St. Stephen's is a dynamic community of faith that reaches far beyond the boundaries of Edina and the Twin Cities. We belong to an extended family in the Episcopal Church and the world-wide Anglican Communion. Most importantly, we walk in the footsteps of those who have been following Jesus since the first disciples along the shores of Galilee.

Together we have been called as the baptized to minister in Christ's name compassionately to those who are far off and to those who are near. Here we encourage people of all ages to explore their identity and spirituality as children of God. Here we reach out to others in need, looking beyond the doors of our parish family in numerous ways.

Together we have been invited to gather around the Lord's Table, where ordinary bread and wine become holy food and ordinary men, women, and children become holy people. Here we glorify God in a variety of voices: contemplative, classic, progressive, contemporary. Here we blend our voices into one chorus through the power of the Spirit.

"So come to this table,

you who have much faith

and you who would like to have more;

you who have been here often

and you who have not been here for a long time;

you who have tried to follow Jesus

and you who have failed. Come.

It is Christ who invites us to meet him here." *

Neil Alan Willard

Rector

* From a liturgy for an ecumenical community on the Scottish Isle of Iona