The Reverend Kelly O'Conell

Rev. Kelly is a warm and good humored person who is “energized by worship”. She is a graduate of Kenyon College in Ohio and received her Master of Divinity at Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She began her ministry as Bishop’s aide to the Bishop of Massachusetts, and quickly moved to become an Associate Rector, St. Anne’s in the Fields, Lincoln, MA. in 2000, then moved on to become the Rector of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Toledo, Ohio from 2005 – 2012.

Rev. Kelly is a Rector who will rejuvenate the congregation through her sermons, who will support and help to grow the youth program at St. Stephen’s, and one, who will support the continuation and growth of the outreach ministries that we have developed over the past several years. She is young and full of endless energy. Rev. Kelly believes that “we should grow not because we want more people, but because we have something so special, so good, that we have to share it”. Rev. Kelly will take us on this wonderful road of growth. Rev. Kelly wants to “hear your story”. She wants to know from us, “what do we do after we hear that God Loves us” – where do we go from there?

The Reverend Susan Bek

The Rev. Susan Bek was named Priest-in-Charge of St. Stephen’s parish effective with the retirement of its former Rector, The Rev. Canon Lynn Jay, on August 1, 2011. The Rev. Bek will guide the parish during the interim period until a new rector is chosen and called.

The Rev. Bek is a graduate of Claremont School of Theology as well as Bloy House, the Episcopal Theological School at Claremont. She received a Master of Divinity degree (MDiv) along with the Award for Highest Academic Achievement in 2009. She was ordained Deacon in July, 2010 and Priest in February, 2011.

Prior to becoming Priest-in-Charge, The Rev. Bek served as Curate of the parish from the time of her ordination to the diaconate in 2010. She had also served as St. Stephen’s Director of Youth and Children’s Ministries for fifteen years and Chaplain of St. Stephen’s Preschool for five years.

The Rev. Bek has studied American Sign Language and can preach and celebrate in both English and ASL.

Her husband of twenty-eight years, Jon Bek, is a professor at DeVry University in Los Angeles. The Rev. Susan and Prof. Jon Bek are the proud parents of four children; they reside in the Santa Clarita area.