St. Alban's Episcopal Church

What St. Alban's Episcopal Church does

St. Alban's Episcopal Church is a 170+ year-old Episcopal parish located on the grounds of the Washington National Cathedral in Northwest Washington, DC. It conducts weekly worship services in multiple liturgies, including Rite I, Rite II in English, and Spanish-language services, and operates formation (Christian education) programming across all life stages from nursery through adult and senior ministries. Its music program is led by a Cambridge-trained music director and supports liturgical and concert programming. The parish runs an active community outreach portfolio that includes feeding programs, school support partnerships, a thrift store, and a food pantry launched in June 2026. Internationally, it has established mission partnerships in Jordan and South Sudan.

The organization's operations are supported by approximately 35 staff and clergy, including a Rector (Rev'd Bertie Pearson), a Director of Operations, music staff, formation leaders, and outreach coordinators. Distribution channels include in-person worship on the Cathedral Close, digital livestreaming of services, and community-based program sites.

As a 501(c)(3) religious nonprofit, St. Alban's is funded through member pledges and contributions, program fees, facility use, and donations, rather than commercial sales. Its customer base is its congregation and broader community of program beneficiaries in the DC metropolitan area. Recent strategic activity has focused on programmatic expansion (food pantry, Spanish-language services, livestreaming), international mission partnerships, and leadership renewal through a new Rector and Director of Operations.

Name

St. Alban's Episcopal Church

Legal name

St. Alban's Episcopal Church

Website

https://stalbansdc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1854

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

St. Alban's is a 170+ year-old Episcopal parish on the Washington National Cathedral grounds in NW DC, offering worship (English and Spanish), Christian formation, music, and community outreach including a new food pantry, funded by member pledges.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services (Episcopal Parish)

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA)

Keywords

• Episcopal worship services
• Christian formation programs
• Community food assistance
• Thrift store ministry
• Sacramental ministry services

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: Regular Sunday collections from parishioners during worship services
2. Pledge Campaigns: Annual pledges from members supporting ongoing church operations and ministry
3. Opportunity Shop Proceeds: Revenue from thrift store operations managed by Workers of St. Alban's (WSA), distributed to outreach programs
4. Planned Giving and Bequests: Phoebe Nourse Legacy Society members contribute through estate planning, wills, and planned gifts
5. Donations: General donations, altar flowers, food pantry contributions, and discretionary fund gifts

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

St. Alban's Episcopal Church is a parish that delivers weekly Episcopal worship services (Rite I and Rite II in English; Rite II in Spanish), Christian formation programs for all ages, sacraments, music ministry, and a portfolio of community outreach programs including a free food pantry, a thrift store, and feeding-the-hungry initiatives with partner nonprofits in Washington, DC.

Product overview

St. Alban's Episcopal Church operates as a traditional Episcopal parish offering a comprehensive portfolio of worship, educational, and outreach programs. The church's core offerings center on Sunday worship services (Rite I, Rite II in English, and Spanish-language services) augmented by music programs including adult and children's choirs. Community and educational ministries span all ages: children's formation (nursery, chapel, Sunday School), youth programs (Journey to Adulthood), young adult group, and adult formation (Bible studies, theological forums). The church's outreach arm includes the Opportunity Shop thrift store (managed by Workers of St. Alban's/WSA), a food pantry partnership with Capital Area Food Bank, feeding programs (Grate Patrol, Christ House, Samaritan Ministry), and support for schools including Harriet Tubman Elementary, Bishop Walker School, and international schools in Jordan and South Sudan. Additional services include sacrament administration, pastoral care, and an online giving platform for tithes and donations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Opportunity Shop: A thrift store managed by Workers of St. Alban's (WSA) that has offered quality goods at reasonable prices since 1955, with proceeds supporting outreach programs.
• Workers of St. Alban's (WSA)

Products and services

• Holy Eucharist Worship Services Weekly Episcopal worship services including Rite I (English, 8 a.m.), Rite II Holy Eucharist (English, 10 a.m. with Children's Chapel and nursery), and La Santa Eucaristía Rito II (Spanish, 11:15 a.m.) offered Sundays, plus weekday Morning Prayer and Contemplative Prayer; open to the public at no cost.
• Children's Christian Formation Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,100 meals served annually to Christ House residents
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Episcopal Diocese of Washington (EMBRACE Program)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 July 2026Global Missions Committee hosts presentation on EDOW's migrant support program EMBRACE (Episcopal Migrant Belonging, Resistance and Action Coalition). Presentations offered in English and Spanish to inform congregation on supporting immigrant neighbors.
• Samaritan MinistrycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1986St. Alban's was one of a dozen Episcopal churches in the Diocese of Washington that founded Samaritan Ministry in 1986. The congregation contributes non-perishable food to Samaritan's pantry for distribution to Next Step program participants seeking housing and employment.
• Capital Area Food BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSt. Alban's Food Pantry operates in collaboration with Capital Area Food Bank, which provides food supplies. The pantry distributes food every Thursday evening, 5:30-7 p.m. This partnership enables the church to serve the community with fresh produce, shelf-stable foods, and household staples at no cost to shoppers.
• Salvation Army (Grate Patrol)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSt. Alban's participates in cooperation with the Salvation Army's 100-year-old Grate Patrol ministry. Parishioners prepare and serve nutritious evening meals to hundreds of homeless persons living on the streets of Washington, DC twice monthly. Adults serve on the 2nd Friday; youth on the 4th Friday during school year.
• Christ HousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChrist House is a 34-bed medical facility in Adams Morgan providing comprehensive healthcare to homeless men and women. St. Alban's volunteers prepare and serve dinner to residents and staff twice a month on the 1st and 3rd Fridays, totaling over 1,100 meals per year.
• Annunciation Catholic Church and Washington Hebrew CongregationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSt. Alban's partners with these two congregations for an annual Thanksgiving Day dinner, which St. Alban's hosts every third year.
• Harriet Tubman Elementary SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDC public school with approximately 540 pre-K to grade 5 students, 95% qualify for free/reduced-price lunches. St. Alban's operates Tubman Backpack Feeding Ministry providing free groceries to ten student families every weekend during the school year.
• Bishop Walker School for BoyscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary school for boys from poor homes in Southeast DC, named after first African-American Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. St. Alban's 'lunch buddies' visit regularly. Contact: Hollis McLoughlin.
• Saviour's Episcopal School, Zarqa, JordanminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgressive co-ed K-12 school serving 300+ students in industrial Zarqa. Offers one of the city's only programs for low-vision and blind students. St. Alban's provides financial support as part of international mission work.
• Washington National CathedralcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSt. Alban's is located on the grounds of the Washington National Cathedral at the corner of Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues. The two institutions maintain a close neighborly relationship, with St. Alban's vestry having historically saved the site for the Cathedral Close.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• All Souls Church, Unitarian: Long-established DC mainline congregation (Unitarian) with comparable formation depth, music program, and progressive outreach partnerships in Northwest DC.
• Church of the Epiphany: Episcopal parish in downtown DC with comparable urban outreach programming, music ministry, and formation programs — directly comparable on structure, size, and mission.
• National Presbyterian Church: Large mainline Protestant congregation near the Cathedral Close with similarly ambitious music programming, formation, and global mission engagement.
• Capitol Hill United Methodist Church: DC mainline congregation with similar outreach partnerships (food programs, community service), comparable music and formation ministries, and analogous urban demographic.
• Foundry United Methodist Church: DC mainline Protestant congregation with similar urban outreach emphasis, music excellence, and bilingual/multicultural programming — directly comparable on mission and congregational structure.
• St. Columba's Episcopal Church: Affluent DC-area Episcopal parish (Northwest DC) with comparable music, formation, and outreach profile — close denominational and demographic peer.
• St. John's Church, Lafayette Square: Historic downtown DC Episcopal parish serving a similar professional, civic-engaged demographic; one of St. Alban's clergy previously served here, and both parishes share the same diocesan and liturgical context.
• Christ Church + Washington Parish: Historic DC Episcopal parish; St. Alban's Assistant Rector Mark Randall James previously served here as children's minister — directly comparable denominational programming and urban footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Washington National Cathedral: The larger Episcopal institution on whose grounds St. Alban's sits; shares worship tradition, administrative structures, and has a direct neighborly operating relationship with the parish.

Others

• Samaritan Ministry of Greater Washington: Interfaith nonprofit co-founded in 1986 by St. Alban's and other Episcopal churches; provides direct services to people experiencing housing/hunger crises and is a key beneficiary partner of the parish's food and outreach ministries.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/StAlbansDC
• Facebookfacebook.com/StAlbansDC
• Instagraminstagram.com/stalbansdc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/st-alban-s-episcopal-church

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about St. Alban's Episcopal Church