Meet Rev. Michael Southcombe ...

As the Search Team announced in recent weeks, we here at Saint Stephens will invite the Rev. Michael Southcombe to preach here on Call Sunday, tentatively scheduled for Sunday, September 20 ... and at that time, we as a congregation will prayerfully consider whether Saint Stephens United Church of Christ will call Rev. Mike to be our next Senior Minister and will vote accordingly.


In anticipation, we'd like to share a bit more about Rev. Mike so you can "get to know him" a bit.

Re-opening Saint Stephens ... in phases

Your Church Council is closely monitoring the news and both Wisconsin Department of Health Services and federal guidelines in response to the COVID-19 virus outbreak. We are anxious to get church "back to normal" ... but we aren't there just yet! While "Safer At Home" no longer applies in Wisconsin, the COVID-19 risk to our communities still remains. 


That's why Church Council is taking a cautious, six-phase approach to reopening. 


Click there to read Council's Plan.


In response to President Trump's declaration that churches are essential, we couldn't agree more. But here at Saint Stephens, we are not yet ready to resume in-person worship. Click here to read a letter from Rev. Lucas.

Praying Together

While we are together ... but apart ... let us pray together and for one another.


Submit your prayer requests and pray for others ... 


Check out our new "Prayer" page.

Our Response to COVID-19


As COVID-19 continues to spread, Gov. Tony Evers has ordered a ban on gatherings. This is in accordance with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines. As such, our church will not have in-person worship services until further notice. 


Our Church Office is also closed, and our staff are working from home. We are making ourselves available through our emails, which are:  tina@ststephensucc.net, kim@ststephensucc.net, and lucas@ststephensucc.net. During this time, if you wish for a visit, Rev. Lucas will schedule and then conduct a visit with you over the phone. You can schedule one by emailing either of them. 


We are embarking on something called "social distancing" in an attempt to slow the course of COVID-19 to ensure that those who do contract the illness and require sustained medical care will have that care available to them when it is needed. #StayHome


But we will still have worship! 


(Just not in person @ church)








Join Us for Worship ... 



You don't have to be a member to belong here ... and now you don't even have to physically attend a worship service to belong here!


"We ARE the Church"

We're living in unprecedented times. So we have to up our game, so to speak. We can't afford to do things "the way we've always done them." Nope ... it's time to get with the times. To innovate. To join forces. To look out for our neighbors (although THAT shouldn't be new to anyone at Saint Stephens). To do things differently. So without further ado, we introduce our new Saint Stephens YouTube Channel!

  • SAINT STEPHENS IS ON YOUTUBE!

    Check out our NEW YouTube Channel and SUBSCRIBE! We need 100 subscribers before we can get our own cool new customized channel (so help us out with that) ... Our YouTube channel is about more than worshiping together ... it's about living this thing called life together. 


    Because ... remember ... "We ARE the Church" ... Come on! SUBSCRIBE NOW!

Worship in a Pandemic

The way we worship has temporarily changed. But that won't stop us from worshiping! Because ... 


We ARE the Church! 

It's not the building, it's the people!


Click on one of the below icons to worship with us from right where you are!

  • LIVE ON FB


    Sundays @ 9:00 AM

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  • ON THE RADIO ... SUNDAYS @ 9:00 AM

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  • Bulletins PLUS PRE-RECORDED WEDNESDAY WORSHIP

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  • ClICK HERE TO GIVE TO SAINT STEPHENS

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Making the Story of Jesus ... 


             OUR STORY

We talk a lot about stories here at Saint Stephens. Every one of us has a story. You have a story. I have a story. And stories are important.


In fact, Jesus taught by telling stories . . . or parables, if you prefer to call them that. But they are still stories.


The stories we grow up hearing and telling one another are an important part of who we are. The stories of what we have each been through makes us the person we are. They influence how we see the world around us. Always, we must be conscious of the fact that every one of us can tell a different story.


So here in this place, we incorporate our stories . . . we welcome you . . . "No matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, you're welcome here." . . . and we share the stories of Jesus . . . so that we can make them OUR STORY.


Creating Community

None of us live our lives in isolation. People need people. We need each other. 


As Christians, we value time spent with one another. We like to share the stories of our faith with one another, to worship together, to build each other up, to lift one another up in prayer, to build community. That community is an integral part of who we are here at Saint Stephens.


We build community, not only with one another as fellow Christians, but with the people around us, people who may or may not belong to Saint Stephens. Much of our energy here is directed toward outreach and building community . . . through our Dinner @ Five community meal every Monday evening . . . through our support of the local Food Pantry . . . through providing meals for area youth filling backpacks during the school year and free Taco Tuesdays in the park during the summer months . . . through Vacation Bible School that is open to any child in our area . . . to our mission work in support of Re-Member, a non-profit organization that works with the Oglala Lakota Nation on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota . . . and in so many other ways. 


Click on our Community link to learn more about all the ways we work together to meet the needs we see in and around our community, locally and beyond. Learn more about what is happening "Under the Bridge," our new Blessing Closet, the Medical Ministry Loan Closet that serves the Merrill area, and so many other programs. We are here for one another.


Living & Loving One Another

Here at Saint Stephens, we genuinely LIKE each other, and we want to spend time with one another. 


We create and nurture opportunities to share time together. From Coffee Hours every Sunday morning after the 9:00 AM service ... to Vacation Bible School fun for a week in the summer with the kids ... to our Music Ministry ... to volunteer opportunities ... to Mission Ministry ... well, take a peek at our Congregational Life page and all of our fun photos and see for yourself!