2012 are available on the Archive page.
More information on the worship experience at St. Stephen's can be found here.
Worship Services:
Saturday 4:30 pm Eucharist for all ages
Sunday 8:00 am Quiet Eucharist
Sunday 10:00 am Eucharist, Choirs, Education, Child Care & Fellowship Hour
Saturday 4:30 pm Eucharist for all ages
Sunday 8:00 am Quiet Eucharist
Sunday 10:00 am Eucharist, Choirs, Education, Child Care & Fellowship Hour
Worship Committee
Meeting schedule: Quarterly
Vestry Liaison: Roy Waters
Contact: worship@ststephenstroy.org
Mission: Assists and advises the rector in worship planning, scheduling, and evaluation. Educates the congregation regarding the importance and meaning of worship activities.
Accomplishments in 2010:
Meeting schedule: Quarterly
Vestry Liaison: Roy Waters
Contact: worship@ststephenstroy.org
Mission: Assists and advises the rector in worship planning, scheduling, and evaluation. Educates the congregation regarding the importance and meaning of worship activities.
Accomplishments in 2010:
- Among other things, it affirmed the value and success of holding a children’s Christmas play in connection with the 4:30pm Eucharist for All Ages on a Saturday in Advent.
- Approved the use of the Organ replacement Fund for certain music expenses for 2010 only.
- Considered additions to the liturgy such as special blessings for those celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, etc.
- Agreed that there is a need for 6 new acolyte cassocks and 3-5 new eucharistic minister’s cassocks and took up a special collection amongst the Vestry for this purpose.
Sunday Fellowship - Immediately Following the 10am Service
Let’s talk over tea! Chat over coffee! Converse over cookies! Enjoy fellowship with fruitcake! Catch up with friends and committee members! Welcome visitors! While our clergy provide nourishment for our minds and the Spirit provides for our souls, we still need a bit of nourishment for our bodies.
If you are a new visitor to our church, please plan on staying after the 10am Sunday service and joining us in Fellowship. The clergy, greeters or any other member of the congregation would be happy to point the way to the Parish Hall. During Fellowship, we partake in coffee and tea and an assortment of goodies. This is also where the parents hang out to await the dismissal of the 4th grade through High School classes.
If you are a new visitor to our church, please plan on staying after the 10am Sunday service and joining us in Fellowship. The clergy, greeters or any other member of the congregation would be happy to point the way to the Parish Hall. During Fellowship, we partake in coffee and tea and an assortment of goodies. This is also where the parents hang out to await the dismissal of the 4th grade through High School classes.