St. James' Episcopal Church (Lake City, Florida)
Encyclopedia
St. James’ Episcopal Church is an historic Episcopal church located at 2423 SW Bascom Norris Drive in Lake City
, Florida
. The church is in the Episcopal Diocese of Florida
.
The Rev. Charles Snowden built the original St. James Episcopal Church in 1880 with his own money and labor at the corner of South Alachua & West Nassau Streets. The Rectory and St. James Academy were next door. Bishop Young consecrated St. James Church on the second Sunday after Christmas in 1884, according to Diocesan records. Rev. Snowden served as St. James Rector from 1871 to 1886.
In 1898, to serve and be accessible to the students at Florida Agricultural College (predecessor of the University of Florida
which moved to Gainesville in 1906), the church was moved to the corner of South Marion and East Brown Streets. The current Rectory was constructed at that time.
After Rev. Snowden left, the next 80 years saw a succession of Rectors. Only two, Rev. Walter T. Carvell and Rev. John Banks, served more than a few years. There was little or no growth in the Parish.
and were moved by the Holy Spirit. Their enthusiasm caught on and more families with children began attending.
and Parish Hall were moved first, followed by the Christian Education Wing, and finally, the Rectory
.
, Seventh Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Florida officiated the ceremony and was assisted by the Rev. William Mac-Laurine Hall, Rector Emeritus and the Rev. Dr. Jeff Robinson, St. James Rector.
The new sanctuary became the primary worship center for the St. James family, but the historical old building was not destroyed, nor abandoned. It was used for smaller services, Sunday school classes and the Wednesday midday service.
Rev. Susan Q. Claytor became the new rector of St. James Episcopal Church of Lake City in early 2007. Claytor was born in Atlanta but grew up in Jacksonville, Florida
. She previously served at the Episcopal Church of Our Saviour
of Jacksonville in a lay capacity.
Lake City, Florida
Lake City is the county seat of Columbia County, Florida, in the United States. In 2009, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population at 12,614. In addition, it is the Principal City of the Lake City Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is composed of Columbia County, and had an...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. The church is in the Episcopal Diocese of Florida
Episcopal Diocese of Florida
The Episcopal Diocese of Florida is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America . It originally comprised the whole state of Florida, but is now bounded on the west by the Apalachicola River, on the north by the Georgia state line, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and on the...
.
History
The first record from the Lake City Episcopal Church Register is in 1870, signed by the Reverend C. William Camp, Rector, and the Right Reverend John Freeman Young, Second Bishop of Florida. A register entry by Rev. Camp on February 26, 1871 describes the rectory in Lake City and the Peabody School under Church supervision, later known as St. James Academy.The Rev. Charles Snowden built the original St. James Episcopal Church in 1880 with his own money and labor at the corner of South Alachua & West Nassau Streets. The Rectory and St. James Academy were next door. Bishop Young consecrated St. James Church on the second Sunday after Christmas in 1884, according to Diocesan records. Rev. Snowden served as St. James Rector from 1871 to 1886.
In 1898, to serve and be accessible to the students at Florida Agricultural College (predecessor of the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
which moved to Gainesville in 1906), the church was moved to the corner of South Marion and East Brown Streets. The current Rectory was constructed at that time.
After Rev. Snowden left, the next 80 years saw a succession of Rectors. Only two, Rev. Walter T. Carvell and Rev. John Banks, served more than a few years. There was little or no growth in the Parish.
Growth
Reverend William Mc-Laurine Hall, known as "Mac", became Rector of St. James' in 1966. The Episcopal church that had remained virtually unchanged since the advent of the twentieth century slowly began to grow. A few members started attending CursilloCursillo
Cursillos in Christianity is a ministry of the Roman Catholic Church...
and were moved by the Holy Spirit. Their enthusiasm caught on and more families with children began attending.
Growing pains
By the mid-1980s, the congregation had grown, but there was no room for any type of building expansion on-site. Less critical, but still important, was the lack of nearby parking that had been a problem for many years and the absence of an area for outdoor activities. In 1988, the parish sold their 2 lots to their next door neighbor and moved the church (the second time for the Sanctuary) to the present location south of town, just off Florida State Road 47, a distance of about 4 miles. The SanctuarySanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
and Parish Hall were moved first, followed by the Christian Education Wing, and finally, the Rectory
Rectory
A rectory is the residence, or former residence, of a rector, most often a Christian cleric, but in some cases an academic rector or other person with that title...
.
A new home
The new property was 10⅔ acres, compared to less than ½ acre in town. It took several years to settle into the new location, and Rev. Hall retired in 1994 after 28 years as Rector at St. James. He left before plans were finalized for a bigger sanctuary. The church had been moved for almost 10 years before the parish was in a position to build a bigger building, but it finally happened. St. James Episcopal Church members consecrated their new sanctuary on March 9, 2003. The Right Reverend Stephen Hays JeckoStephen Hays Jecko
The Right Reverend Stephen Hays Jecko was the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Florida and the 892nd bishop in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, a province of the Anglican Communion.-Early years:...
, Seventh Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Florida officiated the ceremony and was assisted by the Rev. William Mac-Laurine Hall, Rector Emeritus and the Rev. Dr. Jeff Robinson, St. James Rector.
The new sanctuary became the primary worship center for the St. James family, but the historical old building was not destroyed, nor abandoned. It was used for smaller services, Sunday school classes and the Wednesday midday service.
Rev. Susan Q. Claytor became the new rector of St. James Episcopal Church of Lake City in early 2007. Claytor was born in Atlanta but grew up in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
. She previously served at the Episcopal Church of Our Saviour
Church of Our Saviour (Jacksonville, Florida)
The Church of Our Saviour is an historic Episcopal church located on the St. Johns River at 12236 Mandarin Road in the Mandarin area of Jacksonville, Florida in the United States. The church was founded in 1880 by a group Episcopalians, Church of England members and those from other denominations...
of Jacksonville in a lay capacity.