Newcomer Information

We welcome your interest in our church and hope you will visit with us. Here is some introductory information about our congregation.

Who Are We 

St. Thomas' is an inclusive and diverse Christ-centered faith community in the Episcopal (Anglican) tradition. We come from many different backgrounds and perspectives, sharing a common commitment to growing faith and love of God and neighbor. We are dedicated to knowing about Christ and making him known. You can read more about St. Thomas here.

Worship

Worship is at the heart of this faith community. Holy Eucharist is celebrated on Sunday mornings at 9:00 am and at 11:00 am. during the program year and at 10.00 am during the summer. All services have music with choir, piano and organ. On occasions Morning Prayer is held at the 11 AM service. Christian Education is offered for adults and children at 10:10 am. Childcare is provided for most worship, church events, education, and programming. There is more information about worship on our Worship Page.

Where We are Going

We seek to be a compassionate presence in our neighborhood and at large deepening our own faith and experience through the welcoming of newcomers and service of the poor, the hungry, the young, and all seeking wholeness of life and spirit.

How We Came to be Here

St. Thomas' was founded in 1907. Initially, our services were held in the Lewis Ginter Recreation Association building until Grace Arents, niece of Colonel Ginter and our original benefactor, donated funds to help our congregation construct the church building dedicated in 1912. We are a mid-sized congregation with a church attendance of about 220 on a Sunday morning. By God's grace, we are growing every day. You can read more about the history of St. Thomas here.

What We Believe

As part of the Episcopal Church, we share in the heritage of the worldwide Anglican Communion. We are a community of Christians guided by Scripture, tradition and reason seeking to interpret our ancient faith in the modern world. Anglicanism has historically been characterized by regularized forms of worship and a generous latitude of theological interpretation. We use the Book of Common Prayer, two-thirds of the text of which is taken from Scripture. In the sacraments, we look for outward, physical signs of inward, spiritual realities. We proclaim the ancient creeds of the church as symbols of our common faith and continuity with Christians through the ages.

How to Learn More

We would love to get to know you! Please visit us during one of our services and fill out a welcome card so that we may be touch with you. Or call the church office at 804-321-9548. The Reverend Susan N. Eaves, our rector, would welcome a chance to greet you.