Christ Church Harlan

Christ Church Harlan is located in the mountain town of Harlan, Kentucky in the shade of Kentucky’s three highest peaks. The parish family consists of approximately ten (10) households who are all active in the life of the church. The church building was constructed in the English Gothic design from hand cut local sandstone and timber in 1930. During the fifteen years before the building’s completion, occasional Episcopal worship services began in Harlan in 1916 with regular monthly services beginning in 1918 in the Presbyterian Church, the Masonic Hall, Harlan High School Auditorium, buildings owned by Clover Fork Coal Company in Kitts and Harlan Colliers Company in Brookside and the Margie Grand Theatre.

Although small in number and often without resident clergy, Christ Church has remained an active, debt free, parish since the day of its consecration. During the early decades, many young clergy and seminarians were in charge of the parish for 1-2 year stints. In recent years there were longer rectorates of seven (7), eleven (11) and twelve (12) years.

Christ Church has a comfortable 3 bedroom brick rectory (420 East Mound Street) and a 6 room Sunday School building (425 East Central Street) adjacent to the Church (101 North Williams Street). The 1889 seven rank organ was restored in 1995. This project was followed by installation of a peal of bells in the tower, renovations in the Sunday School building, rectory, nave windows and undercroft with the recent construction of handicap access and a two floor lift.

Christ Church is blessed with talented musicians and good cooks who graciously share their skills with the church. We were ecumenical before ecumenical was cool. Annual Holy Week noonday services and luncheons at Christ Church have included preachers and flocks from other denominations for more than 40 years. We have 5th Sunday, Advent, and Lenten joint worship services with Presbyterian, Methodist, Christian, Baptist, and Roman Catholic Churches. We support Christ’s Hands, a local soup kitchen and homeless shelter and we cook a monthly meal for Celebrate Recovery, a faith based 12 step recovery program for addicts.