History

A Brief History of St. John’s Episcopal Church

St. John’s Episcopal church was organized in April of 1856 in the infancy of the town of St. Cloud. Initially the congregation met in the home of John Hale Taylor, the first Senior Warden and the Clerk of the city of St. Cloud.  In the fall of 1856, the cornerstone was laid for a building to house the congregation. It was built on the lot where the library of St. Cloud State University stands and was consecrated about a year and a half later in 1858. But in 1863 the building didn’t stay put and was picked up and moved by a mule team four blocks north to 390 Fourth Ave. South. After the disastrous tornado that leveled Sauk Rapids in 1886 Grace Church was combined with St. John’s to become the only Episcopal church in the area.

The congregation outgrew the old wood frame church in 1892 and it was moved again to the back of the lot and a new granite veneer church was built in its place. The church thrived in that building.  Eventually a new parish hall and education space was built and original wood frame building was torn down.

Tragedy struck the church building in 1969 when lighting struck the church and burned it down coincidentally on the Feast of the Transfiguration. A new building of a completely new and innovative design was built on the same site and consecrated in October 1971. (Peace United Church of Christ graciously housed the congregation while a new church was constructed.) The congregation continued to thrive with several active men’s, women’s, and youth groups including a robust choir, Altar Guild, and Education ministry. The Christmas Bazaar featuring handmade ornaments put on by the Episcopal Church Women’s group became so well known in the area, lines formed around the block to get in. The architecture of the new church reflected changes in the National Episcopal Church.  The altar was moved forward so that the priest could face the congregation during the Eucharist, the center isle was eliminated and the chairs were arranged in a semi-circle around the altar. Our form of worship changed with the adoption of the new 1979 Book of Common Prayer, became much less formal, and offered Eucharist every Sunday instead of once a month and women were welcomed as priests.

It is not clear when the idea started to build a new church, but a Building Futures committee was formed in 1993. By the late 1980s and early 1990s there was a concern about the accessibility of our building.  The parish hall was in the basement with no elevator access, the church school had no home other than the parish hall subdivided by room dividers, and the parking lot was perhaps too small. Additionally, being located across the street from St. Cloud State University had its own challenges in terms of foot traffic through the property and security concerns. Bruce Henne, the rector from 1989-1999, had a vision of a new church expressed in a 1997 annual report which was to increase use of the building and expand programs, growth of the congregation of up to 50% within 5 years, and eventually beginning a second parish in the St. Cloud area. So, in 1995-1996 the congregation purchased the land on the corner of Roosevelt Road and Cooper Ave., sold the church building to University Lutheran Church (now the home of the Central Minnesota Islamic Center), and started worshipping at Elizabeth Ann Seton School while the church at its present location was being built. We celebrated the 25^th anniversary of the present building in 2023.

Although the church buildings inspire and sometimes frustrate us, the church is not a building, it is the people. We are proud that for generations the Episcopal church has been a presence in the City of St. Cloud. We try to live our faith and mission to hear God’s word and do God’s work, to care for the unhoused, food insecure, immigrants, and all people in need in the area.