Welcome to the parish of St. Stephen with St. Julian. We hope this website will give you an introduction to both churches and to the parish. We hope you will join us in worship and in some of the many activities. We look forward to getting to know you.
The Parish
The parish includes the Chiswell Green area to the east and stretches down to the Cottonmill Estate in the west. It extends down King Harry Lane to where it borders St. Michael's parish.
The parish used to include Park Street and Frogmore but that area is now in the parish of Holy Trinity Church, Frogmore.
The ecclesiastical parish boundaries differ from the civic parish boundaries, confusingly also called St. Stephen's parish.
History
St. Alban
The earliest surviving account of St Alban's martyrdom is as follows:
The Emperor Severus, when in Britain, ordered all Christians to be executed. A prominent citizen, Alban, sheltered a fugitive priest, and putting on his clothing, gave himself up to be executed in his place. Alban, at his trial, refused to sacrifice to Roman gods and was executed "from a walled place, across a stream to an arena and thence five hundred paces up a hill". Legend has it that St Albans Abbey church was established on the spot.
Ulsinus
According to the thirteenth century chronicler, Matthew Paris, the parishes of St Peter's, St Michael's and St Stephen's, were created by Ulsinus, the sixth Abbot of St Albans Abbey, in 948 A.D. The precise date of Ulsinus' rule is not known, but a mid tenth century date is widely accepted.
Those three Churches were founded as the city's pilgrim churches, for pilgrims to the shrine of Alban to rest and prepare themselves before completing their journey. St. Albans was one of the founder members of the world-wide Green Pilgrimage Movement - see http://www.arcworld.org/news.asp?pageID=493.
St. Stephen's Church
St. Stephen's is a beautiful old parish church, founded in 948 A.D. The Anglo Saxon building was about 34 feet wide by 38 feet long, probably divided into two rooms and probably without a tower. Little remains of this building, but the small window, deep set in rough masonry, just by the door to the Parish Centre has been dated to around 950 A.D. The building today is largely medieval, but it was sympathetically restored from a near ruinous condition in the 1860s. The spire, replacing a "Hertfordshire spike" on the tower, dates from this time. The pews and ornamental woodwork are Victorian, and the attractive pulpit and canopy date from 1936. The eagle lectern is a copy of a much earlier famous one which until recently stood in its place. There is a leaflet in the church giving details of the history of the early much travelled and plundered lectern.
The ancient building has seen many changes in worship styles over the centuries and today the peaceful ambience, sense of history and continuity still inspire people to worship, as they have done for many centuries. A warm, tranquil and welcoming atmosphere is immediately apparent, even as the church resounds to today's modern worship.
It is a popular location for baptisms and weddings. It is equipped with a modern, purpose built parish centre, constructed in 1990, which provides facilities for church and community activities. There is a large hall (the Cavalier Hall, currently £18/hour) and a meeting room (the Kentish Room, currently £9/hour) both of which are available for hire. Organisations providing a service to the community may qualify for a reduced rate. Phone 01727 863425 to book, or email for a leaflet.
There is a car park, opening off Watling Street. The churchyard is open for burials and there is a peaceful garden of remembrance.
Buses 321, 621, 724 and S8 stop near the Church: the SMS code for the bus stop is hrtatwpt.
The church aims to cater for the spiritual needs of all ages from babes in arms to senior citizens. Details of the activities available are at the back of the church leaflet.
St. Julian's Church
St Julian's started life in 1952, initially in a wartime Nissen hut which had stood in fields as part of an anti-aircraft searchlight emplacement. It was founded to serve the large Cottonmill housing development then going up around it. The name relates to a former leper hospital which once stood near St Stephen's. The present building dates from 1956, and was partly paid for by individual community subscriptions of 6d (just over 2p).
The church was built as a daughter church, to be the responsibility of St. Stephen's. In practice, however, St. Julian's largely runs its own affairs.
The dual-purpose building allows either church or hall to "expand" as necessary for a particular event. The church was renovated in 1992 to provide a better area for worship, and today provides a well-equipped focal point for the spiritual and secular needs of the community.
An extension project started in October 2009 to make the building even more user-friendly. It was completed in the Spring of 2010, and formally opened by Bishop Alan.
The hall is much used for community events: it is available for hire for things like meetings and birthday parties (currently £18/hour, with reductions for organisations providing a service to the community). Email for a leaflet, or to book, phone 01727 847082.
St. Julian's has a car park. Buses on route S4 from the City Centre (St. Peter's Street) stop at the Church: the SMS code for the bus stop is hrtawpta.
The clergy at both churches share duties throughout the parish, work closely together and run many joint activities.
The Pastoral team
The Vicar, the Reverend David Ridgeway, leads the pastoral team.
The Reverend Clare Baynes and the Reverend Pippa Madgwick help with work throughout the parish, as does Stephanie Willcocks, a Lay Reader.
The pastoral team is available to arrange baptisms, weddings, and funerals, and to visit the sick, and those in need of comfort.
The Community
The church community has many branches, since some people choose to attend the 8 a.m. Holy Communion service, some the 10 o'clock Parish Communion, and some the 6.30 p.m. Evensong. In addition there are the people who attend the services at St. Julian's.
These groups come together as a community to share in events such as the Harvest Supper, various Carol Services and a variety of social events and group activities held regularly throughout the year.
For the children, parish wide there is a group for mums and pre-school children called Tots and Teddies, Kidz Church for older children, and a Sunday School. Other groups include the Rainbows, two Brownie packs, a Guide company and a Girls' Brigade company. At festival times, children's activity days are arranged.
There are various groups for the older people, such as the Luncheon Club and coffee mornings.
Emmaus Groups are arranged from time to time for those wanting to learn more about their faith.
Ecumenical Activity
St. Stephen's and St. Julian's have joined with churches in South St. Albans who seek the way towards ecumenical co-operation and church unity. The group consists of St. Stephen's and St. Julian's, (Church of England), the United Reformed Church at Chiswell Green and St. Bartholomew's Roman Catholic Church.
The clergy and lay representatives join together about three times a year to organise the events that we do together. Through these events friendship and understanding have grown and new ideas are welcomed. Trips and conferences are arranged together.
The parish also takes part regularly in events organised by the Churches Together in St. Albans forum.
