History of the Church

Since its beginnings, St. Christopher’s has been a church very much a part of the community of Gladwyne.

The Parish Hall has been used for the Red Cross Blood Drive; it is the voting place for local and national elections, Girl and Boy Scout troops and many other civic and nonprofit events. Each year Azalea Day brings in people of all ages from the community, with all proceeds going to Outreach. St. Christopher’s also has a history of participating in interfaith services with the other houses of worship in the community.

Below is a snapshot of St. Christopher’s origins and growth over the past 75 years.

The late 1940’s: In the beginning, a new church for a growing community

St. Christopher’s Church, formally incorporated as a parish of the Diocese of Pennsylvania in 1949, was founded by a group of Gladwyne residents who recognized a growing interest in the village of Gladwyne to have its own Episcopal church. With the support of 90 interested families the founders raised $12,000 to purchase a 4 acre plot of land with a stone stable at the top of a wooded hillside, down the street from the village center. With money from a bequest to the Diocese by David and Elizabeth Goodbread, the church was designed and built as a Pennsylvania fieldstone colonial style church; the stone stable became its parish house.

The cornerstone was laid in 1950; the first rector arrived during the year of construction; and on Christmas Eve 1950, the first service was held at St. Christopher’s, its name a reference to the patron saint of travelers.

St. Christopher’s established itself quickly as a friendly and active congregation with a relaxed style that has continued through its 75 years and counting. Each of its five rectors brought a distinctive style of spiritual leadership in dealing with the challenges of the times; all contributed to a warm and welcoming presence in the church community and beyond.

1950-1955: The Rev. Robert Q. Kennaugh. Launching a new parish.

Moving to Gladwyne from his native state of Texas, Bob Kennaugh got the parish up and running, laying the groundwork for worship, learning and fellowship for all, with an acolyte guild, classes for children and adults, a youth group, a men’s club and a women’s auxiliary.

Various celebrations included the Gladwyne community, including a Texas barbeque, a Christmas tree burning, and Azalea Day – the annual spring fair that has continued since May 1951.

When Bob Kennaugh left in the fall of 1955, the parish had grown to 400 people. Over the next decade, new buildings would be constructed to accommodate the parish, its clergy, and expanded activities.

1956-1964: The Rev. Halsey Howe. A focus on education and growth.

The parish built a new rectory on the church grounds for the arrival of its second rector, New Englander Halsey Howe, his wife and four [soon to be 7] children in September of 1956. A family man with a strong interest in Christian education, Halsey conducted weekly Bible classes and Lenten family suppers. Other church activities included boys’ and girls’ choirs, and a pipe band. An active women’ s group provided furnishings for the library and classrooms.

In 1960, the staff was expanded to include Helen McHenry, the first woman to graduate from Philadelphia Divinity School, as director of Christian Education, and in 1963 a new parish house was constructed to meet the needs of the growing church school classes. A nonsectarian day school for 3- and 4-year-olds was established in 1962, occupying the old parish house (part of the original stable on the property).

In 1964, Halsey decided to head back to Rhode Island, accepting a call to a church “where his roots were.” As St. Christopher’s approached its 15th anniversary, the Vestry then turned to a local young priest with deep roots in – and love for – the Philadelphia region.

1965-1991: The Rev. Warren Davis. New traditions in a changing culture, and a celebration of celebration

On January 1, 1965, 38-year-old Philadelphia native Warren Davis became the third rector of St. Christopher’s, where he would serve during decades of considerable societal and cultural challenges. When the national church adopted a new liturgy and prayer book, Warren guided the parish through the changes. Informed by faith and encouraged by the politically active bishop of Pennsylvania, Robert DeWitt, Warren shepherded the parish through years of social turmoil over the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights movement. Parishioners volunteered in organizations supporting the fight for civil rights and efforts to eliminate discrimination in housing. Warren took parishioners with him on monthly visits to Graterford prison, where an Episcopal congregation was eventually recognized as St. Dismas parish. Leadership in social and diocesan activism remains a hallmark of the parish today.

Led by Warren and the Vestry, the parish included increasing numbers of women in leadership roles and in 1974 supported the ordination of “the Philadelphia Eleven” – the first women to become priests in the diocese. In the 1980s, St. Christopher’s welcomed women priests to serve with Warren: Leslie Evans, ordained in 1983 as Assistant Rector, and Judy Beck, a parishioner, ordained in 1989.

The arts and music flourished at St. Christopher’s during Warren’s tenure, guided by his spiritual perspective on the centuries-long tradition of the church as a home of original music, painting, sculpture and witnessed drama in sanctuaries. Warren was also a watercolor artist and a musician, with a reverence for animals and nature. Sermons reflected his embrace of literature and music, and special worship services included musical programs with choirs and instrumentalists. A new pipe organ was installed in 1975. And the Celebration of Creation program in 1977 turned the parish hall into an art gallery, showcasing the art of parishioners as
well as members of the Gladwyne community.

After serving St. Christopher’s for 26 years, Warren retired in 1991, leaving the parish with new traditions, a continuing commitment to outreach and a joyful sense of fellowship and purpose.

1991-2013: The Rev. William H. Wood. A thoughtful leader preparing us for the new century.

In 1991, the Virginian-born and raised William H. Wood, arrived at St. Christopher’s with his wife and two young children, following service as Rector at Trinity Solebury in Bucks County and as Assistant at St. David’s in nearby Radnor Township before that. A good listener with a relaxed, warm and welcoming personality, Bill used stories of his family, his Virginia roots and his experiences in the Navy to enliven and enrich his sermons, which were full of humor, along with insights about liturgical readings and their application to the world today.

Bill approached people and issues with a unique combination of faith and humor, intellectual curiosity and humility, never presuming to have all the answers, but very interested in life’s questions. After services on Sunday, Bill led a weekly Forum exploring various church-related and secular topics. Bill was also active in Diocesan matters, serving on its Standing Committee during trying times, helping ultimately to put it back on an even keel.

During Bill’s tenure, in keeping with the long tradition of support for women clergy at St. Christopher’s, he recruited Mary Carson as Assistant (1994-96), Ruth Hindley as Deacon, and Mary Laney as Parish Associate. Drawn to St. Christophers because of its outreach programs, Mary Laney, a social activist who had retired as Vicar of St. Gabriel’s in Philadelphia, made a large impact on St. Christopher’s from 2005 until her untimely death in 2012.

Parishioners continued active hands-on outreach in different ways, including tutoring at St. Gabriel’s after-school program, carpentry projects at Free Church of St. John, in Kensington, an active soup group that provided soup for St. John’s Episcopal Church in Norristown, and providing an annual Thanksgiving meal to several hundred people at the Church of the Advocate, in North Philadelphia.

After 21 years, Bill, whose tenure had been extended for a year past his time for retirement by the Vestry and the Diocese, retired at the end of March 2013.

2014-2025: The Rev. Dr. Hillary Raining. Our first female rector.

In April 2014, we welcomed Hillary Raining, who moved with her husband and young daughter from St. David’s Episcopal Church in Radnor where she served as Assistant Rector.

Warm, funny and energetic, spiritual and internet-savvy, Hillary was tuned into the times and reached out to the parish and community in new ways. She increased programs, brought the Day School closer to the parish, offered more spiritual practices and oversaw a long-term plan for the Church’s growth.

Hillary’s reach extended beyond St. Christopher’s. For several years, she ran an evening yoga class in the parish hall, open to members of the community as well as parishioners. She founded The Hive Apiary (www.thehiveapiary.com), a spirituality and wellness website. She wrote two books, was published three times in academic journals and designed a national church curriculum.

When Covid struck the world, Hillary responded swiftly with Sunday services online (a practice that continues today) using a sophisticated audio-visual system to stream via Vimeo and YouTube. During the shut-down, the parish was recognized and selected by the national Episcopal church for a virtual Easter service.

In 2025, Hillary accepted a call from St. Columba’s Episcopal Church in Washington, DC to be its Rector. Located on Embassy Row, St. Columba’s is one of the country’s largest Episcopal churches, – a place where Hillary will be able to make a big impact.