A Brief History

The history of The Church of the Holy Comforter can be told through several lenses: place, people, and ministry. For nearly 120 years, the Holy Comforter community of faith has lived out its ministry in the Dilworth area of Charlotte, radiating throughout the region and well beyond. It has done so in spaces that shape its culture, impact, and city. It has done so with leadership “from all sectors of life,” inspired by the historic bishop in whose memory the church was established. Holy Comforter has responded to Christ’s commandments to serve through innovative ministries sustained by a deep root of faith and spread throughout the region and state.

The worshipping community of The Episcopal Church of the Holy Comforter has met continuously since the birth of the Episcopal mission on March 5, 1903. Holy Comforter was organized by Bishop Joseph Blount Cheshire, of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, in response to a petition from thirty-one residents of Dilworth. The petition was also supported by the Reverend George M. Tolson, archdeacon for diocesan missionary work in Mecklenburg County and, from 1903-1904, Holy Comforter’s first priest.

Worship services were initially held in commercial facilities located in Dilworth, a then-developing suburban neighborhood located at the end of the electric streetcar line from downtown Charlotte. During the next one hundred twenty years, the Holy Comforter congregation constructed church buildings at two additional Dilworth locations: 1506 South Boulevard (formerly The Boulevard); and 2701 Park Road (formerly Avondale Avenue).

Groundbreaking ceremonies at Holy Comforter’s South Boulevard location were held on August 6, 1909, and the to-be-constructed church was designed as the “Bishop Thomas Atkinson Memorial.” Bishop Atkinson presided over the Diocese of North Carolina

from 1853 to 1881, and during Reconstruction he effectively promoted the reconciliation of Northern and Southern Episcopal churches. Bishop Atkinson raised up church leadership from “all segments of life,” including among the formerly enslaved, and was instrumental in establishing St. Augustine’s University, one of two Episcopal historically black colleges and universities.

By 1911, the crypt (basement) of the new church had been constructed, and the congregation began meeting in the Sunday school rooms located there. On March 2, 1913, the first worship services were held in the church that had been built above the crypt.

At mid-century, the growing commercial character of South Boulevard and congregational needs for space induced Holy Comforter to acquire land on Park Road and begin construction of new church buildings. The first Park Road worship services were held on October 10, 1954, in a newly constructed parish hall. On August 18, 1957, the church itself was dedicated in ceremonies led by Bishop Edwin A. Penick. A few years later, on March 8, 1964, it was consecrated by Bishop Richard H. Baker. Several architectural and liturgical features of the South Boulevard church were incorporated into the Park Road church, including: the marble altar, the altar cross; and the Tiffany-designed stained glass chancel window.

Four priests served as Rector on South Boulevard: the Reverend Francis M. Osborne (1904-1916); the Reverend Robert B. Owens (1916-1946); the Reverend Iveson B. Noland (1946-1950); and the Reverend Joseph L. Kellerman (1950-1958). Five priests have served as Rector on Park Road: the Reverend Floyd W. Finch, Jr. (1959-1967); the Reverend Alwin Reiners, Jr. (1968-1979); the Reverend G. Kenneth G. Henry (1980-1997); the Reverend David B. Hodges (1999-2008), the Reverend Kevin Brown (2010-2017), and the Reverend Greg B. F. Brown (2018 to the present). Since 1958, additional men and women have served the parish in other clergy roles, in several cases being the “first” in their roles, expanding the breadth of leadership.

Holy Comforter has raised up ministries that expanded our understanding of Christ’s commandment to serve and which have often been replicated beyond our walls, such as Loaves & Fishes, which was recently renamed NourishUp. Holy Comforter parishioners have also been essential in supporting other ministries in Charlotte, notably those of Urban Ministry, Room in the Inn, and now Roof Above. Many of Holy Comforter’s affiliation circles support youth, foster children, campus ministry, children without books, and far more. Hundreds of Holy Comforter members serve in countless other ways to respond to Christ’s commandments to raise up the Kingdom of God.

Throughout its history, Holy Comforter has raised up countless people, both lay and clergy, to provide leadership for the Charlotte community and for the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina.

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