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Although Christ Church in Albertville was founded in 1977, the history of Christ Church began in Piedmont, Alabama in 1871 with Reverend J. Smith and the McCollister family.

The church edifice was erected in 1889 and the church was consecrated in 1892 and was named Christ Church. Mary Daily McCollister requested that Christ Church may ever stand to the Glory of God. Unfortunately, the congregation stopped meeting shortly after.

In 1977, fifteen families in the Albertville/Boaz area wanted to start a new church. In January, Sand Mountain Episcopal Chapel began meeting over Bains Appliance Store with the permission of the diocese. Eventually, Ellen Bains Perryman, a member of the chapel, heard of the little church in Piedmont that was about to be torn down. The worn-down church was partially dismantled, put on wheels and was moved up to Albertville, where it was about to begin a new life.

“When the restoration began, heart pine board and batten put together with wooden pegs and cut nails were discovered. The original bricks from the foundation were cleaned and used as flooring in the narthex. Lovingly and painstakingly, the members and others in the community came together to restore and retain as much as possible of the original church,” tells Mary Elizabeth M. Daugette, great-granddaughter of Major Dailey.

To honor the church’s rich history, the members decided to keep the name Christ Church and to remember Mrs. McCollister’s request. Many of the pieces from the original church remain in our place of worship today, not to mention a beautiful three panel Gothic-style stained glass window that traveled all the way from England is displayed behind their wooden cross in the sanctuary. The bell from the original church now rings every Sunday when the members meet for worship.

In 2010, when the tornado came through Albertville, a hole was ripped in the roof of the church and moved it off of its foundation. Although the parish was unharmed, the church couldn’t be salvaged due to the severity of the damage. Two years later, the church was rebuilt and consecrated for the third time. The church is now twice the size, holding many artifacts from the original church, and even handmade stained glass windows from a church member.

Today, Christ Church is very active in the community with their many ministries. They run Canterbury Club at Snead State Community College, a community food bank, host Room in the Inn and have a Beans and Rice ministry.

Reverend Shari Bishop Harrison

The Reverend Shari Bishop Harrison is a native of Albertville who grew up attending Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, where her father was a deacon. After graduating from Albertville High School, she graduated from Athens State University with a Bachelor of Accounting degree. Shari completed graduate studies in public administration at the University of Oklahoma while working for the Department of the Army as a civilian in the comptroller career field. After holding jobs in Huntsville, Alabama; Enterprise, Alabama; Seoul, Korea; the Republic of Panama; and Miami, Florida, Shari deferred retirement in 1999 to care for her mother after her father’s death. Her mother subsequently passed away in 2009.

Shari was confirmed in the Episcopal Church in 1990, becoming a member of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Huntsville. She was more recently a member of the Church of the Epiphany in Guntersville. She served as treasurer for over six years, chair of the Finance Ministry, Altar Guild member and co-chair, and member of the Stewardship Ministry. Other ministries included usher, lector, Cursillo/Ultreya, reunion group, children’s music programs, Education for Ministry (EfM) graduate and mentor, and Vacation Bible School teacher.

Shari was ordained as a transitional deacon on April 7, 2022. She graduated with a Master of Divinity degree from the School of Theology at The University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee, on May 6, 2022. Her first day at Christ Church was July 1, 2022  and she was ordained to the priesthood on November 17, 2022.  Shari is looking forward to getting to know and working with the people of Christ Church.

You can email Shari at shari@christepiscopalalbertville.org.