In 1926, the first church
services in Flossmoor--then a small village--were held by a
group of Episcopalians who met monthly in the public school
with a priest sent by the Diocese of Chicago. In 1929, a mission
was established and services moved to the Village Hall. By
1931, there was a full-time priest-in-charge and services were
held in a commercial building which later became the St. Mary's
Thrift Shop. Worship continued there until the present church
was constructed.
St. John's became a parish of 40 households in
1947 and the Rev. John E. G. Griffiths, formerly priest-in-
charge, was installed as the first Rector. The church was constructed
on its present site. St. Mary's Guild held a rummage sale to
support the building fund. The success of this and subsequent
efforts lead the Guild to establish a permanent shop in the
store where the congregation had previously worshipped. The
shop-- appropriately named the St. Mary's Thrift Shop--played
a leading role in paying off the church mortgage in 16 years.
Two years later, in 1949, the parish had grown to 88 households
and the Rectory and cloister were completed.
The Rev. James W. Montgomery was called as priest
in 1951 and under his guidance the parish grew rapidly. The "Foolish
Follies"--written and staged by "Parish Pairs" and
always featuring a special role for the Rector--drew enthusiastic
crowds at its presentation at a local school gymnasium. During
Father Montgomery's term as Rector, the church school wing
was completed in 1955, and by 1959 the parish numbered 390
households.
When Father Montgomery was consecrated Suffragan
Bishop of Chicago in 1962, St. John's called the Rev. Howard
William Barks as priest. The parish continued to grow. In 1963,
the mortgages were burned and the very active St. Mary's Thrift
Shop redirected half its profits to Episcopal Charities and
half to the parish's building fund for upkeep and special projects.
The Thrift Shop continued to be an important source of funds
for the parish and various Episcopal charities for the next
37 years. Sadly, at the start of the year 2000, the St. Mary's
Thrift Shop closed its doors, succumbing finally to the realities
of a changing economy.
For several years in the seventies a large renewal
group met weekly and, during the same period, guitar masses
were a regular part of our services. Father Barks served as
Rector until his death in 1977.
The Rev. Thomas Vanderslice, one of St. John's
early curates, was called as priest in 1978. Shortly after
his arrival, St. John's Episcopal Church Women sponsored the
first "Country Fair", which was a regular biennial
autumn event until 2002. A chapter of the Brotherhood of St.
Andrew was started at St. John's in the early eighties. The
Brotherhood's annual Bake-a-thon has become an important parish
activity. Since 1991, our high school youth, joined by young
people from neighboring parishes and adult volunteers, have
participated in mission trips, first with the Appalachia Service
Project, and currently with Habitat for Humanity. In 1993,
a chapter of the Daughters of the King was begun at St. John's.
Father Vanderslice retired in January, 1994.
In March of 1995, the Rev. Mary Grace Williams
was called as Rector of St. John's. During her tenure, the
parish focused on increasing both membership and attendance
through a renewed sense of evangelism, cultivating a stronger
sense of community and pastoral concern among the clergy and
all parishioners, providing more opportunities for personal
spiritual growth through a rich variety of classes in Christian
formation for all age groups, and increasing outreach to the
surrounding community.
January 2004 marked the beginning of a new year
and a new rector for St. John's, The Rev.
Kristin Orr. |
