About Us

Who We Are & What We Believe

Christ Church is small church with a faithful community. We Episcopalians believe in a loving, liberating, and life-giving God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We believe in following the teachings of Jesus Christ, whose life, death, and resurrection saved the world.

We have a legacy of inclusion, aspiring to tell and exemplify God’s love for every human being; women and men serve as bishops, priests, and deacons in our church. Laypeople and clergy cooperate as leaders at all levels of our church. Leadership is a gift from God, and can be expressed by all people in our church, regardless of sexual identity or orientation. We believe that God loves you – no exceptions.

We are a sacramental church. The sacraments are outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual grace, given by Christ as sure and certain means by which we receive grace. The two great sacraments are Holy Baptism and the Holy Eucharist. Our other sacramental rites are Confirmation, Ordination, Holy Matrimony, Reconciliation of the Penitent and Unction.

Located in Walnut Cove, North Carolina, Christ Church is part of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, The Episcopal Church and, more widely, the Anglican Communion.

Established in 1886, our mission is to serve God joyfully, faithfully and actively through family, congregational and community ministries.

Our History

In November of 1876, Bishop Atkinson began work in the Sauratown region of North Carolina and over the next ten years various priests officiated seasonal services in the area. In May of 1886, The Reverend H.O. Lacy held the first service in connection with this work in the unfinished church at Walnut Cove, known then as Church of the Holy Comforter.

The church building had been under construction for three years. It was undertaken and completed by several families in the area, including the Lash and Hairston families. Cora Futon received the first baptism in the church on June 20, 1886.

Until July of 1887, the church was without stove, chancel furniture and window glass. On July 24, 1887 seventeen persons were confirmed at the church’s first Confirmation service. The church was consecrated on July 28, 1887, all done during a session of the Convocation of Charlotte, in which clergy from across the Diocese of North Carolina participated.

In 1891, the name of the church was changed from “Church of the Holy Comforter” to Christ Church. In 1909 the church structure was moved by using rolling logs and mules from the current site of Walnut Cove’s water tank, a distance of one-half mile, and set on a lot donated by Mr. R.L. Murphy: where the church stands today. In 1941, the parish hall was added to the church structure.

In 2006, the church was honored with placement on the National Register of Historic Places, thanks largely to the work of former parishioner Donia Norman.

The house next door to the church was obtained in the 1960s and has been used as both a rectory and parish house over the years. In 2019, a multi-year renovation project, the bulk of which was done by dedicated volunteers, was completed to the house, which is now known as Christ Church Community House.

Christ Church’s ongoing repair and restoration fund welcomes contributions to aid in the continuing repair and restoration of our historic church campus now and into the future.