The records of St. Philip's and St. Stephen's Episcopal Church include records of St. Stephen's Church (1869-1917), records of St. Philip's Church (1886-1917), and records of the merged church (1917-2008). For each of these sets of records, the researcher will find church registers containing membership information, such as record of baptisms, confirmations, marriages, burials, church history, and communicants. In addition for the merged church, there are also vestry materials, newsletters, directories, annual reports, church history and anniversary materials, and a scattering of photographs.
St. Stephen's Parish in Detroit was organized on April 3, 1869. The first church building, consecrated in 1873, was on Catherine Street and was made possible with assistance from Christ Church and St. Paul's. After financial difficulties and several changes in rectors, St. Stephen's reverted to mission status, first with Mariner's Church and then in 1880 with Christ Church.
Because of the growth of its membership in the 1880s, the congregation in 1888 purchased the German Baptist Church at St. Aubin and Mullett. St. Stephen's parish remained at this site until 1917 when, as a result of the changing neighborhood, the congregation voted to merge with St. Philip's.
St. Philip's Church had begun in 1886 when a new diocesan mission, under the leadership of the Rev. Paul Ziegler of Christ Church, was inaugurated by Bishop Harris. A church largely financed by Hervey Parke of Parke-Davis Company was built at Mack and McDougall and opened for services on Easter Sunday, 1888.
From 1874 to 1899, St. Philip's was a mission of St. John's Church, but later gained parish status. On May 31, 1917, St. Philip's merged with St. Stephen's to become officially "The Church of St. Philip and St. Stephen."
In 1922, because of neighborhood deterioration, the parish decided to relocate to Frankfort St. between Newport and Lakewood. A small church was built on the property in 1930.
In 1939, the parish called the Rev. Perry M. Gilfillan to be its pastor. During his tenure, plans were made to build a new church building. It would be a slow process as the war and rising costs delayed construction. Groundbreaking took place on May 15, 1949, under the leadership of the Rev. A. Peter Carroll. The church building was dedicated on May 14, 1950. Ten years later, on May 26, 1960, under the Rev. Wilfrid Holmes-Walker, the church was consecrated by Bishop Emrich.
During the 1960s and beyond the church sought to be a metropolitan church with an urban mission. But for the last decades of the twentieth century, membership declined. The cost of maintaining the church facility was also a burden. Because of these factors, the church closed in 2009.
[This history was partially taken from the sketch found in "Through the Years" 1834-1988; A history of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan (1989).]
