Flowers

In the Episcopal Church we have a tradition of offering flowers at the altar every Sunday, except in the seasons of Advent and Lent. At those times, we are in an expectant and penitential mood. Every other Sunday is festive and we observe it by offering Christ and each other the gift of beauty from creation.

ALTAR FLOWERS

Members of the congregation sponsor flowers in memory of loved ones or in thanksgiving for births, anniversaries, or other blessings. The flowers are arranged by our Flower Guild, and the donors are acknowledged in the Sunday bulletin.

You may donate online through One Church by selecting the “Altar Flowers” Fund.

St. Stephen’s asks for gifts to the Flower Fund to enable the Flower Guild to provide flowers each week. You are invited to designate your remembrance or thanksgiving, and you will be recognized in the church bulletin for a full month of your choosing.

The Vestry suggests a contribution of $125 to sponsor the full array of flowers placed on the altar. We invite you to contribute $125 for altar flowers if you can, but if that is prohibitive, we invite a $75, $50 or $25 donation. St. Stephen’s practices Grace Economics, which allows people to pay what they can afford. Regardless of what you donate, you will be recognized in the Bulletin for the whole month and nobody will know the amount you donated.

POINSETTIAS AND LILIES

At Christmas, you may sponsor poinsettias, and at Easter, lilies, in honor or memory of loved ones or other blessings. You may donate online through One Church by selecting the “Easter Lily” or “Christmas Poinsettia” Fund.

If you prefer not to donate online, you can still sponsor flowers by contacting the Business Office (Hugo Banda) at hbanda@ststephenshouston.org or 713-821-9167.

Anyone can sponsor flowers at any time; you needn’t be a member of the church. Just go online, name the occasion or people the flowers celebrate and your chosen month. If you like to plan ahead, you can sign up and pay for flowers that will be displayed later in the year.