St. John's Episcopal-Lutheran

At St. John's, Episcopalians and Lutherans worship together. This service is a reflection of our common life. The first part of the booklet, the ministry of the Word, is composed from the Lutheran Book of Worship and portions of the Book of Common Prayer which are compatible with the Lutheran service. At the Great Thanksgiving, we use Eucharistic Prayer B or C from the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer. Using a combination of rites helps us acknowledge the diversity in this Christian family, even as we celebrate our unity. The image combining the Episcopal shield and Luther’s seal (the flower) is representative of our congregation. The shield is the symbol of the Episcopal Church of America as adopted in 1940 by the General Convention. Martin Luther designed his seal in the 1500s as an expression of his theology. It has been used as a symbol of the Lutheran church throughout the world. St. John’s was first established as an Episcopal Church in 1912. At that time, Williams was a wild-west town with logging as its main industry. One of the founding fathers of the church was local physician Dr. E.B. Perrin. The congregation, first led by a circuit rider minister, Reverend J.L. Meade, met in the Methodist Church, the Opera House, and the Fray Marcos Hotel (a Harvey House Hotel and now the Grand Canyon Railway Station) before building a structure near our current health center at 301 S. 7th St. Later, when the congregation became too big for these arrangements, a church building was constructed at Slagel and Sheridan. This site was also outgrown, and the current building at the corner of Second and Grant streets was begun. St. John’s Church was dedicated in 1952. In the early 1900s, the nearby town of Jerome was a boom town of copper, silver and gold mines. Because resources were plentiful, Jerome’s Episcopal Church congregation was able to provide exquisite furnishings for their church. Stained glass was imported from Italy. The handmade and artistically carved pews, altar, frontispiece, and baptismal font were probably made in San Francisco and transported to Jerome by wagon train. Then the mines began to close. Jerome went into a decline and the church facilities were abandoned. The current St. John’s was being built at the same time that the Jerome church was being disassembled. Jerome’s Episcopal Church congregation graciously donated the lovely stained glass windows, altar, pews, baptismal font and hardwood flooring to St. John’s. Members of St. John’s transported the furnishings. Vera Black, a tiny lady, told about holding the heavy round stained glass window (located behind the altar) on her lap in the front seat of a pickup for 50 miles as it bumped along the old back road between the two towns. In 1962, Walker Hall was added to the building. It was named after Howard Walker, who initiated the project and spent many hours working with other members to complete the structure. He also built the church vicarage that is located at 628 S. 2nd St. In 1975, a fire raged through Walker Hall, gutting the structure. Fortunately, the doors between Walker Hall and the sanctuary were closed so the rest of the church only suffered heavy smoke damage. Members worked diligently to clean and paint the church proper in time for a wedding the next weekend. During the following weeks, the members of St. John’s worked with the contractors to make the remodeled hall even more useful. In 1980, St John’s Episcopal Church melded with the local Lutheran congregation to become one church family. Our motto is “Two in Heritage, One in Christ.” As one of the first churches in the nation to have a dual heritage, St John’s Episcopal-Lutheran Church received national attention for this novel approach.