history
Image above: a picture of the Nave in 1978
In 1957, three local families took the first steps toward establishing a mission church in the rapidly growing southwest section of Durham.
In 1959, with the approval of The Rt. Rev. Edwin A. Penick, Bishop of North Carolina, and with support of the vestry at St. Philip’s Church in downtown Durham, the mission church became a reality.
The founding of the church dates to an organizational meeting at Hope Valley School on April 21, 1959. St. Stephen’s first Priest-in-Charge, The Rev. John William Sutphin Davis and his wife, Sarah, both attended. Frank Kenan was elected senior warden and the congregation selected the name “St. Stephen’s” for the new mission. Stephen was one of seven deacons appointed by the Apostles to distribute food and charitable aid to the poor in the early church.
Image: Newspaper clipping announcing formation of a new parish
Image: Newspaper clipping with photo from the first service
Thirty families were affiliated with St. Stephen’s when the first service was held July 5, 1959, on the grounds of the newly acquired church property on Kimberly Drive. On May 10, 1960, the diocesan convention granted parish status for St. Stephen’s, whose congregation then numbered 60 families. The church members met at Hope Valley School until the completion of the parish house.
Architect G. Milton Small Associates of Raleigh was retained to design a parish house, and ground was broken on March 12, 1961.
Newspaper clipping covering the Ground Breaking service
The first service in the parish house (now the Administration Building and Parish Hall) was held Thanksgiving Day, 1961. The formal dedication took place on December 3, 1961, with the Rt. Rev. Richard Baker, Bishop of North Carolina, presiding.
Images from the Parish House (click for full-size image): Newspaper clipping announcing Parish House dedication (left); image from a service in the Parish House in the mid-1970s (top right); processional hymn from the dedication service bulletin (bottom right)
Image: Exterior of the preschool building in 2019
In 1962, Mrs. A.W. Kennon was instrumental in beginning a preschool for children ages three and four as a community ministry of St. Stephen’s. She served as the first director of the preschool that was initially conducted in the parish house building. The Children’s Education building was completed in 1969 to house the preschool and Sunday church school.
In January 1976, funds were made available by the Sarah Graham Kenan Foundation to build a church building for St. Stephen’s. G. Milton Small Associates of Raleigh was again retained as architect and the Nello Teer Company as contractor. Groundbreaking for the new building was the Sunday after the Ascension, May 30, 1976.
Image: Fr. Josh McKenzie, rector, breaking ground for the new Church building
An early artistic rendering of the campus by architect G. Milton Small. The print is now framed and hangs in our parish office.
The Nello L. Teer family made a gift to the church of a chapel, in memory of Dorothy Foster Teer, which was built on the site of the original choir and sanctuary of the parish house building. The rector dedicated the Dorothy Foster Teer Chapel on October 31, 1977.
On January 29, 1978, the first service was held in the new church. Two outstanding features of the building are the stained-glass windows designed by Leandro Velasco and executed by Rambusch Studio, and the Flentrop organ built for St. Stephen’s by the Flentrop Organ Company of Zaandam, Holland. The dedication of St. Stephen’s Church to the Glory of God was again on the Sunday after the Ascension, May 7, 1978.
Photos from the dedication service (click to enlarge images): dedication plaque (top left): Bishop Thomas Fraser entering the church (top right); scene from the choir loft (bottom left); bulletin for the Dedication and Consecration of our parish (bottom right)
In 2019, St. Stephen's celebrated in 60th anniversary. We continue to be a place where followers of Christ gather for worship, study, and service.
Previous Rectors of St. Stephen’s
The Rev. John William Sutphin Davis, 1959-1973
The Rev. Joshua Tayloe MacKenzie, 1974-1986
The Rev. Samuel Mason, 1990-2003
The Rev. Robert K. Kaynor, 2005-2020