|
For SUNDAY SERVICES
ONE 8:30am | Holy Eucharist: Rite One A traditional service with no music in the Holy Spirit Chapel 9:30am | Adult Forum On hiatus until September! 10:15am | Children's Sunday School The children join the service at the Peace 10:30am | Holy Eucharist Rite Two Service A contemporary service with music and choir with a Coffee Hour after the service |
We are glad you're here!
St. Stephen's, located in northeast Wichita, is committed to membership growth and program development for spiritual nurture, renewal, and outreach to those in need. As a church community entering a new era of ministry, we celebrate our Episcopal Church identity and rich, distinguished history of our past work and service in Wichita. At the same time, we feel that God is calling us into a New Life in Christ and that we have been blessed with numerous resources to be used in service to God's Mission. The gift for which we are most thankful is our friendship, our caring and joy in being together as the people of God. It is, for us, "the gift that keeps on giving". Christian Education Opportunities at St. Stephen’s Spiritual formation is the lifelong process of growing in our relationship with God, self, others, and all creation. Every experience in our lives can provide us with the opportunity to express our faith; the challenge we face is recognizing these opportunities and learning ways to live a sometimes countercultural life in a secular world. St. Stephen’s offers a variety of learning opportunities to our parishioners (adults and children) and the community. Adult Continuing Education A strong adult education program that pursues eclectic and spiritually thought-provoking lessons, presents an opportunity for us. In our program we have explored issues that extend beyond the denomination of the church, but are entirely relevant to our 21st century society. A parishioner described it: “The adult Continuing Education class dares to discuss topics and books that many churches would not condone … that willingness to discuss different ideas and look at long held beliefs in different ways is what makes us different from other churches.” Promoting the adult Continuing Education program may help us to attract new parishioners because we are able to balance worship service with an adult program that promotes an open dialog about topics surrounding modern spirituality. Beginning in September, at 9:30 a.m., the adult education program will study “Family to Family" led by Rev. Dcn Barbara Gibson. It will be on the second and fourth Sundays of each month. If you have not been to an adult program you have missed a wonderful experience. EFM (Education For Ministry) With the recent renewal of focus on lay theological education, Education for Ministry (EFM) is more than ever a significant part of The School of Theology’s mission to educate and cultivate lay leadership for the Church. EFM is a unique certificate program of experiential theological education for laity under the direction of The School of Theology. Since its founding in 1975, this international program has assisted more than 30,000 students in discovering how to respond to the call of Christian service. EFM helps students encounter the breadth and depth of the Christian tradition and bring it into conversation with their experiences of the world as they study, worship, and engage in theological reflection together. An EFM group of six to 12 students with a trained mentor meet weekly for two and a half to three hours over the course of a nine-month academic year. An EFM group will meet here on Monday evenings starting in September led by Rev. Dcn. Kitty Shield and Teresa Rogers. The program takes four years to complete and is broken up into these courses of study: • Year One: The Hebrew Bible • Year Two: The New Testament • Year Three: Church History • Year Four: Theology, Ethics, Interfaith Encounter St. Stephen’s is excited that we are able to offer this exciting opportunity for adult education and certification in our church. Individuals interested in participating in the education series should contact the rector at the church office. Children's Christian Formation Christian Formation is anything that helps a child grow with and towards God. For Christians, formation is a lifelong pursuit that includes not only education and learning, but experiences in worship, outreach, and renewal as well. At St. Stephen’s, we encourage our children and youth to grow as they join in worship and in Sunday morning classes, summer Vacation Bible School, seasonal celebrations, training about the Eucharist and other sacraments, and much more. It is our mission to make this time valuable for the children for the rest of their lives. We want the students to develop a thirst for learning. Christian Education gives our children an opportunity to bond with Christian friends and men-tors. Class time offers literacy in Bible reading, music, people in the Bible, prayer, and learning about the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Not necessarily in that order.) Nursery Our Nursery is open from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and serves ages infants to age three. The nursery’s mission is to keep infants and toddlers in a safe and happy environment. If the child’s age and interest permit, simple books and songs can introduce the children to the Christian life. Age-appropriate toys are available for all the children Children’s Church School Primary Church School is new to St. Stephen’s this year and is held in the primary classroom from 10:15 a.m. to announcement time in the church service (approximately 11:00 a.m.) and serves ages 3 -5. The Episcopalian primary curriculum is followed with lively lessons and activities. Effort is made to make each lesson interactive. Videos, games, and art provide interest and variety. Volunteers are needed to assist the teacher. Intermediate Church School is held in the intermediate classroom from 10:15 a.m. to announcement time in the church service (approximately 11:00 a.m.) and serves ages 6 – 12. The beginning age can be flexible but the child should be able to read. The Episcopalian intermediate curriculum is followed with lessons including Bible reading, reading in The Book of Common Prayer, and other literature to enrich the lessons. Construction/craft time gives the class time to reflect on the lesson while creating items. Students may work alone or with a partner. The challenge is to build some craft item that represents the lesson. Youth Group New Youth Group! This year we are starting two separate groups, knowing that there will be some overlaps. Choices to cross over between groups will be made based on pastoral decisions and where some youth have established comfortable prior relationships. Group “S” for Sunday, 5th – 8th grade, 10:15 a.m. Sunday morning. Youth will meet in the youth room during the first part of the service then all will join together announcement time in the church service (approximately 11:00 a.m.) At times youth also will serve on the Rota as acolytes, choir members, lectors, etc. Group “WE” for Wednesday Eucharist, 9th – 12th grade, 5:30 p.m. Wednesday Eucharist followed by a 6:30 p.m. youth potluck on the first Wednesday of the month (like last year). This service will be in the Parish Hall with the potluck to follow and will be open to all in the parish. On the remaining Wednesdays of the month there will be a 5:30 p.m. Eucharist in the Holy Spirit Chapel followed by an event in the Parish hall, Fireside Room or Chapel. Youth will join us as able for Eucharist and then go to the Youth room. This Eucharist is open to all in the parish also. Vacation Bible School Surf Shack– What a wonderful time everyone had this summer in the theme “Surf Shack, Catch the Wave of God’s Amazing Love.” We had the largest turn out of children and volunteers ever! VBS is held each summer, everyone is invited; children, neighbor’s children, grandchildren and adults. It takes volunteers, food, supplies and donations to create this memory-making experience for our youth so please consider taking an active role in 2017. Our plan for 2017 is a leadership team of three to coordinate the event. |
|
|
Come and Visit!
Join us on Sunday morning to see what we are all about. Everyone is welcome! 7401 E Killarney Pl Wichita, KS 67206 316-634-2513 |
