The Redevelopment Project – Latest Information

The following text is the complete copy of a guest column in the Seacoast Sunday news of November 2, 2025. If you wish to see that column specifically, please search for this title, “A bold new chapter at Christ Episcopal Church in Portsmouth: The Rev. Falci” by The Reverend Deacon Steve Falci, Pastoral Leader at Christ Episcopal Church. Unfortunately I am unable to provide a hyperlink to that exact column. It would only be valid for current subscribers of the Seacoast Sunday newspaper.

A Bold New Chapter at Christ Episcopal Church in Portsmouth

For nearly a century and a half, Christ Episcopal Church has stood as part of Portsmouth’s spiritual and civic fabric. Since our founding in the 1880s, we’ve served generations of working families, immigrants, and neighbors — always striving to be a place of welcome, worship, and compassion. Today, as we enter construction on a major redevelopment project at 1035 Lafayette Road, we are embarking on a bold new chapter in that story.

In partnership with the Portsmouth Housing Authority (PHA) and the violence-prevention nonprofit Haven, Christ Church is reimagining how faith, service, and community can come together on one shared campus. The project will create a new worship space for our congregation, a new headquarters for Haven, and 44 units of much-needed affordable housing. We believe this collaboration embodies the best of what the faith community can do — joining with civic and nonprofit partners to meet human needs and strengthen the city we call home.

While construction is underway, the Holy Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Newington has generously welcomed us to worship along side them. We are deeply grateful for their hospitality, which allows us to continue to pray, learn, and grow as a congregation while we prepare for our new home, scheduled to open in early 2027.

This is, in many ways, the third great chapter in Christ Church’s long history.

Chapter One began in the 1880s, when the church was founded in Portsmouth’s West End to serve working-class families and immigrants who powered the city’s factories and breweries.

Chapter Two began after a devastating fire destroyed our original Gothic church in 1963. Through the perseverance and generosity of parishioners — and with land donated by John Elwyn Stone, heir to the Langdon family — a new church rose on Lafayette Road. For decades, it has been a hub of faith and service, home to Little Blessings Child Care Center, a supporter of refugee families, and steward of the historic African Burial Ground at Langdon Farm, part of the Black Heritage Trail.

Now, Chapter Three is upon us — a time of renewal and reimagining. Our congregation has grown smaller but no less faithful, and good stewardship calls us to adapt our resources to today’s realities and tomorrow’s needs. With strong leadership from New Hampshire Episcopal Bishop Rob Hirschfeld and Diocesan CFO Benge Ambrogi, along with our partners Craig Welch of the PHA and Kathy Beebe of Haven, we’ve developed a plan that puts mission first.

That plan includes gifting our current church building to Haven for its lifesaving work supporting survivors of domestic and sexual violence; dedicating a portion of the property to the PHA for workforce housing; and building a new, right-sized church at the south end of the property. We also hope to continue offering quality childcare — a service that remains vital to our community.

As Bishop Hirschfeld put it, “Caring for children, comforting and encouraging survivors of violence, and providing much-needed housing are all Gospel imperatives. And I am delighted that Christ Church will have a new neighborhood in which to worship and serve.”

With this vision as our foundation, the story of Christ Church continues — one rooted in faith, resilience, and service. As we prepare for this new beginning, we invite others to join us. Whether you’re seeking a spiritual home, a place to serve, or simply a community that believes in loving its neighbors, our doors — and our hearts — are open.

Our journey continues. We invite you to walk with us.

Here is Lassel Architects’ rendering of how the top down view of our new worship facility will appear after major enhancements to our rectory. There will no doubt be changes to the plans as time grows closer to the actual construction. Comments and suggestions will always be welcomed, but we are caught up in a budget crunch exacerbated by the project delays, inflation and tariffs. We do need to honor our traditions and parish history, but we also should be inspired by the exciting changes that lie ahead. Gary Dozier

Our Transition is Well Underway!

Home During our Pilgrimage. After our warm welcome at Holy Trinity Evangelical Lutheran (HTEL) Church in Newington, we are delighted that we are making HTEL our home for worship during our pilgrimage. The details of current worship service is on the home page of this site. New Church Building. We met with architect Sarah Hourihane, who took us through the latest architectural plans for the new Church building we will come home to after our pilgrimage. We are in the process of working on a contract with the construction company we will be using. Moving. We have moved our possession out of the chruch building into the part of the rectory that will not be changed during the construction. Some have been moved to the upstairs space where they will be used once the construction is completed. Others are in storage downstairs until they can be moved into the new Worship space.

The vision for our site from April 2024

A Partnership for Portsmouth: Creative Redevelopment of Episcopal Church Property Will Further its Mission to serve the Community

The Episcopal Church of New Hampshire has announced plans to redevelop its Christ Church property on Lafayette Road in Portsmouth. The Episcopal diocese, which owns the three-and-a-half-acre plot, has partnered with the Portsmouth Housing Authority (PHA), HAVEN—the state’s largest organization providing support and prevention services to those impacted by sexual and domestic violence—and Little Blessings Child Care Center to further the diocese’s mission to serve the community. According to Bishop Rob Hirschfeld, the vision includes building approximately 50 units of affordable, workforce apartment rental units, a new headquarters for HAVEN’s violence prevention services, renovated facilities for Little Blessings, and a revamped worship space. A draft plan will be presented to the Portsmouth Planning Board later this month.

“This is what happens when faithful people dare to pray for a vision of God’s purposes, says Bishop Hirschfeld. “This will be a bold project that will further God’s love and care in this community. I’m grateful to all involved for their courageous collaboration.”

Christ Episcopal Church Portsmouth has been welcoming worshippers since the original stone structure on Madison Street was dedicated in July 1883. After it burned down 80 years later, the church was rebuilt on a three-acre piece of land donated by local benefactor John Elwyn Stone, a descendant of the Langdon family, along what is now Route One. Over time, the number of congregants has dwindled to a small but dedicated group for whom maintenance of the large, red brick church building has become a burden.

Thanks to the creativity of the project’s partners, the church structure will be retained. Plans call for part of the building to be repurposed as the headquarters for HAVEN. The building will also house new space for Little Blessings, and its childcare service will continue to operate uninterrupted throughout construction. A key element of the project is continuity of Episcopal worship services, which will be relocated to the renovated, former church rectory. Plans also call for the African Burying Ground at Langdon Farm, located behind the rectory and part of the Black Heritage Trail of NH, to be preserved and highlighted. HAVEN Executive Director Kathy Beebe says the nonprofit has been searching for several years to find a location in Portsmouth that will give the organization more space. Headquartered in Portsmouth for over 45 years, HAVEN has grown to serve more than a third of the state. “This project is beyond exciting, and we are grateful to the Episcopal church for the opportunity,” says Beebe. “It will allow us to expand our client services, counseling, and educational outreach, and provide program and office space in a centralized location.” HAVEN will continue to maintain its satellite office in Rochester, Beebe says.

Little Blessings Child Care Center Director Dana St. Jean has served in nearly every position for 30 of the center’s 38 years, and can attest to the excellent care and education she and her staff have offered to Seacoast families. “A renovated or new space will strengthen our ability to continue providing quality services, especially in these challenging times for the early education industry,” St. Jean says. “Bishop Hirschfeld’s commitment to early education is admirable. This is a tremendous opportunity that we are very grateful to be a part of, and we look forward to our partnership with the diocese, Portsmouth Housing Authority, and HAVEN as the project develops and comes to fruition.”

According to Bishop Hirschfeld, the addition of nearly 50 units of workforce housing is meaningful development for Portsmouth, and the diocese has found the ideal partner in the PHA. “As a nonprofit agency, we have been developing and managing housing and rental apartments in Portsmouth for over 70 years,” says PHA Executive Director Craig Welch. “We envision creating well-constructed apartment units that will remain permanently affordable and will be rented at below-market rates. Addressing the housing crisis on the Seacoast has been identified as a top priority for our elected leaders and this is an important opportunity to begin making a dent in building more rental options for the vital workers in our community who can no longer afford to live in Portsmouth.” Welch goes on to say, “The PHA is so touched by the parishioners at Christ Church who are committed to their mission to serve people in our community by taking real action. Lots of people talk about values but Christ Church and its leadership should be commended for their selfless contribution to making this property available for such important work.”

Photo by Kathleen Soldati
From left: Craig Welch, executive director, Portsmouth Housing Authority; Kathy Beebe,
executive director, HAVEN; Bishop Rob Hirschfeld, Episcopal Church of New Hampshire