Deaneries & Churches

Welcome the latest Parishes To DCOH

St. Jude’s Anglican Church is a small, orthodox parish located in Huntersville, North Carolina, a northern suburb of Charlotte. Its roots date back to 2007. The church is situated within the rapidly growing Charlotte metropolitan area, with its meeting place at Huntersville ARP Church just steps from the town center. St Jude’s Anglican Church, formerly St Jude’s Mission, was planted in the days of the Anglican Mission in America (AMiA). Rev. Clay Thompson had a vision for a church planted solely from the fruits of evangelism. While finishing seminary and working at Starbucks, Clay initiated evangelistic bible studies with fellow employees and a few customers at the coffee shop. Those studies moved into his home and were combined with a meal. Clay raised outside funds for the funds for the launch of the small mission. By 2009, Sunday morning services were offered. The Church met in rented retail space in downtown Huntersville for worship on Sunday mornings and Bible studies on Wednesday nights. Consisting of a small remnant from the original evangelistic studies, some former Episcopalians, and some disenchanted Evangelicals looking for something new, the Church grew to an average Sunday attendance (ASA) of about 40 people.  Michael Stevens, a gifted musician, was recommended to Rev. Thompson to play piano at our services.  Huntersville Associate Reformed Presbyterian (Huntersville ARP) Church offered space for our small Church plant (circa 2012-2013).  With this transition our attendance peaked around 60 souls for our Sunday service. St. Jude’s Anglican Church has been part of the evolution of the Anglican Church in North America. Its beginning affiliation was with AMiA, then aligned with PEARUSA and now ACNA.

The maturation of SJAC from a mission to a church is ongoing. Seasons change, people come and go, but the Anglican tradition continues to drive St. Jude’s. This year they had the opportunity to continue their spiritual development in the Diocese of Christ Our Hope. Bishop Hawkins and the interim rector, The Rev. Ben Sharpe, facilitated their welcome to continue the faith journey.  

As they continue to grow in their knowledge and understanding of His Word they have been blessed with the fellowship of a small, but supportive congregation.  The biggest outreach program has been with the Community Pregnancy Center of Lake Norman in Huntersville, NC.  Monthly fellowship dinners and an active summer social calendar draw them closer together. The weekly “Listening to the Lectionary” program continues to help deepen their understanding of scripture. Milestones of scholastic graduations and sharing the pain of passing from this life have marked their joys and sadness. They report how there is emptiness in their hearts due to not having a full-time rector. They ask for your prayers as Bishop Hawkins and the congregation prayerfully search for a full-time priest. They also ask your prayers as they endeavor to explore ways their limited number can serve to reach the souls that, whether they know it or not, are searching for Christ. 

Fr. Alan and his wife Gayle began Grace Anglican Fellowship at a time when most couples are retiring! Fr. Alan was ordained a Deacon in 2016 and a Priest in 2017 at the age of 71. The congregation has grown from its small beginning of 7 adults worshiping in our home to a current membership of 46 (36 adults and 10 children) worshiping in a lovely Catholic church in Lake Forest, Illinois. In addition to Sunday morning services, they have a Wednesday evening Bible Study with Evening Prayer and Eucharist and a Thursday morning outreach at a local retirement home where they bring the residents Morning Prayer with Eucharist. They also offer a women’s weekly Bible Study.

Before becoming an Anglican priest, Fr. Alan had a high-profile professional music career in Chicago as a violinist and conductor. With this background in classical music, Grace was founded with a mission to bring the best in classical church music to their community. They are “High-Church Anglican” in their worship and have professional vocalists in our choir. 

Grace Anglican Fellowship was formed in the diocese of Quincy but in January 2026 decided to move to DCOH. There were two chief reasons for the change: 1.) their church has a long relationship with Bishop Manasseh in Rwanda and 2.) they had been considering a succession plan so that Fr. Alan could, in fact, retire. Grace saw robust leadership development at DCOH and assistance for church plants which held great promise for their future. 

They have great joy in sharing that they will be hiring Fr. Oliver Robinson as Vicar in January. Fr. Alan will take a secondary role in the parish. Together, they believe they will move Grace forward to the next steps in their growth. It will be their great joy to celebrate Fr. Olly’s new leadership and their 10-year anniversary as a congregation on January 4^th. They covet your prayers for a smooth transition.

• Growth
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Deaneries