Chatham native Sylvia Dean Stephens-D'Angelo invents greeting cards equipped with scripture readings.

Sylvia Dean Stephens-DAngelo is the inventor of Angel Express, a scripture talking card."

DANVILLE, Va. - Chatham native Sylvia Dean Stephens-DAngelo is the inventor of Angel Express, a scripture talking card."

Stephens-DAngelo, who now lives in Newport News, came up with the idea for the unique greeting card in 2001. I say I invented the card, but it was a gift from God," she said. God spoke to me and said 'wouldnt it be great to have a scripture talking card that would talk to others."

The inside of the card contains biblical scripture and a small pouch. When the pouch is opened, listeners can hear the scripture being read.
The cover of the card includes a picture of a young angel with an Angel Express pouch riding a horse through the clouds.

The face on the angel is my son when he was 3 years old," Stephens-DAngelo said. Stephens-DAngelo, who has won an international designer award for her creation, said her goal is to make the card available to everyone. Ross DAngelo, Sylvias husband, said he does not want to sell the concept to a large greeting card company such as Hallmark. You have to give up all rights to creativity," Ross DAngelo said. Sylvia echoed her husbands remarks. We wanted to keep it pure," she said, noting the design of the card received a patent in March 2002.

The Angel Express name also is trademarked.
Stephens-DAngelo and her husband have set up an interactive Web site for people interested in learning more about the company or about how to design their own Angel Express card. The Web sites address is www.angelexpress.com.

Maybe this would seem small to a lot of people, but it is big to me," Stephens-DAngelo said.