Calvary Episcopal Church celebrated its 160th anniversary August 28. Brick arches and wooden beams rose above a sanctuary that was crowded with congregants and visiting clergy, some of whom had been invited from other denominations, while candles and green stain glass windows provided illumination.
The reverend Al Crumpton addressed the congregation. “We are blessed to be here with you, as we give God the glory for this ministry that has been faithfully carried out for the past 160 years from the faithful followers of Christ at Calvary Episcopal.”
He told of the impact of the initial congregants who had formed the church. “We are gathered here in person, and by the miracle of technology, we’re joining with folks who are joining us online here this evening, we’re praising God and giving thanks for that moment, 160 years ago, from this day, when a very small group of faithful followers of Christ, they met with the first bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia, the Right Reverend Stephen Elliot, they met to discuss forming a mission congregation of the Episcopal Church in Americus Georgia.”
Crumpton expressed gratitude for God’s providence. “We are here to acknowledge God’s guiding presence among those initial communicates who came together in forming what we know today as Calvary Episcopal Church.”
After the service, Mayor Lee Kinnamon, who is also a parishioner of Calvary Episcopal Church, read the Congressional Record of Representative Sanford Bishop Jr., who honored the 160 anniversary of Calvary Episcopal Church. “The history of this Episcopal Church in Americus began in 1858, with the first service officiated by Bishop Stephen Elliott. Despite the bloody and bitter challenges of the Civil War, the parish was reestablished in 1864 as Calvary Episcopal Church, symbolizing hope and resilience during a time of great turmoil.”
Kinnamon read further comments by Bishop; “Mr. Speaker, today I ask my colleagues to join my wife, Vivian, and me, along with the more than 765,000 people of Georgia’s Second Congressional District in recognizing and honoring Calvary Episcopal Church on its 160 anniversary.”
In the past, Calvary Episcopal Church’s anniversary was celebrated on August 13. Kenneth Taylor told how he was responsible for discovering the actual date of the anniversary. “I was going through the parish archives, and organizing them and reading them, and thanks to the wonders of the internet, pulling up the calendar for 1864, which we can do these days, and all the evidence said it had to be August 28.”
Taylor told how he based his reasoning on the fact that Thomas Staley regularly visited town the fourth Sunday of every month, and that was the time that the organizational meeting was conducted marking the beginning of the Calvary Episcopal.
Milton Fletcher, born in 1926, is the oldest former member of Calvary Episcopal. He remarked on the history of the church. “I was here over half of the 160 years.”
He told how he first came to attend. “I grew up in the Baptist Sunday school and I came to church with my godmother, and that’s how I got to be an Episcopalian.”
Fletcher shared what drew him to the church. “I was impressed by the beauty and the holiness of this place.”
He also mentioned another draw when the Bishop visited. They’d bring out the silver service and they would bring out the finest China and they would really fix the best casarolls for the Bishop. I came to every one of those.”
Fletcher described the dinners. “I got converted on the food. It was wonderful.”
Fletcher talked about another aspect of the church that impressed him. “It was a very conservative church when I was little, but it grew to a very social-minded, liberal church.”
He gave an example. “We welcomed the refugees in this church when other Christians turned them away.”
Fletcher summed up his experience. “We’ve always been a light to the community. It’s still a very open church.”
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