 St.
John's Episcopal Church |
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St. John the Evangelist Sunday Communion service is held every Sunday at 9:30 A.M. The first Sunday of the month is Rite 1; the remaining Sundays are Rite 2. The celebrant is Priest-in-Charge, Charles H. “Kelly” Clark. He is assisted by Deacon Will Ottery and lay Eucharistic Ministers who are appointed by the Bishop’s Committee. The lessons for the service are read by Lectors from the congregation. Children are excused after the processional hymn to attend Sunday school held in the upstairs Sunday school room. Teachers are from the congregation and teach in pairs. Children return to the church service during the “passing of the peace” to participate in communion. For children too young to attend Sunday school, childcare is available during the service every Sunday. Following the service coffee and refreshments are served in the parish hall. Special services are conducted during Lent, Holy Week, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. MISSION STATEMENT: St. John the Evangelist in Dunbarton, New Hampshire, will offer spiritual strength, support, growth, and learning to all individuals and families as we seek to know and further understand the will and love of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and to apply this understanding to our own lives and relationships, through regular weekly worship services, the frequent sponsoring of Christian Education for adults, youth, and children, and continuing commitment to host activities which promote the friendship and bonding of the members of the family of St. John's and of the extended family of God's children in the community. HISTORY In 1864 clergymen held our church services from St. Paul's School in schoolhouses in the west part of our town. Specifically The church of St. John the Evangelist in North Dunbarton traces its early history back to 1865 when Thomas G. Valpey, a master at St. Paul's School, is known to have been conducting services at the Stark schoolhouse. The Misses Harriett and Charlotte Stark, granddaughters of General John Stark, were deeply interested in promoting the spread of his work. It is to them and their grand niece, Miss Mary E. Stark, that this parish is indebted for its beautiful Tudor Gothic chapel with fine stained glass windows. The first site of the chapel was on a plot of land owned by Miss Mary Stark, not far from the Stark Mansion. The corner stone was laid in 1866 and on October 16, 1869 the church was dedicated. Rev. Henry A. Coit, rector of St. Paul’s School, gave the impressive stained glass window in the chancel. The organ, which dates back circa 1830, still in use, was a gift from St. Paul's chapel in Millville in 1868. As time went on, it became apparent a more accessible location had to be found. In September 1890, Mr. David Sargent gave the mission a half-acre of land where the church now stands. Under the direction of John Bunten, a local carpenter, the building was taken down piece-by-piece and moved to its present site and assembled exactly as it was before. Local people did all work with much time given, reducing the cost of moving to only $857.48. The first service was held December 14, 1890, with twelve communicants. The dedication took place the next day, and with a seating capacity of 110, there was scarcely standing room. Then in July 1900, plans were made to build a Parish Hall for the entire town to use. Invitations went out for a December dedication. This was just ten years after our church's re-dedication. A gala opening was held in March 1901. Three clergymen, a selectman, and a grange representative all gave speeches. The building was described as 50 feet long by 25 feet wide including a 40-foot long hall with a high-pitched ceiling and porch. The hall featured a permanent platform and wainscoting of Georgia pine. To the rear were a ladies' dressing room and a thoroughly furnished kitchen. From this kitchen, 180 guests were served coffee, cake and fruit at this occasion. The large attic stored tables and chairs when not in use. The cost of constructing this building was $668 and furnishings cost $68. One half of the cost was earned by Dunbarton people and the other half by outsiders. The only debt was for 156 chairs. In 1989, the Parish Hall was again to be re-dedicated. This wonderful building had no water, no plumbing, no heating system, no cooking facility, and no rest room and was a bit distant for church use. Winter access was a problem and it became an unused white elephant in those modern times. In its day it was used for social functions, church school and all kinds of community activities. The first of many planning meetings was held March 23, 1987 in Marilyn R. Mills home. The committee of David Wyman, Jane Grant, Frederic Mills, Donald Smith, Gertrude Dulude, Wayne Mills and Reverend Cork Tarplee worked through the beginning stage of ideas. Later a Capital Fund Drive, Diocesan loan and much hard work and long hours of devotion by a building committee of Wayne, Gert, Don, Cork, Erik Pierce and Harlan Noyes brought us a long way. As history repeated itself, so the Parish Hall was moved on October 6, 1988 to its new foundation just as the church had been moved so long ago. Now it was furnished with water, modern heating, a kitchen equipped with appliances, a rest room, an entrance with handicap facilities and even an upstairs office for our vicar. The complete process had taken a lot of foresight, courage, and leadership from the beloved vicar, Cork Tarplee. In June 2002 there was an organ recital to celebrate the restoration of the 170 year-old, hand-pumped organ. Jay Zoller, designer for the Andover Organ Company and organ master at St. Andrew’s Church, Hopkinton made “a joyful noise unto the Lord.” Since that time to the present, St. John's has welcomed one and all. Services are conducted each Sunday at 9:30 A.M., with special services at Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. (From combined sources: Church of St. John the Evangelist during Rev. Samuel McCain’s time, Marilyn Mills re-dedication speech, November 12, 1989, Respectfully submitted by Tammy L. W. Garcia, 2002) ORGAN HISTORY Of the 170 year history of the St. John’s, Dunbarton organ, very little in the way of fact is known. During the recent restoration by the Andover Organ Company (2002), we discovered nothing in the way of internal clues which would direct our attention to a particular builder or year. The “Empire” style of the case would point to the late 1830’s as a likely time that it was built. There were a number of farmers in New England who built organs during the slow winter months. Some of these chamber organs were rather crude in their inner workings. However, the St. John’s organ shows more refinement than some of these although not as meticulously finished as the work of the Hooks later in the century and whose name has been associated with the organ. The Hook name appears written on low C of the Stopped Diapason and on one rear panel, but it is probably because the Hooks took it in trade at some point in its history. A possibility for a builder might be J. D. Nutter of Mont Vernon who was known to have built some organs about that time. The case was undoubtedly built separately by a local cabinet maker. We do know that it belonged to St. Paul’s School, Concord, and was acquired from them in the early 1900’s. In any event, it is a delightful little organ and one of the few organs in the country in use today which is still pumped by hand. Christian Education Information: "The Church of St. John the Evangelist has begun a pilgrimage to bring young people closer to God by exploring new and exciting methods and ideas in our small but growing Sunday School. We allow our young people to express their ideas and feelings in a very creative, loving environment. We discuss the Lord's work, created through hands-on activities, and His presence in our lives. We enjoy singing and discussing children's religious hymns, and have several upcoming events to enrich and nourish our relationships with Our Lord, and those we meet along life's adventure. COME JOIN US!" Community Outreach Program: "Once a year on Super Bowl Sunday we have a "Souper Bowl" where we raise funds for the Friendly Kitchen of Concord. The first Sunday of every month, canned goods are donated by parishioners for the Dunbarton Food Kitchen, run by the Dunbarton Congregational Church." | ||||||||||||
We are a friendly and intimate
country church. All are welcome and we love children!