Tucked into a residential stretch of 39th Avenue Place NW in Hickory, North Carolina, St. Alban's Episcopal Church has been gathering for worship since 1973. The parish grew out of the centennial celebration of the older Church of the Ascension in Hickory, and from its earliest days its life has been shaped by a single beloved structure - an old dairy barn that still anchors the parish's six-acre campus just off Highway 127. Today St. Alban's is a mid-sized Episcopal congregation within the Diocese of Western North Carolina, known for its warm welcome, its music program, and a far-reaching outreach ministry that sends volunteers into the wider Catawba County community.
From a Dairy Barn to a Parish Home
Saint Alban's began in 1973 as a mission of the Church of the Ascension, launched to mark that older parish's 100th anniversary. Bishop Weinhauer preached his first sermon as the new bishop coadjutor at the commissioning service, and on September 9, 1973, Bishop Henry formally declared St. Alban's an organized mission of the diocese. The Reverend Randy Ferebee, the founding Priest in Charge, shepherded the congregation for thirty-six years until his retirement in 2009.
The parish took shape around an unlikely sanctuary. In December 1973, the mission purchased a six-acre tract of land that came with an old dairy barn. The first families immediately imagined the weathered structure as a house of prayer. Work parties cleared the surrounding ground, and in April 1974 the congregation celebrated its first Easter service outdoors behind the barn. By that winter, forty families had their first Christmas worship inside it. The barn continued to host services for years as the congregation grew, and it remains a touchstone of parish identity.
After Fr. Randy's retirement, the Reverend Bill Livingston served as interim Priest in Charge, followed in 2011 by the Reverend Tryggvi Àrnason. The Reverend Anne Bridgers served as interim beginning in November 2023. In April 2025, the parish welcomed its current Priest in Charge, the Reverend Jonathan Stepp.
Sunday Morning at St. Alban's
The parish gathers every Sunday at 10:30 AM for Holy Eucharist. The liturgy follows the Book of Common Prayer and is open to all - lifelong Episcopalians, curious visitors, and anyone looking for a quiet place to pray. Children's Chapel is offered during the service for elementary-age children, who are led out of the nave by the Crucifer to a downstairs classroom to explore the Gospel reading before returning for Communion. Childcare is available for infants and toddlers in the nursery, and a fellowship hour follows the service so newcomers and longtime members can connect over coffee.
For those unable to attend in person, services are streamed live each Sunday on the parish's YouTube channel. Giving is also available online through a secure portal linked from the parish's website.
Nurturing the Youngest Members
Children and youth are central to life at St. Alban's. In July 2026, Paul Lucas joined the staff as part-time Youth and Family Minister, with a ministry focused on the spiritual formation of young people and pastoral support for their families. He oversees the nursery, equips volunteers for Children's Chapel, and leads a team of adults who walk alongside the parish's teenagers.
The nursery itself is staffed by Amani Clark, who cares for children ages one through three on Sunday mornings from 10:00 AM to noon. She is also the Director of La Vie Christian Academy in Hickory, a program for children from infancy through Pre-K. Each Sunday she is assisted by an adult volunteer from the parish, creating a warm and safe environment for the youngest worshipers.
Older children are invited into service as acolytes beginning at age eight. Acolytes assist the priest at the altar, carrying the cross, torches, and Gospel book - a visible and meaningful way to take part in the liturgy.
A Lifelong Choir Tradition
Music is woven through nearly every part of the parish's life, under the direction of Director of Music Tammy Shook. The Parish Choir, made up of singers who simply enjoy enhancing worship, rehearses on Wednesdays at 7:00 PM from mid-August through mid-June and leads the congregation in song each Sunday.
For those drawn to handbells, the Oxford Ringers are eleven ringers playing four octaves of bells, rehearsing on Wednesdays at 6:00 PM from September through May and offering music throughout the liturgical year. Adults who have always wanted to try handbells can join Genesis Ringers, a beginner bell choir that meets from 5:30 to 6:00 PM on Wednesdays. Parish Organist Doug Brady provides organ accompaniment and helps lead the assembly in song.
Children in Kindergarten through 6th grade are invited to CantorKids, directed by Lauren Timmons. The children's choir meets on Wednesday evenings from September through May, offering music, Bible stories, prayer, and child-focused fellowship, and the children sing at services throughout the year.
Pastoral Care for Parishioners
Beyond Sunday worship, the parish maintains a steady ministry of presence. The Parish Neighbors program provides food, rides, and practical help when unexpected needs arise - including meals at times of hospitalization and childbirth. Clergy and lay caregivers visit parishioners in hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living, and recovery centers, and Communion is brought to those who cannot worship at the church at Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost.
Through its Crisis Ministries, the parish responds at the time of birth and death, and walks alongside members through job loss, financial hardship, and life transitions - from the struggles of a teenager to the long work of caring for an aging parent.
Outreach Beyond the Parish
St. Alban's has long defined itself as a parish that turns outward. All of the congregation's fundraising flows through the John Earl Outreach Roundtable, named in honor of the late Dr. John Earl, a long-time deacon and Hickory physician. The roundtable directs support to a wide circle of local and global partners, including the John Earl Medical Ministry Clinic, the Greater Hickory Cooperative Christian Ministry, the Hickory Soup Kitchen, Catawba Valley Habitat for Humanity, Our Father's Pavilion, Safe Harbor, the Catawba County Council on Adolescents, and La Gonave Haiti Partners.
The parish also supports Episcopal Relief & Development and prepares packaged meals for Rise Against Hunger. Members volunteer at community soup kitchens in Hickory and Newton, sponsor an annual Red Cross blood drive, knit prayer shawls that are prayed over and given to those in need, and gather for fundraisers like the Oyster Roast & Chili Fest in January, the annual Fish Fry Dinner, and a yard sale and bake sale that support the same outreach work.
The Wider Anglican Family
St. Alban's sits within the Diocese of Western North Carolina, one of the dioceses of The Episcopal Church, and is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The diocese is currently in the search process for a new bishop, and parishioners are encouraged to sign up for diocesan updates through the diocesan newsletter.
The parish's stated vision is "Answering Christ's call to offer everyone a place at the Table," and its mission is "Come as you are, whoever you are, and share with us the Good News of Jesus Christ so that we all may know His redeeming love." Parishioners describe themselves as "a community of companions on the pilgrimage of faith" - a fitting image for a congregation whose roots reach back to an old dairy barn and whose ministries continue to grow in every direction.