History

The congregation at St Stephens can be traced back to December 1844. People in Edinburgh New Town wanted to form a Free Church and successfully started in the second floor of what was called Straiton House in Wemyss Place just off Queen Street. The upper floor of the house had been a small art gallery but, within 15 months, it proved unsuitable when an ominous crack was heard during the sermon one Sunday morning. The roof was insecure. The decision was made to purchase the whole building and reconstruct a purpose built church at the cost of £6463; around £500,000 in today's terms.

While the work was on the way, the congregation worshipped in Tanfield Hall (now Standard Life) in Canonmills, where the first historic General Assembly of the Free Church had been held. The congregation had a strong desire to reach out to the people around them and so in 1847 they rented a house in Jamaica Street for mission work including a Sunday School for boys and another room in Howe Street for girls.

In 1852 the church formed an Association for the support of Foreign Missions. In 1884 they took over a hall in Church Place Stockbridge as a mission centre. In 1901 the congregation moved from Wemyss Place to the current site in Comely Bank. There had been an "iron church" on the site; that is one constructed with corrugated iron or wriggly tin as some call it. The new church was built in the Gothic style, designed with a grand tower that was never built. In the Great War (WW1 1914 - 1918) around one third of the congregation served in HM Forces, of whom 26 gave their lives. Between the wars the church had a strong foreign mission interest and much fund raising was devoted to work in Africa and India.  In 1929 the congregation joined the reunited Church of Scotland, so St Stephen's United Free Church became St Stephen's Comely Bank Church as it is today, serving the local community. The congregation was greatly involved in World War 2 in many ways, 231 served in the Forces and 17 died, to whom the window in the West Transept was dedicated. Others were involved in the Home Guard (Dad's Army) and other units relating to the war in the town as well as knitting garments for the troops, raising money for food parcels, and serving in the Forces Canteen in Waverley Station.

The Russell Hall was constructed and dedicated to Rev Oliver Russell who had been the minister from 1925 to 1951 including the hard World War 2 period. Various other improvements and projects have been undertaken on the property including the eradication of an alarming amount of dry rot discovered in 1950.

In the 60+ years since the end the Second World War the church has moved with the times introducing many schemes to reach out to local and keep pace with the needs of the community. For example during the "winter of discontent" 1973 - 1974 when industrial disputes led to power cuts and other restrictions, St Stephen's halls were used during the day as aid centres for the vulnerable and needy in the area.

There has always been a strong emphasis on children and youth with innovative programmes and adventures. At one stage, in the mid sixties when many more people went to church than now, there were around 300 children in the Sunday School. At that time the church was open for prayer and meditation every afternoon, Monday to Thursday, and there was a broad programme of social outreach to a children's home, a hostel for girls, an eventide home, a lunch club, visits to the housebound and other practical service.

St Stephen's has always been able to adapt to the times by making alterations to the buildings, to the facilities and to the programme to suit the community it serves. The story is one of change and innovation based on a strong desire to tell people about Jesus and to help its members to grow in the faith.