ABOUT THE CHURCH
Our Congregation
We owe our founding impulse to the generosity and vision of the congregation and leadership of The Christian Community in New York City (the oldest congregation in the United States). We began as an affiliate, and we have now become a thriving community in our own right.
Our church building is located in Chestnut Ridge, within the Spring Valley Area in southern Rockland county, approximately 30 miles northwest of Manhattan. Our property is adjacent to the Threefold Community, and is within walking distance of the Green Meadow Waldorf School, Sunbridge Institute, Eurythmy Spring Valley, the Fellowship Community, and the Threefold Community Farm.
The Threefold Community is a unique center of cultural activity in the Spring Valley Area, and The Christian Community Spring Valley Area is unique in its own way by frequently uniting members of all these initiatives under one roof. It is thus very integrated into the cultural life of the Threefold Community, and all of its offerings are open to those near and far. These include talks and workshops, musical and artistic events, and seasonal festivals for families and children throughout the cycle of the Christian year.
Membership and Communion
Participation in the activities and sacraments of The Christian Community is open to all. For example, it is not necessary to be a member to take communion. However, those adults who feel that The Christian Community is their spiritual home can, in conversation with a priest, take the step of becoming a member. Membership is an adult decision separate from the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation.
The Wider Christian Community
The Christian Community is a worldwide movement for religious renewal that seeks to open the path to the living, healing presence of Christ in the age of the free individual. This presence is at work most potently in the renewed seven sacraments, where the thoughtful, heartfelt devotion of the congregation and the words and gestures of the celebrating priest work together to bring about an opportunity for communion with God.
The Christian Community is non-denominational and independent. Our services support a reverent, prayerful mood and all are welcome who seek Christ through the sacraments. Our central worship service is called The Consecration of the Human Being; it is a eucharist service, in which consecrated bread and wine (non-alcoholic) is offered for all who wish to receive communion.