A Place to Belong in Penn Wynne
Church of the Holy Apostles sits at 1020 Remington Road in the Penn Wynne neighborhood of Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, just outside the Philadelphia city limits. The parish has anchored this community for more than seven decades under the motto "A Place to Belong," a phrase that runs through everything from its worship life to its outreach in the wider Philadelphia region. The congregation takes the idea seriously: belonging is not simply an invitation to visit but a standing claim that every person has a place at the table. Children coloring under the pew or dancing in the aisles are a blessing here, and the diversity of the neighborhood is something the parish actively celebrates.
The parish is part of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, whose bishop, the Rt. Rev. Daniel G. P. Gutiérrez, oversees the diocese and its sacramental life. The congregation belongs to the worldwide Anglican Communion, which the parish notes brings together more than 85 million Jesus-followers across 165 countries. Membership in that larger fellowship is more than a line on a directory page; the parish sees itself as one expression of a catholic and apostolic church, and the sacraments it offers are understood as belonging to the whole body of Christ.
Sunday Mornings at Two Services
Sunday worship at Church of the Holy Apostles follows a two-service pattern. At 9:00 AM a 30-minute Family-Focused Service of Holy Eucharist gathers in the parish hall, designed with young families in mind but welcoming to anyone. Donuts and coffee are available before, during, and after the service, and the format is loose enough that children can move, ask questions, and respond to the day's message without disrupting anyone.
At 10:00 AM the principal weekly liturgy takes place: Holy Eucharist, Rite II from the Book of Common Prayer, sung by the chancel choir under Minister of Music Jacob Leonowitz. This service is also livestreamed on YouTube for those joining from home. On the second Sunday of each month, the 10:00 AM service includes healing prayer with laying on of hands and anointing through the ancient rite of Holy Unction. During the summer months the two services combine into a single 9:30 AM Holy Eucharist in the air-conditioned parish hall, drawing on elements of both the family-focused service and the Book of Common Prayer with stronger congregational singing while the choir is on break.
Jesus & Donuts: A Family Eucharist
The 9:00 AM Family Eucharist grew out of an unexpected gift that the pandemic offered the parish. When in-person worship resumed, an outdoor service called "Jesus & Donuts" began in the fall of 2021 on the church grounds, eventually moving indoors and becoming one of the cornerstones of parish life. Each week includes an "Object Lesson" by the priest, a short, accessible reflection on the day's scriptures that works for children and adults alike. Recordings of these object lessons are posted to the church's YouTube channel, and an archive of lessons from before September 2023 is also available online.
The philosophy behind the service is straightforward: families should be able to come as they are. Children who have been baptized are invited to receive Communion or a blessing from the priest. The traditional Sunday School program was suspended during COVID and has not been reinstated in its earlier form; instead, the family service itself serves as both worship and formation for the youngest members of the congregation.
The Voyage of the John Williams
Tucked into a display case in the narthex is one of the parish's most singular treasures: a wooden model of the missionary ship John Williams. The little vessel links Church of the Holy Apostles to one of the most venerable mission stories of the nineteenth century and to its own predecessor congregation in South Philadelphia.
The John Williams was a barque launched in 1844 from Harwich in England by the London Missionary Society, named for John Williams, a Congregationalist minister who sailed to the South Pacific and was killed on the island of Erromango in 1839. According to the plaque that accompanies the model, around 1850 a member of St. Paul's Church on Third Street in Philadelphia visited London and brought back a beam from the ship when it was in drydock. A vestryman who was a former sea captain turned that beam into a full-rigged model. On special Sundays the model was carried down the aisle at St. Paul's and her deck covered with little bags of money offerings for missions. When St. Paul's closed in 1905, George C. Thomas, a Philadelphia banker and partner of J. P. Morgan who had grown up in the parish, brought the ship to Church of the Holy Apostles. For generations it hung in the Sunday School rooms, then moved to Holy Apostles and the Mediator at 51st and Spruce Streets in 1944, and came with the congregation to Penn Wynne in 1950.
The model ship is not just an heirloom. It connects the parish to a long tradition of votive ship models given to churches as thanksgivings for safe voyage, a practice especially common in England and Scandinavia. The John Williams carries an additional missionary dimension: in its earlier life, it literally carried the offerings of a Sunday School out into the world. The ship has begun to need restoration, and an anonymous donor has pledged an initial $500 toward the work; the parish has reached out to the Philadelphia Ship Model Society for guidance on bringing the rigging and broken pieces back into sailing condition.
Roots in South Philadelphia
The story of Church of the Holy Apostles begins in 1868 with the founding of an Episcopal parish at 21st and Christian Streets in South Philadelphia. That congregation grew into one of the leading evangelical parishes in the diocese, and it was from that parish that the Chapel of the Mediator was established at 51st and Spruce in West Philadelphia. After the Second World War the neighborhood around the original church changed dramatically, and in 1942 the old property was sold. The endowment that resulted eventually funded a new church plant in the suburbs.
In 1950 a Penn Wynne site was selected, and the parish hall was begun. On Christmas Eve of that year, with the hall still unfinished, the first service was held by the light of Penn Wynne Fire Company trucks. Regular services followed on the first Sunday of Lent in 1951 in the Penn Wynne Library, then in the half-finished parish hall on Easter Day 1951. The worship space was consecrated in 1959, and in 1968 the congregation became an independent parish in the Diocese of Pennsylvania.
The split that gave Holy Apostles its independence was not an easy one. As the surrounding neighborhood of Holy Apostles and the Mediator changed in the 1950s and 1960s, the parent parish became predominantly Black while the Chapel of the Holy Apostles, Penn Wynne, remained predominantly white. When the longtime rector of HAM retired at the end of 1966, the leadership of the Chapel made clear that if their vicar, the Rev. John Kolb, was not made rector of the parent parish, the Chapel would seek independence. Documentary evidence from that period includes explicit, troubling expressions of concern from leaders of the Chapel about the changing racial demographics of the parent parish. Eventually the Rev. David Hyatt was elected rector of HAM, and in 1968 Chapel of the Holy Apostles became an independent parish. The parent parish forgave the Chapel's existing mortgage and helped pay the priest's salary for five years.
Relations between the two congregations were difficult for decades. In 2018 HAM reached out and invited CHA to help celebrate the 150th anniversary of Holy Apostles in all its many configurations, and the two congregations have since shared three joint services. The parish now names this history plainly, including the racist undertone of the disagreements, and describes it as something to be remembered honestly rather than buried.
Beliefs and Values
The parish begins its statement of belief with the Apostles' Creed, holding to the historic Trinitarian faith of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is described as loving, life-giving, and liberating, the creator of the universe who made all things for love and who yearns to reconcile all things to Godself. The parish affirms that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the perfect revelation of who God is, that all things were created through Christ and sustained by him, that he became fully human, took on the sins and suffering of the world, was crucified and rose again on the third day, ascended into heaven, and will one day return to set everything right. The Holy Spirit is confessed as the one who leads, comforts, and energizes the church, sealing the baptized as Christ's own forever and binding the universal church together across time and place.
From those beliefs three values flow. The parish values belonging, insisting that every person has a place at the table and that welcome is too weak a word. It values its neighborhood, taking seriously the spiritual responsibility of being present in Penn Wynne. And it values diversity: ethnic, socio-economic, political, age, gender, and sexual orientation. Differences are to be celebrated, while divisiveness is to be overcome.
Sacraments of the Episcopal Church
The parish offers the full sacramental life of the Episcopal Church. Baptism, the ancient practice of covering a person in water and speaking the words handed down through the centuries, is the door into membership in the body of Christ. The parish baptizes infants because, as the statement of belief puts it, "grace comes from God and is available to all, no matter their age, no matter if they completely understand it." A baptism in any Christian tradition, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is recognized as making a person a sister or brother in Christ.
Holy Eucharist is the central weekly act of worship, a double offering in which the community gives thanks to God and God gives grace in the simple elements of bread and wine. The parish teaches that in the Eucharist Christ becomes truly present, and all baptized Christians are invited to receive.
Confirmation is offered to those baptized as children who now wish to make a mature commitment to Christ and to be strengthened by the Holy Spirit through prayer and the laying on of hands by the bishop. Adults joining the Episcopal Church from another tradition may be confirmed or received through a similar rite. Corporate confession and absolution are part of normal Sunday worship; private confession follows the Anglican maxim "All may, none must, some should." Holy Matrimony is celebrated after a period of preparation with the rector, though not usually during Lent or on Sundays. Holy Unction is offered on the second Sunday of each month during the 10:00 AM service and at other times by arrangement. Blessings for homes are also available, especially during the seasons of Epiphany and Easter.
Children and Youth
Children are full members of the worshiping community at Church of the Holy Apostles. The parish's 2022 Confirmation class was confirmed by Bishop Gutiérrez in December 2022. The Family Eucharist at 9:00 AM is the main weekly offering for families with young children, and the Object Lessons recorded on YouTube make it possible for families to share formation at home as well.
The parish's nursery service was suspended in fall 2021 in line with public health recommendations and has not restarted. Instead, all children are welcome in any worship service, and parents are assured that the sounds of small children, even the cries of babies and the restlessness of toddlers, do not disturb anyone, least of all the preacher. Anyone wishing to baptize a child of any age, or to have an older child or teen prepared for confirmation, is invited to speak directly with Fr. Chris.
Bible Study and Adult Learning
Thursday mornings at 11:00 AM, year-round, a Bible study gathers in the Memorial Room and over Zoom. The group is informal and open, with no prior experience required and drop-ins welcome. Topics change with the season. A recent summer series worked through Lauren Winner's "Wearing God: Clothing, Laughter, Fire, and Other Overlooked Ways of Meeting God," using the book as a guide to explore lesser-known biblical metaphors for the divine, including God as clothing, as bread and vine, as a laboring woman, as flame, and even as a comedian. Each session reads the relevant scripture passages and examines them from biblical, contextual, theological, devotional, and practical angles.
During Lent and other seasons the parish offers Adult Forums on topics such as praying the Psalms, Holy Week, "A Post-COVID Catechesis," the mystic path of the Holy Grail, and Esther de Waal's "Seeking God: The Way of St. Benedict." A recent forum even included a field trip to the Philadelphia Museum of Art around the theme "Art is Healing." Those who wish to be baptized, confirmed, received into the Episcopal Church, or to reaffirm their faith are invited to speak with the priest about formation.
The Darby Mission and Project Share
Outreach is woven into the identity of Church of the Holy Apostles. The parish is a committed partner of the Darby Mission, a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania that serves the community of Darby Borough through after-school programs and a weekly community meal hosted at the Darby Borough Recreation Center. Each month the parish runs a food drive for an "assigned" grocery item, gathering donations through the Tuesday before the third Wednesday giveaway and transporting them to the Darby Rec Center the morning of the event. Donations can be left on the outreach shelves in the narthex closet or in the "CANestoga" wagon in the office hallway.
The parish also partners with Project Share Recovery Learning Center in Upper Darby, an organization offering daytime shelter, life-skills classes, and peer support for people working through recovery. Holy Apostles prepares and delivers lunches on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month. At the start of Advent each year the congregation fills backpacks with personal care items, hats, scarves, and hand warmers for distribution to Project Share clients, following a prayer written for the occasion.
Apostle's Cup Coffee
One of the more unusual outreach vehicles is a custom coffee blend. Working with House Cup Coffee Roasters of Havertown, the parish developed "Apostle's Cup," sold through the church office and directly from the roaster. Every dollar of profit from sales of the blend goes directly to support the work of the Darby Mission. The blend has become a small but tangible expression of the parish's commitment to its neighbors in Darby Borough and a conversation piece for visitors at coffee hour.
Volunteer Ministries and Connection
Volunteers make the parish what it is, and the congregation offers many places to serve. The Caring and Belonging Ministry supports members through shared emotional, social, and spiritual care. Fellowship plans weekly coffee hours as well as events like the annual picnic, Sundae Sunday, family happy hours on the lawn, the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner, the Agape Meal, and Pancakes with Santa. Christian Education assists with enrichment at the 9:00 AM family service and Adult Forums. The Property Ministry keeps the building and grounds in good working order. The Prayer Guild helps shape the parish intercessions, which change with the seasons, and the Spiritual Practices Ministry supports the priest in planning worship and music.
Liturgy assistants serve at the altar, read scripture, lead prayers, carry the chalice, or run the technical side of services. The Good News ministry greets visitors, hands out welcome bags, maintains a Little Free Library and a Doggie Treat Bin on the grounds, places lawn signs in the neighborhood, and represents the parish at community events like the Haverford Heritage Festival, Haverford Township Day, and Overbrook Park Community Day. Ad-hoc projects like greening the church at Christmas, folding the weekly leaflet, baking cookies, and mailing the newsletter are advertised in the weekly Acts of the Apostles email.
Members can stay connected through Realm, the parish's private directory and giving platform, and through the weekly email, the monthly print newsletter, and the church's Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube channels.
Clergy and Leadership
In February 2026, the Rev. Christopher L. Schwenk joined Church of the Holy Apostles as full-time Priest in Charge. Fr. Chris provides pastoral care, directs the parish's liturgical services, and helps shape the missions of the congregation in the church and the surrounding community. The Minister of Music, Jacob Leonowitz, has been a church musician since 2010, with experience at parishes in Pennsylvania including Trinity Cathedral in Pittsburgh and St. Mark's in Honey Brook. A music educator in the Governor Mifflin School District in Shillington, where he directs the 7-12 strings and orchestra program, Jake holds a B.S. in Music Education from Duquesne University and a master's from West Chester University.
The parish is led in its governance by an elected Vestry, drawn from the congregation and responsible for guiding parish life alongside the priest. The work of the parish in the wider Episcopal Church is carried out under Bishop Gutiérrez, the XVI Bishop of the Diocese of Pennsylvania.
Church of the Holy Apostles is a parish that takes its past seriously enough to name its failures, its present seriously enough to feed and teach and pray, and its future seriously enough to invest in restoration: of a model ship, of a neighborhood partnership, of the smallest members of its worshiping community.