About Us

All human beings are created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27). It is our call as a church to work to make everyone everywhere understand this fundamental truth. Our purpose is to be a community that creates fellowship, growth, and leadership opportunities for all sorts of people inclusive of different abilities, generations, races, economic statuses, family types, or any other labels the world uses to divide us.

The Church belongs to Jesus Christ (Col. 1:18). St. Stephen’s is a people, a faith community, and a part of the body of Christ. Our church building is a mission outpost for this community. We are committed to using our time, our resources, and our facilities to further Kingdom-building work.

God is at work in Oak Forest, in Houston, and all around the world! We see God working and join in. Our ministries must extend beyond our walls. We seek partnerships with our community members and support community efforts with our prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to use our God-given gifts to bring love to our neighbors (Mk. 12:31).

In our worship, we offer our love to God and accept God’s love for us (Ps. 100). Communal worship is the center of our lives together. When we gather to worship as the body of Christ, we experience the presence of Jesus as we sing, pray, laugh, play, listen and learn (Mt. 18:20). We welcome children as they are to play an active role in worship, experiencing what it means to worship God with others. No one is excluded from Christ’s ministry; at St. Stephen’s, we welcome anyone who seeks an encounter with the living God. When worship includes all different sorts of people, we reflect God’s Kingdom.

As we study scripture, we encounter the living God and are able to see our own story through the lens of the gospel. We hear God speaking through our sacred texts, which were inspired by God, written by humans, and provide relevant insights into our lives today (Rom. 15:4). Scripture reveals the history of God’s love and God’s plan for the salvation of all people. The faith stories of Abraham, Moses, Ruth, Jonah, David, Paul, Mary Magdalene, Stephen, and others re-frame our stories. Scripture reminds us that God enables each and every one of us to use our different gifts to change lives and transform the world. We acknowledge the many difficult passages of scripture and encourage one another to wrestle with them. When we study scripture together, we all benefit.