8:00 AM
Holy Eucharist, Rite I
10:00 AM
Holy Eucharist, Rite II
Child care for children 2 and under
Summer children's program for 3- through 8-year-olds
Wednesdays:
9:00 AM Holy Eucharist in the Chapel
Healing Service on the first Wednesday of each month
Thursdays:
6:30 AM Holy Eucharist in the Chapel, followed by breakfast and Bible study
8:00 AM
Holy Eucharist, Rite I
9:00 AM
Holy Eucharist, Rite II
Child care for children 2 and under
Godly Play classes for 3- through 8-year-olds
Children older than 8 years old attend church with their families.
10:00 AM
Child care for children 2 and under
Special fellowship programs for 3- through 8-year-olds
Children's Ministry for 3rd through 5th graders
Youth Ministry and Adult Enrichment
11:00 AM
Holy Eucharist, Rite II - first, third, and fifth Sundays
Choral Matins - second and fourth Sundays
Child care for infants through 5-year-olds
As you drive up Buck Road, you will make a few right turns until you see the Church straight ahead of you. There is a yellow traffic sign that might make you laugh and then think a bit. It says, “Approach with Caution.” We don’t want you to think you have to be cautious in joining us as a community of faith. With more than 1800 members, you are sure to find someone like you among us. We are happy to welcome you to Christ Church and want you to feel blessed by your time with us. We do need you to be cautious in driving because there are children and parents from the Christ Church Episcopal Preschool about and people crossing the parking lot to get to worship or an event in the Parish Center. There are a few spots reserved right in front of the Church for newcomers or people with special needs, but park where you are comfortable. Come and join us.
Our worship on Sunday is usually held in the Church. The midweek services take place in the Chapel which is a part of the Parish Center. Programs of learning for all ages, fellowship, and service take place all through the Parish Center. You are welcome to take part in our life of worship, fellowship, and service. Expect to be greeted warmly and invited to return. We want you to feel our love for God and neighbor, finding our hospitality generous and the blessing of sanctuary and peace so that you feel safe here. Approach the parking lot with caution, but enter our doors with an open heart.
Let’s start with what to wear. While there is no dress code to worship God, people generally spruce up a bit to demonstrate that this is a special time. We encourage you to be comfortable, whether Sunday best or summer shorts and sneakers. The church is God's house. We show our respect by our reverence in God's house and by our love for one another.
Except for our midweek services in the Chapel, you will find a Bulletin or service sheet to guide you through the service you attend. You are welcome to sit where you are most comfortable. While some folks believe they have an assigned seat, they will welcome you and make room for you. In the pews you will find two books. The red Book of Common Prayer is used throughout the Episcopal Church. (The Bulletin refers to it as the BCP.) It contains all the different forms of worship that we do as Christians along the life journey and through the weekly and yearly cycles. The second book is the blue Hymnal 1982. The hymnal is divided into two sections. The first is music for the parts of the service that may be sung and are listed with "S" before the number; the second section is the hymns, organized by themes. Occasionally we print a hymn as an insert to our Bulletin or put the service music on a card at the end of the pew. We’re trying to make it easier for you to participate. Even if you are not a great singer or are unfamiliar with the prayers, it is good to join your voice with others. You become a part of the assembly, a part of the whole as the Holy Spirit unites us.
You may wonder when to stand or kneel and feel awkward. We give you hints in the Bulletin so that you can participate. The general rule is to stand for the Gospel during the Holy Eucharist service, to say our affirmation of faith, the Creed, and to sing and sit during readings from the Old Testament or New Testament Letters, the sermon, and choir anthems. We stand or kneel for prayer to show our gratitude and humility before God.
At celebrations of the Eucharist, all baptized Christians are welcome to make a Holy Communion. If you are not baptized and you want to participate, speak with a member of the clergy staff and we can guide you to the right practice. Walk up the center aisle to the altar rail and kneel or stand. A minister will place a wafer or piece of bread into your cupped hands saying words such as, "The body of Christ, the bread of heaven." Another minister will bring the cup of wine with the words, "The blood of Christ, the cup of salvation." You may either drink from the cup or you may dip the bread into the wine. If you do not wish to receive communion, you may still come to the altar for a blessing. Simply cross your hands over your chest, and the minister will know that you would like to be blessed. Our usual practice is for all the baptized to receive, no matter how young. After receiving communion, leave the altar rail by the side aisles and return to your pew. Many people kneel in silent prayer for a while after receiving the Eucharist. You can also join in singing a hymn if it’s listed in the Bulletin.
At the end of the service we generally have announcements about opportunities for ministry; some events happen right after worship, and you are welcome to participate. You might choose to sit and listen to the organ postlude, but most people make their way to the exits and on to the next part of their day, either at the church or leaving our grounds. We hope that you will return to join us again.
HOW ARE THE THREE SUNDAY SERVICES DIFFERENT?
The 8:00 AM service is a Rite I Eucharist (Communion) without music (most traditional service).
The 9:00 AM service is a Rite II Eucharist with music.
- Nursery care for infants and toddlers is available
- Godly Play classes for 3- through 8-year-olds
- Children in 3rd grade and above attend church with their families
The 11:00 AM service alternates between Eucharist and Choral Matins (sung Morning Prayer) and features the professional Christ Church Choir.
- Child care for infants through 5-year-olds is available
WHAT IS HOLY EUCHARIST?
You might know it as the Lord's Supper, Holy Communion, or Mass. It is the sacrament commanded by Jesus Christ for the continual remembrance of his life, death, and resurrection. The symbols in the Eucharist are bread and wine.
WHAT DO I WEAR TO SUNDAY SERVICES?
We care more that you come than what you wear. At any service you will find people in suits and those much more casual. Children tend to wear school clothes.
WHO IS ALLOWED TO TAKE COMMUNION?
At Christ Church we welcome all to communion and hope you will join us soon.
MAY MY CHILDREN TAKE COMMUNION?
Absolutely. We are teaching that baptism and communion are connected rituals, so children may start receiving as soon as they are baptized. If you don't want your child to receive or they don't want to take communion, it is as easy as shaking your head or having your child cross her arms over her chest for a blessing.
HOW DO I TAKE COMMUNION?
Think follow the leader, and you will be fine. When the people in the pew in front of you go, you should stand and follow. If you are able to kneel at the rail, that is the tradition, but you may stand if that is easier. Hold your hands together and the priest will put the wafer or morsel of bread in your hand. You may either eat the bread or wait and dip it into the wine when the server brings it to you. Both ways are completely acceptable.
WHAT IF I AM NOT READY TO TAKE COMMUNION?
You may either remain in your pew or come to the rail for a blessing. To receive a blessing, simply cross your arms over your chest.
DOES THE WINE CONTAIN ALCOHOL?
Yes, but you don't have to partake. Feel free to take the wafer and cross your arms over your chest when the wine is served, and the server will skip you.
DOES THE WAFER CONTAIN GLUTEN?
Yes, but the priest will have a gluten-free wafer with him or her. Just look up at the priest and say that you need a gluten-free wafer.
IS THERE A SUGGESTED AMOUNT TO PUT IN THE OFFERING?
As a visitor, please make a free will gift. If you become a regular worshipper, we ask that you prayerfully consider an annual pledge that supports the work that we do and demonstrates the value the church provides to you.
WHERE IS THE ROOM TO TAKE CRYING BABIES OR CHILDREN?
We don’t have one. Children are welcome at all services. Our nursery is staffed by professionals and is in the lower level of the Parish Center (behind the Church). It is available during the 9:00 and 11:00 AM services during the academic year and at the 10:00 AM service during the summer.
IS THERE SUNDAY SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS?
- Sunday School for youth and adults is held between services at 10:00 AM, lasting approximately 45
minutes.
- Children's Ministries for 3- through 8-year-olds is held during the 9:00 AM service, with Enrichment
opportunities for these children at 10:00 AM.
- All classes are held in the Parish Center or Annex. Please ask a greeter to direct you to the right location.
ARE THERE TOURS GIVEN OF THE CHURCH AND PARISH BUILDINGS?
We will be glad to arrange one for visitors. Please call the parish office at (302) 655-3379 or complete this contact form.
WHAT DO I CALL THE CLERGY?
Generally adults call members of the clergy by their first name and children use Reverend.
HOW DO PEOPLE JOIN ONE OF THE FOUR CHOIRS?
Please contact the Organist/Choirmaster if you are interested in sharing your time and talent. Click here to visit our Choirs page.
WHAT IS THE BLUE LAMINATED MUSIC IN THE PEW RACK?
It is used when you see an asterik in the service bulletin during various seasons of the church year. For our sesquicentennial (150th) anniversary in 1998, we commissioned Sir David Willcocks to write special service music for us.
HOW DO I LEARN MORE ABOUT CHRIST CHURCH?
Please fill out a yellow card in the pew, complete this contact form, or introduce yourself to a clergy person at a service to set up a meeting.
HOW DO I LEARN MORE ABOUT THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH?
The clergy will be glad to help you learn more, and there are leaflets at the entrance to the church that may answer some of your questions. Each spring, we host an Adult Inquirers' Class for those who would like to learn more about the Church and for those who want to be confirmed in the Episcopal Church.
Our congregation's roots are watered by the Brandywine River. Christ Church Christiana Hundred is one of four congregations that began in the Brandywine Manufacturer's Sunday School, supported by the leaders of industry early in the 19th century. The school combined basic education and Christian worship for the river's mill workers and their children. From these roots the Episcopal Diocese of Delaware grew a new congregation to serve those who lived near the river, whether tenants or landowners, many of whom were members of the du Pont family.
As Wilmington's industry grew beside the river, so did Christ Church. The parish was often referred to as the church of the du Ponts or the DuPont Company church. Their practice of quiet generosity built the church and established its primary ministry in the holiness of worship, the education of children, and the care for those in need.
Now our members come from far and wide: Wilmington, North Wilmington, West Chester, Kennett Square, Hockessin, Newark, and closer to home in Greenville. They bring a richly diverse set of gifts and talents. Today Christ Church demonstrates the fruitful ministry of a congregation planted to serve others and draws them close in the knowledge and love of the Lord. We understand our mission to be followers of Christ who share the beauty and power of God's transforming love through worship, fellowship, and service in the world. Our preschool, founded in 2006, carries one element from our early roots to a new generation, gathering children for education and sharing with them the Good News of God's love in Jesus Christ.
Like the rings that mark the growth of a tree and the new branches that spread a peaceful shade ever more widely, the next generation of members in ministry will contribute to our stability and will spread the serenity of God's peace here beside the river and out into the larger world.
Christ Church is located at 505 E. Buck Road, Wilmington, DE 19807. Please note that some GPS devices refer to Buck Road as Christ Church Road.
For driving directions from your specific location, click here
FROM THE NORTH
Take I-95 South to Route 202 North/Concord Pike exit 8B toward West Chester. Keep right at the fork in the ramp to Route 261 South/Foulk Road and turn left onto Foulk Road. Foulk Road becomes Powder Mill Road/Route 141 South. Follow Route 141 South for 2 miles, get into the right lane to turn right onto the Tyler-McConnell Bridge. Shortly after crossing the bridge, turn right onto Route 100 North. Proceed one mile and turn right at the light at Buck Road East. At the first stop sign, turn right. Go a quarter of a mile to the next stop sign and turn right. Proceed another quarter of a mile to the Church parking lot at the end of the road.
FROM THE SOUTH
Take I-95 North to the I-295 exit toward New Jersey Turnpike/Delaware Memorial Bridge/NJ-NY. Merge onto Route 141 North toward Newport. Follow Route 141 North for approximately 7 miles to Route 100 North. Turn left and follow directions above.
