In Queens Village, on the eastern edge of Queens, St. Joseph's Episcopal Church has long described itself as "a church on the way." The phrase is not accidental: the parish's original church building had to be demolished to protect the surrounding community, and the congregation now meets on Sunday mornings at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in nearby Bellerose and at the parish rectory on Wednesdays while plans move forward for a new building. Through every chapter, the parish has stayed anchored in the same calling it has carried since at least the late nineteenth century, "feeding and tending God's sheep with dignity and respect" through worship, formation, and outreach that strengthens families across southeast Queens.
Sunday and Wednesday Worship
St. Joseph's keeps a simple weekly rhythm of three services, mixing virtual and in-person worship to keep every member connected.
- Sunday, 8:00 AM, Virtual Morning Service. Held on Zoom, this service follows the same weekly link and dial-in details. Participants are muted on entry and encouraged to respond and join in as they would inside the building; when video is on, the bulletin and readings appear on screen.
- Sunday, 11:00 AM, Hybrid Service. Held in person at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 6 Commonwealth Boulevard, Bellerose, NY 11001, and streamed on YouTube. The service is fully Episcopal in feel, drawing on the Book of Common Prayer with congregational singing.
- Wednesday, 10:30 AM, Hybrid Worship. Offered at the St. Joseph's Rectory (99-10 217th Lane, Queens Village) and on Zoom. The Parish Aid Guild joins this midweek gathering for worship and a long-running fellowship afterward.
For anyone joining the Zoom services by phone only, the dial-in number is 1-646-876-9923 with the meeting IDs printed in each week's online bulletin. A downloadable bulletin is posted before each service so worshippers can follow along at home.
What the Parish Believes
St. Joseph's sits within The Episcopal Church, the American constituent of the Anglican Communion, and traces its beliefs to the historic Creeds and the Book of Common Prayer. In its own words, the parish holds that "we are all a part of God's creation and made in the image of God," free to love, create, and reason, but in need of God's help; that it follows the teachings of Jesus Christ, who came to save the world; and that each person is created equal and deserving of God's love.
Worship centers on the two great sacraments given by Christ, Holy Baptism and the Holy Eucharist, with the Nicene Creed recited at the Eucharist and the Apostles' Creed used in daily prayer. The parish is shaped by a tradition in which men and women serve equally as bishops, priests, and deacons, and by a legacy of inclusion that continues to inform its welcome today.
Christian Formation for Every Stage
Formation is woven into the life of the parish, with programs for children, youth, and adults running throughout the week.
Sunday School meets at 11:00 AM at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Bellerose. Classes begin at the same time as the worship service, then students are released during the Peace to join their families for communion.
Lay Led Bible Study gathers on Zoom every Monday from 7:00 to 9:00 PM. The group is open to anyone interested in shared study and interpretation of the Bible, and uses the New Revised Standard Version, the translation favored across the parish.
Journey with Nehemiah, a Wednesday-evening Zoom study with the Rev. Canon Dr. Fred Vergara, walks through the prophet Nehemiah's work of rebuilding Jerusalem's walls. The series is built around ten sessions that move from overcoming obstacles and physical rebuilding into spiritual renewal, with study guides, video recordings, and slides available online.
Confirmation preparation is offered annually for baptized candidates age twelve and above. Classes are held Saturday mornings at either the St. Joseph's Rectory or St. George's Episcopal Church in Hempstead, alternating between the two locations, and are recorded on Zoom. The year culminates in a Confirmation liturgy celebrated by the bishop.
Lenten Observance
During Lent the parish joins the Jamaica Deanery for weekly Wednesday-evening services at 7:30 PM, hosted by neighboring congregations and preached by clergy from across the deanery. St. Joseph's also offers virtual Stations of the Cross on Friday evenings during Lent, a guided prayer pilgrimage through the final hours of Jesus' life. Special Lent bulletins and flyers are posted in advance on the parish calendar.
Ministries and Outreach
The parish runs more than fifteen active ministries, each tied to a particular expression of its calling.
- Outreach Ministry puts faith into action by distributing food, clothing, personal items, and educational materials to neighbors in need, regardless of religion, race, gender identity, orientation, or ethnicity. The ministry meets on the second Saturday of each month and partners with organizations such as Our Lady of Lourdes Food Pantry, Pajama Project, and The INN, and has supplied school supplies to a local kindergarten and supported Operation Backpack.
- Parish Health Ministry, part of Episcopal Health Ministries, promotes spiritual, physical, and emotional health through prayer, support, visitation, and education. Members include nurses, nutritionists, occupational therapists, psychologists, social workers, and teachers, who run seminars, workshops, and screenings on nutrition, fitness, preventative care, legal issues, and common diseases.
- Support Group, under the rector and the Parish Health Ministry, offers a faith-based, confidential space for caregivers and anyone experiencing grief, loss, isolation, or other difficult situations. Trained facilitators meet with prospective members before they join and ask all members to sign a confidentiality commitment.
- Parish Aid Guild is the parish's seniors ministry. Members meet every Wednesday at 10:30 AM for worship, fellowship, Bible study, presentations, bus trips, and picnics, with a Healing Service on the third Wednesday of each month. The guild is open to anyone, Episcopalian or not.
- Brotherhood of St. Andrew has been part of St. Joseph's since 1898 and is one of the nine chapters of the Queens Assembly. Members follow the historic disciplines of Prayer, Study, and Service, and the Queens Assembly has awarded college scholarships to youth from the parish for the past seventeen years.
- Daughters of the King, the parish's chapter known as Women of Faith and instituted in 2008, is the sister order to the Brotherhood. Daughters take a Rule of Life built on Prayer, Service, and Evangelism, and serve through monthly donations of newborn clothing to St. John's Hospital, Operation Christmas Child, an Adopt-a-Family ministry, a Clean Water Project, hospital and homebound visitation, and support for children in Uganda through the Bridge for Peace Ministry.
- Eucharistic Ministers are laypeople licensed by the bishop to assist at communion and to bring the consecrated elements to members who are ill or homebound. The parish's Eucharistic Ministers visit area nursing homes and homebound members regularly.
- Willing Workers for Jesus grew out of parishioners sharing bagels, coffee, and tea after the early service. The fellowship now feeds both body and soul, providing a rotating breakfast between services and, through its Inspirational Choir, providing music at the 8:00 AM service. Each year the group also runs a soap-and-sock drive that fills care packages for seniors in local nursing homes.
- Youth Ministries bring children and teens together through the Young People's Fellowship, the Acolyte Guild, the Youth Choir, Sunday School, and a youth-focused Bible Study and Catechism program. Young people sing for seniors at local residences, visit the sick and homebound, volunteer for feeding programs with other church organizations, and donate toys each year to a local women and children's shelter.
- Cultural Committee, Hospitality Committee, Choirs, Altar Guild, and Usher Guild round out the parish's ministry family, tending the worship space, welcoming visitors, providing music, and celebrating the parish's cultural heritage.
The parish also participates in Cursillo, the Anglican movement whose name means "a short course." Members of St. Joseph's have been active in Cursillo for years, and the Queens Deanery Ultreya gathers monthly, rotating among St. Joseph's, St. James the Less, and Grace Church in Jamaica.
The Community Garden
Since it was launched with a grant from Episcopal Ministries of Long Island, the St. Joseph's Community Garden has become one of the most visible signs of the parish's outward-facing ministry. Coordinator Pearl Nurse and a rotating team of volunteers tend raised beds on the church grounds, growing fresh, organic produce that is shared with parishioners, neighbors, and a local food pantry. The garden was featured in the Episcopal Diocese Creation Care Newsletter, which highlighted the way it "bears witness to the Gospel by growing food and relationships side by side, through hospitality, generosity, and care for the earth." Anyone interested in volunteering can write to communitygarden@stjosephqv.org.
The Tree of Life and the Legacy Fund
The Tree of Life Fund was created to furnish the new St. Joseph's Episcopal Church that will rise on the cleared site. Donors may purchase a leaf, acorn, or stone engraved with a name or message; each piece will be part of a bronze sculpture installed in the new building to honor loved ones, mark milestones, or recognize gifts. Engraved items can also be viewed on the parish's Virtual Tree of Life.
The Legacy Fund, established in 2018, is a privately managed investment fund earmarked for ministries of care, education, and service that create lasting change in Queens. Gifts can take the form of cash bequests, charitable trusts, stocks, IRA accounts, or life insurance proceeds; donors contributing above a set threshold are recognized on a plaque in the new building. The Treasurer, Coretta Johnson, can be reached at treasurer@stjosephqv.org for more information about either fund.
Leadership
St. Joseph's is currently led by the Rev. Canon Dr. Winfred "Fr. Fred" Vergara as Interim Priest-in-Charge. Fr. Fred has served as an Episcopal priest for more than forty years in parishes across three countries. Ordained in the Philippines, where he earned degrees in political science and journalism from Trinity University of Asia and a Master of Divinity from St. Andrew's Theological Seminary, he went on to earn a Master of Sacred Theology at Trinity Theological College in Singapore and a Doctor of Ministry at San Francisco Theological Seminary. He served as Canon Missioner of the Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real, planted churches in California and Nevada, and for many years was the national Missioner for Asiamerica Ministries and Director of Ethnic Congregational Development for the Episcopal Church, overseeing ministries among Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, South Asian, Southeast Asian, Pacific Islander, and Arab and Middle Eastern communities. He is the author of several books, including the best-seller "Being Episcopalian," and lives in Woodside, Queens, with his wife, Angela.
The parish is served by two wardens, Sandra Lawrence-Simpson and Reginald Byfield, and a vestry that includes chairs of Finance, Fundraising, Stewardship, Outreach, Building and Grounds, Cultural, Community Garden, and Young Adult Ministry committees. Nichola Walker leads the Young Adult Ministry, which encompasses the Young People's Fellowship, Sunday School, and the Acolyte Guild, and arranges for young people to attend diocesan events such as Camp DeWolfe and the national Episcopal Youth Event. Justin Sinclair, a lifelong member of the parish, serves alongside her as co-chair of the Youth and Young Adult Committee, leads the Audio Visual Streaming Team, and is active in the Brotherhood of St. Andrew.
The parish is part of the Diocese of Long Island, presided over by Bishop Lawrence Provenzano.
Joining the Parish
Anyone interested in joining St. Joseph's can begin simply by attending a Sunday or Wednesday service in person or online. Those who wish to formalize their membership can reach the rector at frfred@stjosephqv.org or the church office at admin@stjosephqv.org. The parish office is staffed at the rectory, 99-10 217th Lane, Queens Village, NY 11429, and can be reached by phone at 718-464-8913, extension 2. Giving is available online through the parish's secure payment app, and annual pledges help the parish plan its budget and move the new building forward.