For more than 161 years, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Parish in downtown Portland has stood as a witness to the love of Christ through its commitment to inclusion, advocacy, and service. On Sunday, January 26, 2025, the congregation gathered for its final Eucharist in the historic building at SW 13th and Clay. The Rev. Kevin Thew Forrester preached, offering reflections on the parish’s extraordinary legacy of faith and ministry.
Founded in 1863, St. Stephen’s became not only a spiritual home for generations of worshippers but also a leader in justice ministries and a voice for the marginalized in the Episcopal Church in Western Oregon. The parish was a forerunner in extending welcome to communities often excluded by society and the wider Church.
In the 1920s, St. Stephen’s became the first Episcopal community in Portland to welcome African Americans to its congregation. During the 1940s, after Japanese Americans returned to Portland following internment during World War II, St. Stephen’s provided a supportive home in a time of widespread discrimination and prejudice.
In the 1960s, the parish broke barriers by hosting Portland’s first interracial marriage ceremony—a courageous and prophetic act in an era of deep racial divisions. St. Stephen’s also paved the way for gender equity in church leadership by calling the first woman rector to an Episcopal parish in Oregon.
The parish’s advocacy extended to LGBTQ+ inclusion as well. St. Stephen’s founded the first chapter of Journey, an Episcopal LGBTQ advocacy group, and has been a longstanding member of Believe Out Loud, a network of LGBTQ-affirming Episcopal congregations. Through these efforts, St. Stephen’s proclaimed the Gospel message that all people are beloved children of God, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation.
Service to the marginalized was central to the parish’s identity. St. Stephen’s was especially known for its Saturday breakfast ministry, which provided hot meals, companionship, and care to the parish’s unhoused and food-insecure neighbors. This ministry became a cornerstone of the parish’s outreach and a living expression of Christ’s call to serve the least of these.
Like many urban parishes, St. Stephen’s faced the realities of declining membership and the financial challenges of maintaining a historic church building in the heart of the city. Despite the strength of its ministries and the dedication of its congregation, these pressures ultimately led to the difficult decision to conclude the active life of the parish.
The Episcopal Church in Western Oregon announced in 2024 that St. Stephen’s would close by the end of January, 2025. This decision, though met with heavy hearts, became an opportunity to honor the parish’s long legacy of faith and service. The congregation celebrated its final Christmas season in December 2024 and gathered one last time for Eucharist in January 2025, marking a sacred conclusion to over a century and a half of ministry.
St. Stephen’s leaves an indelible mark on the Episcopal Church in Western Oregon and the city of Portland. From its bold witness for racial equality to its pioneering leadership in gender and LGBTQ+ inclusion, St. Stephen’s embodied the Church’s call to “strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being” (Book of Common Prayer, p. 305).
Though its doors as an Episcopal parish have closed, the spirit of St. Stephen’s mission will continue in new ways. The historic church building at SW 13th and Clay was sold to Operation Nightwatch, a nonprofit organization that provides hospitality and services to unhoused and low-income individuals in Portland. The sale, which closed on January 31, ensures that this sacred space will remain a place of care and compassion, serving the community in a continuation of St. Stephen’s legacy of love, inclusion, and service.