worship
GC|RH worship services are held Sunday mornings at 10:30am. For seasonal services and celebrations, see our Events page.
Youth & Children’s ministry
Youth and Children’s Church seeks to establish liturgical rhythms and meaningful discussion in the lives of congregants of all ages, while encouraging relationships of support and care between older and younger children.
During the school year, Youth and Children’s Church is offered each Sunday, with occasional family field trips throughout the year. We meet outside at the beginning of the service and rejoin the congregation inside at Passing of the Peace. During our time together, youth and children are invited to participate in their own short liturgy including candle-lighting, discussion, singing, and closing prayer, followed by time to craft, play, or work on service projects on the church grounds. Join us on the first Sunday of each month for a family meal and outdoors time! Sign up for our church newsletter or contact Kate Lichti and Joanna Currey to learn more.
Charis community
Charis is an intentional community living and tending together on the grounds of Good Shepherd | Hickory Hill church and parsonage, just southwest of Charlottesville, VA.
The residents of the Charis Community share meals, conversation, song, building and land stewardship projects, environmentally conscious lifestyle practices, and living expenses, according to the current needs of each resident. Charis is a house of hospitality, where all residents host and are hosted by each other, and open their doors to the larger Grace Church | Red Hill and Charlottesville communities.
Along with Grace Church, the Good Shepherd church and parsonage are part of McIlhany Parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia. The Charis Community was founded by a group of young adults in partnership with Grace Church in 2014, and since then has served as a sanctuary for folks contending with a variety of challenges: discrimination based on queer identity, the need for affordable housing to find greater stability, healing from trauma, and leaving home countries in the face of extreme violence.
Through the years, Charis has hosted pizza parties, solstice and equinox celebrations, community singing events, community organizing efforts, poetry readings, wineberry festivals, and more. Contact them at chariscommunitycville@gmail.com.
ministry of imagination
The Ministry of Imagination (MOI) was formed in 2021 as a creative incubator for hopes, dreams, and longings to take shape and come closer to reality. MOI meets weekly to share a communal meal and create a circle of support for brainstorming, dreaming, planning, refining, organizing, cultivating, and bringing seed ideas to fruition. Contact Craig Green or Emily Little to learn more.