Stanford Canterbury Diocesan Convention Report

Dr. Travis Stevens continues his chaplaincy at Stanford and now serves alongside the new interim pastor of University Lutheran Church, who happens to be an Episcopal priest, the Rev. Corrie Lassen, who herself once served as Stanford Canterbury’s chaplain! Together, Corrie and Travis advise the Episcopal Lutheran Campus Ministry (ELCM), which is the only mainline campus ministry and the only LGBTQ-affirming campus ministry at Stanford.

Several beloved doctoral students graduated in spring of 2023, so the focus this fall is on recruiting new students. We plan to participate in three student activity fairs this fall, where students plant donated succulent cuttings in small pots with the QR code for the student group website. Our first fair was a great success! We gave away 200 succulent cuttings and met several prospective new student group members.

Travis is in the process of renewing ties to Episcopal congregations in the Stanford area that have historically participated in the Stanford Canterbury board, including All Saints Palo Alto, St Mark’s Palo Alto, St Bede’s Menlo Park, Christ Church Portola Valley, and Trinity Menlo Park.

Notable campus ministry events over the past year included a celebration of El Día de los Muertos with Rev. Liz Muñoz and two events with Cal Canterbury: a holiday train ride in the East Bay, and a winter retreat. We also participated in a Lenten worship service at Memorial Church where Travis preached. We enjoyed a BBQ in the spring and a rousing game of badminton in the summer. This year we are planning the first annual celebration of the life and ministry of Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray with our partners at Memorial Church and are launching our first ever Queer Bible Study this October.

Want to get involved? Contact Travis at chaplainstevens@stanford.edu. You can also support the chaplaincy by visiting https://www.diocal.org/churches-ministries/university-chaplaincies/stanfordcanterbury/