Again and again, people who join our parish say it’s the welcoming spirit of our church family, and the beauty and spirituality of our worship ceremonies, that attract them to St. Stephen’s. Our services — ours is the only parish on the peninsula that maintains High Church ceremonial — are described on our Worship page; our congregation is described below.

     Our congregation is a wonderful mix:

• We have families that have been members since the inception of the church. Other families have just sent off the kids to college or marriage and are facing empty nests. And new, young families have found St. Stephen’s to be a warm, loving, inviting church in which to nurture their marriages and children.

• Some of the members grew up on the Peninsula, some are new to the area.

• Some were born into the Episcopal Church; others have found it later in life.

• There are families whose members span three generations, and others who are enthusiastic newcomers.

• Our congregation has all ages, lifestyles, and races; there is a range of education and professions, and a considerable number of retirees as well as students from Christopher Newport University.

     It is our goal to provide a nurturing, instructive, and spiritual environment in which diverse people can grow in the Christian faith—that is, to know Christ (the first part of our parish vision). Thus equipped, we can go forth to make Him known (the second part of our vision) through service to the parish, the community, and the world.