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The Diocese of North Carolina
The Episcopal
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The Worldwide
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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and edited from the historical documents of the parish and a historical summary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
Christ Episcopal Church, Rowan County,
was organized by the Legislature of the
Province
of North Carolina Colony in 1754. It
was the last parish of the
Church of England organized in the colony by the
efforts of the
Society
for the Propagation of the Gospel (S.P.G.).
Various priests supplied services in the area on an irregular basis
before the Revolutionary War, but none remained more than two years, nor did
they live in the area. 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 now stands.
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 first permanent minister of
the parish, after the Pre-Revolutionary efforts of the S.P.G. was the Rev.
Robert Johnstone Miller. He who 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 missions in the area, 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 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 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.
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 elected fifth
Bishop
of South Carolina in 1853.
Bishop Davis’s successor at
Christ
Church
was The Rev. Oliver Sherman Prescott. He
continued the principles of the “Oxford
Movement” in this parish. Under
his leadership, services and devotions were conducted from
The
Ursuline Manual, and incense and chanting were introduced.
Fr. Prescott left
Christ
Church
in 1850 to join the monastic community in
Valle
Crucis, NC. With Bishop Ives’
submission to the Roman Catholic Church, the community scattered, and Fr.
Prescott fled to
England
, where he became one of the tree founding members of
The
Society of Saint John the Evangelist, the oldest Anglican religious order
for men.
The parish consisted of over 250
families by 1850, and
Christ
Church
was the “mother church” in Rowan County, from which other parishes were organized.
St. Andrew’s, Woodleaf was organized in the 1840s, St. James in
Iredell
County
in 1857; and
St. George’s
in Woodleaf were all organized by members from
Christ
Church in Cleveland. In 1857, just prior to the Civil
War, the Rev. George Badger Wetmore became rector of the parish.
During his long tenure of 31 years, he consolidated the parish with the
remote worshiping stations surrounding it. A
large rectory was built on
Woodleaf Barber Rd
,
Cleveland
,
NC
for him and his large family. Descendants of his family still
live in the area.
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After the Civil War, this readers desk was built (ca. 1865).
Lt. James T. Barber, C.S.A. had his arm amputated
because of the injuries he sustained in battle. As a
result, he was unable to handle the prayer book
missile and hymnal while he worshiped. This readers desk was built
to help him handle the books. It still can be seen at
Christ Church today. (click on picture to see it
larger)
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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
Salisbury
area.
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
Main St
.
in
Cleveland
,
NC
. A large gift from W. Frank
Thompson in memory of Nancy Brandon Thompson (his mother) enabled
Christ
Church
to build a parish house and brick the church building in 1926.
The Diocesan Convention of the Diocese of North Carolina was held at
Christ
Church
in 1930. This is the only time a
Diocesan Convention has been held in a country parish.
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.
The church had stained glass windows installed in the 1950s as memorials
to various parishioners.
The Stained Glass Windows of Christ Episcopal
Church
Let the little children come to Me The Crucifixion of Christ The Resurrection of Christ
Given to the Glory of God in honor of
Vivian Graham & Ira M. Graham Give to the Glory of God in honor of
Mary Celeste White Given to the Glory of God
in memory of
Laura Ehrgott Barber May 19, 1884 - July 31, 1960
James Claudius Barber August 29, 1880 - August 29, 1946
Given to the Glory of God in honor of
Vivian Graham & Ira M. Graham
In 1966,
Christ
Church
called The Rev. Claude A. Collins as rector.
During his 20 year ministry, the parish once again became self
supporting. An outdoor
“children’s chapel” was constructed to the west of the church and in 1978, a
pair of brick entrance was constructed at the highway entrance to the church.. The
Rev. Collins retired in 1986.
Since 1986, Christ Episcopal
Church has continued having worship services every Sunday, though it did not
experience any notable growth. Two full time rectors have served Christ
Church since Fr. Claude's long tenure. After 1996, the parish was served
by three rectors/vicars that were part time, and 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, Christ Church called
the Rev. Kenneth H. Saunders III to be
their rector. Fr. Saunders is a graduate of the University of North
Carolina at Asheville (B.S.), and a graduate of
The School of Theology at The University
of the South (M.Div.). He is the thirty-third rector of Christ Episcopal Church.
The Rectors/Vicars of Christ Episcopal Church;
Rowan County
,
NC
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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
Prescott
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 (deacon in charge)
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 |
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Service Times
Sunday
10:30 Holy Eucharist
ALL ARE WELCOME!
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Christ
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