When two or three are gathered at St. Alban’s you can count on two things:  food and fun! We believe in sharing the joy of living and celebrating together       the many blessings of life. The church calendar includes major events such as the annual Parish Picnic, Pancake Supper, Spaghetti Dinner and autumn Pig Pickin’ barbecue. We also do small Wednesday suppers, and Parish members cook dinner for Davidson students on Sunday evenings during the school year.

We are blessed at St. Alban’s with many young families, and every effort is made to include children whenever we can in Parish Life activities. And part of the fun  of being located in a new neighborhood is opening our doors to our neighbors and inviting them to our dinners and activities.

All women of the parish are members of the Episcopal Church Women (ECW), and our ECW is part of an extraordinary fellowship of Episcopal women across the country who manage to do the impossible on a regular basis! ECW raises money both nationally and locally, and provides support for those in need both in this country and overseas.

The St. Alban’s ECW participates in Davidson’s annual community Town Day and sells plants loving dug up and donated. They sponsor the annual Pancake Dinner and Bingo Night (lassoing members of the Men’s Group to help). Through these activities and smaller fundraising project through the year, ECW raises money they uses it for a rich variety of projects – from replacing worn vestments in our own church to buying books for seminary students to offering help to the Mission San Lucas in El Salvador.

ECW meets on the second Tuesday of each Monday from September through May. To learn more about ECW’s activities in North Carolina, visit the Web site http://www.ecw-nc.org.

St. Alban’s Men’s Group: SAMG

Just as all women of St. Alban’s are members of ECW, the men of the church all are welcomed into the St. Alban’s Men’s Group. There is no formal structure in the Episcopal Church for men’s fellowship and service, so the men of our church have carved their own path.

SAMG sponsors monthly social gatherings where members can relax and informally share fun and fellowship. It also coordinates labor for workdays at the church, handles the heavy work of setting up and taking down tables at parish events, and generally provides manpower for a variety of events.

The major event of the year for SAMG is the annual Pig Pickin’ Barbecue in the fall. The work starts well before dawn as teams get the barbecue fires going and begin preparations. By late afternoon, everything is ready and families and individuals pour in from across the community to enjoy traditional southern barbecue with all the trimmings, music, and a ton of fun. The money raised all goes to Outreach, which provides the perfect end of this great day.

As a young and growing church, St. Alban’s welcomes visitors every Sunday of the year, and we have been delighted to see many of those visitors decide to join our parish family.

If you come to St. Alban’s, you will find friendly faces at the door waiting to welcome you and help you find your way. You will find a Guest Book in the narthex (the lobby), and we invite you to sign it and give us information about where you live and whether you’d like more information. (That also gives us a chance to bake a loaf of bread and bring it to your home as a special reminder of St. Alban’s.) Children are welcome to visit the Sunday School, and Adult Education is open to visitors as well.

Of course, all are welcome to join us as we gather to worship. After each service, there is time for coffee and conversation in the narthex, and that is a good time for you to meet us and us to welcome you.

Every few months, members of St. Alban’s open their homes for newcomer brunches. These are an excellent opportunity for newcomers, clergy, vestry members and other parish members to get to know one another a little better.

In short, you may come to St. Alban’s a stranger, but you won’t be a stranger for long!

We are aware of the rich ways in which God has blessed us at St. Alban’s and take joy in finding ways to share with others. This takes place in many ways, such as:

• Offering our time and talent to organizations that help those in need.
• Using our talents to raise money for those important community organizations.
• Providing food and household goods for the Loaves and Fishes food pantry.
• Organizing mission trips to help brothers and sisters far from our borders.
• Assisting a hospice with needed supplies.
• Opening our doors to community groups for meetings and support organizations such as AA.
• Providing manpower (and womanpower) to build Habitat for Humanity houses.
• Scheduling spring and fall Mission Days where parishioners fan out across the community to help those in need.
• Using our financial resources locally, and also to support Thompson Children’s Home, the Presiding Bishop’s Fund for World Relief, the American Red Cross, Episcopal Relief and Development, and emergency care for individuals when needed.

The Spirit is alive and at work through St. Alban’s. As we reach out, we also reach up and come closer to the risen Christ.

Volunteer Opportunities

Please see the Calendar and once you are in the St. Alban's Calendar, please select 'Volunteer Opportunities' under the 'Select Category' option. You then will see the dates and may select the volunteer opportunity that best fits you and your schedule. Please send Jonna Eichorn an e-mail noting your preference.

Pastoral care at St. Alban’s combines the work of our clergy with the special talents of a professional therapist and a caring team of parishioners in serving the needs of our church family. Assistance is offered during times of illness, death, birth, hospital stays and other special needs as they arise.

The work of the clergy is at the center of pastoral care. But in addition, lay members of the church help by taking communion to those who are ill or homebound, taking meals if a family is dealing with a death or other major event, offering help when a baby arrives, and performing countless other planned and random acts of kindness.

St. Alban's houses the Diocese of North Carolina's ministry to the students at Davidson College known as Canterbury@Davidson. Our Episcopal Chaplain to Davidson College works under the Rev. Rob Spach, Chaplain of Davidson College. During the school year, Canterbury holds a 4:30 p.m. Eucharist on Sundays at the Lingle Chapel on campus, then students walk to the Carolina Inn for a simple supper prepared and served by members of the parish.

For more information visit www.canterburyatdavidson.org or contact the church officel at jeichorn@gostalbans.org. We currently are in a search for a new Episcopal Chaplain and will be updating the site when we have more news to share.            The Rev. Michael C. Hunn left Davidson in the Fall of 06 to become the Canon to the Ordinary for the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina.