From the Rector

Dear Friends –

Welcome and thank you for visiting our website.

At Christ Episcopal Church in Poughkeepsie you will find a vibrant and growing community of individuals and families, on a journey together towards a more complete life with God.

We range in age from infant to those-of-more-mature-years.

We are single, in families, and partnered.

We are straight and gay.

We are looking for work, working nine-to-five, working more than one job, and recently retired.

We vote blue and we vote red.

We are traditional in our outlook towards liturgy and music, and we love to experiment in liturgy and music.

We are able-bodied, use walkers, and are in motorized wheelchairs.

Most especially, we are all God’s children.

If you live in the Poughkeepsie area, are church-shopping, or just passing through, please drop in and visit. We hope to always be a community to expresses welcome, compassion, and hospitality to all who enter our doors.

Grace & Peace,

Blake
The Rev. Wm. Blake Rider
Rector

A bit of background information about our Rector

• I’m a native of Oklahoma, hailing from a small town named Nowata. I’m a descendent of the Cherokee Nation. My family considers itself Native American, not Anglo.

• I grew up in the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

• I attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, on a scholarship as an Athletic Trainer for the basketball team.  I didn't know anything about Oral Roberts when I enrolled as a student.  Goodness, did I have a lot to learn!

• I became an Episcopalian while at ORU.  Four of my best friends from college are also Episcopal priests.

• My undergraduate degrees from ORU were in History and Business Administration.

• I am the middle of three children.  My brother and sister live in Oklahoma.  Both of my parents are deceased.

• I am single.  My partner Stephen died in 1994.  We had been together for over 11 years when he died.

• I worked in the oil and gas industry for almost 20 years.  I was neither an engineer nor a scientist.  I worked in the "business end" of the business.

• During that time I lived in Karachi, Pakistan (for about a year) and in Tunis, Tunisia (for about 4 years).

• Prior to seeking ordained ministry, I helped to open an AIDS residential facility in Houston and helped to implement a series of programs that provide training to young children at risk for dyslexia.

• I attended seminary at Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria.

• Upon graduation from seminary in 2004, I was ordained and joined the staff at Christ Church Cathedral in Houston, Texas.

• My ministry at Christ Episcopal Church in Poughkeepsie began in June of 2006.