Christ Church began as Saint John’s Mission, a mission of Saint John’s Episcopal Cathedral in downtown Denver. Our first service was held on March 16, 1952, at Kent School. In 1953, construction began at our current location at 2460 East Bates Avenue. We held our first service in the new building on January 17, 1954, and the building was dedicated that February. In 1955, the mission became part of the Diocese of Colorado and was renamed Christ Chapel. In 1956, the congregation officially became a parish and was named Christ Church. The Reverend Gerrit S. Barnes, who had served the congregation from its beginning, became our first Rector in 1956. He served until his retirement in 1974. Throughout the following decades, Christ Church continued to grow. A new sanctuary and nave were dedicated in 1961, an administrative wing and chapel were added in 1978, and a much larger worship space, music and meeting room, classrooms, commons, and youth room were completed in 1990. In 2013, Father McGugan became the sixth Rector of Christ Church.