Experience a New Spirit Moving
ENCOUNTER, St. Stephen's modern worship, is more like a return to the familiar than something brand new. Prior to COVID, St. Stephen regularly hosted two worship services each week — our traditional service and a more modern service. Experience a new spirit moving at St. Stephen as we explore new and refreshing ways to worship God.
Our modern worship meets in the Youth Ministry Center. Follow the signs or ask one of our greeters to navigate your way to our worship space.
Encounter Sundays
Gather
10:30am
Drop-in starting at 10:30am each Sunday for coffee and donuts. Meet other members and guests.
Encounter
11am
Worship God and partake in this weekly fellowship, in a relaxed, comfortable, and invitational space designed to bring you closer to each other and to God.
Children's Programming
Kids, too, have a place on Encounter Sundays!
3 years — 3rd grade
ENCOUNTERkids is our Sunday-morning program for children whose parents are attending our modern worship. Children join their parents for a moment of praise, song, and prayer before departing the worship service for their own age-appropriate worship, crafts, and other activities.
What to Expect
Our 9am service is more traditional. It meets in our sanctuary and includes a more formal time of prayer and order of service, including an organ and choir, and sung hymns. This 11am modern service is far more relaxed, featuring music with a more modern style and a small band.
ENCOUNTER is held in the Youth Ministry Center, a large gathering space designed for relaxed worship experiences. The Youth Ministry Center is most easily accessible off Lutomma Circle, the small street next to our church. Turn off Sardis Road onto Lutomma Circle and turn into our back parking lot for the closest parking. You can also park in our front parking lot. Greeters will be waiting to say hello at our main and front entrances and would be more than happy to walk you down to the Youth Ministry Center.
Sunday Small Groups are held at 10am every Sunday. We’d love to get you plugged in to this time of conversation, reflection, study, and fellowship. Be sure to ask one of our greeters or someone on our welcome team about Sunday Small Groups.
ENCOUNTERkids is our children’s program for families attending our modern worship service. Kids 3 years through 3rd grade are invited to join their parents for the beginning of the modern worship and participate in a short time of prayer and praise, before heading off to participate in age-appropriate worship, crafts, and other fun activities during the service. Nursery for ages 0-2 is available.
Come as you are! Yes! Seriously. Want to wear a three-piece suit? Go for it. But you’ll more likely find folks dressed in T-shirts or polos, jeans, and casual dresses.
Explore St. Stephen
Get Involved
Have questions? Want to get involved? We're looking for greeters, ushers, singers, A/V and tech assistants, and others who want to contribute to this new modern worship experience. Email Associate Pastor Jesse Enniss at jenniss@ststephenumc.net, or click below to signup for open serving opportunities.