Olde St. John’s Episcopal Church to turn 230 years
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COLLIERS -- Olde St. John's Episcopal Church will celebrate 230 years of ministry and outreach with a special service and luncheon Oct. 22.
The Rev. Canon Chad Slater will lead the worship service at 11 a.m., followed by a catered lunch in the church's social hall.
Located near the intersection of St. John's and Eldersville roads, the church's present structure was built in 1849, but there is record of another building near its site around 1793.
It has been said the church was burned down and its members killed by Native Americans.
There are tombstones in the adjacent cemetery dating back to the 1700s, though the lettering for some has been obliterated by the elements.
The church is one of several founded by the Rev. Joseph Doddridge, a traveling clergyman who was later ordained as an Episcopal priest.
The church's large stone bricks were hewn nearby and the box pews and cherry wood floor have remained since its construction.
Pre-dating West Virginia's statehood, it was part of the Virginia Episcopal Diocese when it was consecrated in 1849 by Bishop John Johns, who traveled by boat and horseback to be there.
Johns and Doddridge later worked together to form the West Virginia Diocese.
In the 1950s, the church underwent renovations, including the installation of steel beams to support its floor, the addition of a wooden cross above its front entrance and the creation of a new altar.
Much of the work was performed by members. In 1955, St. John's Episcopal Church was renamed Olde St. John's Episcopal Church to differentiate it from other churches in the diocese with the same name, according to officials.
In 1967, its vestry, or governing body, became the first in the diocese to be comprised entirely of women.
The church's present congregation is small but active, donating money and goods to causes ranging from a local, school-based food pantry to children treated by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
To support outreach and the church's maintenance, members held various fundraisers, including a spring ramp dinner, featuring dishes made with a garlicky relative of onions and leeks; and a strawberry festival which has included strawberry shortcakes and other food. They have held indoor yard sales, as well.
While the congregation awaits the placement of a new priest, the church's Sunday morning services are led at 11 a.m. by lay worship leaders.