An Episcopal Home in East Plano Since 1957
Church of the Holy Nativity sits on 18th Street in east Plano, where a small group of Christians first gathered in December 1957 to pray and worship. That meeting grew into a parish that has remained a steady presence in a neighborhood that has changed dramatically over the decades. Today the congregation describes itself as a loving community that strives to reflect the love, grace, and mercy of Christ, acknowledging that it is by God's grace and the power of the Holy Spirit that broken vessels can be used by God. Visitors walking up to the building find an Episcopal church with a long local history, a working food pantry, and ministries that reach across the city of Plano and around the world.
Sunday Worship and the Rhythm of the Week
Sunday mornings at Holy Nativity follow a familiar Episcopal pattern. Bible study and a coffee hour begin at 9:30 a.m., giving the congregation a chance to dig into the lectionary passages before the principal service. At 11:00 a.m. the family worship service begins, accompanied by organ music. The same hour also marks the start of Youth Fellowship, so families with older children can attend the service and then rejoin their students. Lay readers, acolytes, thurifers, crucifers, torchbearers, and servers all take part in the liturgy, drawn from the parish's Lay Worship Ministries.
The Thursday evening rhythm is equally intentional. At 6:30 p.m. a shared dinner opens the night, followed by Bible study and fellowship. The Prayer Ministry Team also gathers weekly to pray for the parish, its members, and the concerns they carry. Together, these midweek and Sunday gatherings form the backbone of parish life.
The Rector and the Pastoral Team
The Rev. Canon Dr. Samira Page serves as Rector. Mother Samira was born and raised in Iran as a Muslim, fled persecution with her family, and obtained political asylum in the United States. After converting to Christianity, she earned a Master of Divinity and a doctorate in Missional Church Studies from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. She has devoted her ministry to bringing hope and dignity to people whose humanity has been stripped away by oppressive governments and circumstances. She is the author of Who Is My Neighbor and co-author and co-editor of No Longer Strangers: Transforming Evangelism with Immigrant Communities. She also founded Gateway of Grace Ministries and frequently speaks on interfaith relations, Islam, and Christianity.
Alongside her, Associate Pastor Rick Watts supports pastoral care and teaching. Malcolm Catter directs Lay Worship Ministries, training the readers, acolytes, and other liturgical volunteers. Kay Wynn directs both the Prayer Ministry and Stephen Ministry, coordinating prayer and one-to-one Christ-centered care. Linda Tefend serves as Office Manager and keeps the parish's daily operations running.
Plano Community Home: Friday Lunch and Bible Study
One of the most visible ways Holy Nativity reaches its neighbors is through Plano Community Home, the parish food pantry and hospitality ministry. Every Friday, volunteers gather on the church grounds to serve neighbors with a meal and a time of Bible study. The program has run long enough to be a recognizable part of east Plano's safety net, and it draws on the same conviction that inspired the church's founders in 1957: that worship and service belong together.
Refugee Ministry and English as a Second Language
Holy Nativity partners with Gateway of Grace Ministries, the organization founded by Mother Samira, to serve refugees in the DFW area. The goal is to empower refugees to become effective, fruitful members of their new communities by meeting practical, emotional, and spiritual needs. The parish also hosts English as a Second Language classes on site, with basic, mid-level, and advanced sections available. Registration and questions about the ESL program go through the vicar's office.
Stephen Ministry and Prayer Care
Stephen Ministry at Holy Nativity is a lay caring ministry in which trained Stephen Ministers walk alongside people in the congregation and the wider community who are going through difficult seasons. The model is nationally known and used in thousands of congregations; at Holy Nativity it is woven into the parish's pastoral network under Kay Wynn's leadership. The Prayer Ministry Team complements that work by praying weekly for all issues concerning the church, her parishioners, and the prayer requests that come in. Anyone who senses a call to prayer is invited to join.
Lay Worship Ministries
Episcopal worship depends on the gifts of the whole congregation, and Holy Nativity takes that seriously. Lay Readers read the Sunday lessons, lead the Prayers of the People, and assist with Holy Communion. Acolytes lead processions and prepare the altar, with thurifers carrying incense, crucifers carrying the cross, servers assisting the celebrant, and torchbearers carrying torches at the entrance, gospel, and final processions. The Altar Guild prepares the elements, vessels, linens, bread, wine, and candles for every service. Lay Eucharistic Ministers take the consecrated bread and wine to people who are home-bound or in the hospital on Sunday afternoons. Ushers greet worshippers, hand out bulletins, and direct people to the altar rail.
Children and Youth
Children and students are woven into the life of the parish. Sunday morning Bible study at 9:30 a.m. is open to all ages, and Youth Fellowship gathers during the 11:00 a.m. worship hour so that older students have their own time together. Each summer the parish hosts Vacation Bible School. The most recent program, Let Your Light Shine VBS, served children ages 7 to 12 with activities, daily prayer, and Bible study for a modest registration fee.
Mercy Ships and Global Outreach
Holy Nativity has long supported Mercy Ships, an organization that follows the 2000-year-old model of Jesus by deploying hospital ships to bring life-changing surgery to people who cannot access medical care because of poverty. Parishioners can designate cash or check donations to Mercy Ships through the offering plate or envelopes. The parish frames its support of Mercy Ships with the sobering statistic that five billion people lack access to safe surgery, and one child in eight will die before age five.
International Discipleship and Persian-Language Ministry
One of the most distinctive features of Holy Nativity is its Persian-language ministry. Mother Samira leads a Persian congregation that shares the Good News of Jesus Christ with the international community across the DFW area, working closely with the refugee ministry and international evangelism. Through social media platforms, the parish broadcasts worship, Bible studies, and discipleship classes in Persian to listeners around the world, bringing hope and teaching to Persian speakers near and far.
What Holy Nativity Believes
The church holds to the traditional Christian faith as handed down from the time of the Apostles and summarized in the words of the Apostles' Creed. Members affirm belief in God the Father almighty, in Jesus Christ his only Son, in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. The parish accepts the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as authoritative, containing all things necessary to salvation, and as the rule and ultimate standard of doctrine, faith, and behavior. The Bible is the highest authority and guiding light of the parish.
Giving, Legacy, and Practical Life
Giving at Holy Nativity is described as a way of life rooted in sharing the life of Christ. A collection plate is passed during services, and electronic giving is available online for donations at any time. The parish also encourages planned giving through bequests and wills, retirement plan beneficiary designations, charitable trusts, bank and securities transfers, and life insurance policies. The vestry, elected by the parish at the Annual Parish Meeting, oversees the mission of the church and the care of its property, with current members including Bill Glenesk, Malcolm Catter, Marla Wilson, Linda Tefend, Kay Wynn, Carlos Harwell, and Jed Cantley.
A Place to Belong
Whatever brings someone through the doors of Church of the Holy Nativity - a long career as a Christian, a season of questioning, a love of the church or wounds from it, a search for community, or a desire to raise a family in the faith - the parish's welcome is the same. Holy Nativity is a community shaped by the Apostles' Creed, sustained by weekly Word and Sacrament, and sent out into Plano and the world through a food pantry, refugee outreach, ESL classes, Stephen Ministry, Mercy Ships, and a Persian-language gospel witness that reaches far beyond Texas.