If you are new to Christ Church, WELCOME!

We were all new at one time.  We have come from many different places and many different backgrounds.  Wherever you're coming from, and whatever it is that draws you here at this time, we hope you will feel welcome and a part of the Christ Church community! 

Whether you're new to the Episcopal Church or a lifelong Episcopalian, you're welcome here.  Whether you're already a deeply committed Christian or a skeptical but open-minded seeker, there is a place for you here.  We encourage your questions, and we may or may not have answers to all of them.  But ask them anyway!

We are an intentionally inclusive community.  We value diversity of age, race and ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation, socio-economic status and political persuasion.  There is a place at the table for everyone here.

We're often asked:

How does one “become a member of Christ Church”? Here it is in a nutshell:

The first step is “showing up!” Just being in church is the first step toward belonging. “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20). This is, actually, the most important step! And please know that you are welcome to receive Communion in this church.

Let us know you’re here! Filling in a welcome card in church with contact information means we put you into our database. You can let us know if you'd like to get a phone call from one of the clergy or another member of the staff.  Those coming here from another Episcopal church will want to request a letter of transfer from their previous parish. We fully recognize those who were baptized in other Christian denominations; and if you were confirmed in the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, or Lutheran churches, your confirmation is also fully recognized. And if you haven’t been baptized, we’re happy to talk with you about what that would mean for you.

Let us welcome you! Twice each year (usually around November and May), we publicly welcome those who have become members of Christ Church in the past few months or year. This will help others to know who you are and that you are part of us. If you haven’t yet been publicly welcomed, a member of our Newcomers Committee will be in touch with you about this opportunity. If you don’t hear from them first, contact Mary Ann Lennon and let her know you’d like to be included!

Learn more about the Episcopal Church! Take our upcoming course (to be announced soon) where you will learn what is unique in this particular branch of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. It’s always good to be informed. And this is good preparation for…

Being Received into the Episcopal Church by the bishop. On this occasion you’ll be Received into fellowship by the bishop, who is our symbol of the unity of the Church that extends well beyond the boundaries of this local parish, to the entire worldwide Anglican Communion. Those who haven’t been Confirmed in one of the previously mentioned churches can be Confirmed by the bishop on that occasion.

If you have other questions, please feel free to speak to our clergy, the Rev. Michael Hodges, or to Mary Ann Lennon.