No matter where you are on your spiritual journey, we welcome you with open hearts and minds.
We believe that every individual is valuable and deserves to be welcomed, loved, and accepted for who they are. Our community comprises people from all walks of life, and we celebrate our differences while finding common ground in our shared faith.
It is a family of God that provides support, guidance, and encouragement to all who seek it. We know that God has a purpose for us all, so we provide opportunities for everyone to find and fulfill theirs.
. . . in our lives and those of others, both near and far. To do this, we offer various programs and ministries, including Music Programs, Youth Programs, Educational Programs, and Outreach Programs.
Stephen's name means "crown," and he was the first disciple of Jesus to receive the martyr's crown. Stephen was a deacon in the early Christian Church. The apostles had found that they needed helpers to care for the widows and the poor, so they ordained seven deacons, and Stephen is the most famous of these.
God worked many miracles through St. Stephen and spoke with such wisdom and grace that many of his hearers became followers of Jesus. The enemies of the Church of Jesus were furious to see how successful Stephen's preaching was. At last, they laid a plot for him. They could not answer his wise argument, so they got men to lie about him, saying that he had spoken sinfully against God. St. Stephen faced that great assembly of enemies without fear. In fact, the Holy Bible says that his face looked like the face of an angel.
The saint spoke about Jesus, showing He is the Savior God promised to send. He scolded his enemies for not having believed in Jesus. At that, they rose up in great anger and shouted at him. But Stephen looked up to Heaven and said that he saw the heavens opening and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
His hearers plugged their ears and refused to listen to another word. They dragged St. Stephen outside the city of Jerusalem and stoned him to death. The saint prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!" Then, he fell to his knees and begged God not to punish his enemies for killing him.
