200 Years of Faith in Elizabeth City

Our mission is to be a loving family in which Christ is known and proclaimed as Lord and Savior.

We are a welcoming community of faith in the heart of Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Grounded in the rich liturgical tradition of the Anglican Communion, we gather each week to worship God, grow in discipleship, and serve our neighbors near and far.

Whether you are a lifelong Episcopalian or exploring the Christian faith for the first time, you will find a place at our table. We believe that every person is created in the image of God and beloved by God, and we strive to reflect that love in all we do — in our worship, our fellowship, and our outreach to the community.

The Episcopal presence in the Albemarle region dates to the earliest colonial settlements in North Carolina. By the early nineteenth century, a growing number of Episcopalians in Elizabeth City recognized the need for a permanent parish. Christ Church was formally organized in 1825, making it one of the oldest continuously active parishes in eastern North Carolina.

The present church building was erected in 1857 in the Gothic Revival style, a testament to the faith and ambition of a young parish on the banks of the Pasquotank River. The building is distinguished by its striking hammer-beam ceiling — one of the finest examples of this medieval English roof construction in the American South — and its collection of eighteen stained glass windows that fill the nave with color and light.

The architecture reflects the ecclesiological movement of the mid-nineteenth century, which sought to recover the beauty and order of medieval English parish churches. The pointed arches, exposed timber trusses, and deeply recessed chancel all speak to the Anglican conviction that worship should engage the whole person — body, mind, and spirit.

During the Civil War, Elizabeth City was occupied by Union forces following the Battle of Elizabeth City in 1862. The Rector at the time, the Rev. Edward M. Forbes, played a remarkable role in the life of the town: he personally negotiated with Union commanders for the peaceful surrender and protection of the civilian population. His courage and diplomacy are credited with sparing the town from the destruction visited upon other communities in the region. The church building itself survived the war intact and continued to serve as a place of worship throughout the conflict.

Christ Church is home to two historic pipe organs. The first, built by Henry Erben of New York in 1845, is one of the oldest surviving Erben instruments in the South. The second, a larger instrument built by the Austin Organ Company in 1952, serves as the principal organ for Sunday worship. Together they represent nearly two centuries of the Anglican choral tradition in Elizabeth City.

The church and its grounds were placed on the National Register of Historic Places, recognizing the architectural and historical significance of the site to the story of eastern North Carolina.