"Debt Free by Fifty-Three"

Whitsunday, May 24, 1953, was an historic day in the life of Christ Church. After many

fund-raisers and a final spring consecration drive, spearheaded by Mrs. Margaret Norton,

the remaining debt of $23,500 of the original $75,000 mortgage on the new church

was at last paid off and the mortgage was burned in the festive Sunday morning service.

Standing left to right: Helen Hohly, Margaret Norton, Father Hohly, Father Stone, Gwynneth

Stone.

The Rev. Christopher Lawrence Webber,

who was instituted as seventh rector of Christ  Church on Dec. 13, 1972, by the Rt. Rev. Paul Moore, Jr., served until

June 1994, the longest tenure of any Christ Church rector. During his ministry the parish house became a beehive of activity, serving as a home for mentally retarded citizens, housing refugees from Cambodia and Vietnam, as well as a counceling center and pre-nursery school. Father Webber was known for his preaching and teaching skills, and in retirement, while overseeing three parishes, has written a number of books.