This church helped establish additional Episcopal congregations in southeast Michigan, and its early members launched key local institutions, including the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Gordon Lloyd, a leading architect of Episcopal churches in the Midwest, designed the Gothic church building completed in 1863. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, Christ Church served as a hub for hospitality, education, athletics, and service to the community. The church’s outreach expanded in 1924 with the construction of Ledyard Hall. This new fellowship hall attracted diverse community members including a large number of Syrian immigrants.

Christ Church remains at the heart of the community. A wide range of groups meet in Ledyard Hall, such as numerous recovery programs, a shelter for individuals facing housing instability, a youth reading camp, a used bicycle shop, and Opera MODO, an opera company dedicated to creating opportunities for young and emerging artists. In collaboration with a Jewish congregation that met in the church building, Christ Church Detroit proudly sponsored a Syrian-Muslim refugee family in 2016. The congregation continues to have active participation from the Syrian community and hosts traditions such as the Hafli, a dinner-dance celebration.

A National Fund grant of $100,000 with $100,000 in matching funds raised by the congregation will support upgrades to the interior of Ledyard Hall in conjunction with a larger project to stabilize the building envelope and mitigate water infiltration. To better utilize the space for community use, this work will involve bringing the kitchen up to code, soundproofing the ceiling and walls, and repairing the floors.

Christ Church Detroit by Danielle Wright

Christ Church Detroit courtesy Opera MODO