Christ Episcopal Church, Pottstown is a parish of the
Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania in
Pottstown, Pennsylvania. It was chartered in 1824 (approved by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on December 15, 1825). Before the formal organization of the church, services in the area were conducted by colonial missionaries of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts centered at St. Gabriel's Church, Douglassville. In 2020, it reported 272 members, 107 average Sunday attendance, and $154,993 in plate and pledge financial support. The building is a part of the
Old Pottstown Historic District
Old Pottstown Historic District is a national historic district located in Pottstown, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It encompasses 956 contributing buildings and 1 contributing site in the central business district and surrounding residenti ...
, added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 1985.
The current church building was consecrated by the Right Rev.
Alonzo Potter
Alonzo Potter (July 6, 1800 – July 4, 1865) was an American bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States who served as the third bishop of the Diocese of Pennsylvania. Potter "identified himself with all the best interests of society."
...
on November 24, 1846. The building was enlarged substantially in 1902. The church had an extensive Christian education outreach to children of miners at the nearby
Phoenixville Iron Works ore mines and forge beginning in 1838. Pews were originally rented, a practice that ended between 1919 and 1923.
In 1967, the church began using
The New Liturgy', a predecessor of the 1979 American
Book of Common Prayer
The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the name given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The original book, published in 1549 in the reign ...
. The church's organ is a c. 1916 Austin Organ Co. (Opus 632) with two manuals and 20 ranks.
The parish has had a number of internal organizations, including the
Brotherhood of St. Andrew for men,
Episcopal Church Women
Episcopal may refer to:
*Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church
*Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese
*Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name
** Episcopal Church (United State ...
, an altar guild, youth group, Sunday School, the
Society of Mary, the
Girls' Friendly Society
The Girls' Friendly Society In England And Wales (or just GFS) is a charitable organisation that empowers girls and young women aged 5 to 25, encouraging them to develop their full potential through programs that provide training, confidence b ...
, etc.
The church's rector is the Rev. Joshua Caler, a graduate of the
Duke University Divinity School.
References
*William Herbert Price,
The History of Christ Church, Pottstown, Pa.(1940)
*Morison Blake,
The History of Christ Church, Pottstown' (1964) from
Project Canterbury
*Robert E. Day,
Christ Episcopal Church, Pottstown, Pa.: The History' (1997)
Office of General Convention parochial reports
External links
Official websitePipe Organ DatabaseMemorial Garden
from Find a Grave
Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania
1824 establishments in Pennsylvania
Episcopal Church in Pennsylvania
Religious organizations established in 1824
19th-century Episcopal church buildings
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