St. Stephen's Episcopal Church has stood at the corner of Chester Pike and Cleveland Avenue in Norwood, Pennsylvania for more than 130 years. What began in the summer of 1892 with fifteen people from ten Norwood families gathered around a kitchen table has grown into a parish known less for its size than for the way it reaches into its community - most visibly through a Blessing Bags program that feeds local children on weekends and a free community supper that draws neighbors through the door on Friday nights.
A Church Born in the Summer of 1892
The story of St. Stephen's began on a July evening in 1892, when a small group of Norwood residents came together at the home of B. Mitchell Newbold to organize an Episcopal church in their borough. Fifteen people representing ten families attended that first meeting around July 17. Just one week later, on July 24, they gathered for worship at Norwood Hall, with the Rev. Dr. John Balbour of Chester officiating. The congregation paid one dollar a week to rent the hall, with heat and lighting charged extra.
By August, the group had chosen the name St. Stephen's from among four proposed names. On December 9, 1892, Bishop Whitaker officially recognized the new congregation as a Mission Church.
The first attempt at a permanent home did not go as planned. In early spring of 1894, St. Stephen's purchased part of Norwood Park from William Calhoun as a site for a church. When digging began in April, however, the borough stopped the work and arrested the workers. A legal dispute followed over whether Calhoun had the right to sell the park land. The congregation kept moving, leaving Norwood Hall to meet at Henderson's Hall - the second floor of what is now Davis' Trading Post - while the case worked its way through.
In early 1896, St. Stephen's purchased two lots on Chester Pike at Cleveland Avenue, the same corner where the church still stands. At 11:30 in the morning on August 18, 1896, members of the congregation and the wider community "lent a helping hand" - as the Chester Times reported on August 20 - and dug the foundation for the new building.
Work on a rectory began in 1897 and the building opened in May 1898, designed by Mrs. T. William Davidson, the rector's wife. In 1902 the rectory was converted into a parish house and a vestry room was added. By 1908 St. Stephen's had reached an important milestone: it became self-supporting. The vestry room was enlarged in 1914 to meet the needs of a growing parish. The interior was modernized in the mid-1960s, but the character of the original 1896 building remains.
"The story of St. Stephen's has never really been about the building. It has always been about people," reads the parish history. "People who gathered together in 1892 because they wanted a church in their community. People who kept going when their first building site fell through. People who dug the foundation with their own hands."
Worship on Sunday Morning
Sunday worship at St. Stephen's gathers at 9:00 a.m. The service includes music, a sermon, and Holy Communion, following a pattern shaped by how the parish understands the first Easter Day. The rhythm of the service is described simply: "We gather in His name. We listen to Scripture and reflect on its meaning. We lift prayers for ourselves and for others. We connect through friendship and community. We offer our lives to be united with Christ. We encounter His presence in Holy Communion. We receive a blessing and return to the world, renewed."
Music is meant to lift hearts and minds. The service typically runs about an hour and ten minutes, ending at 10:10 a.m. A fellowship hour with refreshments and conversation follows in the Parish Hall. Everyone is welcomed - no exceptions, and no obligation to participate in anything beyond showing up.
Blessing Bags for Children
The parish's most visible outreach is Blessing Bags for Children, a program that fills weekend bags of food for local children who receive free or reduced-price breakfast and lunch at school but may have little to eat on weekends.
Each bag contains a weekend's worth of food: two breakfast meals (cereal, oatmeal, or breakfast bars), two lunches (tuna with crackers, ready-to-eat pasta, or canned soup), two dinners (microwavable meals, ramen, or mac and cheese cups), snacks (granola bars, crackers, fruit snacks), and beverages (shelf-stable milk and juice boxes). The food is selected to be kid-friendly, shelf-stable, and easy to prepare with little or no adult help.
Volunteers pack the bags every Thursday at 5:45 p.m. Bags are distributed every Friday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Parish Hall, and anyone can pick one up during that hour. The program is sustained by an Amazon wish list, food drives organized by community members, and monetary donations that allow the parish to buy in bulk at lower cost. "Every bag packed is a tangible reminder to a child that they are loved, cared for, and never forgotten," the parish writes.
The Common Good Supper
On the first and third Friday of each month from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m., the Parish Hall opens for the Common Good Supper, a free community meal open to everyone. Volunteers prepare a home-cooked meal - typically a pasta dinner served buffet style - with a hearty entrée, sides, dessert, and beverages. There is no cost to attend, and people who cannot stay are welcome to grab a to-go meal instead.
The supper is meant to be more than a meal. As the parish puts it: "Come hungry. Leave fed - in every way." Volunteers help by cooking, serving, cleaning up, donating food or supplies, or simply spreading the word.
Beyond the Parish Hall: A Farmers Market and a Foster Care Partnership
St. Stephen's partners with two efforts that extend its reach beyond Norwood. On the fourth Thursday of each month from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., a free Resource and Farmers Market is held at Prospect United Methodist Church, 800 Lincoln Avenue in Prospect Park, offering fresh produce, food, diapers, formula, program information, and other helpful resources at no cost. The market is organized in connection with Hope thru Wholeness.
The parish also provides space in support of Fostering Hope of Delaware County, a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit - the second chapter of Fostering Hope - that supports families and children in care, including foster, kinship, pre- and post-adoptive, and first families, with a focus on healthy reunification when possible.
Thursday Prayer Group
On Thursday afternoons at 3:00 p.m., a prayer group meets to lift up prayer requests and thanksgivings. The group offers prayerful support for individuals and the wider community, and is one of the quiet rhythms of parish life alongside the Sunday service.
Weddings, Baptisms, and Funerals
St. Stephen's hosts weddings, baptisms, and funerals, and serves members and non-members alike.
Couples preparing for marriage take part in premarital sessions alongside the wedding itself. Baptisms are offered at any age, with no minimum requirement; once a date is set, a pre-baptismal instruction appointment is scheduled with the parents and sponsors or godparents. Heather Mitchell, Director of Parish Operations, is the primary contact for both, reachable at 610-461-0490 or sstephen02@gmail.com.
Funerals at St. Stephen's are open to anyone, regardless of church membership. "We believe in the ancient Christian principle that everyone deserves a funeral." Arrangements for time, date, and location are made in conversation with the family, the funeral director, and parish staff, with options for burial or cremation and for how the remains are present at the service.
The Building and the Parish Hall
Visitors park in the lot off Cleveland Avenue and enter through the Cleveland Avenue door. Inside, much of what is visible still connects to the people who built the church in 1896 - the mid-1960s remodel kept the historic character intact, and the building remains accessible, with accessible parking and entry.
The Parish Hall is available to rent for gatherings, celebrations, and meetings, accommodating up to eighty guests with kitchen use included. Inquiries go through Heather Mitchell at 610-461-0490 or sstephen02@gmail.com.
Planning a First Visit
St. Stephen's extends an open invitation. Sunday worship is at 9:00 a.m.; come dressy or casual, as preferred. There is no obligation to participate in anything beyond showing up, and no exceptions to the welcome. After the service, everyone is invited to stay for refreshments and conversation in the Parish Hall.
The parish prayer, posted on the church's home page, captures the spirit of the place: "For the communities we serve, give us generous hearts, O Lord, that our inviting and including may create the spiritual home so many are looking for. Let us be that Family of Worship and Mission where all can grow spiritually and serve joyfully in Christ's Name. Amen."