Mission & Ministries | St. Stephens Episcopal Church, Cohasset, MA


To Minister to Each Other		To Reach Out and Serve

Fellowship Fellowship includes time after worship to greet one another, church picnics, potluck suppers, canoe trips, dances and other activities just for the pure joy of being together. Choirs The Adult Choir is a voluntary association open to all. Rehearsals are on Thursday evenings at 8 p.m. and Sunday mornings at 9 a.m. Lay Eucharistic Visitors Trained parishioners bring the Eucharist and the spirit of the day's worship to parishioners who are home bound or in nursing homes. One person's description of this ministry is that "They bring the Lord to me every Sunday." Altar Guild The Altar Guild prepares the Church for all weekly services, including weddings and funerals. They arrange the flowers at the altar, and care for the linens, brass and silver. They handle holy things. Chalice Bearers and Readers Parishioners administer the chalice and others read the lessons for worship every Sunday. Acolytes: Young people from grade six through twelve serve at the altar on Sunday mornings and for weddings. Greeters Parishioners take turns welcoming worshipers on Sunday mornings. We try to have as wide a cross section of the parish as possible serve in this ministry. It sets a tone in the whole church of warmth and welcome. Vestry The Vestry is an elected management body to care for the financial and property concerns of the church. With the Rector, the Vestry helps guide the church in ministry and mission in the world. The Vestry has responsibility for church committees which include: Adult Education, Church School, Youth, Fellowship, Outreach, Property, Stewardship, and Worship. Assistance for the Disabled A handicap walkway provides access to the church from the Highland Avenue south entrance. The Parish Hall is accessible via the elevator located through the courtyard walkway. Those unable to kneel to receive Communion may stand. Communion will be brought to anyone who cannot come forward. Please inform one of the greeters. We are all one body in Christ.		Christian Action Christian action at St. Stephen's takes place primarily through our parishioners spread out among various businesses, community organizations, political parties, schools and charitable groups, as they represent Christ. The Social Service League The League has received office space and related services at Saint Stephen's since 1981. The League provides nursing and general counseling; help in the area of substance abuse and citizen information; as well as an array of Elder Services. The Village Fair Cohasset Churches hold one of the South Shore's most enjoyable fairs on the first Saturday of December. Saint Stephen's holds its annual book sale, along with baked goods, Christmas greens, and gourmet coffee bar. Proceeds of the fair go to support church outreach projects. The Outreach Committee The mission of the Outreach Committee is to undertake service in the areas of hunger and housing with a focus on the South Shore area. The Committee monitors and gives grants to some eleven mission projects annually. There are also opportunities for hands-on service: Food Pantry Canned goods may be contributed and are gathered in on the third Sunday of the month for the Cohasset Food Pantry and the Quincy Crisis Center. Quincy Crisis Center Meal Once a month a meal is prepared in the St. Stephen's kitchen and is taken to the Quincy Crisis Center for their "soup kitchen" meal. Senior Citizens' Lunch: Served at the Unitarian Parish House by St. Stephen's volunteers on the second Tuesday of each month. Wellspring: Parishioners Volunteer at this Interfaith Thrift Shop and Fellowship Center in the Town of Hull. Habitat for Humanity In April, 1997 Saint Stephen's through our Outreach Committee and Vestry became the first church with South Shore Habitat for Humanity to fully sponsor the building of a Habitat home for a family in need. This has entailed raising $50,000 and providing work groups one weekend a month. The actual building of the home has begun February, 1998. Building this home is the largest outreach project with the broadest level of parishioner support in the history of St. Stephen's parish.