About Us

Saint Stephen: A Missional Church

A missional church reaches out to the people in its community to share the good news of Jesus Christ. We believe that God loves all people and sent Jesus to share this message with all the world. Saint Stephen exists to share this good news through worship, words, and actions.

The people of Saint Stephen believe that God calls us to be servants to our diverse community. We reach out to all people, and we especially welcome those who do not have a church home. We seek to grow in our understanding of God's love, and we invite others to learn and grow in faith with us.

History of Saint Stephen

When Saint Stephen was founded, by members of Augustana Lutheran Church, Washington, D.C., the neighborhood around the church was a new suburb, with many young families with children. In 1954 the Augustana Lutheran Church in America purchased land and began planning the new mission church. Because the congregation was organized in December, it was decided to name it in honor of Saint Stephen (Dec. 26th is the day the church remembers St. Stephen). In 1958 Pastor Elwood L. Stark, a new graduate of Augustana Theological Seminary, became its first pastor. The first service was held September 28, 1958 in a house that served as chapel and the pastor’s residence. The first structure on the present site was completed in June 1961; the current sanctuary was dedicated in September 1970. In June 1999 the renovated sanctuary, more spacious narthex, and new doors were dedicated.

Saint Stephen has been served by the following pastors: the Rev. Elwood Stark (1958-1962), the Rev. Barron Maberry (1963-1977), the Rev. Joseph Lettrich (1978-1983), the Rev. Kimber Erno (1984-1996) and the Rev. Anne Dwiggins (1997-present).

Throughout the history of the congregation, the neighborhood around the church changed. In the fall of 2000 the congregation conducted a demographic study and found that the community now consists of many nationalities, family configurations and ages. For example, an interview with the principal of nearby Springbrook High School revealed that members of the student body were born in more than eighty different countries. In order to find new ways to reach out to this diverse community, Saint Stephen entered into a mission transformation process under the guidance of Pastor Phillip Huber, Transforming Ministry Associates, in 2001. As a renewed missional congregation, we seek to take the good news of Jesus Christ out into our changing community.

Expressing our Faith Through Art

From its beginning Saint Stephen has been collecting original artwork by local artists and artisans. The bas-relief sculpture facing New Hampshire Avenue symbolizes the hands of Christ holding all of humankind and identifies the building. Many of the pieces were designed by member Gretchen Quie and crafted by the Art Guild, made up of women in the congregation. These include the tapestry of a cross hanging behind the altar and the mosaic hanging in the narthex. The mosaic baptismal font was designed by Gretchen and crafted by her and Edith Skellchock. Beautiful from both the sanctuary and the parking lot are the stained glass windows, designed by Gretchen and fabricated by Christina Skellchock Thompson. These windows were dedicated in 1995. Decorative banners are hung in the sanctuary during worship, and other works of art adorn the walls of the fellowship hall. The congregation continues to collect pieces of art to grace the building.

“Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people…”

1 Peter 2:10