Come explore St. Stephen’s. As a community of children, youth, and adults, our goal is to

• Support one another wherever we are on the spiritual journey,
• Seek faith through mystery and tradition, and
• Serve the local and global community

Here are some ways we seek to support one another:

1. We don’t need to have it all figured out. The journey of faith is about questions and doubts, as well as discovery and celebration. We honor the variety of personal beliefs, and individual conscience.
2. We like to eat around here. There are almost always great snacks after church. The Blessed Bean serves espresso between services. The last couple of years we’ve prepared for Lent with a lighthearted Mardi Gras, complete with jambalaya. Our welcoming Sunday in fall features an apple Pie bakeoff, and we’ll have a birthday cake bake off for Pentecost. We think there’s a reason Jesus used food as a sign of His presence with us – eating together is central to community, as well as a simple pleasure.
3. We’re Kid Friendly – Our Nursery welcomes the littlest ones. We welcome all ages to the communion rail. It’s amazing what little ones understand about the presence of Christ in bread and wine. Don’t worry if they wiggle. That’s part of it. We commit ourselves to providing a fine Sunday school experience, but beyond that, we want children to feel part of things at every level. Family Sunday is our day to have everyone worship together, so you’ll see more children involved in worship on the first Sunday of the month. We honor our teens with Rite 13 and Confirmation, as well as Acolyte Sunday and Senior Sunday every year.
4. Seniors are valued here too. We offer many weekday education programs for all ages of adults, and provide transportation for those who can’t drive. We have an active outreach to homebound people, as well as conducting worship on a monthly basis at Canterbury. We welcome the Senior writing program, and Senior Nutrition program serves lunch here three days a week.
5. We Dig into the Bible – We have adult study groups on Sunday morning at 9:15, and Wednesday morning at 10:30 in the library.
6. We Pray – Centering Prayer groups meet Monday at 11:30, and Tuesday at 6:45 am to practice a form of Christian meditation.
7. AA and NA meet often at St. Stephen’s.

Here are some ways we Seek deeper relationship with God:

Mystery and Tradition: Our way of worship is meant to evoke and invite wonder, and an open heart toward God. We value beauty and ritual as doorways into the sacred. We celebrate the greatness of God, which cannot be comprehended by mere intellect. Yet we can draw near, through silence, symbol, and scripture. Each week we celebrate Christ’s presence among us in the bread and the wine. We follow the cycles and seasons of the church calendar, with their varied colors and different spiritual emphases.

1. Learning Opportunities – We believe that all Christians are on a journey of spiritual transformation, and that each is called to ministry – to serving the world in a unique way, as part of the mystical “Body of Christ”. To support growth in faith, and to be equipped for service, we study the scriptures and other Christian texts. We approach moral decision-making with deference to individual conscience, and balance insight from scripture with insight from daily life and from other sources of wisdom. This is the “Three legged stool approach”, seeking guidance from scripture, tradition, and experience. Questions are encouraged, and differences of perspective respected. Our focus is on the journey, not on defining doctrine.
2. Contemplative Spirituality – We believe we are healed and nourished for the journey by the Spirit of God in ways and at levels far too deep for words. That is why we encourage various “contemplative” spiritual practices that help people draw near to God in silence. “Centering Prayer” is one of these practices, and more than one group meets weekly to sit in silence and open the heart to God using this form of Christian meditation.
3. Music – We believe music is another way to experience and celebrate the Spirit at work among us. Our “sound” is on the traditional side of contemporary, led by piano, organ, and choir, though our worship also includes ancient chant and the occasional guitar.
4. Roots and associations

• St. Stephen’s is an Episcopal Church, which means our historic roots are in the English, or Anglican Church. As such we are part of a worldwide “Anglican Communion.”
• Celtic Roots – Our spirituality is influenced by the ancient Celtic church (of the British Isles), and so we value creation as an expression of God’s love and creativity.
• We are part of the Diocese of Olympia, the Episcopal Church in Western Washington, and enjoy the wonderful resources of Diocesan staff and programs, as well as great fellowship with other congregations, including St. James Cathlamet, and St. Matthew Castle Rock. All the Episcopal Churches in the Diocese of Olympia look to our Bishop, Greg Rickel, and Suffragan Bishop, Nedi Rivera, for leadership.
• The Episcopal Church USA brings together all the Dioceses in the country.

Service – We’re here to share God’s love, and that includes working for justice and peace. Some of the ways you can get involved:

1. FISH – We collect food and money for the local food pantry, and distribute food here for a week, every other month.
2. Senior programs – We welcome Senior Nutrition, and Senior writing programs here.
3. Celebration Concerts – We raise thousands of dollars each year for local programs such as the Emergency Support Shelter, Community House, CASA, and Habitat for Humanity with our concert series.
4. St. Clare’s Guild -- those who like to sew and do other needle work make dolls for children in war-torn places, knit prayer shawls for the sick, and are looking for other creative hand-crafted service projects.
5. 30 Hour Famine – Annually our young people go without food for 30 hours, to raise awareness about World Hunger, and to raise money for World Vision.
6. Daughters of the King – meet monthly for prayer and study, and to support one another in their call to service.
7. Episcopal Relief and Development serves the poor around the world. We support ERD financially, and they see that the funds go directly to help people in crises, as well as to help fight aids, dig wells, and start new businesses.

Baptism at St. Stephen's

The Rite of Baptism celebrates a relationship of faith and love with God, and welcomes the new Christian into the community of the Church. In the Episcopal tradition, people are usually baptized before receiving communion.

Persons of any age may be baptized. Infants and children are sponsored for
baptism by their parents and “godparents”. Godparents are people chosen by a family to support a child in their life of faith as they grow. Adults are also sponsored for baptism by other adults.

A period of preparation is required for baptism. For infants and children, contact Mo. Kathleen to set a date for baptism, and schedule two sessions for preparation. We encourage, but do not require, that godparents participate in these sessions. During these sessions we will review the meaning and content of the rite, and do a little “rehearsing” to get ready. Preparation is modified according to the age of the baptisand.

Adult preparation is usually a longer and more intensive process. Please contact Fr. Richard.

Baptisms take place during Sunday morning worship at St. Stephen’s. We believe that the place to celebrate entrance into the family of God is in the midst of the family of God, at our principle gathering time. Baptisms are usually scheduled for one of the four major baptismal feasts: All Saint’s Day, the first Sunday of November; Epiphany Sunday in early January; The Easter Vigil on the Saturday night before Easter (especially appropriate for adults); and Pentecost Sunday in the late Spring. There is, however, some flexibility, given the complicated schedules of families!

More on Adult Baptisms at St. Stephen's

Traditionally, the Episcopal Church's approach to baptism springs from it's "three legged stool of authority" which consists of Scripture, Tradition, and Reason.

At St. Stephen's we express this through our annual Christian Initiation class. Designed to deliver "what inquisitive souls want to know," CI consists of a variety of people coming together to seek different paths, some including baptism.

Beginning in December, classes occur after the 10:00 a.m. worship service. With lunch and childcare provided, featured speaker from our local and regional community address such topics as "The Anglican Communion," "Liturgy," "Evil and Grace," etc.. Group discussion helps class members clarify their thoughts while a broad-based class library provides personal and intellectual support between sessions.

The mysteries and frustrations of faith are addressed within a comfortable, relaxed community of friends and acquaintances. The class peaks with the Easter Vigil, a Saturday evening service the day before Easter.

So, if you're tired of resisting that "mysterious pull toward God," we invite you to seek information about baptism for yourself by emailing Fr. Richard Green or Mo. Kathleen Patton or calling the church office at 360-423-5600. Your inquiry will be treated as personal and confidential.

Regardless of your next step, we're thankful that you've landed at our website and we're happy to support you in your personal search. Whatever you choose to do, we hope and pray that you don't stop at this web page. keep going until you find what you're looking for, and may the Peace of Christ accompany you on your travels.

Sincerely,
All the people of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church