A Centennial Birthday Party For Christ Church Episcopal

HARWICH PORT – Christ Church Episcopal fits comfortably into its surrounding neighborhood at the corner of Route 28 and Harbor Road, and it has for a century thanks to the efforts of a dozen women who came together to develop a plan to build a church.

 The church is celebrating its centennial with several events planned over the next couple of months, including the return of the Lobster Roll Lunch on Friday Aug. 14 and a 100th birthday party on Aug. 30.

 For years Episcopalians spending their summer months in the villages of Harwich held church services in private homes or meeting rooms in the Snow Inn and the Harwich Port Library. 

In 1925, a group of women decided it was time to build a church. Mrs. Anne Moore Thorburn Van Buren, Mrs. Maude Porter Brewer Lang, Mrs. Elizabeth “Elsie” Comstock Coddington, Mrs. Helen Smyser Kurtz, Mrs. Margaret Elizabeth Snow Stockwell Taft, Mrs. Caroline Squibb Sutphin, Mrs. Dorothy Phelps West, Mrs. Bertha Rinaldo Eldridge Weld, Mrs. Elsie Wesson Francis, Mrs. Kathryn Phillips Patton, Mrs. Alice G. Kales and Mrs. Florence C. Petit came together to work to establish a new church. 

 A devout Episcopalian, Anne Moore Thorburn Van Buren had a good friend, Charlotte Elizabeth Niven, the Marquise de Ser, living in Paris, an heiress to railroad fortunes, who was aware of the efforts of these women. She provided a $5,000 gift to assist in funding the construction. Mme. de Ser, a Roman Catholic, was asked about a name for the church, and she responded “Christ Church," a name all faiths could claim.

 Mrs. Francis Hillhouse provided the land at a small cost and the project was underway. Architect Howard Cox of Boston, an Episcopalian, was retained, and the construction of the church began in fall 1925 and the church was dedicated on Aug. 29, 1926. The church cost $15,000 to build. 

 "One hundred and sixty-three people of all denominations were present,” according to Alfred E. Everett’s “A History of Christ Church, Episcopal, Harwich Port, MA. 1926-1976. “The pews were in place, but the altar was still of rough boards. The lectern was an accountant’s desk and the music came from a piano instead of an organ. To the building committee, however, it looked really like a cathedral.”

The church seats 96 people “and the size of it is warm and cozy,” said Mary Ellen Eichmann, a co-warden of the church. “We are grateful for the devotion of generations of residents and visitors, including the 12 founders, who have created a nurturing place for all.”

 The stained glass windows in the church installed over time were created by Charles J. Connick Associates of Boston. The initial stained glass window done by Connick was installed above the altar in 1932, and it was dedicated to the Marquise de Ser, said Eichmann. 

 In the 1950s and 1960s, additional stained glass windows done by Connick’s associates were installed, and by 1969 all the windows on each side of the nave were stained glass, nearly all done by Connick associates, said Eichmann.

On Sept. 13 at 1 p.m., David Martland of the Charles J. Connick Foundation of Boston will give a presentation at the church on the artistry and creation of the church’s stained glass windows. Connick’s works grace St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, Trinity Church in Boston and churches around the nation and the world, according to Eichmann.

 By 1931, according to the Harwich Independent newspaper, “Services are held at this church only through three summer months of June, July and August. The church is free from debt, and a consecration service is to be arranged in the future. 

 “The Rev. L. P. Hagger, archdeacon of the diocese of Michigan, Detroit, is the pastor for the month of July. For the first four Sundays in August the parish will have the Rev. Theodore R. Luddow, New York City, The Right Rev. Charles B. Colmore, Bishop of Puerto Rico, will preach the sermon on the last Sunday in August.” 

In 1931, a vestry consisting of eight men was formed to take over from the women’s committee that founded the church. Jennifer Lutz, one of eight women serving today on the vestry, said women were not allowed to serve in that capacity in the early days.

In 1954, with growing numbers of Episcopalians living year-round in Harwich and neighboring communities, the debate began on providing services on a year-round basis.

 “The story is told that during the meeting to consider the question, Mrs. Chauncey McKay swung the verdict when she said that if she had waited until she could afford a dishwashing machine, she might never have had it. After that, only one person objected, and he never returned,” Everett wrote in his history of the church.

 On Aug. 28, 1954, a meeting was held to organize Christ Church as a mission open for the entire year. In 1958, a new parish hall was added, which included a kitchen and classrooms. The number of communicants was growing. In 1966, the church had 192 communicants; that number increased to 324 by 1971 and by 1976 that number had grown to 400. 

In 1979, the Noah’s Ark consignment thrift shop was established at the church.

 “We like to share the building with the community,” said Lutz. “Last year we had a food truck using our kitchen.” Many weddings are held there as well.

The Bishop Rt. Rev. Julia Whitworth visited the church a few weeks ago to help celebrate the anniversary, Eichmann said.

 As for the centennial celebration, plans include the Lobster Roll Lunch, which will take place on Friday, Aug. 14 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. A silent auction will also begin that day, said Lutz, and will include a painting of Wychmere Harbor by Bill Lutz as well as whale watch tickets, restaurant gift cards, acupuncture services, wooden bird houses, a locally made clam rake and other items. The auction will run through Aug. 30, and bids can be made when the thrift shop is open on Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Funds raised from the auction will be used for restoration of the stained glass windows, to help Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod and for necessary church repairs.

On Sunday, Aug. 30, the 100th Birthday Party will begin at 10:30 a.m. There will be free cake and ice cream provided by Sundae School and live music. The winners of the auction will be announced. The public is invited to the birthday party, said Lutz.