At Apostles & Stephen we invite our neighbors to share in the the loving, liberating, life giving way of Jesus Christ who empowers us to act in the world, to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God and each other.
We welcome people and families of all ages and configurations by offering ministry, learning, and worship that everyone can participate in.
We love the sounds of crying infants and seeing wiggly toddlers in our sanctuary. We proudly invite members of the LBGTQ+ community into the full life of our congregation. We mean it when we say that all are welcome and loved here.
Watch for the new thing I am going to do. It is happening already and you can see it now! – The Prophet Isaiah 43:19
A New Community With Deep Roots
God loves you. This has been the simple core message of the Church for two thousand years. God loves you is easy to say, but takes some effort to feel, to experience, and to act on in the world.
Holy Apostles and St. Stephen are a community that shares that simple message that God loves all of us, that God loves every part of creation. We share this because love challenges us to grow, brings us closer together, nurtures life, and helps us to serve with thankful hearts. Ultimately love can and will change the world and make the world more like the place that God is calling it to be.
The world is a changing place, and how we share this love here and now is different. In March of 2019, a Lutheran (ELCA) church and an Episcopal (Anglican) church decided to come together as one community. Our churches have served the area around Arbutus, Catonsville, and Southwest Baltimore for over a hundred and thirty years. Our worship is both ancient and new, inspired by tradition, but growing together every week and finding new ways to praise God, new ways to invite our neighbors, new ways to inspire faith, new ways to reach out, and new ways to say “God loves you!”
Will you join us?
It is the vision and mission of this community to invite our neighbors into a relationship with God, and to nurture a sacred community that embraces all, inspires faith, and creates leaders who reach out in Christian service.
Inviting
We endeavor to find ways to say, “we love you”, and “you are welcome” to newcomers and long-time members alike. We welcome people and families of all ages and configurations. We love seeing wiggly toddlers in our sanctuary. We proudly invite members of the LBGTQ community into the full life of our congregation, and we offer support and refuge to anyone seeking justice and acceptance in the world. We find ways in which those of limited capacity due to illness, disability, or addiction can participate in our mission, loving everyone for who they are, where they are, while challenging each other to grow in Christ Jesus.
Inspiring
We offer the opportunity to experience and participate in beautiful and exuberantly joyous worship every week, partaking in Holy Communion to be reminded both of the intimate connection we share with all other people in creation, and of our call to be the body of Jesus Christ working in the world. We also encourage each of our members to grow in faith beyond Sunday worship by participating in our many study and fellowship opportunities including our bible studies, adult formation, youth group, and seasonal events, just to name a few.
Reaching Out
We offer numerous opportunities through our various outreach and service ministries to reach out into the world beyond our walls in solidarity, love, and charity. Just as important though, it is our hope that each of our members are able to tell the story of how this community is supporting them and equipping them week-by-week to reach out into the world on behalf of Christ in their own daily lives.