Who We Are
Our Church
Saint Stephen's Episcopal Church was founded in 1822 by three women, all named Sarah (whom we colloquially refer to as “The Three Sarahs” — Sarah Rutledge, Sarah Russell and Sarah Dehon). It was the first free Episcopal church in the nation, meaning it was the first where parishioners did not have to buy or rent their pews. From its beginning, this has been a parish integrated along lines of class and race that truly strives to be "A House of Prayer for All People,” the words from the Book of Isaiah that are carved in stone and set into the entablature of the exterior of our sanctuary.
In the modern era the parish has honored that mandate by serving as the spiritual home of a growing LGBTQ+ membership, as well for young families and adults of all ages and backgrounds. The parish is active in many social justice initiatives in the city, the Diocese of South Carolina and The Episcopal Church of which we are a part, and our greater community.
The Choir
The mission of the music ministry is to lead the St. Stephen’s community in music that glorifies God, edifies the liturgy, moves the heart, and challenges the mind. The parish has garnered a reputation for embracing music that covers a wide variety of styles and expressions. Musical offerings on any given Sunday include African-American spirituals and gospel songs alongside the vast repertoire of Anglican, American, and European church music. We embrace tradition while eschewing convention.
The cornerstone of the music is The St. Stephen’s Choir. This twenty-five voice ensemble is comprised of volunteers, two section leaders, and also includes occasional help from our professional friends in the community. They sing at the 11 A.M. service every Sunday, September-Pentecost, and they also offer musical leadership at Choral Evensong and during Advent, Christmas and Holy Week. For those interested in serving in the choir, please either speak to Choirmaster Wayne Helmly after the 11 A.M. service or visit our “Get in Touch” page.
After Pentecost, things are a bit more laid-back and fancy-free in our Summer Choir. While striving to provide the same quality of music as we do throughout the rest of the church calendar, we realize that some of our choristers flee Charleston’s hot and hazy summers for cooler climes. At the same time, we are blessed with having many visitors to town and our parish. The Summer Choir thus does not have choir rehearsal during the week, only meeting on Sundays at 10:15 to rehearse what will be sung at the immediately following service at 11:00. While many participants are regular members of The St. Stephen’s Choir, we also receive a number of visitors who join in for just one or two Sundays (and sometimes the whole summer). We welcome all, but we warn you — you may have so much fun that you’ll decide you want to stay year-round!
Chamber Music at St. Stephen’s
The chamber music series seeks to honor the legacy of St. Stephen’s by including chamber music programing allowing us to also serve as “A House of Music for All People.” To that end, recent offerings have included programming focusing on the contributions of women composers, African-American composers, composers from the LGBTQ+ community, and others. The Chamber Music players include members of The St. Stephen’s Choir alongside professional singers and instrumentalists from the community. Many Chamber Music events also feature special guest artists of national or world-wide renown.
Unless otherwise noted, all Chamber Music at St. Stephen’s events take place at the church.
Thanks to the gracious generosity of our donors, all of the chamber music programs are free and open to the public.
Choirmaster and Artistic Director Wayne Helmly
Wayne Helmly played his first service at St. Stephen’s in 2009. He leads the St. Stephen’s Choir as Choirmaster and Organist and is the Artistic Director of the Chamber Music at St. Stephen’s series.
Wayne takes great care that the music reflects the history of the parish and represents the people in the pews. During his tenure at St. Stephen’s he has led a blues Choral Evensong to welcome the presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church, The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, to Charleston; a service featuring all LGBTQ+ composers, and most recently a concert featuring music by women composers.
He and his husband, Joey, have been honored to serve The Diocese of South Carolina as representatives on the Province IV AIDS Council, as convention registrars, delegates to convention, and Resolution Committee chairs. At St. Stephen’s, where Joey has also served as an acolyte and Eucharistic Minister, they established the popular annual Blessing of the Animals service. They were also founding members of the Pride Committee, making St. Stephen’s the first church to march in the annual Charleston Pride parade - a legacy that lives on with the church having the most (and most enthusiastic!) participation of any other church, year after year.
In addition to his ministry at St. Stephen’s, he is also the Director of Piano Studies at Rollings Middle School of the Arts in Summerville. He has served Dorchester School District Two since 2005, having twice been named “Teacher of the Year” and in 2009 named “Dorchester District Two Honor Teacher.”
Known for his catholicity in musical tastes, he was the resident musical director of the PaperMill Theatre in New Hampshire for four summers. He has been featured on numerous Piccolo Spoleto programs and has frequently appeared in the Unedited! series at the Charleston Library Society. He has collaborated with a diverse and talented array of artists throughout his career. A few years, ago a video of him playing a postlude setting of “R-E-S-P-E-C-T” as a tribute to the then recently-deceased Aretha Franklin went viral on Facebook, garnering tens of thousands of views.
Wayne holds Master of Music degrees in piano and organ performance, piano pedagogy, and choral music education. He has served the Church as an organist since the age of 13.
