Christ Episcopal Church
3430 Old US Hwy 70 - PO Box 37
Cleveland, North Carolina 27013-0037
(organized 1754 - established 1821)
History
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The Rich and “Not So Brief”History of Christ Episcopal Church
condensed and edited from the historical documents of the parish and a historical summary written by Alda Thompson Furches – September 1982
After the Revolutionary War, a number of families from Saint Mary’s County, Maryland settled around Young’s Mountain, and built a log church building near the spot where the present church building stands now (near a fresh water spring). The log church burned in the 1890s, but its two cemeteries, near the present building, are still in use. Some of the earliest graves are marked only with fieldstones. The earliest dated burials are in the 1780s. = The History of Rowan County = The first permanent minister of the parish, after the Pre-Revolutionary efforts of the S.P.G. was the Rev. Robert Johnstone Miller. He took charge of the parish and moved to what is now Cleveland in 1786. In addition to having charge of Christ Church, he also served other Anglican missions in the area, including Ft. Dobbs, St. Luke's (Salisbury), and others; some at great distances. He was present at the Tarboro Convention of 1794, which attempted (but failed) to organize an Episcopal diocese in the state of North Carolina. Despite the difficulties of the pioneer Churchmen of this area, most of them remained faithful to the Established Church and this fidelity ultimately resulted in the re-organization of the congregation and its admission into the newly organized Diocese of North Carolina at its convention in Raleigh in April of 1821. Mr. Almand Hall was the first delegate from the congregation of Christ Episcopal Church seated at the convention. The Rev. Miller was the only person present at both the Tarboro Convention of 1794, and the convention in 1823, which elected the Rev. John Stark Ravenscroft first bishop of the Diocese of North Carolina.
The Rt. Rev. John Stark Ravenscroft
The deed for the 4.5 acres of land on which the current building stands is dated February 15, 1822. At the time of its admission to the Diocese of North Carolina, Christ Episcopal Church was the second largest parish in the diocese, and the congregation started building a new building in 1823.
Hand Hewn Heart Pine Timber Beams The timbers were hewn out by hand and all exposed parts were planed down to a smooth surface by hand. The original church building had a large gallery that was used antebellum for the considerable number of slaves who attended services. Though it has been enclosed, remnants of the gallery still remain. The marks of the axe used in hewing can still be seen in the pillars supporting the gallery. Bishop Ravenscroft consecrated the current church building on July 29, 1827. The Rev. Thomas F. Davis was called by the congregation to be rector in 1836. Under the influence of the "Oxford" or "Tractarian" Movement, he instituted the Holy Eucharist as the principal service on Sunday in 1837. This practice continued until the 1890s. The Rev. Davis left Christ Episcopal Church in 1846, and was later elected fifth Bishop of South Carolina in 1853.
The Rt. Rev. Thomas Frederick Davis Bishop Davis’s successor at Christ
The Rt. Rev. Levi Silliman Ives The parish consisted of over 250
families by 1850, and
In the 1890s, after the Rev.
Wetmore left, the parish went into a period of decline.
Parishioners left because of strong internal dissent.
Between 1892 and 1899, Morning Prayer was introduced as the principal
service on Sunday. During this time,
the parish was served by a series of interim ministers and part-time supply
priests, mostly from the In the early 1900s, the parish
grew slowly and steadily to the point where it was once again able to support a
full-time rector. It called the Rev.
William Hill Hardin to be rector in 1924. The
Rev. Hardin was formally the archdeacon of the Charlotte Convocation of the
Diocese of North Carolina. A rectory
was built in 1924, about ¾ of a mile from the church on
Christ Episcopal Church (in front of "new parish house") ca. 1930s Mr. Frank Thompson (far right) In 1946, more land was purchased and deeded to the church. This connected the property with US Highway 70, and a road that was built directly from the highway to the front of the church. A row of evergreens was planted on each side of the road.
Christ Church Children's Choir ca. 1950s The church had stained glass windows installed in the 1950s as memorials to various parishioners and clergy. The Stained Glass Windows of Christ Episcopal Church depict the life of Christ as told in the Gospels - from His birth in a manger in Bethlehem, His baptism in the river Jordon by John, His ministry that included teaching the children and the masses, to the last supper with His disciples before His arrest and conviction, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. The windows are in chronological order starting from the right (facing the altar) and wrapping around the church to the left.
In 1966, Since 1986, Christ Episcopal Church has continued having worship services every Sunday, though it did not experience any notable growth. Three full time rectors have served Christ Church since Fr. Claude's long tenure. Between 1986 and 1996, Christ Church was served by the Rev. Warren Soule, the Rev. Diane Corlett, and the Rev. William Skidmore. After 1996, the parish was served by three rectors/vicars that were part time, and then afterward sustained by several devoted supply clergy of the diocese who led services each week. In 2005, Christ Church embarked on a visioning process to set mission goals for the new millennium. Part of that process revealed a need for full time clergy support and a re-awakening to the vitality and momentum that was starting to build on this side of Rowan County. The vestry and search committee took care to measure and plan for the future of Christ Church. In June of 2007, after a ten year period without full time clergy support, the Rev. Kenneth H. Saunders III became the full time rector. He is the thirty-third rector of Christ Episcopal Church. The Rectors & Vicars of Christ Episcopal Church;
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I. The Rev. Robert Johnstone Miller II. The Rev. Thomas Wright III. The Rev. John Morgan IV. The Rev. Thomas F. Davis V. The Rev. Charles Bruce Walker VI. The Rev. John Haywood Parker VII.
The Rev. Oliver Sherman VIII. The Rev. James G. Jacocks IX. The Rev. George Badger Wetmore X. The Rev. Edward P. Green XI. The Rev. Francis J. Murdoch XII. The Rev. Robert B. Owens XIII. The Rev. Sidney S. Bost XIV. The Rev. Hatch Deut XV. The Rev. Thomas Lee Trott XVI. The Rev. John Linker Saunders XVII. The Rev. Royal G. Shannonhouse XVIII. The Rev. Locke Winfield Blackwelder XIX. The Rev. Simeon Jeremiah Michael Brown XX. The Rev. Joseph Wilson XXI. The Rev. William Hill Hardin XXII. The Rev. Reuben Meredith XXIII. The Rev. Jadi L. Martin XXIV. The Rev. William J. Moll, Jr. XXV. The Rev. Donald Wallace Frazier XXVI. The Rev. Claude Alvin Collins XXVII. The Rev. Warren John Albert Soule XXVIII. The Rev. Diane Bishop Corlett XXIX. The Rev. William Magill Skidmore XXX. The Rev. Glen Gould XXXI. The Rev. Harold Elsner XXXII. The Rev. Michael Moulden XXXIII. The Rev. Kenneth Hope Saunders III |
1786-1825 1825-1832 1833-1836 1836-1846 1846 1846-1848 1848-1850 1850-1855 1857-1888 1889-1890 1890-1892 1892-1893 1893-1898 1899 1899-1902 1902-1903 1903-1904 1904-1905 1906-1920 1920-1924 1924-1934 1934-1940 1941-1959 1959-1962 1963-1966 1966-1985 1986-1988 1989-1992 1993-1996 1998-1999 2000-2003 2004-2005 2007-Present |
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