St Stephen Evangelical Lutheran Church

05/25/2026

Dear saints of St. Stephen. Monday’s typical Matins will be moved to tomorrow due to the secular holiday, Memorial Day.

Tomorrow at 10am, Matins will be prayed. Matins will resume being prayed on Monday the following week.

03/27/2026

Join us this Holy Week at St. Stephens Lutheran Church on Chamberlain and Lawndale for our Holy Week Services:

Palm Sunday: 10:45am with Palms and the Divine Service
Holy Monday: 10:00am Matins
Holy Wednesday: 10:00am Matins and the Stations of the Cross at 5:00pm at Family of God
Maundy Thursday: 7:00pm Divine Service
Good Friday: Noon Chief Service
Easter Sunday: 9:30am Easter Breakfast and 10:45am Divine Service

02/17/2026

The penitential season of Lent begins tomorrow with Ash Wednesday.

Join Rev. Ogden at Family of God today at 5pm for the buring of palm branches for this year's Ashes.

A Bilingual Divine Service with the Imposition of Ashes will take place on Wednesday, February 18, at 7pm with Pan De Vida. A meal before the service will start at 6pm

Bilingual Midweek prayer services will be held throughout Lent on Wednesdays at 7pm. These services will be focused on the Old Testament Lessons from the Sunday prior.

12/29/2025

Join us as we welcome in the New Year. Divine Service for the Eve of the Circumcision and Name of Jesus will be celebrated this Wednesday, December 31, at 7pm.

This is also a friendly reminder that our sister congregation at the Family of God is CLOSED this week. Their regular offering of Bible Studies and Meals will resume on Sunday, January 4, for Divine Service at 3pm.

12/26/2025

On December 26, we remember the first martyr of the church, Stephen, for whom our parish is named.

Collect of the Day
Heavenly Father, in the midst of our sufferings for the sake of Christ grant us grace to follow the example of the first martyr, Stephen, that we also may look to the One who suffered and was crucified on our behalf and pray for those who do us wrong; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Hymn: Rise Again, Ye Lion Hearted TLH 470
Rise again , ye lion-hearted,
saints of early Christendom.
Whither is your strength departed,
wither gone your martyrdom?
Lo, love’s light is on them,
glory’s flame upon them
And their will to die doth quell,
even the lord and prince of hell.

These the men by fear unshaken,
facing danger dauntlessly;
These no witching lust hath taken,
lust that lures to vanity.
Mid the roar and rattle
of tumultuous battle
In desire they soar above
all that earth would have them love.

Great of heart, they know not turning,
honor, gold they laugh to scorn.
Quench desires within them burning,
by no earthly passion torn.
Mid the lions’ roaring,
songs of praise out poring,
Joyously they take their stand
on the arena’s bloody sand.

Would to God that I might even,
as the martyred saints of old,
With the helping hand of Heaven,
steadfast stand in battle bold!
O my God, I pray thee,
in the combat stay me.
Grant that I may ever be loyal,
stanch, and true to Thee.

Rise again, ye lion-hearted,
saints of modern Christendom
With lesser loves ye now be parted,
Soldiers in His “age to come”
Lo, our Lord commands us,
triumph’s promise is upon us
And our will to fight doth quell,
even the lord and prince of hell

Photo: Lutheran Icons, H. A. Prozenko

11/17/2025

We give thanks for Rev. Granado and the work he does on behalf of the Michigan District, LCMS in SW Detroit as the Pastor at Pan De Vida. The article is also available in Spanish and English

Por Liliana Ospina Detroit, MI — El pastor Ricardo Granado, líder espiritual en la Iglesia Luterana Pan de Vida en

11/09/2025

We give thanks for Trinity Lutheran Church, our Cathedral in Detroit, and many the gifts they bestow on their many daughter and sister congregations of the Missouri Synod throughout the city and the surrounding suburbs. We especially wish to thank their pastor, Rev. D. Lee Andrzejewski, for his recent gift of vestments to our congregation for our pastors to wear, including three chasubles (Green, White, and Violet). These will be well used as we continue to celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Communion weekly in our Divine Services.

11/06/2025

To all the saints at St. Stephen’s,

I, Rev. Ogden, just sent out an email to begin weekly updates, parish events, a small devotional, and a reflection on the upcoming week’s lessons. There are a few folks I don’t have emails for yet. If you would be so kind as to contact me so that you can be added to the mailing list, I would greatly appreciate that.

Hopefully these emails are both informative for parish events and edifying for your own devotional lives and piety.

10/30/2025

We give thanks for 135 years of God's grace at St Stephen. On this day, October 30, in 1890, we were established as a congregation.
While much has changed over the last 135 years, we give thanks for the many blessings that have been bestowed upon our congregation. We are especially thankful for our partnership with Family of God, and our growing relationship with Pan De Vida.
Please join us as we pray: Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful people, and kindle in us the fire of your love.

10/26/2025

Today we officially welcomed and Installed Rev. Alexander Ogden as Associate Pastor of our congregation. Rev. Ogden was Ordained at St Stephen in July, and has been serving alongside Rev. Hill and Rev. Gapski since then. We rejoice at this opportunity the Lord has provided for him to serve us in Southwest Detroit.
Please join us in praying for Rev. Ogden, that God would give him strength and patience in his service not only to us at St Stephen, but also at our sister congregation Family of God.