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Message from the Rector
By The Rev. Dr. Vincent Joseph Kopp
Dear Good People of St. Stephen’s,
This year, 2023, is a momentous year for St. Stephen’s. On April 9, 1823 the parish was accepted into the Diocese of North Carolina, making St. Stephen's one of the oldest, active, parishes in the diocese today.
From humble beginnings, guided by the grace of God, today’s parish arose—though not before it almost collapsed in the 1830s. Subsequent years of prayerful work, faithful leadership, and financial support have brought it to the present day. Its future now rests in our hands.
In this Bicentennial season, we can remind ourselves that what becomes of St. Stephen’s in the next two hundred years rests not only on what was begun years back, but on what happens in the parish today, tomorrow, this week, and in the next few months.
The work we do now contributes best when it is weighed as part of the parish’s larger story. This should make us feel bold, adventurous, and free to reach beyond established limits. As the expression goes, “Yesterday was Today’s Tomorrow.” In other words, what we do today shapes what we and others will be able to do with all the "todays" yet to come.
On a personal note, I want to thank everyone who has sustained the parish during my medical leave. Each of my “todays” during convalescence—some of which were extremely long and difficult—gained purpose and meaning through the hope of returning to St. Stephen’s to be a part of our Bicentennial year. That hope is now realized and so we can press on together to do the work we have been given to do as members of the Communion of Saints.
Let Us Pray:
38. For the Right Use of God's Gifts (BCP, p. 827)
“Almighty God, whose loving hand hath given us all that we possess: Grant us grace that we may honor thee with our substance, and, remembering the account which we must one day give, may be faithful stewards of thy bounty, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
In Christ,
Vincent+
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