18th October 2019

Black History Podcast with Rev’d Azariah France-Williams

Marking this month of reflection we managed to grab a conversation with Rev’d Azariah France-Williams. His wisdom and insight are invaluable. Why not make a cuppa and have a listen?

24th June 2019

The Induction and Collation of the Reverend Denis Adide- 24th June

The Reverend Denis Adide was inducted as vicar of St Stephen & St Thomas Church, Uxbridge Road on Monday 24 June. The Bishop of Kensington, the Right Reverend Dr Graham Tomlin officiated, along with The Archdeacon of Middlesex, the Venerable Stephan Welch. In his sermon, the Bishop focused on the importance of the Commandment to ‘love your neighbour as yourself’.

The Mayor of Hammersmith & Fulham, Daryl Brown, and the MP for Hammersmith, Andy Slaughter were present at the service, which was also attended by parishioners from Christchurch, Turnham Green in Chiswick, where Denis Adide served his title as curate, along with family, friends and clergy from across the Deanery and Diocese.

Denis Adide, his wife and their children were warmly welcomed to the church and to the community. Special words of welcome came from Pastor Carlton Troutt of the Beulah Apostolic Church and Pastor Marcus Gadson of New City Church (both churches operate from St Stephen’s) and from Mr Michael Schumm, Head Teacher of St Stephen’s School, who was accompanied by three pupils, Teddy Baker, Soraya McLeod and Hal Hardman. They performed a specially written poem of welcome, which received loud and appreciative applause. Andy Slaughter, MP, expressed his sense that the new Vicar would be an excellent appointment for the parish, and also paid tribute to the work that the Bishop, Dr Graham Tomlin, has done with the Grenfell Enquiry.

The whole congregation expresses the warmest of welcomes to the Rev Denis as their Vicar, as the church moves into an exciting new phase of its nearly 170 year history of serving the people of Shepherds Bush.

28th May 2019

New Vicar announced for St Stephen & St Thomas Church - 28th May

Today the appointment was announced of The Rev’d Denis Adide as Vicar of the Parish of St Stephen & St Thomas, Shepherds Bush. Denis is currently finishing his curacy at Christchurch, Turnham Green, Chiswick and will begin at St Stephen’s in the summer. Denis was born in Northern Uganda and came to London as a child. He is married to Anna Fiona and they have three young children. Below is a photo of Denis at St Paul’s Cathedral where he was speaking last Monday. The PCC and congregation at St Stephen’s are greatly looking forward to welcoming Denis and his family to Shepherds Bush.

28th April 2019

Annual Parochial Church Meeting

The 2019 Annual Parochial Church Meeting took place on Sunday, April 28. The following Annual Report was published - click here.

10th April 2019

Holy Week and Easter programme 2019

3rd February 2019

St Stephen’s says goodbye to Rev Bob

Over 250 adults and nearly 160 children gathered at St Stephen’s for a farewell service for Bob and Sylvie Mayo. Bob chose the theme of Celebrating St Stephen’s for his final service in Shepherds Bush, and with an eye to the future, the entire first half of the service was led by some of the church’s children who have grown up with Bob as their vicar. The final prayer was given by Michael Schumm, head teacher at St Stephen’s School. The service was followed by a lunch in the parish hall, for those who could squeeze inside, and presentations were made to Bob and Sylvie, including a book of messages and prayers from the congregation for Bob and a vintage silver and turquoise cross for Sylvie. Extracts from the order of service which illustrate some of Bob’s 13 years in the parish are shown below.

At next Sunday’s 10am Sung Eucharist, the celebrant and preacher will be the Venerable Stephan Welch, Archdeacon of Middlesex.

Hammersmith and Fulham celebrates Rev Bob

Click here to see Hammersmith & Fulham Council’s farewell to Rev Bob

His last service will be on Sunday February 3rd at 10am - please join us to say goodbye.

Rev Bob Mayo to leave in February

Today, December 2nd 2018, Rev Bob Mayo announced that he and Sylvie will be leaving St Stephen’s in February 2019. Bob will move to Rochester in Kent to take up the post of Chaplain for young offenders at Rochester Prison. Bob and Sylvie will take with them our very best wishes and love for the future. A mission to society’s rejected and outcasts has long been close to Bob’s heart and he will undoubtedly be appreciated in his new post. His time at St Stephen’s has transformed the parish; he will be fondly remembered and sorely missed when he leaves in February.

Advent and Christmas

Remembrance Sunday At St Stephens’S Church.

The 91 men who are remembered on the church’s First World War Memorial were honoured by members of the present congregation during the Remembrance Day Parish Eucharist. The names, addresses and ages at death were read out and prayers of thanks for their sacrifice along with prayers for peace were offered. The church bell was rung at 12.30pm on Remembrance Sunday, along with bells across the nation, to mark 100 years since the end of the First World War.

The Church’s ROLL OF HONOUR will be on display for the next two Sundays. If you would like to receive full details about the men on the War Memorial, please contact the parish office.

Mother and Toddler Group resumes after summer break

On Monday 10th Sept @ 9.15am

A farewell for Anne

On Sunday 22nd July, a farewell Eucharist was held for our Associate Vicar, the Rev Anne Cowley. The Eucharist was attended by the Area Dean, the Rev Tim Stilwell and many well-wishers from her time here at St Stephen’s. Here is what Anne said at her farewell Eucharist:

Last night, as I was thinking about the last ten years, I decided to pull up the very first sermon I preached here... actually before I was ordained, but when the plans had been made for me come to St Stephen’s. I talked about what a scary thought that was and wondered how ‘a nice, middle aged woman’ could be embarking on this strange adventure of ordination. I had no idea how rich the experience would be. Yes, exhausting also - as was shown when I eventually had to bow out last September, but mainly, for the last ten years, it was a potent mix of joyful and hard and deep and sometimes overwhelming - but most of all a complete privilege. You allowed me into your lives, I learnt a lot - from being a very raw recruit, and then being given the opportunity to stay on after my curacy ended. We shared heartaches and delights, we laughed, we cried, we walked together and shared our common life.

In that first sermon I said I was not a particularly learned person, not the most charismatic leader and certainly not the church’s solution to the next big problem… but simply this ordinary woman, who, like the rest of us, despite having good days and bad days, despite getting stuck at times, despite sometimes getting low... ultimately, and very deeply, I was, and am, someone who knows that without God my life just wouldn’t work. I am a great believer in the church being the place where we encourage each other to keep going and to keep turning back to God. We fall flat on our faces, but there are people around us who are offering us their hand to help us up, and in doing so we are being God’s ministers to each other. That is what you have been to me, and I hope I have been to you.

So thank you to all of you. Thank you obviously especially to Bob and to Sylvie, who took on this very nervous curate and taught me a lot. Thank you to all the people I have walked alongside - be it on committees or in the toddler group, or the mums’ bible study, wherever. But to the whole family of St Stephen’s, you took me to your heart and changed me forever. I want to say an enormous thank you.

I wanted to leave something tangible, but I am not a gardener, so I hope that some vouchers for plants will enable the green fingered ones to use them - so there will be a bit of me which will remain in Shepherds Bush. So just ‘thank you’ from the bottom of my heart.

Anne was presented with a Passion Flower and John Lewis vouchers and members of the congregation spoke to express their thanks and affection for her ten years at St Stephen’s.

Here is Anne’s message of thanks to the parish:

Dear lovely people! I struggled yesterday to say all that was on my heart, but I can’t tell you how much I was bowled over by the way I was welcomed and all that was said and given. I really want to thank you all for the hugely generous gifts. The passion flower is being planted in the morning, and I am planning to buy a sculpture I have fallen in love with in John Lewis, plus put the rest towards a carpet runner that I have been eyeing up for my stairs – a redecoration is badly needed, and that will be my focal point. With my love, and enormous thanks, Anne

Windrush Celebrations 24th June

Thanks Alton Mcdonald for taking us through the harsh history behind our Windrush Sunday celebration. The British Empire relied economically on 2 million Africans sold into slavery in the Caribbean, of which only 20% survived. The celebration on Windrush Sunday means us now being able to join together at the Eucharist Table.

Save The Date - 15th September - Church v School Cricket Match

Please come along - it's a really fun day

Sunday 13th May

We congratulate Richard and Isobel Platings on their 40th Wedding Anniversary. They were married at St Stephen’s on May 13th 1978 and they joined us on Sunday May 13th this year to celebrate their Anniversary at St Stephen’s. They have sent us these photographs of the event.