Welcome

Welcome to the website for Manakin Episcopal Church. Founded in 1700, the church is a member of the Diocese of Southern Virginia.

We are a suburban church conveniently located in a rural setting of Powhatan County just 1 mile west of Route 288. The congregation is a blend of members from a wide geographic area that includes Powhatan, Chesterfield, and Henrico counties.

Our cornerstone beliefs include a committment to the parish family, Christian education, and community service through outreach. If you are searching for a church home and would like more information about Manakin, please contact us so we can learn more about you. We look forward to your visit.

From The Rector

Dear Friends,

As our Liturgical year ends and a new one begins on the First Sunday of Advent, and as we prepare for the new calendar year on January 1st, we begin anew the cycles of life that help define who we are and how we function. As always, the people of the Faith community are a bit “out of sync” with the greater culture. We begin our year at a slightly different time than society, and we mark time differently as well. The secular calendar is dominated by the January 1 to December 31 cycle, though it is also subject to a cycle of seasons dictated by nature that is slightly askew from the calendar dates. I like to think that our beginning the Liturgical year a bit ahead of the calendar year allows us to get a head start on the new possibilities that lie ahead for each of us and for all of us as the Church. The calendar change often causes reflection on one’s life and can lead to “new year’s resolutions,” filled with the best of intentions and profound resolve to “do better” in the New Year – often to be discarded before Ground Hog Day.

Perhaps this year, we might engage in our reflections a bit earlier, in line with the earlier arrival of the Church year. Instead of engaging in the craziness of “the Holiday Season,” which seems dictated by Black Friday Sales that lead to countless other frantic sales on a weekly business, with the media blanketed with “the deal of the century” for whatever it is we must buy for a loved one who neither needs nor maybe even wants the latest overpriced gadget, perhaps a little reflection on what we could do to make that person happy might be in order (is that new gizmo really the answer?). As we work our way through crowds and chaos, we may well need to take a few moments of reflection – a quiet time to relax, read, sip a warm beverage, perhaps with a friend or family member with whom we have not had time to visit for a while. If they live far away or are, themselves, too busy to join us, a phone call could suffice.

Most of us live in a very disconnected world. Multigenerational families living together are becoming very rare in most of our culture. Most of us have lots of friends, but many of them are actually acquaintances, as we invest too little time with each other to reflect the depths of true friendship.

Maybe your gift to yourself – and your loved ones – this year could be an early present: the gift of your “presence,” instead of a mere “present.” Of course, we will all still exchange gifts and maintain our traditions, but the true gifts in our lives are our loved ones, whom we have already “received” well in advance of the “gift-giving season.” Use this Advent, this time of preparation and anticipation of the coming of the Lord into our midst again to share His love with those dearest to you. You may find that the season will be not only calmer but much more fulfilling.

I wish you and yours a happy and blessed Advent and a marvelous Christmas season.

In Christ’s Love,
Michael+