A Hyde Park Home for More Than a Century
Hyde Park Christian Church has stood in the heart of Austin's Hyde Park neighborhood for more than a hundred years, just north of the University of Texas campus on East 45th Street. As a congregation of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the church has built its identity around open communion, radical hospitality, and a long practice of sending its people out to serve in Texas and far beyond. Members describe themselves as diverse spiritually and culturally, a community that welcomes and celebrates each person as a child of God. The church's tagline, "Welcoming You Home," captures the spirit that greets visitors walking through the doors.
Sunday Morning on East 45th Street
The Sunday worship service runs from 10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. and is live-streamed on YouTube for those who cannot be present in the sanctuary. Hyde Park practices open communion, a hallmark of the Disciples tradition, meaning that anyone, regardless of religious background or personal history, is welcome at the Lord's Table. Before worship, Sunday School meets at 9:15 a.m. for children, youth, and adults, and the choir rehearses at 9:00 a.m.
Open Communion and an All-Inclusive Welcome
Open communion is the most distinctive thing about Hyde Park Christian Church. No one is turned away from God's table, and the congregation extends the same welcome to everyone who walks through the doors. The church is also a proud supporter of scouting in Austin, hosting Cub Scout and Boy Scout events and serving as the home charter for Boy Scout Troop 46.
Learning Together: Adult Classes
Adult education is a major part of weekly life. Bible Study meets at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesdays in Pastor Jackie's office, reading through the Bible together in a lively, question-friendly format. A Marriage class supports spouses who want to strengthen their relationship. The Parenting class uses the Adults Relating to Kids (ARK) curriculum and offers practical ideas and discussion for raising children. Spiritual Formation is an ongoing class that explores how to love God and neighbor with all of one's heart, mind, body, and soul, with topics changing throughout the year. Divorce Care is a 13-week support ministry for those working through the trauma of separation, addressing anger, depression, loneliness, and forgiveness.
Children and Youth
The children's program is built around Godly Play, a Montessori-inspired approach that helps young people make their own connections to scripture through wondering, play, and questions rather than rote memorization. Sunday School meets at 9:15 a.m. for all ages, and Children's Church is available during the worship service. Vacation Bible School takes place each summer with crafts, stories, and songs. Summer camps are held at Camp Gonzo in Gonzales, Texas, a beautiful location with a lake, pool, trails, and other amenities, available for students in grades 2 through 12. Church membership is not required to attend.
The Labyrinth and the Community Garden
Just outside the education wing, the church grounds hold a stone labyrinth and a community garden. The labyrinth, open to church members and neighbors, draws on a Christian tradition of reflective walking that stretches back nearly a thousand years. The community garden, organized in partnership with the Sustainable Food Center, offers raised plots where families and individuals grow fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers, providing fellowship, meditation, and nourishment both physical and spiritual.
A Long Record of Mission Work
Mission has been a defining practice at Hyde Park Christian Church for years. Volunteers have traveled to the Philippines with Lifetree Adventures to assist a deaf education ministry in Bohol that has worked for more than thirty years on literacy and vocational training. The congregation has partnered with Outreach360 to work with children in the Dominican Republic, volunteered with the Inman Center in San Antonio, a Disciples-sponsored community center that runs youth recreation, senior housing, after-school tutoring, and substance abuse programs, and joined Southwest Good Samaritan Ministries in Los Fresnos, Texas, on home repair and construction projects. Closer to home, the church supports the work of the Texas Bible Chair Foundation and the Austin Downtown Lions Club, and members have journeyed as far as Alaska and Cornwall, Ontario, to help improve housing for low-income families.
Music, Fellowship, and Fun
Music and fellowship shape the rhythm of the week beyond Sunday morning. The choir welcomes anyone who wants to sing, with rehearsals on Sunday mornings and a wide variety of styles, and no experience required. The DMA, which stands for Don't Mention Age, group meets every Friday at noon for food, fellowship, and dominoes, specifically the game 42. METS, Men Expecting to Serve, gathers every Monday morning for coffee, donuts, and service projects around the church, from repairs to grilling at luncheons. The Sew-N-Sews, a quilting group, meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month, and Christian Women's Fellowship offers another avenue for connection.
Meet the Pastoral Team
The pastoral team is led by Rev. Dr. Jacqueline Baker Hammett, Senior Minister. She holds a Master of Divinity and a Doctorate of Ministry from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and undergraduate degrees from the University of Texas and St. Edward's University. A devoted Longhorn, she currently serves as Past President of the Austin Downtown Lions Club and Past Chair of the Texas Bible Chair Foundation. Rev. Stephen C. Robinson serves as Associate Minister for Outreach and Education. He joined Hyde Park in 2011 as a musician and vocalist in the choir, completed undergraduate work in Plan II and Religious Studies at the University of Texas, and earned his Master of Divinity from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He is also a board-certified hospital chaplain for Ascension Seton.
Visiting Hyde Park Christian Church
The church office is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitors will find the building at 610 East 45th Street in the Hyde Park neighborhood, easily reachable from the UT campus and central Austin. Sunday worship is at 10:30 a.m., Sunday School for all ages is at 9:15 a.m., and the service is live-streamed on YouTube for those who wish to participate from home.