Historic Church Open House

Last weekend, I attended the eighth annual Interfaith Outreach Association Historic Church Open House, one of the most joyful and awe-inspiring Christmas events I’ve had the opportunity to experience. 

Seven historic churches participated in the open house:

1. Diamond Hill Baptist Church

2. Jackson Street United Methodist Church

3. Holy Cross Catholic Church

4. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

5. Court Street Baptist Church

6. Court Street United Methodist Church

7. Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Lynchburg

When you visit downtown Lynchburg, one of the first things you’ll notice is the church steeples. With the city situated on a hillside, its steeples stagger across the landscape. While there are a variety of places of worship throughout the city—old and new—the churches downtown are particularly significant because they hold hundreds of years of Lynchburg history. The Historic Churches Open House provides you with a small taste of the city’s rich faith heritage. 

Diamond Hill Baptist Church

The first church on the route was an African-American baptist church located in Lynchburg’s Diamond Hill neighborhood. Built in 1886, the gothic revival church played a significant role in the city’s civil rights movement, hosting key figures like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The church’s mass choir sang a handful of Christmas gospel songs in the sanctuary, which was decked out for the holidays with garland, poinsettias, and wreaths.  

Diamond Hill Baptist Church

Jackson Street United Methodist Church

One of the oldest African-American congregations in Lynchburg, Jackson Street United Methodist Church had its cornerstone laid in 1866. This church played a large role in African-American education in Central Virginia and even hosted the first African-American high school graduation ceremony in Lynchburg in 1886. 

Poinsettias and Christmas banners decorated the second-floor sanctuary, and soloist Ronnie Schoultz and his friends sang holiday songs for the audience.

Jackson Street United Methodist Church

Holy Cross Catholic Church

One of my favorite stops on the tour, Holy Cross Catholic Church, dates back to 1829. The existing building was dedicated in 1879 and has gone through extensive renovations over the years. Now, it is a relatively modern Catholic church and features a variety of stunning architectural elements. Most interesting is the church’s diverse congregation. For the open house, the Simbang Gabi Choir sang a variety of Filipo mass songs and Christmas carols. The music minister also led the audience in a powerful rendition of “Amazing Grace.” 

Holy Cross Catholic Church (Thank you to my friend Marie for the photo!)

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

St. Paul’s was my favorite stop on the tour. First founded in 1822, St. Paul’s is the oldest Episcopal church in Lynchburg and has played a large role in the founding of other Episcopal congregations as well as Sweet Briar College and Virginia Episcopal School. The current church, a Romanesque-style building constructed of gray granite, hosted its first service in 1895. The interior of the building is covered from floor to ceiling in hand-painted symbols and beautiful stained glass windows. It’s a testament to art as worship, and every element of the space exudes honor and glory to God. 

Organist and choir master Sumner Jenkins played a few traditional pieces on the church’s Shantz organ for the audience. As the music washed over the room, we took in the beauty of the space and appreciated the Christmas decorations, including the Renaissance Angel Tree, which is modeled after the angel tree in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Each angel ornament was purchased by a member of St. Paul’s congregation in remembrance of a loved one. 

St Paul's Episcopal Church

Court Street Baptist Church

Court Street Baptist Church is known as the mother of all Black baptist churches in Lynchburg. It’s a large brick building designed by architect R.C. Burkholder and was completed in 1880. Their senior choir and organist led the audience in a variety of well-known Christmas songs that had everyone singing, clapping, and smiling.

Court Street Baptist Church

Court Street United Methodist Church

Court Street United Methodist Church is another stunning stop along the route. Founded in 1851 as 4th Street Station, the church received its current name in 1968. If this church looks familiar to you, it’s because it has appeared on my blog in the past. I’ve attended a few organ recitals here, as they have a spectacular Shantz organ that quite literally rattles the floor when played. 

The music at Court Street UMC was some of the best, as they had organist Gary Lowe play a few pieces. Violinist Thom Morris and vocalist Julia Morris also presented a few beautiful arrangements of familiar Christmas songs. 

This stop was also special because members of Temple Agudath Sholom, the local synagogue, joined us to share some Hannukah traditions and songs. 

Court Street United Methodist Church (Thank you to my friend Marie for the photo!)

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Lynchburg

Full disclosure, I skipped this stop on the tour this year. However, last year, I attended and thoroughly enjoyed the holiday music played by pianist Emily Chua. This church is one of the most unique structures on the route, as it is built into the hillside and accessible from Monument Terrace, the city’s grand staircase leading from Church Street up to Court Street.

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This event holds a special place in my heart not only because of the beautiful churches, but also because of the beauty of the faiths displayed throughout the event. I grew up in a conservative Christian home, and I have fond memories of my time participating in church events, especially at Christmastime. 

Many young people are in the process of deconstructing their Christian faith, especially in light of the current state of American politics. The lines between evangelical Christianity and political conservatism are nearly indistinguishable. Despite seeing a lot of people conflate religion and politics (on both sides of the political spectrum), I’ve leaned into my faith and dived deeper into my spiritual life than ever before over the past few years. 

My nose stung when we were singing “Amazing Grace” together at Holy Cross Catholic Church. As I sat there with a red-bound hymnal cracked open in my lap, I couldn’t help but think about the ridiculousness of denominational labels. There aren’t as many differences between denominations as we think there are, and it’s so easy to get hung up on the things that don’t really matter—what kinds of songs we sing, how people dress, how Sunday services are conducted, what kinds of prayers we say… At the end of the day, the one thing about the Christian faith that unites us all is Christ.