About

Christ Church’s mission is to connect people with the fiercely accepting love of Jesus:

By creating space for people to grow with God, others, and ourselves.
By fostering opportunities for people to serve those around them.
By promoting equity and justice through our participation and resources.

As a church, we are Christian.

We believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and that we have been set free by his death and resurrection.
We believe in the ongoing activity of the Holy Spirit in and through us now.
We enjoy eternal life as children of God through Christ – and that eternal life has already begun here and now.

Our pastor, Kate Heichler, is here to support the people of God in doing whatever they feel most drawn to and gifted for.

She preaches, teaches, guides and offers pastoral care.
She seeks to empower the ministry of all members and to foster a greater engagement with the world and its needs.

Our ministers are the people of Christ Church, both new and long-time members, supported by the clergy.

The Episcopal Church is the American branch of the Anglican communion. (Anglicans are Protestants who have retained some elements of Catholic worship.) We have bishops (overseers) and ordained ministers, yet we value the leadership of all the baptized. Episcopalians value open-mindedness, listening to the views of others, and trusting in God for answers.

Christ Church is a part of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington (EDOW), which is headed by Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde. The EDOW includes the Episcopal churches of Washington, D.C., and Charles, St. Mary’s, Prince George’s and Montgomery counties.

Staff

Rector: The Rev. Dr. Kate Heichler

Kate has led Christ Church since February 2018. Ordained as a priest in 2004, she has served congregations in Connecticut and Washington, DC, and holds an MDiv (summa cum laude) from Yale Divinity School, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Hartford Seminary. A prolific writer and crafter of worship experiences, Kate is passionate about the church’s healing ministry. She publishes a daily spiritual reflection on the upcoming Sunday’s gospel reading (Water Daily). Christ Church is happy to share her with our sister church, Christ Church La Plata

Parish Secretary: Sandy Hixson

Sandy brings a lifetime in the Church and extensive experience in administration to our parish office. She is in the office 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Thursday and can be reached at 301-259-4327.

Leaders

Vestry

The lay leadership of Christ Church is headed by the wardens and vestry (board); the vestry meets monthly.

Directions

Christ Church Wayside
13050 Rock Point Road
Newburg, MD 20664
Phone: (301) 259-4327

Finding Your Way Around Christ Church

Entry Points

Sanctuary – to come to Sunday worship, you can come right into the church through the doors facing Rock Point Road.

Accessibility

Like many old buildings, Christ Church has spaces that are hard to access, but we’ve figured out work-arounds for most of them. Handicapped-accessible parking spaces are located at the rear of the church with a ramp to the front of the church on one side.

Our parish hall is behind the church.

Our History

Christ Church, the oldest public building in Charles County, has been in existence since 1690.

The Church’s ministry began nearly 100 years before the Revolutionary War. Christ Church Wayside was one of 30 parishes created by the Maryland Assembly’s Establishment Act in 1692. The church building itself was originally known as Piccawaxen Church.

We have little additional information until 1750 when the Maryland Assembly voted funds to enlarge and repair the church under the direction of its rector, the Rev. Samuel Claggett. In 1792 the rector’s son, Thomas John Claggett (1743-1816), made ecclesiastical history when he became the first bishop of the newly formed American Episcopal Church (est. in 1783) to be consecrated on American soil and the first bishop of the Diocese of Maryland (est. in 1780).

The church’s records prior to the Civil War are sketchy; some were burned and others lost during the war. However, the vestry minutes of 1864 note that the vestry voted to suspend services until repairs could be made “because of destruction of windows and other acts of violence.” The church had been used to quarter Union soldiers and also as a stable for their horses. Finally, under the direction of the rector, Father John Todd, a contract was signed in 1869 to repair the church.

During this period, church services were held at the Mount Republican estate about one mile from the church. The record book containing the vestry minutes has been in continuous use since 1864.

We are excited about the future of our church, and we hope you will come and experience this loving, joyful community in person – and help build our history going forward.

Rochambeau Trail

Christ Church Wayside has an informative sign in front of the building designating the Rochambeau Trail from the Revolutionary War.

Maryland’s first colonial governor offered the freedom to practice their faith to thousands of Roman Catholics who immigrated to the colony from 1633, establishing some of the oldest Catholic communities in the US. Yet, in 1689, the Church of England was established as the official church of Maryland, and Christ Church Wayside was founded.

On their way to Yorktown in March 1781, Colonel Robert Dillon of Lauzun’s Legion and the Comte de Saint-Maisme, colonel of the Soissonnois Regiment, traveled past Christ Church Wayside before crossing the Potomac River on Hooe’s Ferry from Lower Cedar Point. Baron Ludwig von Closen and Baron Cromot du Bourg, with “four servants and 10 horses,” took the same route in September 1781. The French Alliance between the US and France during the American Revolutionary War helped achieve American independence and was part of France’s geopolitical strategy that united international trade while diminishing Britain’s position in North America.

“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God.” – Ephesians 2:19