Worship makes us who we are. God gathers us weekly for worship on Sundays at 10:30am (9:30am in the summer). Gathered, God speaks to us, feeds us, and sends us out as Christ’s body in the world.
Because of Jesus, who we are and why we are here are in God’s hands.
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Here is an explanation of our Vision Statement:
A Worshipping Community
Worship is the center of our life at St. Stephen. It is where we gather in the greatest number. It is our most public ministry. It is where we encounter Jesus most clearly, through the seven central things,[1] especially Word and Sacrament.
Of the ELCA, who partners with other Christians,
We’re proudly members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; as such we join with the other expressions of the denomination to live interdependently as a “Called, Gathered, and Sent” community. We’re engaged in grass roots mission with our neighboring ELCA congregations; together with three ELCA congregations in Edison and one in Plainfield, we are doing a new thing as we explore a Parish model. We’re also locally ecumenical; we partner together with the majority of other Christian congregations in town through the South Plainfield Ecumenical Council of Christian Churches.
Where the Faith is Taught,
We offer many learning opportunities throughout the week in order to further understand the faith we affirm in worship. We are focused on educational opportunities that will help us to follow Jesus. We teach our young people the Faith, and in doing so renew it in ourselves as well.
Connections are made,
We are not Church by ourselves. We stay in touch with our church family throughout the week through fellowship events and through many channels of communication. We are connected to our community and neighbors, doing Church in such a way that creates permeable boundaries and encourages invitation.
and people are Cared for.
One of the dangers of doing ministries in the Church is they can become an end in themselves, we can forget that they involve the lives of people. Worship is a gathering of people, the Church is filled with people, the faith is believed by people, connections are made with people.
Here is a sermon which reflects upon these five parts of the Vision Statement.
Gathering, Confession and Forgiveness, Remembrance of Baptism, Word, Thanksgiving, Meal, and Sending.
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We are who we are because God feeds and changes us at communion. We are who we are because God feeds and changes us at communion.
We are Lutheran. We are a multigenerational congregation of the New Jersey Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. We are partners with other Lutheran congregations, especially those in North Plainfield, Dunellen, Edison, and Piscataway.
We are active participants in the Association of South Plainfield Churches, and we are honored to proclaim and serve Christ with First Baptist, Pilgrim Covenant, Wesley United Methodist, Rescue House of Prayer, and Sacred Heart Roman Catholic.
Our church building is located at 3145 Park Ave., South Plainfield, NJ 07080, between Maple Avenue and Oak Tree Road.