The Vision of the Church of the Resurrection is to be....
A culturally diverse community unified in God's love.
A vibrant place of worship and hospitality that enables all people to encounter the risen Christ.
An Episcopal presence in North Omaha.
An Urban Social Ministry Resource Center for the Diocese of Nebraska.
The Mission of the Church is to restore all people in unity with God and each other in Christ. (Book of Common Prayer, pg. 855)
The Episcopal Church of the Resurrection is a diverse fellowship committed to proclaim and teach God's word, reaching out in love from the North Omaha Community.
Our History
On June 8, 1986, The Episcopal Church of the Resurrection was rededicated and consecrated by the Rt. Rev. James D. Warner, Eighth Bishop of Nebraska. Resurrection was a blending of two distinct church families, each with a long and proud history of ministry to the people of North Omaha.
In 1877, a Sunday school session lead by the clergy and people of Trinity Cathedral was held for the black children at 9th and Farnam Streets. Trinity Mission soon became the mission of St. Philip the Deacon. In a period of history when racial segregation was the norm, St. Philip's was Omaha's black Episcopal Church. The congregation moved to a rented building at 19th and Cuming and later relocated to 21st and Paul Streets.
Since the late 1800's a mission known as St. John's had been meeting at 26th and Franklin Streets. Briefly closed in 1912 due to dwindling numbers, St. John's was reborn at St. Stephan's mission that same year. The name was ultimately changed to St. John's, and as the congregation grew, it moved from rented space to a church building at 25th and Browne and in 1926 to the corner of 30th and Belvedere.
St. John's and St. Philip's flourished through the 1950's and 60's. In the 1970's both parishes began to dwindle in size. In 1977, St. Philip's and St. John's shared Lenten services together. These common services of worship were the humble beginnings of the Church of the Resurrection.
Founded in 1986, the Church of the Resurrection serves North Omaha. The blending of two distinct Episcopal congregations--one all black, one all white--has at times been challenging. But the church family that has emerged is unique in the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska. The Church of the Resurrection is the only parish in the state that is fully integrated by black and white Episcopalians. It serves as a powerful witness to the church, standing proudly as a beacon of hope in a community too often fractured by racism and prejudice.
