About Us
Our mission
St. John’s Episcopal Church is a historic and diverse parish in downtown Stamford; and is a place to find and be found by God.
We are committed to sharing the love and teachings of Jesus Christ through:
- Inspirational worship and music
- Strengthening spiritual journeys
- Reaching out through our talents and resources to our community and the world
St. John’s at a glance
- A city-center sanctuary and a regional destination church in a vibrant, growing commercial center
- A diverse, well-educated and multi-generational congregation
- A 265-year tradition of outreach to the community
- A historic building of striking exterior and interior beauty
- An impressive music program with a magnificent organ
- A nationally regarded and popular Sunday School program
- An endowed parish with a million dollar annual budget
- A parish where differing points of view are accepted and encouraged
- A strong support staff and dedicated lay leadership
- A history of long-term relationships with rectors
- A congregation ready to move from being a “good parish” to becoming a great one.
Parish life
At St. John’s, we endeavor to nourish individual spiritual growth through worship, the sacraments, education, healing services, fellowship, and group Bible study.
Women’s and men’s Saturday morning breakfasts bring parishioners together on a regular basis and are led by laypersons; quiet days and retreats offer opportunities for reflection; while flower delivery to shut-ins, the altar guild and numerous committees provide avenues for involvement.
St. John’s is a tolerant parish. The “St. John’s way” is to allow for virtually every shade of opinion within our parish. It is expected that parishioners will express any concerns to the clergy or to Wardens or members of the vestry so that matters may be handled with Christian care and compassion. If common ground cannot be found, we simply agree to disagree and move on.
St. John’s is in the Connecticut Diocese, Province One, of the Episcopal Church, USA and follows the rubrics concerning church policies. We support the diocese financially according to the standards set by the diocesan convention and maintain cordial relations with the diocese.
Our goals for St. John’s Parish:
- Encourage spiritual growth for all members.
- Recognize, develop and support leaders.
- Share our gifts, knowing they are from God.
- Reach out to help others beyond our doors.
We want to broaden our hearts and minds through education (bible studies, seminars, forums, etc.) and move beyond being “Sunday worshipers”. Through increased knowledge, along with prayer and our high quality of worship and music, we can experience the true power of God and be able to share the Good News.
We have a diverse multi-talented group of parishioners who need to be identified and encouraged to share their abilities. We need to be taught how to lead and to develop this leadership to be able to train others. Support in these efforts needs to be endless.
We need to develop the awareness that all that we are and all that we have belongs to God. A serious effort to teach and practice stewardship, including tithing, is necessary for the growth of St. John’s. We must realize that the gifts and resources God has given us are to be shared with others as a means to be given back to God.
By becoming more visible through improved communication, we will seek and attract new members, inspire involvement, and create more opportunities for outreach. We would like to share ourselves and what we have to offer, with a cross-section of the community, from those neighbors nearby who are less fortunate, as well as the corporate world growing up around us.