Grace Episcopal Church Yorktown, VA: Who We Are

Getting Connected

Grace is a busy place! We enjoy one another’s company. We gather to eat, to learn, to offer hospitality and just to have fun. You are welcome to get to know us better by participating in one of our Ministries & Groups. You can also sign up for our digital weekly updates and other Parish news.

Our Vision and Mission

For generations to come, Grace Church will be a beacon on the Peninsula of the GOOD NEWS of Jesus Christ, celebrating the wholeness within and redeeming what is broken.

The Mission of the Church is the Mission of Christ

To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
To do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly
To teach, nurture and grow the lives of the faithful, wherever they are on life's journey
To respond to human need by loving service
To strive to safeguard the integrity of Creation and sustain and renew the face of the earth

Grace is part of the Episcopal Church, a branch of the Jesus Movement.

Our History

The history of Grace Church is intertwined with the history of our Country, from its earliest days. For information about the pre-Revolutionary history of Grace and its cemetery, please visit the Grace Historical Church Preservation Foundation website.

More about the history of Grace Church as a community is available here.

Our quarterly Newsletter gives a current snapshot of the vibrant, joyful life at Grace, a life of worship and service which has been rooted in Yorktown for over 300 years.

Leadership

Administratively, parish operations are directed by the Vestry, an elected board whose members serve staggered three-year terms.

The Rev. Carleton B. Bakkum, Rector
The Rev. Carleton Bakkum has been rector of Grace Church a long time -- 25 years! Originally from Dalton, Georgia, his B.A. is from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL, his M.Div. is from Princeton Theological Seminary and he has a Certificate in Anglican Studies from General Seminary in New York City. Carleton believes the Episcopal Church is a "best kept secret" and works to encourage others in living abundant Christian lives -- connected to Grace Church. He has a particular and lifelong interest in music and art and loves camping, hiking and kayaking. He is married to Elsa Bakkum who is Assistant Director of Education for Ministry (EfM, out of the School of Theology at the University of the South in Sewanee, TN). They have three grown sons, Brownlee, who works in San Francisco; Benj, who works in New York City; and Carter, who works in Washington, DC.

Assistant Rector

The Rev. Dr. Jacqueline Soltys, Assistant Rector
My family and I moved here from the Chicago area just over a year ago. My husband, Stuart Henderson, was recruited by Jefferson Lab in Newport News, where he currently serves as Director. We have two children, Sophia and Grace, who will be seniors this year—one at Sewanee and one in high school. When we moved, I was just finishing my first year as an ordained priest, and as Curate of St James Cathedral in Chicago. Since the move I have been working as a supply priest up and down the peninsula.

I was born in Boston, around the time of the Kennedy assassination, hence my first name. (My parents named me after Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, so I pronounce it the French way.) After high school, I headed to the Northeast for both college and graduate school. I began my professional life as an academic. (I have a PhD in Russian Language and Literature.) When our girls were older, I reentered the work world part-time. Always active in church, I took a position as Christian Education Director at our parish in Knoxville, TN. Three years later, we moved to Illinois, and I began the slow process of pursuing ordination in the Diocese of Chicago. I was ordained as a Deacon in 2015; as a priest in 2016.

CBB pic 2016