St. Stephen Gives Back: Habitat & Western North Carolina
Each year, St. Stephen United Methodist Church dedicates its annual Christmas Eve offering to worthy causes; 100% of the funds collected each Christmas Eve goes out into the community as a tangible sign “putting our money where our mouths are,” as we fulfill our vision to be the hands, feet, and heart of Jesus Christ… in our neighborhood, in Charlotte, and in the world.
Our 2024 Christmas Eve offering raised $36,000 — a record amount for the church — to benefit the work of longtime partner Greater Matthews Habitat for Humanity and the ongoing Helene recovery efforts in Western North Carolina through the Western North Carolina Conference and UMCOR. The total raised was split 50/50 between the two recipients.
Our partnership with Habitat stretches back years, with church members offering not only financial support, but also their blood, sweat, and tears on build sites. In all, we’ve participated in nearly a quarter of all the approximately homes Habitat has built in our area. This year, we’ve committed to supporting the construction of a second duplex unit. When completed, the two homes will be the 119th and 120th constructed by Greater Matthews Habitat for Humanity.
On Saturday, Feb. 22, St. Stephen members and Senior Pastor Ken Curtis were on hand for the groundbreaking of the duplex. During the blessing, Pastor Ken reminded us that heaven is often described as a home.
“The hope is that the home we create here gives us a little glimpse of that heaven, of God’s kingdom here on Earth,” he said. “That’s why we gather this day and bless the work that is going to be done and bless this ground with that hope in mind.”
Read more about the groundbreaking in this article from Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly.
“On behalf of Greater Matthews Habitat for Humanity, I extend our heartfelt gratitude to St. Stephen for their remarkable generosity and volunteer support,” says Natisha Rivera-Patrick, President & CEO, Greater Matthews Habitat for Humanity. “Over the last 35 years, your partnership has helped transform countless lives by providing safe, affordable housing and renewed hope to families in need. Together, we are building a stronger, more vibrant community—one home at a time.”
In Western North Carolina, families and communities are still picking up the pieces left after the devastation of Helene. Last October, a small team of seven St. Stephen members traveled to the region to assist in the immediate disaster clean-up efforts. At the same time, St. Stephen was working to collect what would become $23,034 in immediate financial support, for a total of $41,034 given for Western North Carolina relief. Our collective desire to continue giving back, informed by the experiences of our relief team, inspired us to choose Western North Carolinas as one of this year’s Christmas Eve offering recipients.
“Financial gifts like St. Stephen’s Christmas Eve offering are extremely helpful in both sustaining ongoing relief efforts, and preparing for the long term rebuilding that will take place in the coming months and years,” says Ben Rogers, WNCC Missions Response Associate. “These gifts allow us to respond faithfully to our neighbors in Western NC in countless ways, including providing families propane for cooking and heating throughout the winter months, providing temporary housing, purchasing materials for home repair projects, and investing in tools and equipment to build capacity.”
Photo above: St. Stephen Senior Pastor Ken Curtis leads a blessing at the Feb. 22, 2025, groundbreaking for Greater Matthews Habitat for Humanity’s new duplex build.
At St. Stephen, we live into our vision: to be the hands, feet, and heart of Jesus Christ… in our neighborhood, in Charlotte, and in the world. Explore our various missions and opportunities for you to actively live into your faith by serving the community.