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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

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.

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.

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.

 

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Sunday Schedule

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

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

OUR LOCATION

6000 Grove Avenue Richmond, VA 23226
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Weekly Bible Study Guide

Episcopal Church's Bible study

For many years, St. Stephen’s has published a weekly Bible study guide used by people all over the world to guide study, conversation, and prayer. After thought and conversation, we have decided to pause the publication of this study beginning in the winter of 2024 so that we can intentionally review the resource and consider what shape it should take in the future. We know that this is a valuable and cherished Bible study for many each week. 

For the final two weeks of the current covenant period at St. Stephen's Church--and for the season beyond, as we assess the guide we have been providing--we are glad to share the Episcopal Church’s Bible study, offered weekly and written by Episcopal seminarians around the country. 

Thank you for your enthusiasm and support for the Weekly Bible Study. We will be in touch with all those on this subscription list when we have further updates.

Previous Weekly Guides

Fall Covenant Period (2023)

Preparing for Sunday, October 8: Proper 22, Year A 
Preparing for Sunday, October 15: Proper 23, Year A 
Preparing for Sunday, October 22: Proper 24, Year A 
Preparing for Sunday, October 29: Proper 25, Year A
Preparing for Sunday, November 5: All Saints' Sunday, Year A
Preparing for Sunday, November 12: Proper 27, Year A 
Preparing for Sunday, November 19: Proper 28, Year A 
Preparing for Sunday, November 26: The Last Sunday after Pentecost, Year A 
Preparing for Sunday, December 3: The First Sunday of Advent, Year B
Preparing for Sunday, December 10: The Second Sunday of Advent, Year B

Spring Covenant Period (2023)

Preparing for Sunday, April 9: Easter Day, Year A | The Gospel: John 20:1-18
Preparing for Sunday, April 16: Easter II, Year AThe Gospel: John 20:19-31
Preparing for Sunday, April 23: Easter III, Year A | The Gospel: Luke 24:13-35
Preparing for Sunday, April 30: Easter IV, Year A | The Gospel: John 10:1-10
Preparing for Sunday, May 7: Easter V, Year A | The Gospel: John 14:1-14
Preparing for Sunday, May 14: Easter VI, Year A | The Gospel: John 14:15-21
Preparing for Sunday, May 21: Easter VII, Year A | The Gospel: John 17:1-11
Preparing for Sunday, May 28: The Day of Pentecost | The Lesson: Acts 2:1-21

1.      From the “Background” section above, “there is nothing like pondering the end to bring you more fully aware and awake in the present.”

Here at the beginning of the new church year, Christians are being invited to ponder the end of all things. How does this focus on the end affect you in the present? How would you live your life differently if you knew the end was coming very soon, but it was impossible to know exactly when?

Although we know on some level that all human life is brief, it sometimes seems that we forget our mortality. How would your life change if you were more mindful of your mortality?

2.      Although we usually think of the “apocalypse” as a future event, another way to ponder the whole idea of apocalypse is to understand that it is referring to a present reality. That is, apocalyptic visions are “unveilings” or “revelations” of the deepest reality that dwells eternally beneath surface appearances. Below the surface of things, even permeating all things, there is an eternal Life that occasionally breaks through and gives rise in this world to beauty, art, poetry, sacrificial love.

This deeper life is where our true life is hidden with Christ in God, as St. Paul said. And when we pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” we are praying that this deeper, eternal life might become a more present, tangible reality in this temporal world.

How might such an understanding affect the way you pray and the way you live?

3.      In previous years on the first Sunday of Advent, Emmaus Groups have considered some of the following timeless questions as a way of becoming more spiritually alert and attentive. These might be worth considering again:

a.       When in your life have you felt most “alive,” most engaged, most “present”? Some say in answer to this question that it is when they are with someone they love very much, perhaps someone they have missed for a period of time and have eagerly anticipated their reunion. But even the most passionate and joyful relationships can become dull. When Jesus says we should “keep awake,” perhaps he is suggesting that we stay present and alive, especially in our relationships with each other. What might you do in order to become more present in your own life in this way?

b.      One way of understanding this lesson is to see it as an invitation to deeper faith and relationship with God. The point is not the end of the world and when that might happen; the point is to examine how we are living now, before the end (our end) comes. What do you know about living a life of such deep trust in God that you no longer need to worry about the end?

c.      An ancient way of praying is to lie down on the floor, close your eyes, and imagine yourself in your own grave. From this perspective, what is now most important to you? After a time of prayer such as this, what changes might you make in your daily life?

d.      So much of our lives can lapse into unconscious routines. One way of dealing with busyness and information overload is to compartmentalize our lives and develop routines that allow us to meet our obligations without having to think or reflect on what we are doing. In this sense, we can go through some days as if we are sleepwalking. What changes would we have to make, if we were to heed Jesus’ urgent plea to “stay awake”?

 

4.      The Gospel lesson depicts people going about the usual routines of life, “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, working in fields, grinding meal,” when one person is “taken” and another is “left.”

You know how one person can be “taken” by a sunset or a piece of music or an act of kindness, while another person seeing or hearing the very same thing can be “left” unmoved.

What makes the difference? Why is one person moved to tears or “taken” by revelations of God in everyday life, while another person who experiences the very same thing is “left” only with a sense of life as mundane, unremarkable, or even dull?

When have you been “taken”? When have you been “left”?

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