Parish Profile: our history
2000-present
On January 14, 2001, ground was broken for new church facilities. Many aspects of the new church were completed by our own in-house craftsmen and women. The pipe organ and colorful Dalle de Verre stained glass windows were moved from the original chapel to their new home.
On January 13, 2002, we began the new year with the dedication and consecration of our present church by The Rt. Rev. William J. Winterrowd. Hope and anticipation were high for what we could now offer to the community with our lovely, larger facility.
After Fr. Bill’s retirement in 2002, The Rev. Dr. Charles Reeder was called as the fourth rector. After a brief “honeymoon” period, he divided Holy Comforter with his strong view regarding the issue of sexuality that the Episcopal Church was facing at the time. The congregation was torn by theological divisions, with many leaving for other churches in the area, or not attending church at all. Many pledges from the previous capital campaign vanished. Part of his strategy was to divert the funds of Holy Comforter, believing that he could then step in and buy the facilities from the Diocese of Colorado to house a new church as a member of the Anglican Communion in North America. In 2007, Chuck Reeder left Holy Comforter and the Episcopal Church. Only one member of the vestry and half of the parishioners remained. As a result, Holy Comforter was reverted to mission status.
The remaining members of the congregation moved forward with their commitment to welcome every child of God. A difficult season followed as the church struggled to discern its character and vision and dealt with financial woes. In the ensuing eight years, we received generous financial assistance from the Diocese and Front Range Region. We are forever thankful that we are a part of a larger body.
Many of the members who left during this period did not leave their connections with the Holy Comforter family or the Episcopal Church. They worshipped separately as part of the Santiago/Resurrection Episcopal Mission in Lafayette. That mission was ultimately guided by The Rev. Martha Rogers, who sought opportunities for reconciliation with Holy Comforter and worked with The Rev. Dr. Rod Moore toward these ends.
In the fall of 2007, upon the appointment of the recently retired Fr. Rod Moore as vicar, Holy Comforter began to flourish again. With his thoughtful guidance and leadership, a compassionate and purposeful church arose. The church’s mission, vision, ministries, and numbers grew. Hearts and hurts were healed and friendships were restored. During his three-year stay (originally anticipated to be a three-month stay), he masterfully prepared the church for the arrival of its new vicar, The Rev. Kim Seidman.
Beginning in the fall of 2010, Mother Kim led us into further growth, adding services, staff, and clergy. Her moving sermons and wise leadership helped Holy Comforter to grow in numbers and ministry. She also fostered continued forgiveness and reconciliation for wounds remaining from the 2002-2007 era. She encouraged a safe place for challenging conversations resulting in the full inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community. Mother Kim made connections with clergy and leaders in the community and the Diocese, and she expanded our programs, opportunities, and service to the Diocese. The Broomfield Farmers’ Market at Holy Comforter was founded during her tenure. It is a non-profit market run entirely by volunteers, which donates all of its profits each year to charity. The market has become a place not just to purchase healthy food, but a place for our neighbors to gather, listen to music, and share a bite to eat.
We were also blessed to have Deacon Linda Brown with us for six years. She taught us to better reach out to those in need and to more strongly engage and serve our community.
“Growing Together,” a very successful capital campaign in 2015, resulted in the hiring of a second full-time priest, paying down a large portion of our debt, and the acquisition of the 1869 E&GG Hook Opus 476 pipe organ, the oldest operating pipe organ in the state of Colorado.
The Rev. William Stanton was hired in 2016 as associate rector for evangelism and family ministries for a three-year term. The relationships he developed with clergy, lay people and the community resulted in more families with young children and teens joining Holy Comforter. With his guidance, the youth in our church engaged in community-based and spiritual enrichment activities.
Confident in the resurrection and renewal of the congregation, The Rt. Rev. Robert O’Neill restored Holy Comforter to parish status in September 2016.
A long-sought-after dream of many parishioners became a reality when the columbarium and labyrinth were completed in the spring of 2017, providing an outdoor space for eternal rest, contemplation, and a variety of church services.
Holy Comforter has been rooted in its music ministry from the very beginning. It is a ministry which has grown tremendously and thrives today. In the earliest photo of the basement chapel, a small organ can be seen, and there was a piano in the back of a pickup truck at the groundbreaking service. Over the years, a pipe organ was built, played, and maintained by parishioner Larry Burt. Three hand bell choirs and a senior citizen choir were added. The Broomfield Children’s Chorus opened opportunities for children of Holy Comforter as well as the Broomfield community. A tradition of offering varied rich and beautiful music programs to the larger community has been established.
Holy Comforter was as healthy and vital as it had ever been in the fall of 2019 when Mother Kim accepted an invitation to join the diocesan staff as vicar and executive director of Cathedral Ridge, the Episcopalian retreat and conference center for Colorado.
Though our leadership and numbers have changed during the last 61 years, God’s call to His people for the future is unchanging: “To restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.” We live out this mission through our shared values: sharing our faith in Christ with others, coming together for Eucharist and common prayer during weekly worship, and welcoming all people. Through a culture of inclusivity, we encourage lifelong learning, value the contributions of every member, nurture our children and youth, and engage in the community beyond our doors.
God has been so faithful to Holy Comforter Episcopal Church. We give thanks to Him with grateful hearts and we are excited to see what God has in store for our seventh decade together. We know that our journey to date has been filled with ups and downs, challenges, and incredible celebrations. Where we have been is vital to our present and future journey. Now we stand at a crossroads, seeking a new rector and partner in ministry to walk with us on the next phase of our journey.