Parish life ministries nurture community life within the parish. Here you may read about these ministries, request a conversation to learn more, or express your interest in participating.

You may find it helpful to view these pages on a larger screen such as a desktop, tablet, or laptop. To navigate from page to page, click the “Next” or “Back” button found at the end of each page.

Each page begins with a brief summary and a list of the ministries on that page. Below that, you may indicate your interest(s) or scroll down further to read more about each ministry. The final page collects contact information.

Here is an index of the kinds of ministries you will find on the following pages. 

1. Hospitality - Greeters; Ambassadors (NEW fall 2025)
2. Kitchen Ministries
3. Staff and Office Support – EpiscoPals and more
4. Pastoral Care – Eucharistic Visitors, Pastoral Visitors, Prayer shawls
5. Racial Healing
6. Creation Care
7. Women of St. Stephen's, May Fair House
8. About You - contact information, and "SUBMIT" this form 

Find ministries for Children, Youth, Parents and Families here.

 

To get started, click the “Next” button at the end of this page. 

Q&A

What time commitment is expected? Different ministries have differently structured schedules, but in general we ask that you begin with the intention of serving one full year so that you have ample time to develop new skills and build relationships.

Do I need prior experience? No. Each ministry provides "onboarding" or training. Various ministries include physical or participation requirements.

How do I join a ministry? At the top of each page, you may either request a follow-up conversation to learn more, or you may express your desire to become part of the ministry.

The Hospitality ministry supports and broadens St. Stephen’s culture of welcome and inclusion, both within and beyond the church, so that all people are welcomed as if they are Christ himself. These ministries offer ways for people to practice their faith, bearing the love of Christ to others in a wide range of settings and contexts in either of the following roles:

1. Ambassadors (NEW)
2. Greeters

Share your interest(s) below or scroll further down to read about each ministry. The "Back" and "Next" page buttons are at the end of this page.

Ambassador ministry - NEW, fall 2025

The Hospitality Ministry is very excited to introduce this new opportunity that further embodies our mission to share the love of Christ throughout and beyond the church.

Summary: Ambassadors attend the receptions immediately following worship services and special events. They scan the crowd and initiate “welcoming and connecting conversations” with those who appear not to be engaged with others. More than authentic welcoming, this includes active listening and providing appropriate guidance to help all people find connection and community. These topics are addressed at onboarding sessions offered throughout the year.

Serving: Ambassadors serve once or twice a month, according to their service preferences and availability. Sunday receptions last between 10 and 30 minutes and are held in the fellowship hall or outdoors, or at Palmer Hall Chapel following that service.

Another opportunity to serve in this role is available at the Farmers Market on the next-to-last-Saturday of each month.

Onboarding is provided several times a year for new Ambassadors. Each Ambassador selects the event(s) at which they wish to be scheduled in accordance with their service preferences and availability:

• Farmers Market, 8-10AM or 10AM-noon, the next-to-last Saturday each month
• Sunday, following 9am Palmer Hall liturgy, reception at Palmer Hall
• Sunday, following 9am liturgy
• Sunday, following 11:15am liturgy
• following 5:30PM liturgy
• Special event receptions, up to an hour

 

Greeter ministry

Greeters embody St. Stephen's culture of hospitality, sharing the love of Christ by extending welcome and care to all people as they gather for worship, greeting strangers and friends alike as if they are Christ himself.

Summary: Greeters are the first to welcome or assist those gathering for worship each Sunday. Greeters are knowledgeable about church events and prepared to provide guidance so anyone can find their way to the nave, the nursery, the fellowship hall, to classrooms, restrooms, etc.

Serving: Greeters serve immediately before worship services, once or twice a month, depending upon their service preferences and availability. They stand at assigned locations throughout the campus, 20 minutes prior and 10 minutes following the start time for most worship service. New Greeters attend an onboarding session offered several times throughout the year. Some Greeters who have more scheduling flexibility serve at weekday funerals. Some Greeters serve only at holiday services (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Holy Week and Easter) when extra greeters are needed.

Sundays:

• 9AM services, 8:40 to 9:10
• 11:15AM service, 10:55 to 11:25
• 5:30PM service, 5:10 to 5:40

Summer schedule:

• 10AM service, 9:40 to 10:10
• 5:30PM service, 5:10 to 5:40
  

 

Kitchen ministries are inspired by the Eucharist, the central act of worship in the Christian faith. Minstiers assit chef Claire either with food prep or with serving. There is great commradarie and joy that comes from prepareing food together with new friends. The suppers are part fellowshiop and part feeding minsitry to those who need food support. 

Scheduling is flexible, so this ministry provides a rich way to give back when you have want to schedule a block of time.

Descriptions about the following ministry roles are found lower on this page:

• Wednesday food PREP
• Sunday food PREP
• Sunday SERVING

Share your interest(s) below or scroll further down to read about each ministry. The "Back" and "Next" page buttons are at the end of this page.

Ministry Descriptions

Wednesday suppers

Wednesday night suppers provide fellowship and comforting, homestyle food. Meals cost $10 for older children (age 10 and up) and adults, $5 for children age 9 and younger, and a family maximum of $30. 

Summary: Helpers on Wednesdays help prepare ingredients and set up the food and utensils for the meal. They also monitor food levels at the buffet.

Service: Helpers sign-up. No prior cooking experience is necessary. Seating is available in the kitchen for those who need it; prep roles can be customized to accommodate varying ability needs.

 

Sunday suppers

Sunday evening suppers provide fellowship and delicious, nutritious food. The meals are prepared for the whole community–all are welcome and no reservations are required. 

Summary: Cook teams serve in two shifts: preparation from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. and/or serving and clean-up from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. No prior kitchen experience is required; seating is available in the kitchen for those who need it; prep roles can be customized to accommodate varying ability needs.

 

Life at St. Stephen's Church is full, offering a place for every person to connect and serve. In order to offer our ministries sustainably, we invite lay leaders into ministries that support staff, programming, and other needs that arise throughout the year. These ministries leverage the skills, time, and joy of parishioners and staff alike. 

Descriptions about each of the following ministry roles are found lower on this page:

• EpiscoPals
• Front office support
• Bulletin collating team

Share your interest(s) below or scroll further down to read about each ministry. The "Back" and "Next" page buttons are at the end of this page.

EpiscoPals

Summary: The EpiscoPals are a group of retired parishioners who contribute to our parish life in variety of ways, from bringing snacks and goodies to the staff to assisting in the parish office or working with our buildings and grounds staff and the food pantry. This fall, the EpiscoPals plan to assist with Wednesday Night Suppers, dust the main church, and continue to support staff events and training.

Serving: EpiscoPals roles vary considerably based on needs and availability. This is a highly flexible and appreciated ministry.

 

Front office support

Summary: During the week, there are opportunities for parishioners to assist our front office team, greeting at the front desk, answering phones during the weekly staff meeting, assisting with bulletin collating for Sundays and special services, preparing mailings, and more. These roles contribute to the spirit of welcome in our community!

Serving: Front office support follows a weekly rhythm that you can plug into most any time. Kitty Ball manages the schedule and provides support and phone onboarding. 

 

Bulletin collating

Summary: The collating crew is a dedicated group of parishioners who gather each Friday morning around 8:30 a.m. to collate the church bulletins for all upcoming Sunday services. There is a friendship and comradery about this ministry, similar to the work of guilds and set-up teams, as they support and prepare the community for divine worship. Collating involves putting the bulletins together and inserting a copy of our weekly Spirit newsletter. They also handle bulletin collating for special services, such as the Thanksgiving Day service and All Saints Day service, as well as Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Holy Week, and Easter. The collating crew is vital to getting the church’s bulletins properly assembled and in place for services.

Serving:  This group gathers in the coffee lounge every Friday morning around 8:30 and work until all service bulletin collating is complete. An hour and a half, seated. No prior experience required, good humor and coffee welcomed!

 

 

Providing pastoral care stands at the heart of our mission to be a community of hospitality, healing, and hope. These ministries provide support and care to parishioners who are ill or recovering from surgery, homebound or hospitalized, as well as to those who need a visit or to share in Holy Communion.

Descriptions about each of the following ministry roles are found lower on this page:

1. Lay pastoral Visitors
2. Lay Eucharistic Visitors
3. Prayer shawl ministry

Share your interest(s) below or scroll further down to read about each ministry. The "Back" and "Next" page buttons are at the end of this page.

Pastoral Ministry Descriptions

Lay Pastoral Visitors

Summary: Lay pastoral visitors give attention and care to fellow parishioners identified as having pastoral needs through in-person visits, phone calls, or notes, as assigned and scheduled. A monthly meeting includes training, time to share pastoral experiences, and identification of needs as they arise.

Serving: Visits are scheduled directly with Mary Feldman. Some visits follow a repeating schedule, others only as needed.

 

Lay Eucharistic Visitors

Summary: Lay Eucharistic Visitors share the Holy Communion with fellow parishioners who are not able to attend church in person. Eucharistic visitors undergo training for home visits and for administering the sacraments. Eucharistic visitors also have a role in our morning liturgy; the congregation commissions the visitor each Sunday to signify that our whole community participate in sharing Communion with those who receive the sacrament at home.

Serving: Lay Eucharistic Visitors are sent most Sundays but ministers serve on a rotating schedule, about once every 4-6 weeks.

 

Prayer shawl ministry 

Summary: Prayer shawls are crafted by parishioners for distribution to those in our parish to whom we wish to give a tangible expression of our love and prayers. Clergy and lay pastoral visitors deliver shawls to those who are sick, those who are isolated at home, new parents and infants, and others. Shawls are usually knitted, crocheted, or quilted.

Serving: Knitters and stitchers work independently and gather several times a year for prayer and fellowship.

 

St. Stephen's is committed to the work of racial healing, which we understand to be a ministry of both spiritual transformation and radical discipleship. We are working to expand and strengthen this ministry, using formation offerings, worship, conversation, and outreach to imagine what a just and flourishing world could look like. Together we seek to make that world a reality here in Richmond. 

Descriptions about each of the following ministry roles are found lower on this page:

• Racial Healing Commission
• Sacred Ground
• Sons and Daughters of Ham Cemetery
• Civil rights pilgrimage

Share your interest(s) below or scroll further down to read about each ministry. The "Back" and "Next" page buttons are at the end of this page.

Racial healing commission

St. Stephen’s Racial Healing Commission is envisioning and planning opportunities to further the reflection and engagement of parishioners in the vital work of racial healing. This commission works alongside clergy and staff to facilitate those next steps. It functions as a joint commission of the Adult Formation Committee and the Outreach Committee, with committee representatives joining additional at-large members invited from the broader parish.

Sacred Ground

Sacred Ground is a film- and readings-based dialogue series on race, grounded in faith.  Small groups are invited to walk through chapters of America’s history of race and racism, while weaving in threads of family story, economic class, and political and regional identity. We offer this program at least once per year; new groups will launch in January 2025.

Sons and Daughters of Ham Cemetery

The Sons and Daughters of Ham Cemetery is a historic site located in Bandy Field Nature Park. Once the cemetery of community of freed African Americans, this holy place has been hidden in Bandy Field for many decades. Through the Friends of the Sons and Daughters of Ham, the cemetery and its history are being revived and restored. St. Stephen's is partnering with the Friends to support this important work of preservation and to honor the full story of the neighborhood in which we are located.

Civil rights pilgrimage

Clergy and lay leaders are in the beginning stages of planning a pilgrimage to key sites of the 1960s Civil Rights movement. Together, participants will explore our shared American history in order to witness, lament, and find hope. Additional information will be available in the new year.

A group of parishioners and staff who work to offer ways for our parish to embody wise and faithful practices that reflect our stewardship of creation and improve our environmental practices, both as individual people and as a parish community. We collaborate with and make recommendations to the parish vestry. Recent activities have included:

Descriptions about each of the following ministry roles are found lower on this page:

• Hosting films at St. Stephen’s as part of Richmond’s environmental festival
• Bringing speakers to the church for the entire community
• Planting and tending a pollinator garden
• Offering electronics recycling events
• Hosting an environmental book group
• Writing articles on environmental/spiritual concerns

Read more on the Creation Care webpage.

Share your interest(s) below. The "Back" and "Next" page buttons are at the end of this page.

In the Episcopal Church and at St. Stephen's, women are involved in all aspects of the community's life in both lay and ordained roles, as leaders and participants.

Women of St. Stephen's dates from the earliest days of St. Stephen's Church. While women's roles in the church were far less expansive when this group formed, this ministry continues to provide opportunities for fellowship, learning, outreach, and fundraising.

The Women of St. Stephen's also manage the May Fair House, a food and gift shop that generates significant funding for outreach grants the support important local communities and organizations.

Opportunities for serving in the Women of St. Stephen's include such areas as program planning, outreach, grant selection, and many others.

The May Fair House welcomes parishioners to work in the shop once a month, and/or to serve on cook teams the create the prepared food sold through the shop.

Information about these two ministries can be found on our website using the links below:

• Women of St. Stephen's
• May Fair House

Share your interest(s) below. The "Back" and "Next" page buttons are at the end of this page.