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WHO WE ARE

Learn about our history and beliefs

About us

Worship

Christ Episcopal Church currently offers a Sunday Service at 9:30 am. Additionally, Evensong is held each Wednesday evening at 6pm. 

Since the retirement of our previous priest, Holy Eucharist is offered every other week alternating with Morning Prayer Service every other week. Both services primarily utilize Rite II.     

Music is very important during both services. Organ, piano music and hymns are featured and are a central part of our service. In addition, our choir performs at holidays and other special occasions. Our Music Director, Dr. Starla Raley, frequently adds guest vocal and instrumental performances to the musical programming.

In the past, our priest included a Children’s Sermon during our worship. We are very hopeful that this practice can be resumed as our youth membership grows. In addition, prior to Covid, an 8 am Holy Eucharist was offered that did not include music. 

As the weather allows, we step outside to our award-winning church garden as we sing the last hymn. We also utilize this lovely space for our annual blessing of the animals and columbarium.

Buildings & Grounds

Our historic church, rectory, and parish hall are located at the corner of Third and Mulberry Street in the heart of downtown Madison, Indiana, National Historic District. 

The church building was completed in 1850 and contains numerous stained glass windows from that time period. These windows have been meticulously restored and are considered a national treasure, as only a handful of American-made windows from that era are still in existence.

Across the garden and just steps from the church, lies the Federal Style rectory. The first floor recently underwent a renovation. Careful attention was given to maintaining its historical charm. The beautiful one-bedroom suite boasts refinished hardwood floors, eleven-foot ceilings, a beautiful fireplace, lovely original woodwork, and windows, along with a large, fully modernized kitchen and bath. 

Our parish hall is located at the rear of the church. Originally built in the 19th century, it has been modernized several times. It houses the church offices, meeting areas, and kitchen. Upstairs is now home to PFLAG of Jefferson County youth space. This area recently underwent a renovation. 

In the center of the lot nestled among all three buildings lies the garden area. It is lushly landscaped with flowering bushes, trees, and perennials and has several areas to encourage rest and reflection. The garden also contains the columbarium located on the south wall of the church. The church is very proud of its garden area. It has been included in three garden tours in the past 20 years.

Community

Madison, Indiana is a picturesque rivertown, tucked within a valley along the mighty Ohio River between Cincinnati, Ohio and Louisville, Kentucky. Madison is the largest contiguous National Historic District with 133 blocks of historic architecture and character, and Madison’s tourism industry is “exploding” with visitors. The community is a  hotspot of activity for music and festivals, as well as  the perfect natural setting – home to many parks, pathways, and the scenic Clifty Falls State Park. 

As Madison has grown through the years, the more modern “hilltop” area of the City has taken shape. This is where you can find more grocery stores, restaurants and multiple amenities. Numerous global organizations are headquartered in Madison and can be found in both our historic downtown and hilltop areas, with more growth and development on the horizon. 

Hospitality and welcome are common themes of this community, with many charitable organizations and nonprofits working to serve those in our community and surrounding areas. The Clearinghouse of Jefferson County houses numerous services and works as a connector to other nonprofits in the area. You can find more information on our numerous charitable and philanthropic organizations at this link

Madison is a special place with ample quality-of-life amenities, a small-town, slower feel, and easy access to bigger cities such as Louisville, (60 minutes), Cincinnati, (80 minutes), and Indianapolis, (120 minutes). The City is home to approximately 12,000 people and Jefferson County approximately 33,000 people. 

More information can be found at the following sites…

City of Madison, Indiana

Visit Madison

Madison Area Chamber of Commerce

Clearinghouse Project/River Valley Resources

Madison Main Street Program

Madison Area Arts Alliance

Community Foundation of Madison & Jefferson County

Jefferson County, Indiana

Jefferson County Public Library

Madison Music Movement

Parish History

There has been an Episcopal presence in Madison since 1835 when the parish of Christ Church was organized. After meeting for fifteen years in various places, school rooms, offices, parishioners’ houses, and even a church that had been given up for financial reasons, the congregation built a church at Third and Mulberry Streets. Since it was completed in 1850, Christ Church has been a landmark in Madison, and the center of a small but persistent congregation. 

Those who knew the church when it opened over a century and a half ago would find themselves in familiar surroundings today. Our present altar, chancel rail, pulpit, and pews were all there in the beginning. So were the windows at the East and west ends of the church. Restored in the late 1990’s, they look now much as they must have in the early days of the parish. 

Things have changed too. A chime of 15 bells was added to the tower in 1904. The original organ, played for a while in the 1860s by Mrs. Ben Hardin Helm, half-sister of Mary Todd Lincoln, was replaced seventy years ago. The pews were rearranged about one hundred and twenty years ago to provide an aisle to better accommodate bridal processions. The 19th-century parish hall in the rear of the property has been enlarged several times to accommodate the needs of the parishioners. 

In all this, the parishioners have been the most important part of the parish. We don’t know how many people have called Christ Church their spiritual home. Several of them have been memorialized in the windows and monuments of the nave. Some, like Dr. Hutchings, for years a prominent physician in town, are still remembered. But most of these people are simply names in the registers. We no longer recognize their names, but the work they did to continue the work of the parish is not yet done. 

-Richard Dickie, upperdryfork@gmail.com

Inclusive

How do you practice incorporating others in ministry?

Inclusion is a huge part of the theme of Christ Episcopal Church. In all things we do, we are working to make sure others feel wanted and included in our community. Whether that is inviting them to a service, checking on those who have not attended recently, or trying to help those searching for a ministry discover something that speaks to their strengths and talents.

In addition, we practice silent prayer for others through group prayer or prayer chain.

It is very important to us as a congregation that ALL people have the opportunity to be part of our community.

Diocese

Grounded in God’s love in Christ, the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis and its people:

​Serve as beacons of Christ in central and southern Indiana and beyond. Offer a generous invitation and welcome. Stand with the vulnerable and marginalized to transform systems of injustice. Connect with other Episcopalians, ecumenical and interfaith partners, and advocacy groups. Develop clergy and laity to lead the church of today and tomorrow.

When it comes to supporting and developing clergy, the diocese is blessed with copious resources. In 2022 we fully launched the College for Congregational Development; we’ve had grants from the Lilly Endowment over the past several years; and active priests have generous health coverage with over 75% of the premium covered from diocese assets. Thanks to our diocesan Ministerial Excellence Fund, we also offer assistance in repaying seminary loans.

Our Bishop

Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows is the 11th Bishop of Indianapolis, elected in 2016 after serving in the Dioceses of Newark (N.J.), Central New York, and Chicago. Her expertise includes historic preservation of religious buildings, stewardship and development, race and class reconciliation, and spiritual direction. “In 19 years of ordained ministry … I’ve supported communities of transformation, communicated a vision of hope, and gathered and networked God’s people across distance and difference,” Baskerville-Burrows told the Episcopal News Service at the time of her election.

She is the first Black woman to be elected a diocesan bishop in the Episcopal Church, and the first woman to succeed another woman as bishop.

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