The People of Christ Church

Christ Church is devoted to being a welcoming, open, and non-judgmental spiritual home to all who seek to worship here. This inclusive philosophy finds its beginnings in the founding of Christ Church as a mission located on New Haven’s city limit, near the alms house and the common city farm. Very early on, Christ Church charged no “pew rental” of parishioners, and entertained no philosophy of the “best families” occupying the best seats. The current church building was designed with chairs rather than pews in part to emphasize this policy of “open seating” for all.

 

Today, inclusion at Christ Church means a parish open to all races, ethnicities, and age groups. All are welcome here, regardless of gender, education level, economic status, sexual orientation, marital status, political philosophy, or even personal religious view. All baptized Christians may receive Holy Communion, no matter the Christian communion from which one comes or with which one regularly worships.

 

There are members of the parish whose families have been affiliated with Christ Church since the nineteenth century. Some of our more senior members can boast of being baptized here in the early twentieth century. But, a large portion of the parish today has come to the Episcopal Church from other Christian communions. Everyone who makes Christ Church their home has an unique story and reason to be here. Numbers of parishioners come out of the Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox Faiths, but may have found their individual beliefs about current, often-debated social issues to differ with the “official teachings” of those communions. Likewise, others at Christ Church began their Christian journey in Protestant traditions; but either out of a desire for more ancient and sacramental forms of worship or out of differences with the Fundamentalist philosophies of the more conservative Protestant communions, they found a truer home in the spirituality and the openness of Christ Church. Still others experience the truths of God found in Jesus Christ for the first time with us, and here they are baptized into Christ’s Body. The Anglo-Catholic tradition of Christ Church offers the complete sacramental life of the Catholic expression of Christianity, with its beautiful rituals and ancient color and music. Yet, our tradition also respects and welcomes modern inquisitiveness and criticism, and commits itself to issues of social justice and equality for all.

 

Proximity to Yale, Southern Connecticut, Quinnipiac, and New Haven Universities accounts for an unusual level of education for many in the parish. Numerous parishioners hold graduate degrees, a large number have doctorates. But, we all share fellowship, friendships, and common parish bonds, regardless of education background.  In such an academic environment, many parishioners are or have been educators. A large portion of the parish is in the psychological or sociological professions. Proximity to major art schools, museums, music conservatories, and professional theaters results in numerous parishioners having some connection to the arts, whether visual or performing. The Berkeley Seminary and Yale Divinity School have allowed Christ Church to serve as a training ground for generations of seminary students and new priests who have gone on to have noted influence in the national Episcopal Church. The parish is well represented by members of the medical and law professions, as well. But, people from all professions and trades, or from none, are just as welcome here…and have just as much to offer our common life. Also included in this diverse family of parishioners are those with special needs, whether material or emotional or physical, who make their spiritual home with us.   Service to those in need in this vibrant urban setting is at the heart of our identity.

 

Another out-of-the-ordinary aspect of Christ Church is the degree of transience in the parish. Because of the university setting described above, our community always consists of a number of graduate and undergraduate students who will be here for only a few years. But, the deep prayerfulness and timeless rituals of the parish leave their mark upon those who pass through temporarily, wherever their spiritual journey leads. Thus, Christ Church has a ministry and an influence beyond our walls and city to the Episcopal Church at large.

 

Christ Church prays for and encourages a rich atmosphere for the religious life of children and young people. We heartily welcome young families, but we do not currently fit the standard idea of a “family parish.” A conscious effort at growth in Christ Church membership, including families with children, is a primary parish goal. Christ Church also welcomes and supports numbers of parishioners, whether older or younger, who live a single life. The diversity and openness of the parish have made Christ Church a welcoming and affirming parish to the gay and lesbian community, as well. Full integration of the old and young, gay and straight, professors and students, the single and the coupled are hallmarks of our parish life.

 

The diversity found in our parish family makes Christ Church both an interesting and fun community of friends and a reminder that Our Lord Jesus redeems and holds in his arms every sort and condition of humanity. In our disparateness and different life experiences, we find an enriched common bond as the Body of Christ…and, never more so than in our common worship and thanksgiving at the Holy Eucharist, where we are fed by His Presence. All who seek a parish that is inclusive and modern, yet grounded in tradition and Faith, are welcome to make Christ Church their spiritual home.