A Parish at the Center of Concord
St. Paul's Episcopal Church stands on Centre Street in the heart of Concord, New Hampshire's capital city. The historic sanctuary and the connected parish building sit among the State House, downtown offices, and neighborhood streets where Sunday parking is free and easy. From this downtown location, St. Paul's runs a food pantry and a thrift store, hosts homeless families four times a year, and sustains a long-standing mission partnership in Chantilly, Jamaica, all while keeping its principal work rooted in the regular rhythm of Sunday worship.
St. Paul's describes itself as "a church in the community with open doors, for the community - sharing God's love, grace, and mercy." Its vision names the parish as "a welcoming, diverse place where all can come as they are, whoever they are, and discover themselves as God's beloved." That welcome shows up in the building's layout and the programming offered there throughout the week, from a sanctuary propped open at midday to a basement pantry that hands out food and clothing to neighbors in need.
Holy Eucharist on Saturday Evening and Sunday Morning
Worship at St. Paul's centers on the Holy Eucharist, celebrated three times each weekend. On Saturday at 4:30 p.m., the service takes place in the sanctuary on the first Saturday of each month and in the smaller chapel the rest of the month. On Sunday morning, two services are offered: a quiet, contemplative Eucharist at 8:00 a.m. and a 10:00 a.m. service with choir music, nursery care for infants through age four, and Sunday School for ages three through eleven. All services use Rite II from the Book of Common Prayer, and bulletins are available to follow along.
Communion is offered to all who wish to receive it. Gluten-free wafers are available on request. Those who prefer not to drink from the chalice are welcome to receive only the host, and anyone may cross their arms over their chest to receive a blessing instead. The priest and a lay Eucharistic Minister are glad to bring communion to anyone unable to walk to the altar rail.
Both Sunday services are livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel, and Concord TV broadcasts the 10:00 a.m. service during the week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. From 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on weekdays, the church doors are propped open so that anyone can step inside to pray or sit quietly in the sanctuary.
A Choir for Every Voice
Music is woven through the 10:00 a.m. service and into parish life beyond Sunday morning. The Adult Choir rehearses weekly and leads worship with a wide repertoire that stretches from gospel spirituals to the great choral literature of the Anglican tradition. Instrumentalists are also invited to share their gifts; the rector is happy to talk with anyone who would like to contribute.
Two children's choirs meet on Friday afternoons. The Junior Youth Choir (ages four through seven) sings from 4:30 to 5:15 p.m., starting with a snack and game before songs. The Choristers (ages eight through eighteen) rehearse from 5:20 to 7:00 p.m., working on voice, music reading, and repertoire before supper and a game. Both groups sing for the 10:00 a.m. service roughly once a month, and the choirs take a break during the summer.
Forming Young Disciples
Children at St. Paul's are welcomed as full members of the faith community. Sunday School classes begin promptly at 9:45 a.m. with a curriculum built on Bible stories, prayer, worship, and hands-on activities that help children grow into kindness, compassion, and forgiveness in daily life. The nursery opens at 9:30 a.m. for infants through age four.
Older youth gather for a Youth Group on the second Sunday of each month during the school year, meeting at 11:15 a.m. The parish has adopted the model policies of the Episcopal Church for the protection of children and youth, and clergy, staff, teachers, and volunteers in ministry with young people complete Safe Church training every three years.
A Food Pantry and a Thrift Store, Side by Side
Down the stairs and through the lower-level door at 21 Centre Street, St. Paul's runs two of its most visible outreach ministries. The Food Pantry is open Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. to noon, and Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to noon and again from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Clients may visit as often as every two weeks, and pantry staff share information about other local pantries for help between visits. Fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, and bakery items share shelf space with non-perishables, and financial gifts support ongoing operations.
Just across the lower-level hallway, the Chapter Two Thrift Store offers low-cost clothing and household goods to the greater Concord community. It keeps the same weekday hours as the food pantry and adds a Thursday evening session. Gently used, in-season clothing donations are welcome. On the second Monday of each month from 10:00 a.m. to noon, the thrift store director is available downstairs to sit with visitors and help determine what the parish can offer.
Four Weeks a Year with Family Promise
Four times each year, one week per quarter, the parish building opens for Family Promise of Greater Concord, hosting one to three families who are working toward sustainable independence. Classrooms are turned into living spaces and Ordway Hall becomes a dining room. Volunteers prepare and serve the evening meal between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m., provide breakfast fixings and bag lunches, spend the night as a quiet presence in the building, and set up or take down the air beds, linens, and blankets on the Sundays surrounding the hosting week.
Family Promise screens each family thoroughly and accepts none with drug or alcohol issues. Many St. Paul's volunteers find that preparing the meal and staying overnight together gives the families the gift of seeing the same faces at dinner and in the morning.
Walking Alongside Chantilly, Jamaica
St. Paul's maintains a long-standing mission partnership with the community of Chantilly in Jamaica. The parish describes the relationship as one of friendship, mutual respect, and shared faith, built on prayer, shared ministry, and ongoing connection rather than a one-time aid trip. Members see this global link as part of how the parish lives out its vision of being a church "for the community" - a community that extends well beyond Concord.
Weddings, Baptism, and Funerals
The historic sanctuary is a popular setting for weddings. St. Paul's offers three packages: Sanctuary Use Only ($850), Wedding Essentials with three pre-marital counseling sessions, rehearsal, and the Rector as officiant ($1,200), and a Wedding With On-Site Reception that adds use of Ordway Hall for up to 125 guests, an industrial kitchen, and three hours plus setup ($1,650). Optional bulletins and musicians (voice, organ, piano, or trumpet) are offered as well. Active St. Paul's members receive their own pricing.
Holy Baptism is offered on Sundays set aside for the sacrament, after a family has been worshipping regularly at St. Paul's for several months. The rector meets with the family ahead of time to walk through the service and the baptismal form.
Funerals at St. Paul's are planned in close conversation with the parish. A funeral planning booklet is available online, and the office can be reached for guidance whether the death is expected or sudden.
Pastoral Care in Every Season
The pastoral care ministry extends well beyond Sunday mornings. The Ministry of Presence team visits parishioners who are homebound, living in nursing homes, recovering from illness, or facing difficult times. They bring prayer, conversation, and Holy Communion, and they keep the prayer list current with cards and notes.
Because hospitals do not always notify local parishes, St. Paul's asks family members and friends to let the office know when someone is hospitalized, entering rehabilitation, or moving into assisted living. A priest or member of the team will visit, pray, and offer communion - or simply be present.
The Rector, the Staff, and the Vestry
The Rev. Jean Beniste serves as Rector, presiding at worship, preaching, teaching, and providing pastoral care. Three Music Leaders - June Hale, Barbara Porter, and RP Hale - guide the parish's choral life, with June Hale also directing the children's choirs and Rae Easter serving as soloist. The church is currently seeking a part-time Director of Music to lead and develop the parish music ministry.
The Vestry is made up of thirteen members elected at the annual parish meeting in January. Within the Vestry, a Senior Warden (Tamar Roberts), Junior Warden (Kristin Dunklee), Treasurer (Cassandra Bush), and Clerk (Judith Goodnow) hold leadership positions. Diocesan Convention Delegates include Bob Samson, Mary Farrell, and Jean Haley, with Ginnie Schartner as alternate.
An Open-Door Vision
The core values printed on the Mission and Vision page name the parish's commitments: pastoral care, radical welcome and hospitality, compassionate service, spiritual growth, missional formation, diversity and inclusion, community connection, grace and mercy, authenticity, and radical invitation. St. Paul's is part of the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire, one of forty-seven congregations and eight seasonal chapels in the diocese, which is itself one of 110 dioceses in The Episcopal Church and one of 38 provinces in the worldwide Anglican Communion.
On the land acknowledgement, the parish names Concord as part of N'dakinna, the traditional homeland of the Abenaki, Pennacook, and Wabanaki peoples, past and present, and gives thanks for those who have stewarded the land and waterways through the generations.
Getting Involved and Giving
Members and newcomers serve in many ways. Altar Guild members prepare the sanctuary for each service. Greeters welcome at the door, ushers distribute bulletins and guide people to the altar rail, lectors read the appointed lessons, acolytes carry the cross and torches, and licensed Lay Eucharistic Ministers serve the chalice. Technicians handle cameras and editing each week for the YouTube livestream and Concord TV broadcast.
During the week, Front Desk Volunteers greet visitors and answer phones, Ministry of Presence volunteers visit parishioners, Chapter Two and Food Pantry workers stock shelves and serve clients, Open Church volunteers sit in the sanctuary from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Garden Helpers tend the grounds in summer, and Family Promise volunteers prepare meals and stay overnight four times a year. A small group with the Rector meets Wednesdays from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., Men's Just Supper gathers the first Tuesday of each month from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. for a light meal and conversation, and a softball team plays during the summer.
Financial gifts can be placed in the offering plate, mailed to 21 Centre Street, set up through a bank, given online through Tithe.ly by texting "give" to 603-786-7126, or made through the RaiseRight gift card program, which returns a percentage of each purchase to the parish.
Practical Information
The church is located at 21 Centre St., Concord, NH 03301. The phone number is 603-224-2523. Office hours are Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. A small parking lot sits at the north entrance off Centre Street, and on-street parking is free on Sundays. Parishioners also use the parking lot to the east of the building, where businesses are closed on Sundays, and the State House lot to the west. Four doors lead into the building: the north entrance off Centre Street, the east entrance with elevator access, and the two sets of red doors off Park Street.
Visitors are welcome to wear whatever feels right - the dress code runs from casual to dressy, and there is no fee for attending. The chapel adjoining the worship space is always open for children who need a break, and a special play corner with coloring, books, and toys awaits at coffee hour.