St. Chad's Episcopal Church

Adult Sunday school (9:15 am in the choir room)

Adult Sunday school is lead either by laypersons or clergy and have such lively topics as, “What is so    amazing about Grace?”, “Everything you wanted to know about God but were afraid to ask” or “Book of Common Prayer 101.” Grab your breakfast and join us in the choir room for some good study and discussion.  

Bible Studies

Tuesdays at 10 am (September – May): Paul and Carol Brocard lead a study, working through of  various books of the Bible. This Bible study meets in the St. Chad’s in the choir room, and runs from September through May each year, taking a break during the summer.

Lenten Series and Advent Series

During Lent and Advent the congregation is invited to sign up for the Thursday nights “Soup, Salad and Study.” This potluck event provides for fellowship time over a meal, followed by the chosen topic of study. The study portion of the evening usually includes a video, followed by a time of discussion.  Each study ends with a Compline service in the sanctuary.

Come to the Cross: Preschool through 5th grade, 10 am in the Come to the Cross classroom

“Come to the Cross”  is the Sunday morning class for those who are ready for a more formal classroom environment. This class currently uses the Living the Good News curriculum, which “supports and respects the journey of…all age levels to teach, inspire and involve them in prayer, worship and spiritual growth.” Living the Good News follows the Episcopal Liturgical Calendar, so children are learning about the same lesson their parents heard about in church that morning, while having fun with related activities, crafts and music. Because of the age range of the class, we will often do part of the class as a whole, then break up into smaller groups for activities focused on physical movement and crafts tailored to different age groups.

Youth Sunday School: 5th through 12th grades, 10 am in the Youth room

The youth Sunday school lessons cover “questions about the Bible, creed, disciples, Jesus, other beliefs, and hot topics.” Some examples of lesson topics are “Can I be a Christian without going to church?”, “Is the New Testament more important than the Old Testament?” and “If Jesus is God, why did He have to die?” The lessons begin with a short video, then proceed with discussions and activities related to the topic and related Biblical passages. This class encourages our young people to start asking and thinking about hard questions in a safe, nurturing environment.

Episcopal Diocese Youth Group

Each month during the school year one of the local churches of the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande hosts a youth event. Past events have included collecting items for Borderland Ministries, skating, scavenger hunting, hiking, collecting items for homeless Albuquerque youth, movie nights and the annual Palm Saturday event hosted by St. Chad’s.

Outreach is a fundamental part of the fabric of St. Chad’s. We work to extend services, benefits and aid to the community outside our walls. St. Chad’s has three types of outreach: financial contributions from the parish to organizations, in-kind donation of goods to organizations and volunteering by parishioners with a variety of community agencies. Following is more information about ways St. Chad’s members are involved in outreach.

Parish Contributions

Adults and children/teens Helping at Project Share and at the Roadrunner Food Bank

CasaQ – Financial assistance and food preparations and donations to Albuquerque's only shelter for LGBT kids and teens up to age 18, who have been rejected by their nuclear families, and who need, shelter, education and guidance

Hopeworks – Outreach funds go to Hopeworks (the former St. Martin’s) to support their outreach efforts  to the homeless population in Albuquerque. These funds are used purchasing goods and funding breakfast and other projects.

Saranam – St. Chad’s provides both financial and in-kind contributions to this 2 year housing and education program for homeless with families who want to change and improve their lives.

Project Share – As with Saranam, we provide more than just financial support to Project Share. Parishioners regularly purchase and prepare food items for this six-nights-per-week program that provides dinners for the working poor in Albuquerque.

Rio Grande Borderland Ministries – Contributions go to aid those living in poverty on the border between New Mexico and Mexico in conjunction with the (Episcopal) Diocese of the Rio Grande

In-Kind Donations

Pillowcase Dresses

Socks – After Easter each year we collect socks for those homeless who utilize the services of  Hopeworks (the former St. Martin's Hospitality Center) in downtown Albuquerque.

Computers and computer supplies – Our computer club repairs/wipes computers and computer  equipment, then donates these items to organizations and people in the Albuquerque community.

Pillowcase dresses – Our Daughter’s of the King chapter make dresses for girls at the Mustard Seed Orphanage in Hoima, Uganda in Africa.

Private Outreach

Because of our focus on outreach, that many of our parishioners volunteer in many capacities outside of organized St. Chad’s outreach is not surprising. Here are some examples:

• Snacks, water or toiletries to those begging on street corners
• Nursing home visits
• Assisiting in meal preparation and basic first-aid/medical needs for/at Hopeworks (downtown homeless shelter and outreach)
• Prayer shawl knitting for donation to those needing spiritual support.

Many parishioners volunteer in other activities that are unknown to the Outreach Committee. We are establishing a simple means to capture this information for the parish records.

If you are interested in being a part of  our outreach activities, contact the church office at (505) 856-9200.

We love to have opportunities to gather together to worship, celebrate, and EAT! Here are some of the social, inter-generational activities we host each year:

Parish Picnic – Each fall we gather to have an off-site worship service combined with outdoor food and fun.

Blessing of the Animals – To celebrate the Feast of St. Francis each fall, St. Chad’s hosts a “Blessing of the Animals” service in early October. Parishioners and community members at large are invited to bring their animals, large and small, to be blessed. The children provide snacks and “toys” for the animals.

St. Nicholas Event – We celebrate St. Nicholas as a way to bridge the story between Santa Claus and the birth of Jesus. The event combines several activities such as cookie decorating, ornament making, scarf making, dinner and stories about St. Nicholas. Some cookies are donated to fire departments and our scarves are donated to the homeless. Lots of fun and learning for all ages. Come join us and bring your friends.

Chili Cook-off – Each January the St. Chad’s chapter of Brotherhood of St. Andrew hosts a chili cook-off dinner. Parishioners–and even friends of the parish–are encouraged to bring a pot of their chili to compete. This dinner is coupled with the Epiphany celebration and worship service.

Epiphany Celebration – The Epiphany celebration is a time to remember the Wise Men who came looking for the Messiah after his birth. We celebrate with a few activities, a worship service and round things out with the Brotherhood’s chili cook-off.

Shrove Tuesday – Another event hosted by the Brotherhood of St. Andrew is a Shrove Tuesday pancake dinner. Shrove Tuesday–also known as Fat Tuesday–is the evening before Ash Wednesday and lent begins. We gather to enjoy pancakes, maple bacon and good company.

LGBT Welcoming Eucharist – St. Chad's hosts the rotating service of Holy Eucharist for the LGBTQI+ Community and Allies in the Diocese of the Rio Grande once per year in the city of Albuquerque and the surrounding area. A community potluck dinner follows each of these services. The next service held at St. Chad's will be in January 2020.

Palm Saturday “Walk Through Holy Week”

Palm Saturday – Each Palm Saturday–the day before Palm Sunday–St. Chad’s hosts a diocese-wide “Walk Through Holy Week” event. Christian Formation leaders from around the diocese lead craft activities, make “tomb rolls” and share a lovely worship service. And, of course, we have a potluck dinner.

Yes, St. Chad’s has a book club—not exclusive to women, not exclusive to members of St. Chad’s.  We meet the second Monday of the month from 2:00 to 4:00 PM.  Contact the church office at (505) 856-9200 for the current schedule.

Here are the forms and information you’re looking for!  Please contact the office if you have any questions.

• List of Budget Accounts and Account Numbers
• List of Tax Exempt Certificate holders. (Simply tell these businesses you are buying for St. Chad’s and you won’t be charged sales tax.  All certificate numbers are prefixed with A-2098944-09.)
• Download or print the expense reimbursement form.
• You may also be interested in looking over the many ways you can make charitable contributions to St. Chad’s.  There are probably more than you know!