Episcopal Bishop to Visit Forest City

FOREST CITY -- Sunday, June 15, 2025, The Right Rev. Kevin Nichols, Bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem, will visit Christ Church, 700 Delaware Street. 

Annually, the Bishop visits the church congregations in the Diocese to meet the

congregants, review programs, and understand the concerns of the congregation. The

service will begin at 9:00 AM.  The bishop will welcome two new congregants into the

Episcopal church while at Forest City.   

The Rt. Rev. Kevin D. Nichols was ordained and consecrated as the ninth bishop of the

Diocese of Bethlehem on Saturday, September 15, 2018.  Prior to his election, he was

chief operating officer and canon for mission resources in the Diocese of New

Hampshire, a position he held since 2014. Nichols was formerly president of the

Diocese of New Hampshire’s Standing Committee and a member of the church-wide

Task Force to Reimagine the Episcopal Church. 

A former Roman Catholic priest who received his Master of Divinity degree from St.

Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore, Nichols was received into the Episcopal

priesthood in 1999 and has served as rector of St. Stephen’s in Pittsfield, New

Hampshire, and St. Andrew’s in Hopkinton, New Hampshire. He is married to Patti, a

licensed clinical social worker. They have four adult children: Graham, Lindsay, Bryan,

and Keaton, and three grandchildren. 

Nichols succeeds the Rt. Rev. Sean W. Rowe, who had served as bishop provisional

from March 2014 to September 15, 2018.  The Diocese of Bethlehem includes more

than 9,000 Episcopalians in fifty-eight congregations across northeastern and central

eastern Pennsylvania. 

The Bishop and the Diocese have the following five priorities:  

1. Vibrant & Stable Congregations 

2. Racial Justice & Advocacy for the most Vulnerable 

3. Lay & Clergy Formation 

4. Creating New Faith Communities 

5. Diocesan Partnerships 

Our “Little Stone Church,” made of native quarried stone, broke ground in August 1891

and has never looked back.  Christ Church welcomes the community to discover the

church and its community outreach. We welcome all to our family, which extends

beyond the church building and the service on Sundays. Following each Sunday Mass,

the congregants enjoy sharing coffee hour. Whoever you are and wherever you find

yourself on the journey of faith, know that you are welcome here.  

We welcome and serve all in Christ’s name.  Please consider visiting us!  Faith, Food,

Fun! Visit us on Sundays at 9:00 AM.