St. Stephen's Episcopal Church
Dear Visitor,
The people of St. Stephen's Parish are happy to
present these web pages to you.
St. Stephen's Church is an old and easily recognized
landmark in San Luis Obispo. The redwood spire of the bell tower
can be seen for blocks around the corner
of Pismo and Nipomo Streets. St. Stephen's
is an historic and picturesque church that has been known for its
community involvement and generosity of its members.
Organized as the first Protestant congregation in San Luis Obispo
in 1867, the church building was erected eight years later. The
original architecture, known locally as a "Carpenter Gothic"
gem, has been maintained and added to over the years. The large
stained glass window at the back of the
church depicts St.
Stephen, one of the first deacons, who was
known for his preaching and who became the first martyr of the
Church. The beautiful
windows, high ceiling and traditional
church appointments all combine to give a
strong sense of the holy in this worship space.
St. Stephen's is one of forty-four congregations in
the Episcopal Diocese
of El Camino Real with headquarters in
Monterey. The Rt. Rev. Richard Shimpfky is our bishop. We are one
of seven Episcopal churches in the San Luis Obispo Deanery, the
southern part of the central coast. The Episcopal Church is the
American partner of the worldwide Anglican Communion, which
originated with the Church of England. In that heritage we
inherit both the Catholic tradition from the early centuries of
the Church and also the Protestant tradition of the Reformation.
A fitting description of our religious tradition is an "ordered
freedom." We respect the freedom of individual conscience
and religious practice within the framework of a common worship
that is based on the Book of Common Prayer. As a diverse
congregation we seek to welcome all people, lift up the best of
our rich Christian heritage, and serve the needs of our community.
Our weekly Sunday worship is called the
Holy Eucharist, which is a service of scripture readings, sermon,
prayers, and Holy Communion. There are two Sunday services, one
at 8 AM, which we call a spoken service, that is simple and quiet.
The second, at 10 AM, we call a sung service, which includes
choir, organ and hymns. This family
service includes Sunday School classes for
the youth, child care, and a great crew of young Acolytes who
serve at the altar. At 9 AM between the services an Adult Forum
meets to discuss the scripture readings of the day. Each
Wednesday we also offer a service of worship at 11:30 AM.
We are blessed with a fine choir
and music
program that involves all ages. For the past
two years we have been delighted with the music of two handbell
choirs, one for children who are learning and the other for
advanced ringers. This past year we have been using a beautiful
new musical setting for the Eucharist entitled Liturgy
2000, composed by our own organist and
music director, Alan
Boehmer, for organ, handbells, and
congregation.
Another tradition at St. Stephen's well
known in the community is the Parish Players under the direction
of Alice Jo Duckworth. For twenty years they have presented high
quality drama productions to raise money for outreach in our
community.
Many community service groups and
organizations in San Luis Obispo use our facilities for a meeting
place, which makes our downtown church a hub of activity.
For the past six years we have been the
base for Grandmother's House, a child care center for
preschoolers that operates Monday through Friday and serves about
twenty children presently. I have been the Rector at St.
Stephens's for three years now and have found the people to be
generous and gracious as is their reputation in the community.
We welcome the community to stop in to
visit and see the beautiful and historic church or to join us in
our worship and get to know us.
We extend an invitation to all to join with us in a
loving community of worship and ministry in the fellowship of
Jesus Christ our Lord.
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Last Updated: Saturday, March 25, 2000 04:02 PM
