His first three months at Christ Church Fox Chapel have reaffirmed the Rev. Alex Shuttleworth's decision to move with his family from London to start fresh in the United States. The new beginning is not his alone. Shuttleworth, 36, was named pastor of the church along Squaw Run Road East after the congregation was without a leader for more than a year. “There's a sense of hope here,” said Shuttleworth, who likened his hometown of Liverpool in England to Pittsburgh and its nearby suburbs. Already, Shuttleworth has enlisted parishioners to help expand the clubs and fellowship activities that will attract more people to the church. He hosts an informal evening service on Saturdays with a youth ministry afterward. There will be vacation Bible school in July, and he plans an introductory Christianity course this fall, with courses to follow in winter. “Our job is to make the door be as open as possible,” he said. During the week, there is men's group, a moms group, and, Shuttleworth said, “I do chapel for the school kids every week” at the neighboring Fox Chapel Country Day School. “The church will at some point reflect the age of its pastor,” he said. “I can't give people anything special; they just need Jesus. The Bible has the power to give them hope.” There currently are about 120 members who attend weekly services. Shuttleworth said he would like to make the church accessible to more. Shuttleworth wants to “get off the hill,” he said, and is considering the possibility of offering sermons and ministry groups in Blawnox. Longtime parishioner Connie Hughes, who served as interim leader of the church, said she thinks Shuttleworth is the right man to revive the Anglican church. “I believe Alex is the man to lead us into new times,” she said. “He is sure-footed, enthusiastic and thoughtful. I so enjoy watching the faces of our parishioners as he speaks. They are fully engaged and smiling.” Ordained in the Church of England, Shuttleworth earned theology degrees from Bristol and Canterbury universities. His service to the church in London ran the gamut from the Holy Trinity Redhill Church with a congregation of 1,000 to the poor and much-less-attended Timplerely Family Church. Once a practicing attorney, Shuttleworth said he battled depression in his 20s and turned to the church for help. “I started getting into my faith, working with kids at summer camp, studying the Bible,” he said. “It was all way more fun than being a barrister.” Church member Connie Guggenheimer said Shuttleworth's enthusiasm is genuine, and it has helped solidify a foundering congregation. “While Alex is a young rector, he has great appeal to all age groups,” she said. “I feel that we have been blessed with his intelligence and energy.” Settling into his home in Fox Chapel hasn't been difficult for Shuttleworth, as, he said, it reminds him of the suburb of Devon where he spent his childhood. And he already is wearing black and gold like a true Steelers fan, he said with a laugh. “The only difference is I'm used to my teams losing,” he said. “I'm afraid my new teams might actually win.” Tawnya Panizzi is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 412-782-2121, ext. 2 or at [email protected]. .