Our 175th Anniversary

            In 2007, St John’s celebrated the 175th anniversary of our founding in 1832.
            Fellowship was abundant throughout the year. On February 3rd, we kicked off the celebrations
            with a church service from the 1800s Book of Common Prayer. Parishioners dressed up in 1830s garb,
            and of course we topped the evening off with a huge covered plate dinner of era food, supplied
            by the congregation. The event was filmed and aired on local television!

            June was our extremely busy month. On the 16th we held our annual Summer Fair, highlighted by
            live music, children’s games, chicken barbeque, and silent auction. The following week, on Saturday
            we hosted a reunion day, with past parishioners returning from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Florida,
            Colorado and many parts of New York. Spirits were high, the weather was picture perfect,
            and hand squeezed lemonade quenched the thirst of our weary travelers. Some of the visitors
            had been at the 100th anniversary, 75 years prior! At 4:00 that afternoon we unveiled
            an everlasting gift to the church of a quilt, handmade by members of our ECW, appropriately
            nicknamed the “Sew-N-Sews”. The quilt is encased in glass and is on display in Schellenberger Hall.

            Sunday, June 24, on the 175th anniversary, we culminated almost two years of planning with
            a fantastic church service and dinner. The event began with music sung by Kairos, followed by
            a beautiful service led by Bishop Mark Sisk. As one can imagine, the pews were full and there was
            a fantastic air of excitement. During announcements, a congratulatory letter from President
            George W. Bush was read our congregation. Immediately following, we moved the celebration
            to the Wiltwyck Golf Club for dinner and refreshments. The dinner was attended by several past rectors,
            as well as Bishops Mark Sisk and Catherine Roskam. What made the year successful was the
            full participation of our congregation. Everyone was “ in the spirit.” Everyone made food,
            helped decorate, told stories, and enjoyed themselves.

            Congratulations to St John’s on 175 years of continuous service to our community.

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