Tucked into the residential streets of the historic Ardmore neighborhood in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, St. Timothy's Episcopal Church is a parish where the church year shapes the rhythm of daily life. Set just off Knollwood Road between Hawthorne and Stratford, the campus at 2575 Parkway Drive has been a fixture of Anglo-Catholic worship in the city for more than seven decades. The church describes itself as an Episcopal Church in the Catholic Tradition, a member of the Anglican Communion, the Episcopal Church, and the Diocese of North Carolina. Its motto, drawn from Psalm 122, reads: "Because of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek to do you good."
A Parish Organized Around Worship, Wisdom, and Witness
St. Timothy's understands its life through three words, each paired with a passage of Scripture. Worship is the adoration of Almighty God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and the central act each Sunday and most weekdays is the Holy Eucharist, commonly called the mass. Wisdom names the work of formation through Holy Scripture, the Tradition of the Church, and the encouragement of Christian community. Witness is the promise of adoration and formation lived out: a life transformed by the love of Jesus Christ, freed from the tyranny of sin and selfishness and given to service and sacrifice.
The parish is a community of individuals and families bound together by the sacrament of Holy Baptism and common faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Members are not expected to be perfect but to live more deeply in the life and love of Jesus Christ through adoration, formation, and transformation.
A Full Week of Mass and the Daily Office
Few parishes maintain a daily round of prayer as disciplined as St. Timothy's. On Sundays, the church offers five opportunities for worship:
- 7:00 a.m. - Morning Prayer in the Googe Chapel, a quiet fifteen-minute service of psalms, an Old Testament lesson, and prayers, attended by about five to seven people.
- 7:30 a.m. - Low Mass, Rite I, in the Chapel. Spoken, in traditional language, without a choir, and usually concluded by 8:20.
- 9:00 a.m. - Low Mass, Rite II, in the Church. A celebration of the Holy Eucharist in modern language, accompanied by the choir, with a professional nursery available for children three and younger.
- 11:00 a.m. - Solemn Mass, Rite I, in the Church. The principal Sunday liturgy, with traditional language, chant, incense, three sacred ministers (priest, deacon, and subdeacon), and a choir of professional singers.
- 5:00 p.m. - Evening Prayer, or Evensong, and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. The choir sings the prayers twice a month, making the service Evensong.
On Monday through Thursday, the doors open with Morning Prayer at 8:30 a.m., followed by Mass at 9:00 a.m., and close with Evening Prayer at 4:30 p.m. On Wednesdays, the Rosary is prayed at 5:00 p.m. and a noon Mass is added in the Chapel on certain holy days. Mass is celebrated Monday through Saturday at 9:00 a.m. The full liturgical kalendar is published week by week, with each day listing the Invitatory, Psalms, readings, Benedictus, Magnificat, and Gospel. A full video library of services, including Lessons and Carols, Good Friday devotions, and the 75th Anniversary Mass, is available on YouTube, and services are livestreamed there as well.
Mass, the parish explains, is the ancient name for the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, with origins Pope Benedict XVI traces to the Latin missio: the weekly gathering of Christians for the Eucharist is the mission of the Church. A Low Mass is a Eucharist without chant, incense, or three sacred ministers. A Solemn Mass is the same celebration with all three ministers, incense, and chant.
The Building, the Chapel, and the Pipe Organ
The parish worships in two spaces. The main Church is the seat of the 9:00 and 11:00 Sunday masses and most daily liturgies. The Chapel, built in 1952, was the primary worship space for St. Timothy's until 2000 and now houses the 7:30 a.m. Low Mass and some weekday services. The organ in the Church is a Hook and Hastings Pipe Organ, Opus 1801, built in 1898 and restored by J. Allen Farmer, Inc., in 2013. A Steinway Model O from 1911, restored by Bill Huesman in 2019, accompanies choral repertoire.
Visitors are greeted in the Narthex for refreshments and fellowship after the 9:00 and 11:00 masses. The parish calendar lists three shrines where flowers are placed for sponsorship: the Calvary Crucifix Shrine, the Shrine of St Timothy, the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, the Shrine of the Holy Guardian Angel, and the Shrine of St Michael the Archangel. Seven-day shrine lamps burn before Our Lady of Walsingham, St Timothy, St Michael the Archangel, the Holy Guardian Angel (the shrine of the Society of St Joseph of Arimathea), the Lamp of the Prodigal Son, and the Sanctuary Lamp, which announces the Sacramental Presence in the tabernacle.
The Choir and the Music Program
The Adult Choir sings each Sunday for the 9:00 and 11:00 masses and rehearses on Wednesdays from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. between Labor Day and Pentecost. The choir family includes six staff singers and many volunteer singers who commit faithfully to weekly worship. Recent repertoire has included Haydn's Missa brevis Sancti Joannis de Deo (the Little Organ Mass), Mozart's Missa brevis in G and Mass in C (Sparrow), Schubert's Mass in G, Sarah MacDonald's Missa Brevis Sancta Cecilia (commissioned in 2022 in honor of Christin Barnhardt) and Vigilate, ergo (commissioned in 2024 in honor of Erica Davis), Victoria's St. John Passion and Reproaches, Fauré's Messe basse, and the Missa pro defunctis from the Liber Usualis. The choirmaster and organist is Dr. Robert Matthews, who holds degrees from Appalachian State University, UNC-Greensboro, and Salem College.
Clergy and Staff
The Rector is the Rev. Steve Rice. A native of Greenwood, South Carolina, Fr Rice holds a B.A. in Psychology from Erskine College, an M.Div. from Candler School of Theology at Emory University, a D.Min. from Nashotah House Theological Seminary, and is completing an M.A. in Theology, Mission, and Ministry from St Stephen's House, Oxford, validated by Durham University. He was ordained in 2005, served as rector of St Michael's in Waynesboro, Georgia, from 2005 to 2008, and has been rector of St Timothy's since 2008. He is a member of the Society of King Charles the Martyr (past American President, Order of Laud), the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament, the Guild of All Souls, the Society of Mary (Council Secretary), and is an Oblate of St John's Abbey, an Officer of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, and a member of the Society of the Holy Cross.
The Curate is the Rev. Luke Klingstedt, a graduate of Oklahoma University and Wake Forest University School of Divinity, ordained a transitional deacon in 2022 and a priest in 2023. Dr. Robert Matthews serves as Choirmaster and Organist. Chloe Klingstedt is the Director of Children and Family Ministries. Canon Jeremy Haselock, Chaplain to Queen Elizabeth II and former Precentor and Vice-Dean of Norwich Cathedral, serves as Honorary Priest Associate.
Formation for Every Age
Adult formation at St Timothy's centers on Wednesday. At 10:30 a.m., Fr Steve leads a Lectionary Study in the ECW Hall, examining the readings appointed for the coming Sunday. At 5:45 p.m., drinks are offered in the same room before a 6:00 p.m. theological discussion series led by the rector. The rector also presents occasional Sunday-evening lectures on subjects such as relational ontology, the sacraments of marriage and ordination, and the iconography of the body.
Children gather between the 9:00 and 11:00 masses for Sunday formation. PreK through 3rd grade meets in classroom C2; 4th and 5th grade in C1. A nursery staffed by trained, background-checked, and CPR-certified sitters is available during the 9:00 and 11:00 masses for children three and younger. Family resource booklets are produced for major liturgical seasons such as Lent, with activities, devotions, and recipes to mark the feasts at home. Vacation Bible School is offered each summer for children ages 4 to 10.
EYC (Episcopal Youth Community) welcomes all 6th through 12th graders on Wednesday evenings during the school year. Middle School Formation meets from 6:00 to 6:30 p.m., followed by a combined dinner in the ECW Hall from 6:30 to 7:00, and High School Formation from 7:00 to 8:00. The youth ministry includes Bible studies, prayer, annual summer retreats, mission trips, and service opportunities. Young Adults in their twenties and thirties gather every other Sunday for dinner following Evensong and Benediction, with formation series offered throughout the year, and maintain a Slack channel for ongoing conversation.
Guilds and Societies
The backbone of parish life at St Timothy's is a federation of guilds and societies. Long before churches spoke of small groups or fellowship groups, guilds and societies served as the parochial backbone. Each is to combine a devotional focus, a work of mercy or support, and intentional community. Each has a leader serving a one-year term, is prayed for on a rota at the Daily Office, and is recognized on a Sunday or Holy Day each year.
The Guild of Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest prepares the altar for divine service: arranging altar vessels, books, and candles; laundering linens and vestments; arranging flowers; and crafting devotional objects. Its leader is Dwayne McFerrin. The Guild of Blessed Alcuin of York trains acolytes, servers, eucharistic ministers, and lectors who serve at the 7:30, 9:00, and 11:00 masses. The Guild of Benedict Joseph Labre, under the patronage of the patron saint of the homeless and mentally ill, supports those experiencing homelessness in Winston-Salem, including service at the parish shelter and with City with Dwellings throughout the year. The Society of St Joseph of Arimathea provides cremation and burial for those unable to afford these services, especially infants and children, through fundraising, grave digging, and care of the Society's cemetery. The Guild of St Martha of Bethany offers hospitality: ushers, greeters, receptions, and kitchen work. The Society of Mary promotes devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and prays the Rosary on Wednesdays. The Guild of Isidore the Farmer maintains the parish grounds and a summer vegetable garden in raised beds. The Guild of St Michael the Archangel cares for the St Michael Law Enforcement Chapel and Kitchen, supporting officers through prayer, prayer partners, and hospitality. The Guild of All Souls prays for the dead, assists at requiems and burials, and joins the national Guild of All Souls. The Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament promotes orthodox teaching on the Real Presence and gathers for Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
Mercy and Witness in Winston-Salem
The parish's outward witness takes two principal forms. The Our Lady of Salem Shelter for Women operates on the St Timothy's campus in the undercroft, providing shelter for women in Winston-Salem. The parish also partners with City with Dwellings, an organization serving people experiencing homelessness in the city. The Society of St Joseph of Arimathea extends the work of mercy into burial care for those without resources. Members help dig graves, maintain a cemetery, and fundraise for cremation and burial expenses, particularly for infants and children.
Baptisms, Funerals, and Joining the Parish
Those wishing to join St Timothy's do so either through Baptism or by transfer, whether from another Episcopal Church or from another Trinitarian tradition with water baptism. Interested individuals may contact Fr Steve Rice to begin the conversation.
The burial of the dead is a Christian duty and a corporal work of mercy at St Timothy's. The Book of Common Prayer and the customs of the parish govern the service. The liturgical color for adults is black or violet, and for children, white. Altar flowers are provided by the parish; additional flowers are placed in the ECW Hall. The use of the ECW Hall or Drake Hall is available for a reception after the burial. For veterans, a flag may be placed near the body. Hymns must come from the Episcopal Church Hymnal or another approved source; prerecorded music is not appropriate. The service is either the Burial of the Dead (without communion) or a Requiem Mass (with communion), and not called a Memorial Service or Celebration of Life.
Supporting the Parish
St Timothy's is sustained by pledges and online giving. Online giving is available through Donorbox, with options for quick donations and a general giving fund. Stock transfers are accepted through Charles Schwab, with the account under the name St Timothy's Episcopal Church. A small parish store sells parish-branded apparel and gifts.
The Logo and the Parish Seal
The church's logo is based on the bas relief of St Timothy that hangs on the south end of the nave. The bas relief was designed by Davis d'Ambly and carved by John Speaker in 2015. In the image, St Timothy wears traditional vestments and holds a thurible in his right hand and the church in his left. The monogram embeds an S and a T for Saint Timothy; the S is shaped like a snake, calling to mind both the serpent of Genesis 3 and the bronze serpent Moses lifted up in the wilderness, a typology of the crucifixion. The parish seal, designed by Matthew Alderman, depicts St Timothy in pontifical vestments holding a thurible in one hand and a blanket for the homeless in the other, with the Winston-Salem skyline below. The thurible and the blanket represent the two great charisms of St Timothy's: traditional worship and service to the poor through corporal acts of mercy.
Holy Land Pilgrimage
The parish has made three pilgrimages to the Holy Land under the leadership of Canon Iyad Qurmi and his family. Pilgrims spend nine nights in Jerusalem at St George's Anglican Cathedral, a short walk from the Old City, and three nights in Nazareth at the Sisters of Nazareth Guest House across from the Basilica of the Annunciation. The itinerary has included daily prayer and daily Mass, visits to Herodium, Jericho, the Jordan River, Capernaum, Tabgha, Caesarea Maritima, Mount Tabor, Sepphoris, Burqin, Nablus, Taybeh, Bethlehem, the Western Wall, the Dome of the Rock, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Dead Sea, and Gethsemane.