close

There's a place for you here.

New to Richmond? Unfamiliar with the Episcopal Church, or with Christianity? Welcome.

Whoever you are, wherever you are in your spiritual journey, the people of St. Stephen's Church hope that your experience with this church will encourage and strengthen you.

As you browse our Web site, you might consider:

visiting St. Stephen's for a worship service and/or watching our livestreamed services
coming to an informal supper
stopping by the Farmers Market on Saturday morning
attending one of our receptions for visitors and newcomers
signing up for an Inquirers Class
subscribing to St. Stephen's weekly email, the eSpirit; there is no cost, no obligation, and we will not share your email address with any outside group
attending a retreat, workshop or group, or participating in any of the other offerings you'll see on these pages.

Do as much or as little as you like. There are no "requirements" for being a part of this community of faith. If you wish to be baptized or confirmed, or to transfer your membership from another Episcopal parish, we'd love for you to do so. But it's not required. Everything we do, everything we offer, is open to all, regardless of whether you are a "member" of this church. If you're here, you belong.

Here's an online visitor card: it's not required--it just helps us to be more responsive to you!

St. Stephen's Episcopal Church
6000 Grove Avenue
Richmond, VA 23226
804.288.2867

More

Our services

St. Stephen's is a vibrant parish offering several kinds of worship services. Sunday, of course, is our big day. You are most welcome at any of the services held here.

Sunday schedule (from the Sunday after Labor Day through the Sunday before Memorial Day)

8:00 a.m., Holy Eucharist: Rite One
9:00 a.m., Holy Eucharist: Rite Two*, in the main church and in Palmer Hall Chapel
10:10 a.m., Education for all ages*
11:15 a.m., Holy Eucharist, Rite Two*
5:30 p.m., Celtic Evensong and Communion
6:30 p.m., Sunday Community Supper
8:00 p.m., Compline

Sunday schedule (from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend)

8:00 a.m., Holy Eucharist: Rite One
10:00 a.m., Holy Eucharist: Rite Two*
5:30 p.m., Celtic Evensong and Communion*
6:30 p.m., Sunday Community Supper
8:00 p.m., Compline

*indicates child care available through age 4

Weekday worship

Year-round
8:10 a.m., Morning Prayer with Communion

(When the parish office is closed for a holiday or due to inclement weather, weekday Morning Prayer does not take place.)

Where we're located

St. Stephen's is located at the corner of Three Chopt Road and Grove Avenue (the address is 600 Grove Avenue), near the University of Richmond and across the street from St. Catherine's School.

If you are coming to the church office, the most direct route is through the double glass doors to the parish house off the parking lot on Somerset. If you're coming for a worship service, you can enter from Grove Avenue or Three Chopt Road.

Accessibility

There are several entrances to the church and parish house that are designed to be accessible to those with mobility issues or other physical limitations:

All entrances to the church, and the main entrance to the parish house, are equipped with power-assist doors. In addition, the main entrance to the parish house, from the large parking lot, has an elevator on the ground floor that allows you to bypass the steps. The Grove Avenue entrance to the main church is gently sloped, without steps, and the Three Chopt Road entrance has a ramp.

Inside the church, several pews are shortened to allow space for a wheelchair or walker: the first pews on either side of the center aisle, nearest the altar, and the pews near the large baptismal font.

The church is equipped with assistive hearing devices for the hearing-impaired. Please ask an usher for one of these devices as you enter the church.

More about Services Contact Us

From birth through high school

St. Stephen's Church has an active ministry for children and youth, staffed by an energetic and talented family ministries staff and dedicated, well-trained volunteers. Our family ministry staff sends an email newsletter to parents for which you may sign up.

Our main offering for young children is Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. For youth in grades 6-12, we use Journey to Adulthood. Both are highly regarded spiritual formation approaches.

We also strive to provide opportunities for parents to learn, grow, and receive support from other parents and from our clergy.

HOLY BAPTISM

Holy Baptism is available for babies, children, and adults. Read more about Baptism and preparation here.

CONFIRMATION

At St. Stephen's, young people who desire to be confirmed in the Episcopal Church may enter the preparation process in the ninth grade or later. Confirmation takes place when one of our bishops visits St. Stephen's, usually in May.

More about Children More about Youth

Young adults

Young adults--single or partnered, with children or not, in college or working--are invited to take part in everything St. Stephen's has to offer, from worship to small groups, choirs to Sunday Community suppers, from outreach and volunteer activities to our environmental stewardship group.

We have tagged 20s and 30s as "young adulthood" but many who participate in young adult activities are in their 40s. The bottom line is, no one will ask you your age--if you think of yourself as a young adult, so do we!

While young adults at St. Stephen's sometimes gather with others in their age cohort, everyone is welcome to join a group or a class with adults of all ages.

Children and teenagers love having adults who are closer to their age as teachers and mentors. You do not have to be a parent to serve in our ministries among children and youth.

Many young adults particularly enjoy the Compline service at St. Stephen's Church, held Sunday nights at 8 in the church. This ancient service is used as the last service of the day in monastic communities, cathedrals, churches, and schools, and many people say it in their homes. (It's found on page 127 of the Book of Common Prayer.) At St. Stephen's, the service is sung by a mixed a cappella choir. The choir chants prayers and psalms, interspersed with motets. It's an exquisite service, with candles (no other lighting) and incense. Those who attend sit in or lie on a pew in silence, praying, meditating or simply listening to the music. The service lasts just 30 minutes.

We livestream our main Sunday morning service, our Celtic service, and Compline each Sunday. You'll find these on our Web site, on our Facebook page, and on our YouTube channel.

A fellowship

One of the distinctive things about being an Episcopalian is the sense of connection and fellowship one has with other Episcopalian Christians. St. Stephen's Episcopal Church is part of the Diocese of Virginia, one of the oldest and largest dioceses in the Episcopal Church. The Episcopal Church is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Our diocese includes 80,000 people who worship God and reach out to others in nearly 180 parishes in 38 counties in central, northern and northwestern Virginia. It is one of three Episcopal dioceses in the Commonwealth of Virginia, the others being the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia (based in Roanoke) and the Diocese of Southern Virginia (based in Norfolk). You can read more about the Diocese of Virginia at thediocese.net.

The best way to learn about what it means to be a Christian in the Episcopal tradition is to attend an inquirers class. This class usually meets once a week for seven weeks and is taught by our clergy two or three times each year.

More

close

worship
directions

Sunday Schedule

Holy Eucharist: 8:00, 9:00, 11:15

Christian Education for all ages: 10:10 (returning September)

more

OUR LOCATION

6000 Grove Avenue Richmond, VA 23226

map

Wellspring guides from previous covenant periods

The following links will take you to print-friendly versions of Wellspring guides published in 2016-17 and 2017-18. These guides are for personal use; they are not for publication.

Return to the main 'Wellspring' page.

Special limited summer series 2020
Download a print-friendly version of the July 13 guide here (blessing the boats by Lucille Clifton)
Download a print-friendly version of the July 6 guide here (Shedding Skin by Harryette Mullen)
Download a print-friendly version of the June 29 guide here (On the Shoreline by Laura van Prooyen)
Download a print-friendly version of the June 22 guide here (These Poems by June Jordan)
Download a print-friendly version of the June 15 guide here (III by Wendell Berry)
Download a print-friendly version of the June 8 guide here (For the Anniversary of My Death by W.S. Merwin)

From Spring Covenant Period, 2020
Download a print-friendly version of the May 25 guide here (A Forest Hymn by William Cullen Bryant)
Download a print-friendly version of the May 18 guide here (Cat Moving Kittens by Austin Smith)
Download a print-friendly version of the May 11 guide here (Luna Moth by Cecily Parks)
Download a print-friendly version of the May 4 guide here (This Moment by Eavan Boland)
Download a print-friendly version of the April 27 guide here (End of April by Phillis Levin)
Download a print-friendly version of the April 20 guide here (Citizen of Dark Times by Kim Stafford)
Download a print-friendly version of the April 13 guide here (Famous by Naomi Shihab Nye)
Download a print-friendly version of the April 6 guide here (from Kindness by Naomi Shihab Nye)
Download a print-friendly version of the March 30 guide here (Everyone Sang by Siegfried Sassoon)
Download a print-friendly version of the March 23 guide here (The Moon by Robert Bly)

From Winter Covenant Period, 2020
Download a print-friendly version of the March 9 guide here (from Lent by Maurice Manning)
Download a print-friendly version of the March 2 guide here (The Guitar by Federico Garcia Lorca)
Download a print-friendly version of the February 24 guide here (Dusting by Marilyn Nelson)
Download a print-friendly version of the February 17 guide here (A Message by Anna Julia Cooper)
Download a print-friendly version of the February 10 guide here (The Thing Is by Ellen Bass)
Download a print-friendly version of the February 3 guide here (from Starfish by Eleanor Lerman)
Download a print-friendly version of the January 27 guide here (Prayer by Galway Kinnell)
Download a print-friendly version of the January 20 guide here (won't you celebrate with me by Lucille Clifton)
Download a print-friendly version of the January 13 guide here (Mind Wanting More by Holly J. Hughes)
Download a print-friendly version of the January 6 guide here (The Bright Field by R.S. Thomas)

From Fall Covenant Period, 2019
Download a print-friendly version of the December 2 guide here (Prayer at Winter Solstice by Dana Gioia)
Download a print-friendly version of the November 25 guide here (Annunciation by Marie Howe)
Download a print-friendly version of the November 18 guide here (Extinction of Silence by A.E. Stallings)
Download a print-friendly version of the November 11 guide here (Eagle Poem by Joy Harjo)
Download a print-friendly version of the November 4 guide here (Late Fragment by Raymond Carver)
Download a print-friendly version of the October 28 guide here (Happiness After Grief by Kim Addonizio)
Download a print-friendly version of the October 21 guide here (The White Horse by D.H. Lawrence)
Download a print-friendly version of the October 14 guide here (Love After Love by Derek Walcott)
Download a print-friendly version of the October 7 guide here (Some Questions You Might Ask by Mary Oliver)
Download a print-friendly version of the September 30 guide here (Famous by Naomi Shihab Nye)

Poetry guides from Fall 2018-Spring 2019

Download a print-friendly version of the June 3, 2019 guide here (Swinging from Parents by Ted Kooser)
Download a print-friendly version of the May 27, 2019 guide here (Into the Well by Andrew Hudgins)
Download a print-friendly version of the May 20, 2019 guide here (Mother by Lola Ridge)
Download a print-friendly version of the May 13, 2019 guide here (How to Be a Poet by Wendell Berry)
Download a print-friendly version of the May 6, 2019 guide here (From Sancta by Andrew Grace)
Download a print-friendly version of the April 29, 2019 guide here (The Third Day by Phillis Levin)
Download a print-friendly version of the April 22, 2019 guide here (End of April by Phillis Levin)
Download a print-friendly version of the April 15, 2019 guide here (Bathing by Allison Seay)
Download a print-friendly version of the April 8, 2019 guide here (Separation by W.S. Merwin)
Download a print-friendly version of the April 1, 2019 guide here (Highway 90 by Linda Gregg)
Download a print-friendly version of the March 18, 2019 guide here (After an Illness, Walking the Dog After by Jane Kenyon
Download a print-friendly version of the March 11, 2019 guide here (Who Has Seen the Wind by Christina Rossetti)
Download a print-friendly version of the March 4, 2019 guide here (From 'Lent' by Maurice Manning)
Download a print-friendly version of the February 25, 2019 guide here (BLK History Month by Nikki Giovanni)
Download a print-friendly version of the February 18, 2019 guide here (Love [III] by George Herbert)
Download a print-friendly version of the February 11, 2019 guide here (The Collar by George Herbert)
Download a print-friendly version of the February 4, 2019 guide here (Wild Geese by Mary Oliver)
Download a print-friendly version of the January 28, 2019 guide here (A Closer Absence by Temple Cone)
Download a print-friendly version of the January 21, 2019 guide here (For each ecstatic instant by Emily Dickinson)
Download a print-friendly version of the January 14, 2019 guide here (Prayer by Galway Kinnell)
Download a print-friendly version of the November 26, 2018 guide here (Narrative by Leah Naomi Green)
Download a print-friendly version of the November 19, 2018 guide here (The White Owl Flies Into and Out of the Field by Mary Oliver)
Download a print-friendly version of the November 12, 2018 guide here (Happy Ideas by Mary Szybist)
Download a print-friendly version of the November 5, 2018 guide here (The Wild Iris by Louise Glück)
Download a print-friendly version of the October 29, 2018 guide here (To the Unseeable Animal by Wendell Berry)
Download a print-friendly version of the October 22, 2018 guide here (Separation by W.S. Merwin)
Download a print-friendly version of the October 15, 2018 guide here (Autobiography of Eve by Ansel Elkins)
Download a print-friendly version of the October 8, 2018 guide here (God's World by Edna St. Vincent Millay)
Download a print-friendly version of the October 1, 2018 guide here (Shoulders by Naomi Shihab Nye)
Download a print-friendly version of the September 24, 2018 guide here (Kyrie by Tomas Tranströmer)

Poetry guides from Winter and Spring 2018

Download a print-friendly version of the May 21 guide here (Morning by Mary Oliver)
Download a print-friendly version of the May 14 guide here (How Many Nights by Galway Kinnell)
Download a print-friendly version of the May 7 guide here (The Good Life by Tracy K. Smith)
Download a print-friendly version of the April 30 guide here (A Poem of Thanks by Wendell Berry)
Download a print-friendly version of the April 23 guide here (These Poems by June Jordan)
Download a print-friendly version of the April 16 guide here (Do You Love Me? by Robert Wrigley)
Download a print-friendly version of the April 9 guide here (Essentials of Spraying and Dusting by Nathaniel Perry)
Download a print-friendly version of the April 2 guide here (blessing the boats by Lucille Clifton)
Download a print-friendly version of the March 26 guide here (Highway 90 by Linda Gregg)
Download a print-friendly version of the March 19 guide here (The Snow Storm)
Download a print-friendly version of the March 12 guide here (After All [Everything])
Download a print-friendly version of the January 22 guide here (Geography by Natasha Trethewey)
Download a print-friendly version of the January 15 guide here (The Americans by Natasha Trethewey)
Download a print-friendly version of the January 8 guide here (Mosaic of the Nativity by Jane Kenyon)

Poetry guides from Fall 2017

Download a print-friendly version of the November 27 guide here (Postscript by Seamus Heaney)
Download a print-friendly version of the November 20 guide here (Keeping Things Whole by Mark Strand)
Download a print-friendly version of the November 13 guide here (Bath by Amy Lowell)
Download a print-friendly version of the November 6 guide here (A Light Left on by May Sarton)
Download a print-friendly version of the October 30 guide here (v. by Tarfia Faizullah)
Download a print-friendly version of the October 23 guide here (Talking in Bed by Philip Larkin)
Download a print-friendly version of the October 15 guide here (Luna Moth by Cecily Parks)
Download a print-friendly version of the October 9 guide here (Master Letter #3 by Emily Dickinson)
Download a print-friendly version of the October 2 guide here (Nursery by Gabriel Fried)
Download a print-friendly version of the September 25 guide here (Desiderata by Max Ehrmann)

POETRY GUIDES FROM 2016-17

Download a print-friendly version of the May 29 guide here (Silence by Edgar Lee Masters)
Download a print-friendly version of the May 22 guide here (Near the Wall of a House by Yehuda Amichai)
Download a print-friendly version of the May 15 guide here (This Morning I Pray for My Enemies by Joy Harjo)
Download a print-friendly version of the May 8 guide here (This Moment by Eaven Boland)
Download a print-friendly version of the May 1 guide here (Who Has Seen the Wind? by Christina Rosetti)
Download a print-friendly version of the April 24 guide here (How to Be a Poet by Wendell Berry)
Download a print-friendly version of the April 17 guide here (To a Dutch Potter in Ireland by Seamus Heaney)
Download a print-friendly version of the April 10 guide here (Failing and Flying by Jack Gilbert)
Download a print-friendly version of the April 3 guide here (Watching the Mayan Women by Luisa Villani)
Download a print-friendly version of the March 27 guide here (Excerpt from Radi os by Ronald Johnson)
Download a print-friendly version of the March 13 guide here (Excerpt from My Skeleton by Jane Hirshfield)
Download a print-friendly version of the March 6 guide here (Excerpt from My Life Was the Size of My Life by Jane Hirshfield)
Download a print-friendly version of the February 28 guide here (On Being Brought from Africa to America by Phillis Wheatley
Download a print-friendly version of the February 20 guide here (Picnic Beside the Railroad Tracks by Jack DeLoyht)
Download a print-friendly version of the February 13 guide here (Hope is the thing with feathers by Emily Dickinson)
Download a print-friendly version of the February 6 guide here (V from Bucolics by Maurice Manning)
Download a print-friendly version of the January 30 guide here (from A Map to the Next World by Joy Harjo)
Download a print-friendly version of the January 23 guide here (Eating Together by Li-Young Lee)
Download a print-friendly version of the January 16 guide here (I'll Come When Thou Art Saddest by Emily Brontë)
Download a print-friendly version of the January 9 guide here (Carrion Comfort by Gerard Manley Hopkins)
Download a print-friendly version of the January 2 guide here (Piano by Patrick Phillips)
Download a print-friendly version of the November 28 guide here (The Insomnia of Thomas Merton by Lisa Russ Spaar)
Download a print-friendly version of the November 21 guide here (Annunciation by Marie Howe)
Download a print-friendly version of the November 14 guide here (Introduction to Poetry by Billy Collins)
Download a print-friendly version of the November 7 guide here (I will put Chaos into fourteen lines by Edna St. Vincent Millay)
Download a print-friendly version of the October 31 guide here (On the Shoreline by Laura Van Prooyen)
Download a print-friendly version of the October 24 guide here (Firefly by Dave Lucas)
Download a print-friendly version of the October 16 guide here (The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost)
Download a print-friendly version of the October 10 guide here (Sancta by Andrew Grace)
Download a print-friendly version of the October 3 guide here (The Rescue by Christine Garren)
Download a print-friendly version of the September 26 guide here (Blue Hour by Jennifer Whitaker)