St. Philip's Episcopal celebrates 150 years

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  • St. Philip's Episcopal members gathered with Vicar Cynthia Moore to look over the history of the church recently. A barbecue lunch is planned following an 11 a.m. service at the 150th anniversary observance Sunday.
    St. Philip's Episcopal members gathered with Vicar Cynthia Moore to look over the history of the church recently. A barbecue lunch is planned following an 11 a.m. service at the 150th anniversary observance Sunday.
  • One of the lovely stained glass windows at St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Sulphur Springs. They have stained glass dating back with some dedicated in honor of members. The church turns 150 Sunday with a service set for 11 a.m. Staff photos by Don Wallace
    One of the lovely stained glass windows at St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Sulphur Springs. They have stained glass dating back with some dedicated in honor of members. The church turns 150 Sunday with a service set for 11 a.m. Staff photos by Don Wallace
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It will be a festive scene Sunday at 11 a.m. as St. Philip’s Episcopal Church celebrates its 150th anniversary.

“We have a wonderful service planned this Sunday,” said Cynthia Moore, Vicar of St. Philip’s. “We’re going to have an indoor barbecue picnic to follow the service in the parish hall. May the God that has worked in us for 150 years continueto do so for another 150!”

Bishop Fraser Lawton of the Dallas diocese will be an honored guest at the event.

Mother Cynthia, as she is known at the church, has only been serving in Sulphur Springs since November.

“Bishop Lawton has always said this is a spirited-filled area and God is moving here,” Mother Cynthia said. “The attendance here has gone up and down. But God has a way of revitalizing us.”

Mother Cynthia, originally from Connecticut, has been with the church for years serving in a number of posts at different locations.

“This is a real caring community,” she said. “Everyone always wants to check on and help each other.”

The roots of the church follow the growth of Sulphur Springs.

A historic marker at the church located at 1206 College Avenue read as follows:

St. Philip’s Episcopal -

Episcopal missionaries preached in Sulphur Springs as early as the 1860s. This church was founded in 1872 after Bishop Alexander Gregg and Father Francis R. Starr visited the community. For over 20 years, the small Episcopal congregation worshipped in the Presbyterian Church Building. In 1887 C.M. Houston (1809-1896) and his wife, Nancy, (1823-1890) donated this land for the church site. The original portion of the present church structure was erected in about 1895. It was later enlarged and remodeled.

The current church was built in 1991 and funded by Beuna and Kenneth McKenzie according to officials.

McKenzie’s only stipulation about the building, was that is had to have an attached chapel building which was open to the public.

“We have the chapel and it was open all the time, until the pandemic,” said Mother Cynthia. “We plan to re-open it soon.”

The original church building still stands and is part of a display of historic structures at the Hopkins county Historical Society Museum and Heritage Park at 416. N. Jackson.

The building, constructed in 1895 was moved to that location in 1994 from Houston Street. The church has kept the original stain glass windows and pews which were replaced by donors.

The current building has a mixture of new and old stain glass windows, some dating back more than 100 years.

Another feature which makes the church unique is the longtime garden.

For years fruits and vegetables were grown there and donated to families or local organizations like the Food Pantry or Meal-A-Day.

Now the area is mainly filled with flowers and shrubs.

The garden is called the Helen Gould Memorial Garden and located in the courtyard of the church. Longtime sponsors and workers in the garden are honored with brass plaques which date back decades.

Longtime members Bob and Barb Julian said they always enjoyed coming to the church and taking part in the Pancake Supper held the Tuesday before Lent.

The Julians, members for over 40 years, said they remember holding the event years ago.

“People would line up around Houston Street. We didn’t have much power and we’d always blow a fuse. Finally we have station one person near the fusebox,” he said with a laugh.

Another longtime member told of the Ladies Guild making and selling calendars with birthdays of members listed on them for a $1.

Mr. Julian also told of working with children from the Boys and Girls Clubs in the garden.

“That was funny, some 10-12 kids had never been outside that much. They hadn’t seen a spider,” he said.

Butch Young said his family had been coming to the church since 1968.

“I was in the Air Force and got in the habit of going to church. I continue that when I got out and joined here. We’re committed to this church and I think its the wonderful people in the congregation that hold it together. We’ve taking care of each others.”

Betty Young has also been coming to the church for more than 50 years.

The older members reminisced about how their children, now grown and with families of their own, used to crawl down the aisle of the church.

Nancy Moore said, “We raised our children here. We were here serving and they came too as acolytes and in other roles.

Many of the longtime members and former members are expected back Sunday to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the church.