St. Stephen's Episcopal Church

"Sharing What God Has Given, With Glad and Generous Hearts."

The beginning of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church can be dated from July, 1814, when services were held in the Culpeper Courthouse, or perhaps on November 4, 1814, with the ordination of William Dickinson Hawley whose first charge was “for the resuscitation of the church” in Culpeper, Virginia. In 1820, Brigadier-General Edward Stevens donated land for a church building. The cornerstone was laid in 1821 and opened for worship in the spring of the following year.

St. Stephen’s Church members have been faithful, to say the least. We have been meeting uninterrupted since that time. Neither inclement weather nor even war has prevented St. Stephen’s people from gathering to praise the Lord. The Rev. John Cole wrote in his report from 1865-1866, “The whole country is a widespread desolation. The people, peeled and poor, are struggling for a living. During the occupation by the Federal army we were not permitted to use our church. We worshipped God, like the primitive Christians, in private houses, and never did the services of the Church seem sweeter or more comforting. I visited the sick and wounded, and buried the dead of both armies alike – the number of funerals being 490.”

We cherish that legacy of service – and are committed to the tradition of continuous Sunday worship. Two years ago – when “snowmageddon” hit, St. Stephen’s was open, not only for worship but also as a 24-hour emergency shelter for the week the surrounding area was beset by record snowfall. Last August, our church was struck by an earthquake and was temporarily condemned - so we continued the unbroken chain of Sunday worship in our fellowship hall – and on July 27, 2014, we will have met for 10,400 consecutive Sundays.

In recent years we adopted a new mission statement – sharing what God has given, with glad and generous hearts – the goal being to serve the Lord and this community.

Generous Hearts Campaign

Help preserve this important historical landmark
Help repair extensive damage from the 2011 earthquake
Help us continue our good work in the community

The earthquake of August 2011 caused significant damage to the sanctuary, temporarily condemning its use. The cost for reconstruction and restoration has now exceeded $500K. Needless to say, we do not have access to this kind of capital to pay for the repairs and restoration without an adverse effect on our ministry and outreach to the Culpeper community.
 
The Generous Hearts Campaign has been set up to organize various fundraisers and accept private and business donations from the community.

We now ask for your help, individuals, small businesses and corporations alike, to rally with us in our time of need and “share what God has given you, with glad and generous hearts”.  

Please mail all Building Reconstruction Donations to:

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church
Attn: Harold Boyd
115 N. East Street
Culpeper, VA 22701

Please make checks payable to:

"St. Stephen’s Reconstruction Fund" and write “building” on the memo line or make an online donation using PayPal.