Christ Church refers to both an

Episcopal 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 States ...

parish in Matapeake,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

and the historic

church building A church, church building, church house, or chapel is a building used for Christian worship services and Christian activities. The earliest identified Christian church is a house church founded between 233 AD and 256 AD. ''Church'' is also ...

in the

Stevensville Historic District The Stevensville Historic District, also known as Historic Stevensville, is a national Historic district (United States), historic district in downtown Stevensville, Maryland, Stevensville, Queen Anne's County, Maryland. It contains roughly 1 ...

Stevensville, Maryland Stevensville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Queen Anne's County, Maryland, United States, and is the county's most populous place among both CDPs and municipalities. The community is the eastern terminus of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. The ...

, which the parish occupied from 1880 to 1995, and that is now a

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

church. Christ Church Parish was one of the original 30 Anglican parishes in the Province of Maryland.

History

The Christ Episcopal Church of Kent Island is recognized as the state's oldest

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

congregation. It was founded in 1632 by the Reverend Richard James,Historical marker near the entrance to Broad Creek Cemetery
one year after Kent Island was founded by

William Claiborne William Claiborne (also spelled "Clayborne", – ) was an English surveyor and early settler in the colonies/provinces of Virginia and Maryland and around the Chesapeake Bay. Claiborne became a wealthy merchant and planter, as well as ...

, and two years before settlers arrived at

St. Clement's Island St. Clement's Island State Park is a publicly owned historic preservation and recreational area that encompasses St. Clement's Island, an uninhabited Potomac River island lying one-half mile southeast of Colton's Point, St. Mary's County, Mar ...

. The parish has used at least six buildings during its history. The church's original location was at Kent Fort. It moved to Broad Creek in 1652, and was rebuilt there in 1712 and again in 1826. The church moved again to Stevensville in 1880 as activity shifted there from Broad Creek, and to its current location in Matapeake in 1995 due to the need for a larger building. Of the six buildings, only the 1880 and 1995 buildings are standing today. The 1880 building was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1979. Today, Christ Church is part of the

Episcopal Diocese of Easton The Episcopal Diocese of Easton is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America that comprises the nine counties that make up the Eastern Shore of Maryland. It is in Province III (the Middle Atlantic region) and was created ...

and owns and operates Camp Wright, a

summer camp A summer camp, also known as a sleepaway camp or residential camp, is a supervised overnight program for children conducted during the summer vacation from school in many countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer residential camps ...

in Matapeake, which serves as the diocesan camp. The historic building is now the principal church of the Anglo-Lutheran Catholic Church.

Gallery

Image:Stevensville, Maryland (08-2007) 7.jpg, Side view of the church, taken in 2007 before its restoration File:Stevensville, Maryland (08-2007) 8.jpg, The church, seen in 2007 before its restoration File:Stevensville, Maryland (08-2007) 9.jpg, Rectory of the church

References

External links

Christ Church Parish, Kent Island
Current website of the parish
Christ Lutheran Church - ALCC
- Website of the Lutheran congregation now owning the historic Christ Church building.

- Historic Sites Consortium of Queen Anne's County *, including photo in 1979, at Maryland Historical Trust website {{Authority control 1632 establishments in Maryland Episcopal church buildings in Maryland Kent Island, Maryland Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Maryland Churches in Queen Anne's County, Maryland Queen Anne architecture in Maryland Churches completed in 1880 19th-century Episcopal church buildings Historic district contributing properties in Maryland Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Maryland National Register of Historic Places in Queen Anne's County, Maryland

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links