When two or three are gathered at St. Alban’s you can count on two things:  food and fun! We believe in sharing the joy of living and celebrating together the many blessings of life. The church calendar includes major events such as the annual Parish Picnic, Pancake Supper, Spaghetti Dinner and autumn Pig Pickin’ barbecue. We also do small Wednesday suppers, and Parish members cook dinner for Davidson students on Sunday evenings during the school year.

We are blessed at St. Alban’s with many young families, and every effort is made to include children whenever we can in Parish Life activities. And part of the of being located in a new neighborhood is opening our doors to our neighbors and inviting them to our dinners and activities.

All women of the parish are members of the Episcopal Church Women (ECW), and our ECW is part of an extraordinary fellowship of Episcopal women across the country who manage to do the impossible on a regular basis! ECW raises money both nationally and locally, and provides support for those in need both in this country and overseas.

The St. Alban’s ECW participates in Davidson’s annual community Town Day and sells plants lovingly dug up and donated. They sponsor the annual Pancake Dinner and Bingo Night (lassoing members of the Men’s Group to help). Through these activities and smaller fundraising projects through the year, ECW raises money they use for a rich variety of projects – from replacing worn vestments in our own church to buying books for seminary students to offering help to the Mission San Lucas in El Salvador.

ECW meets on the second Tuesday of each Month from September through May. To learn more about ECW’s activities in North Carolina, visit the Web site http://www.ecw-nc.org.

MSA (Men of St. Alban's)

Just as all women of St. Alban’s are members of ECW, the men of the church all are welcomed into Men of St. Alban's. There is no formal structure in the Episcopal Church for men’s fellowship and service, so the men of our church have carved their own path.

MSA sponsors monthly social gatherings where members can relax and informally share fun and fellowship. It also coordinates labor for workdays at the church, handles the heavy work of setting up and taking down tables at parish events, and generally provides manpower for a variety of events.

The major event of the year for MSA is the annual Pig Pickin’ Barbecue in the fall. The work starts well before dawn as teams get the barbecue fires going and begin preparations. By late afternoon, everything is ready and families and individuals pour in from across the community to enjoy traditional southern barbecue with all the trimmings, music, and a ton of fun. The money raised all goes to Outreach, which provides the perfect end of this great day.

As a young and growing church, St. Alban’s welcomes visitors every Sunday of the year, and we have been delighted to see many of those visitors decide to join our parish family.

If you come to St. Alban’s, you will find friendly faces at the door waiting to welcome you and help you find your way. You will find a Guest Book in the narthex (the lobby), and we invite you to sign it and give us information about where you live and whether you’d like more information. Children are welcome to visit the Sunday School, and Adult Education is open to visitors as well.

All are welcome to join us as we gather to worship. After each service, there is time for coffee and conversation in the narthex, and that is a good time for you to meet us and us to welcome you.

On the first Sunday of every month there is a Newcomers meeting after the 10:30 a.m. service. These are an excellent opportunity for newcomers, clergy, vestry members and other parish members to get to know one another a little better.

In short, you may come to St. Alban’s a stranger, but you won’t be a stranger for long!

Pastoral care at St. Alban’s combines the work of our clergy with the special talents of a professional therapist and a caring team of parishioners in serving the needs of our church family. Assistance is offered during times of illness, death, birth, hospital stays and other special needs as they arise.

The work of the clergy is at the center of pastoral care. But in addition, lay members of the church help by taking communion to those who are ill or homebound, taking meals if a family is dealing with a death or other major event, offering help when a baby arrives, and performing countless other planned and random acts of kindness.

The Associate Rector at St. Alban's also serves the Diocese of North Carolina as Episcopal Campus Minister at Davidson College. The Reverend Elizabeth Marie Melchionna works with Rob Spach, Davidson College Chaplain. The Diocese of North Carolina's ministry to the students at Davidson College is known as Canterbury@Davidson.

During the school year, Canterbury holds a 4:30 p.m. Eucharist on Sundays at the Lingle Chapel at DCPC, then students walk to the Carolina Inn for a simple supper prepared and served by members of the parish.

Canterbury is actively involved in different service projects both in Davidson and the wider community.

For more information visit www.canterburyatdavidson.org.