St. Stephen's Weekly Worship

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 can include lots of singing, music, fancy clothes called vestments, and occasional incense), to informal services with contemporary music and instrumentation. Yet all worship in the Episcopal Church is based on our "Book of Common Prayer," which gives worship a familiar feel, no matter where you go. The ancient roots of our prayers make us similar to Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and some Eastern Orthodox forms of worship, too.

Liturgy and Ritual

Worship in the Episcopal Church is liturgical, meaning that it follows a structure and uses 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. The prayers are generally found in the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer, or other Anglican Churches' prayers. With such a wealth of resources on hand, we tend not to improvise very much.

For the first-time visitor, structured worship may be exhilarating or confusing. Services involve standing, sitting, kneeling; sung or spoken responses; gestures and processions; and other participatory elements that may challenge the first-time visitor. However, liturgical worship can also be compared with a dance: once you learn the steps, you come to appreciate the rhythm, and then it becomes satisfying to dance, again and again, as the music changes.

Want to know more about what to expect at a St. Stephen's Church Service? Visit our Service FAQ page.

8:00 EARLY SERVICE

In Person

The 8:00 Early Service is back! Please join
us for a quiet in person Communion service
with Fr. Brian Alberti.

10:00 EARLY SERVICE

In Person & :Livestreamed on YouTube

Holy Eucharist complete with hymns & Fellowship Hour to follow. This service can

be viewed on YouTube anytime after 10.