Register for In-Person Worship               I'm New Here

  1117 Texas Avenue, Houston, TX 77002  ·   713-222-2593  ·       Give

Christ Church Cathedral
  • Welcome
  • About Us
    • Visit
    • Get Connected
    • Join
    • Clergy and Staff
    • Member Leadership
    • Vision Action Plan
    • Life Events
    • Partners & Affiliates
    • Cathedral Bookstore
    • Contact Us
  • Worship
    • Sunday Services
    • Weekday Services
    • Servicios en español
    • Music
  • Connect
    • Events
    • Sunday School
    • Children
    • Bible Studies
    • Youth
    • Young Adults
    • Adults
    • Educación en español
  • Care
    • Prayer
    • Lay Chaplains
    • Lay Eucharistic Visitors
    • Grief & Mourning
    • Threads of Comfort & Joy
    • COHI
    • Flower Ministry
    • Alzheimer & Dementia Support
  • Serve
    • Outreach
    • Hospitality
    • Worship Service Support
  • Give
    • Stewardship and Giving
    • Every Member Canvass
    • Sowing the Seed
  • Media
    • Worship Services
    • Sermons
    • Home for Faith
    • Deans Weekly Message
    • Dean's Hour
    • HFF Podcast
    • Noonday Prayer
    • Dean's Blog
    • The Bulletin Newsletter
    • News
    • Subscribe
    • Events

Worship Service Support

Our worship services flourish thanks to the support of many people.

Altar Guild

Dean Barkley Thompson 713-590-3305

Time : 2 hours/month

The Cathedral Altar Guild welcomes men and women who are interested in preparing the Golding Chapel, the Chapel of the Christ Child, and the Cathedral for worship. This includes daily and Sunday services, weddings and funerals, and diocesan worship services. This dedicated team cares for all the sacred vessels, hangings, and linens, cares for and cleans the chancel, and arranges for the flowers that adorn our altars and sanctuary. 

Liturgical Lay Ministry and Worship Leaders

Dean Barkley Thompson 713-590-3305

Time : Varies

With more than 800 Cathedral and Chapel services annually, the men and women of this ministry demonstrate their commitment on a regular basis. In their capacity as Lay Readers (licensed by the Dean), Lay Eucharistic Ministers, and Worship Leaders (both licensed by the Bishop), they are an integral part of our liturgical life. 

Ushers

Dean Barkley Thompson 713-590-3305

Time : 1.5 – 2 hours per month

Whether at a regular service, a funeral, or special event, the usher team is there to ensure success. Theirs is a ministry of hospitality and service to assure that all feel welcome while helping create a worship space that is dignified and well-ordered. 

Acolytes

Assisting Priest Ed Stein 713-590-3307 

Time : 1.5 – 2 hours per month

Cathedral youth in grades 7–12 are encouraged to become acolytes. Acolytes assist the clergy in the many liturgies that are a central part of how we serve the parish, diocese, and downtown community. Serving at the altar is a meaningful way to become a visible presence in the life of the church. 

Worship Bag Crew

Minister for Children and Families KariAnn Lessner 713-590-3323

Time : 30 minutes once per month

During the week, volunteers empty and resupply the children’s activity bags so that they are ready for use on Sunday.

culture-of-embracecommunities-within-communityformation-that-transformssharing-the-good-newsgenerous-living-generous-givingserving-the-world-in-gods-namecaring-for-gods-good-earth
Share this page: Worship Service Support
The Very Reverend Barkley S. Thompson
Dean
713-590-3305 
The Reverend Edward L. Stein
Assisting Priest
713-222-2593 
KariAnn Lessner
Minister for Children & Families
713-590-3323 

The Very Reverend Barkley S. Thompson

Dean
713-590-3305 |

Since February 2013, Barkley serves as the eighth dean and twentieth rector of historic downtown Christ Church Cathedral, the oldest church in Houston, Texas, and the cathedral church of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas. A vibrant, growing parish of 3,000 members, Christ Church has served for more than 175 years as a testament to the presence of God in the midst of the city.

Prior to Houston, Barkley served as the rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in downtown Roanoke, Virginia. Barkley began his vocation as rector of the Church of the Holy Apostles in Collierville, Tennessee (a suburb of Memphis). A “re-start” parish that moved from the city to the suburbs, Holy Apostles grew from 40 to over 400 members and constructed the first new Episcopal church in West Tennessee in over a decade.

Barkley is an avid writer and has published essays in The American Journal of Philosophy & Theology, The Journal of Pastoral Theology, The Anglican Digest, The Living Church, and Ratherview. He is the author of two books, Elements of Grace (2013) and In the Midst of the City: The Gospel and God's Politics (2018). Barkley also preaches and teaches around the country and serves on interfaith panels with leaders from other religious traditions. Barkley chairs the board of The Beacon, Houston’s largest empowerment day center for the homeless. He also serves on the North American Committee for St. George’s College - Jerusalem, the Anglican Center in the Holy Land, and on the board of Episcopal High School in Houston.

Barkley earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy & Religion, magna cum laude, from Hendrix College; a Master of Arts in Religious Studies from The University of Chicago; and a Master of Divinity from The Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas, on whose board of trustees he serves. He is married to Jill, and they have two children.

Read the Dean's blog for his reflections on Life, Faith, and the Gospel.

The Reverend Edward L. Stein

Assisting Priest
713-222-2593 |

Canon Stein attended the University of the South, in Sewanee, Tennessee, and the Virginia Theological Seminary, in Alexandria, Virginia. He was ordained a Priest on June 19, 1973. He is a native Houstonian and grew up at Christ Church Cathedral. He has served as Assistant Rector and Acting Rector at St. Martin’s, as the Episcopal Chaplain at Rice University, and as Rector of St. Bede’s Chapel, Autry House. He served as Canon Precentor at the Cathedral from 2000 until his retirement in 2013.

KariAnn Lessner

Minister for Children & Families
713-590-3323 |

KariAnn Lessner was born in Lansing, Michigan, but did most of her growing up in New Mexico. She studied at McMurry University in Abilene with a concentration in Christian education. KariAnn has served in four parishes in the Diocese of Texas since 1997, and currently serves on the Episcopal Diocese of Texas Formation Advisory Board and the Camp Allen Summer Camp Advisory Board.

In the past, she has served as the director of Y.E.S. (a diocesan middle-school retreat), as a convocational representative, and on the youth and children’s ministry assessment team of the diocese. She is also a Safeguarding God’s Children master trainer and directs Session E at Camp Allen. Her husband, Ron, and her daughters, Keatyn and Karsyn, enjoy cooking as a family and epic lip-sync battles in the kitchen. (Spatulas make great microphones!)

Listen to her podcast You Brew You here.

Serve Hospitality Worship Service Support Outreach


Christ Church Cathedral • 1117 Texas Avenue • Houston, Texas 77002-3183
Phone: 713-222-2593 Clergy and Staff
Support Cathedral Ministries

  View Entire Post

Service Times

Register for in-person worship, 9:00 a.m.

Register for in-person worship, 11:00 a.m.

Register for in-person worship, 1:00 p.m.

Register for in-person worship, 5:00 p.m.

Información en Español

Location

Christ Church Cathedral
1117 Texas Avenue
Houston, TX 77002

Contact Us
713-222-2593

Newsletter Signup

Welcome to Christ Church Cathedral. We are glad to welcome you to this diverse and vibrant community of faith. Since 1839, we have been a witness to downtown Houston through worship, learning and loving service. We hope that you’ll find inspired preaching, teaching, and worship, and become part of our Cathedral community.

The Cathedral is open and affirming for people of all races, ages, socio-economic statuses, sexual orientations, and gender identities. Whoever you are, and whatever your story, you are welcome to know God and one another here.

We’re glad you’re here and we would love to hear from you. At the Cathedral, all are welcome. Please introduce yourself by filling out our virtual welcome card. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to call us at 713-222-2593.

I'm New Visit The Cathedral Get Connected Pastoral Care Contact Us

Stewardship and Giving: Support Cathedral Ministries

Generously responding to God’s gifts is a reflection of spirituality and recognition that we are the stewards of his bounty. It is a way of life — something we do day in and day out.

There are many ways to make financial gifts to support the ministries, pastoral care, education, vitality, and growth of Christ Church Cathedral. We are grateful to donors who graciously make one-time gifts, annual pledges, ongoing planned giving, and who find other ways to offer their help forwarding the work of our ministries.

Learn more about how you can get involved and support the Cathedral, or offer your time as a volunteer.

Give Now Donate Via PayPal Make Your Pledge