Saint Stephen Lutheran Church will begin its 2016-2017 Sunday School year on September 18. Sunday school will take place during our 9:30 AM Sunday worship service on scheduled weeks. Students (PreK-Grade 6) will be present at the worship service for the Gathering and the Children's sermon, then leave for lessons during the "Word" part of the service. They'll return to the worship space for the Sacred Meal. Students will experience one of the Bible lessons featured in that Sunday's worship, so adults and kids can learn together at home! To enroll, contact the pastor at pastorjoe@saintstephenlutheran.com

Saint Stephen uses Sparkhouse's Whirl curriculum that engages students in fun and innovative ways. It highlights participation in the wider church and provides a launching point for deep conversations in the family. Sparkhouse also has a great blog for families interested in learning more about Jesus.

Saint Stephen Lutheran Church is committed to providing a safe and comfortable learning environment for all people. We are a Reconciling in Christ congregation and welcome people of all abilities, classes, races and ethnicities, sexual orientations, genders, and marital statuses. We embrace families of all shapes and sizes, and we are handicap accessible. For more information about the Reconciling in Christ program, click here.

Saint Stephen Lutheran church invites you to join us for worship at 9:30 AM on Sundays. Follow us on Facebook by clicking here.

Our confirmation students are heading to Hammonasset, the annual youth gathering for ELCA (that's us!) Lutherans in New England. There, they'll learn about God's work in the world, meet other kids their age, and have a ton of fun.

Part of the magic of Hammonasset is that it's also an opportunity to give back to the community. Our students need your help to contribute to the program entitled END 68 HOURS OF HUNGER.  It's a private, not-for-profit effort to confront the approximately 68 hours of hunger that some school children experience between the free lunch they receive in school on Friday afternoon and the free breakfast they receive in school on Monday morning. Backpacks will be packed with donated items to put into the program. 

Items needed include:

• Peanut Butter - 18oz. plastic containers
• Jelly - 20oz. squeezable containers
• Canned Pasta - beefaroni, ravioli, spaghetti and meatballs 12-20oz. containers
• Macaroni and Cheese - boxes not cups
• Ramen Noodles - packages not cups
• Canned Fruit - 3-4 serving size
• Granola/Nutrition Bars
• Cereal - boxes or bags of 5-8 servings
• Pop Tarts
• Tuna or Chicken - 10oz. or lower cans

​You can bring the donations with you to worship at 9:30 AM on Sundays or call the church office and schedule a time.

To learn more about Hammonasset, click here. St. Stephen's is a member of the New England Synod of the ELCA. Click here to find St. Stephen on Facebook.

Vacation Bible Camp a Big Success!
St. Stephen had an "all hands on deck" week, welcoming "surfers" from the surrounding area to our "Surf Shack"-themed Vacation Bible Camp. Each day, the program started and ended with dialogue by Skipper (Pastor Joe) and Snappy the Crab (Dianne Bruno). Then, the campers enjoyed Bible stories, classroom discussion, music, crafts, games and recreation, and science experiments! St. Stephens gives a huge "shout-out" to the teens and adults that made this past week possible: Pastor Joe, Dianne Bruno, Jan Conlin, Dave Domke, Frank Dutt, Marlea Dutt, Mat Haley, Tammy Kaye, Sam Maston, Sarah Maston, Barbara Parente, Elaine Recklet, Cathy Schoeneleber, Ann Weston, Gerda Youkstetter, and our teen assistants, Casey, Kate, Caitlyn and Zachary, Sarah, Lily, and Abby. We could not have had such a successful program without the decorating expertise of Ken LaPlante, Bev Broz, & the Arts Guild, as well as Scott Lambert for building us our very own Surf Shack!
See us in the news here.
Check out our Facebook page for lots of pictures!

Pastor Joe's First Sunday
This past Sunday was Pastor Joseph Graumann's first day with us at St. Stephen. Born in Atlantic City, NJ, and a graduate of Georgetown University and Gettysburg Seminary, Joseph brings a deep passion for inclusivity and mission to our congregation. To welcome him to the congregation, we gave him a gift basket with lots of household supplies and celebrated with a Super Sized Coffee Hour. You can reach Pastor Joe by calling the church office at 508-485-9585 or emailing him at pastorjoe [at] saintstephenlutheran.com.