Get Involved
making melody to him with tambourine and lyre.
Music in Worship
We are a congregation that likes to sing.
At St. Stephen, music is a big part of our worship services and congregational life. Piano and organ, choir, bellringers, a band with vocals, guitar, bass, and drums and vocal and instrumental soloists all contribute to and enrich our church life.
The band (which we call The Rocks) usually plays once a month, and when the band is not playing we are usually accompanied by piano or organ, hand percussion, and whoever else might want to grab their instrument and join in.
Would you like to contribute but do not know how or where you fit in? Contact our church musician, the pastor, or church office by email or call (519) 744-2521 and we can help you find a place.
All are welcome!
Lay Leadership in Worship
Lutherans believe in the ministry of all believers. You don’t have to be an ordained pastor to take on a leadership role. We all have different talents, and we are invited to share them.
Become a Sunday Volunteer
- Assistant Minister
- Reader
- Usher
- Counter (accounting for the donations that come in during a service)
- Choir Member
- Sunday School Teacher / Helper
- Coffee Host
- Altar Care
- AV tech (to help with live streaming)
Groups
We Want to Hear Your Voice
The more voices that we have at the table, the better we can respond to needs. Our teams and committees are looking for people who are interested in shaping how we engage with the big questions. We firmly believe in God’s grace, that we are loved as we are, and seek to act on it to create a community where everyone feels welcome.
God’s love includes everyone, which means that you are loved and accepted as you are, and you can make wonderful contributions to your community of faith.
Please talk with the pastor if you are interested in contributing to any of these following groups.
Worship & Music Team
Worship is an opportunity to think, to question, and to explore our relationships with God and each other. We see ourselves as wounded, healing, healed, and healers of others. Our community of faith exists to help people feel acceptance, reassurance, love and hope.
We know that people have different needs and that no one event can meet everyone’s needs. Our hope is that by providing different sorts of approaches, over time everyone will find something in worship that speaks to them.
The Worship and Music Team supports the work of the pastor and the church musician as they craft worship. We meet every couple of months and welcome diversity at the table. Please contact the pastor, or church office, if you are interested in being part of the team that helps shape our worship.
Blessing Box
So many in our community are struggling to make ends meet. To give a small boost, we installed a little library/pantry beside our labyrinth at the corner of Highland and Stirling. A small group of volunteers stock it a few times a week with items such as food, books, clothing (e.g. socks, scarfs and hats), toys, personal hygiene supplies (e.g. soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes), first aid supplies and menstrual management products.
People who can use a little extra to help out are free to take, and people who have a little extra will also put things in the box.
If you are interested in being part of this team, please contact the church office or the Pastor.
Quilting
On Tuesday mornings, a group of people gather to sew. Some will be doing fine needlework, others will be tying knots to join the layers of a quilt. Off to the side you might find someone sewing small pieces of cloth together beside someone who is ironing seams flat. Working as a team, the quilters build functional works of art. Most quilts are donated to warm people in different parts of the world who are struggling to make ends meet. Some are sold at the church’s annual Craft and Bake Sale. Some are very specialized, like the lap quilts designed to stimulate and support people living with dementia.
Swirling throughout this work is the joy of a group of people who care about each other and are working toward a common goal. Also, they take turns bringing treats for coffee time.
If you are interested working together, please contact the group’s contact person, the church office, or the Pastor.
Community Life Team
- hospitality
NOUN
- the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers.”St. Stephen is renowned for its hospitality”
synonyms:
friendliness · hospitableness ·
Source: Oxford Dictionaries
The Community Life Team coordinates events that bring us together socially. This includes drinks and treats after the service on Sunday, meals at various points of the year (Christmas, Oktoberfest, spring, summer). They also organize events like a tour of the residential school in Brantford and the annual Craft and Bake Sale in November.
If you are interested in helping us do just that, please contact the committee chair, the church office, or the Pastor.
Women’s Prayer and Book Club
The Book and Prayer Group meets every other Monday morning. We have lively discussion about the book we are currently reading and about any topic that comes up! Books are provided from the Kitchener Public Library’s “Book Club in a Bag” program. We end each session with prayer requests. All are welcome!
If you are interested talking about books, please contact the group’s contact person, the church office, or the Pastor.
Evangelical Lutheran Women
They meet several times throughout the year. Together with the congregation, they support community and world relief projects – as well as each other. These women often enjoy meals together and host events for the women of the congregation including the popular ‘Friendship Brunch.
Outreach projects have included
- putting together layettes for CLWR
- tying quilts for the quilters to send to CLWR
- collecting gift cards and toiletries, hats, gloves, and socks which have been given to support One Roof Youth Services at Christmas
- collecting Tim Horton’s gift cards for the Grand River Hospital Cancer Unit
- putting together and delivering plates of cookies and poinsettias to seniors and shut-ins at Christmas.
If you are interested in joining our group, please contact our group leader, the church office, or the Pastor.
Property
This committee sees to the maintenance and protection of the property. Snow shovelling, mowing, gardening and general maintenance are done on a volunteer basis by members of the congregation. We are always happy for people to help with this work.
If you are interested in being part of this team, please contact the committee chair, church office, or the Pastor.
Mutual Ministry Committee
The purpose of this committee is to nurture a healthy and mutual relationship between the ministries of the pastor and the church leadership.
The committee facilitates intentional evaluations of the pastor based on the church mission, vision, and goals and seek opportunities for growth and renewal.
If you are interested in being part of this group, please contact the church office or the pastor.
Card Group
This group meets each Tuesday afternoon.
Join us for an exciting afternoon of Euchre or Solo. There is a voluntary fee of $1 per person and light refreshments are served. If you have any questions, please speak to Larrie Brown or Larry Kennedy or call the church office for more information.
If you are interested in being part of this group, please contact the group leaders, the church office or the pastor.
St. Stephen supports a variety of programs which serve the needs of people in our local community and beyond.
On a regular basis, food is donated to the Region of Waterloo Food Bank. Also, several times a year, members from St. Stephen volunteer to sort food items at the Food Bank warehouse in Kitchener.
Throughout the year, St. Stephen supports specific agencies such as the House of Friendship, Canadian Lutheran World Relief (CLWR), Mill-Courtland Community Centre, and Marillac Place, to name just a few.
St. Stephen knitters donate hats, mitts and scarfs to our mitten tree.
This project helps many people in the community with warm scarves, hats, mitts, socks and other necessary items to keep warm in the cold winter months.
NeedleCraft Online meet once a week,Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m. on Zoom for conversation while working on preemie hats, booties and sweaters for Grand River Hospital.
