A Place in the Elizabeth Neighborhood
St. Martin's Episcopal Church sits on East Seventh Street in the Elizabeth neighborhood of Charlotte, just over a mile from the center of the city and beside one of Charlotte's great city parks. The parish of about 700 members is known for what it calls radical Christian hospitality: an open and affirming community, diverse in background, ideas, and demographics, where all of God's children are welcome and included. The parish's public stance is summarized in three words: No Exceptions, and the conviction behind them is plain. God loves you, and Jesus changed the world by loving the ones on the outside. Welcome to Saint Martin's.
The welcome extends well beyond Sunday morning. The parish considers itself at the heart of its community and says it has the community in its heart. Many in the surrounding neighborhood consider Saint Martin's their church, even if they do not attend on Sundays. That sense of mutual belonging shapes the rhythm of life at St. Martin's: a service-centered community whose building is a gathering place for its neighbors, and whose ministries offer space for all God's people to meet and find Christ in each other.
Sundays at St. Martin's
The Sunday pattern at St. Martin's centers on two celebrations of the Holy Eucharist, at 8:30 a.m. and 10:45 a.m., with Christian formation for all ages filling the gap in between. From 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., the Parish Hall hums with adult formation in the Fellowship Hall, youth formation in the upstairs Youth Room, and children's formation upstairs as well. Bibliognostics, led by David Radavich, meets in the Parlor, and Word and Life, led by Father Armand, meets in the Library. Coffee and social time begin at 9:30.
Nursery care is available from 8:00 a.m. to noon for children from infants through PreKindergarten, and the older children gather in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd atria, the Montessori-based formation rooms that serve ages three through sixth grade. The worship itself follows the order of the Book of Common Prayer, with scripture readings, prayers, a sermon, the creeds, prayers of the people, confession, and Holy Communion. Music is a central part of the liturgy, and at St. Martin's the congregation sings as much as the choir does. Traditional hymns, contemporary songs, psalms, canticles, and meditative music drawn from different cultures and countries all have a place. All who are baptized are welcome to receive the Bread and the Wine at communion, regardless of denomination.
Almost 140 Years on East Seventh Street
St. Martin's history begins in 1887, in a small schoolhouse in a mill neighborhood of Charlotte then known as Mechanicsville. The Reverend Joseph B. Cheshire, rector of Saint Peter's Episcopal Church - the mother church of Episcopal parishes in Charlotte - started a Sunday School mission there. After the schoolhouse burned, Cheshire and others from St. Peter's built a brick chapel on the same site and named it St. Martin's, the name that would have been the colonial parish. The congregation grew, and in 1912 moved to its present location on East Seventh Street, in the developing streetcar suburb of Elizabeth.
St. Martin's became a focal point for the neighborhood. Several other churches held their organizational meetings in its buildings, and the city's first Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops were started at St. Martin's. The parish gained a reputation for hosting bazaars of overflowing popularity. The church and Parish House were badly damaged by fire in 1952 and rebuilt; a Youth Building was added in 1959. The congregation grew to more than 900 communicants in the late 1960s, then declined over the next two decades as the surrounding neighborhood grayed and some parishioners grew uneasy with changes in the Episcopal Church. Today St. Martin's draws members of all ages from a wide geographic area, drawn together by a strong commitment to outreach, Christian formation for children and adults, and radical Christian hospitality.
Through its long history, St. Martin's has had only eight rectors. The first, the Reverend John Long Jackson, was called in 1914 and later elected Bishop of Louisiana. His successors included the Reverends C. Alfred Cole, W. Moultrie Moore, L. Bartine Sherman, Thomas L. Ehrich, M. Blair Both (the first female rector), and L. Murdock Smith. The current rector, the Reverend Joshua D. Bowron, accepted the call in 2014. He was joined in 2022 by the Reverend Justice Schunior as associate priest.
The Good Shepherd at the Center of Children's Formation
Children's ministry at St. Martin's is built around the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a Montessori-based Christian formation program for children ages three through twelve. CGS follows the church's liturgical year and is grounded in scripture, liturgy, and the wider traditions of the church. Trained catechists lead three atria - specially prepared environments containing models of liturgical items and materials for pondering the meaning of scripture and worship. Atrium I, the Good Shepherd, serves children three years old through Kindergarten; Atrium II, the True Vine, serves first through third graders; Atrium III, the Parousia, serves fourth through sixth graders. Catechists have participated in more than 100 hours of training at each level, and all adults who work with children in CGS take the mandatory Safe Church training offered by the diocese. CGS meets Sunday mornings from 9:15 to 10:30 during the program year, mid-September through mid-May.
Around CGS, the parish keeps several recurring children's traditions. On the second Sunday of each month, Little Red Wagon Sunday gathers non-perishable food items for Nourish Up, the local nonprofit that absorbed the former Loaves and Fishes; children carry the offerings up the aisle during the offertory to be blessed at the altar. The Christmas Eve Pageant and Good Shepherd Sunday are two child-led services held each year. The Sunday before Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools start, children, students, teachers, and other school personnel receive a Backpack Blessing. The Sheepfold, the children's ministry weekly email newsletter, is published every Wednesday during the school year.
Youth: A Loving Community in a Stressful Time
The youth ministry at St. Martin's is built around providing a loving, uplifting Christian community for seventh through twelfth graders, a group that Director of Youth Ministries Jeanne Davis describes as navigating an impossibly stressful time in their lives. The ministry centers on intentional relationship, faith formation, service, and social time within the parish and out in the neighborhood just outside Uptown Charlotte.
The key weekly gathering is Sunday Night EYC, the Episcopal Youth Community, which meets from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. in and outside the Parish Hall. A typical EYC calendar includes art nights, baking, board games, bowling, city hiking, corn mazes, glow-in-the-dark nights, mountain hiking, movie nights, roller skating, white elephant gift exchanges, and outings to sporting events. EYC also hosts an annual spaghetti supper called Mama Martino's, a key fundraiser for the Youth Pilgrimage program. Every other year, youth in the summer before their junior or senior year of high school are invited to take part in a pilgrimage - past destinations have included Italy and Greece, following in the footsteps of St. Paul.
Adult Formation, Bible Study, and EfM
Adult formation on Sunday mornings is described as what many people call Sunday School, and is led in the Fellowship Hall from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. by Father Josh and Mother Justi. Topics vary and include scripture studies, Episcopal 101, an exploration of the Baptismal Covenant, and a deep dive into the Eucharist. The format is often a free-flowing discussion, and questions are highly encouraged.
Throughout the week, Bible study groups meet in homes, at the church, and online. Mother Justi leads a Tuesday morning study from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. in the Meeting Room, with topics that usually focus on a particular book of the Bible. The long-running Sunrise Bible Study meets on Zoom on Thursdays from 7:15 to 8:00 a.m., and newcomers are welcome. Education for Ministry, a four-year program of theological study and reflection sponsored by the School of Theology at the University of the South, also has a home at St. Martin's. The group meets weekly from September through May, with each meeting running about two and a half hours. The first year focuses on the Old Testament, the second on the New Testament, the third on the history of Christianity, and the fourth on theology, ethics, and interfaith relations.
For adults seeking something more reflective, Ars Vitae - the Art of Living, from Cicero's term for philosophy - meets monthly at a local brewery to explore great works of the Western canon through story and reason, with attention to goodness, truth, and beauty and to the conversation between classical thought and contemporary Christianity. Authors covered so far include Homer, Euclid, Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, and Dante.
Be With: The Matthew 25 Mission
The parish's missional identity is rooted in the story of its patron saint. The most famous tale about Martin of Tours, a fourth-century Roman soldier turned monk and bishop, tells of his cutting his military cloak in half to share with a scantily clad beggar at the gates of Amiens, then dreaming that night of Jesus wearing the half he had given away. St. Martin's parish draws its name from that saint, and the parish draws its mission from a particular reading of Matthew 25: finding Christ in those whom society tries to erase.
The parish's organizing phrase for this work is Be With. The Mission Task Force exists to prayerfully discern where God is calling St. Martin's to meet its Charlotte neighbors - leading and responding with friendship rather than arriving with a fix. The two missional focus areas are Housing Justice Advocacy in Charlotte and in North Carolina, and Friendship and Support with the Galilee Ministries of East Charlotte. St. Martin's volunteers conduct tenant phone canvassing to support Renters Rising and Action NC organizing efforts, and the parish makes an annual financial donation to both the Galilee Ministries and the Access to Justice Campaign at the Charlotte Center of Legal Advocacy and Legal Aid of North Carolina-Charlotte.
The Galilee Center, the Split Cloak Pantry, and Housing Justice
Galilee Ministries of East Charlotte is a special mission of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina. The Galilee Center, on Central Avenue, shares space with other nonprofits that provide direct services and programs to refugees, immigrants, and neighbors in East Charlotte, with the shared purpose of feeding body, mind, and spirit. St. Martin's has a long history of partnership: the parish has run food drives for Nourish Up at the Galilee Center for years, has cared for the grounds and buildings, has sent youth to serve at least once a quarter, and contributes funds annually. The Our Daily Bread (& Soup) small group prepares homemade soup and bread at the Galilee Center several times over the summer.
In the church's own courtyard, the Split Cloak Little Free Pantry serves neighbors each day, with shelves that are always in need of restocking. Plastic, cans, or paper containers only - no glass - with pop tops on cans and proteins in highest demand. Donations can be dropped off during office hours, on Sundays, or ordered through the pantry's Amazon Wish List.
On the housing justice front, volunteers staff information tables at Crisis Assistance Ministry, attorneys attend monthly Legal Aid Clinics at eviction court, and parishioners can sign up for St. Martin's Emergency Response Network to receive email alerts and advocate for quality, safe, and affordable housing for all. The Fall and Spring Give Up Your Silence Postcard Campaign and Action NC housing events round out the calendar.
Music, Acolytes, and the Worship We Build Together
Music is woven into the fabric of St. Martin's worship. The choir sings and the congregation sings too. Traditional hymns, contemporary songs, psalms, and canticles all find a place, with music drawn from different cultures and countries. Joe Master serves as Organist and Choirmaster, having joined the parish through a nationwide search. Acolytes are central participants in the liturgies - the word comes from the Greek for follower - and the ministry is open to adults, teenagers, and children as young as fourth grade, with training sessions held occasionally through the program year and regularly in the summer.
The parish takes its physical, in-person gathering seriously. After the pandemic, St. Martin's made a theologically informed decision not to livestream its services, a policy rooted in the conviction that physicality matters and that sharing three-dimensional space together is what transforms us. For those who cannot be present, the parish offers an ancient alternative: the pastoral visit. Clergy are glad to arrange a time to talk with anyone who would like to be in touch but cannot gather with the church.
Sermon and formation audio, however, is published weekly and made available publicly on Anchor, Apple, and Spotify, so the wider conversation can be followed from anywhere. The archive is updated each week.
Pastoral Leadership
The Reverend Joshua D. Bowron, the eighth rector of St. Martin's, was called in 2014. A native of Detroit raised in Atlanta in the Baptist tradition, Father Josh was drawn to the Episcopal Church by the beauty and power of the Easter liturgy he experienced at a friend's burial service as an undergraduate. He graduated from Mercer University, served as a Montessori teacher for ten years, and then discerned a call to the priesthood. He holds a Master of Divinity from the School of Theology at the University of the South in Sewanee, where he served as student body president. He and his wife, Brittany, have three children.
The Reverend Justice Schunior joined St. Martin's as associate priest in 2022. Born and raised in Chapel Hill, Mother Justi graduated from St. John's College in Annapolis and received her Master of Divinity from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University, with a focus on Anglican and Episcopal studies. She was ordained a deacon in 2008 and a priest in 2009, and has served in the dioceses of Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Colorado. She is particularly passionate about anti-racism and anti-gun-violence work.
The Reverend Armand LaVallee, retired, assists with adult Christian formation and worship, and brings more than three decades of experience as a Mentor for Education for Ministry. The Reverend Valerie Davis was ordained a vocational deacon in 2022 and serves the parish after an earlier assignment at St. Alban's in Davidson, North Carolina. She is active in the Diocese of North Carolina, serving on the Diocesan Council Outreach and Justice Committee and as a cochair for the Clergy of Color Caucus.
Jeanne Davis serves as Director of Youth Ministries, Tracey Martinez as Director of Hospitality, Lillian Richards as Director of Creative Engagement, and Brittany Bowron as Director of Children's Ministries and Parish Communications.
Visiting St. Martin's
St. Martin's Episcopal Church is located at 1510 East 7th Street, Charlotte, North Carolina 28204. Office hours are Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The parish phone number is 704-376-8441. Holy Eucharist is celebrated on Sundays at 8:30 a.m. and 10:45 a.m., with formation for all ages in between from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. and nursery care available for infants through PreKindergarten from 8:00 a.m. to noon. The parish is part of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, and St. Martin's welcomes all who come through its doors. No Exceptions.