Our Annual Report will tell you a lot about us:
2022 St Stephens Annual Report FINAL
We are an Episcopal church within the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut
The Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut is part of the Episcopal Church USA
https://www.episcopalct.org/ecct-news/crux-magazine/
Our worship is rooted in the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer
We follow the Revised Common Lectionary in choosing our scripture for each worship service
St. Stephen’s and the need of the LBGTQIA+ community
The two page document on Stances of Faith on LGBTQ Issues: Episcopal Church briefly summarizes the church’s work.
St. Stephen’s policy on Same-Sex Marriage is as follows: The Vestry of St. Stephen’s supports and approves the Rector’s exercise of the authority granted by the Diocese of Connecticut to act as an agent of the state on the grounds of St. Stephen’s Church, and make same-sex couples legally married through the Episcopal Church’s Liturgy for Blessing Same-Sex Relationships, upholding the same standards of preparation and implementation as is expected by St. Stephen’s for heterosexual couples.
LGBTQ in the Church tells how the Episcopal Church USA (of which we’re a part) remembers our church members and the broader community who are LGBTQIA+.
Season of Racial Healing, Justice and Reconciliation
At our annual diocesan gathering, we determined action based on our church’s commitment to work on dismantling racism by launching “a Season of Racial Healing, Justice, and Reconciliation in the Episcopal Church in Connecticut to last a minimum of two years. The goals of the Season are to: introduce foundational concepts, language, and tools to help encourage and enable congregations to begin opening hearts and minds; acknowledge the reality of white supremacy and bias against people of color; and awaken Episcopalians in Connecticut to the need for concerted action to address the ongoing injustice of the racial divide. We recognize this is work many of us have already engaged in various ways for a long time. We also recognize that while the resolution invites us into this work for a minimum of two years, we will be committed to this work for the rest of our lives.” (taken from the Letter from the Bishops of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut, January 3, 2019) For a brief history of the Episcopal Church’s work on dismantling racism since 2015, please see the attached above.
For more information including webinars, podcasts, resources for personal and group study, a brief history and more, click here: A Season of Racial Healing
