About St. John's
Information about visiting St. John's can be found here.
The Episcopal Church
St. John's is a member of the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Ohio.
The Episcopal Church is the American branch of the Anglican Communion, a Christian tradition that originated in Great Britain. The American Revolution led to the initial establishment of the Episcopal Church as separate from the Church of England, though the relationship between the two churches was mended shortly after the United States gained independence.
The Episcopal Church is organized into regional dioceses, each of which are led by an elected bishop. The bishop of the Diocese of Ohio is Mark Hollingsworth, Jr.
The national church is led by a Presiding Bishop, who is elected to serve as chief pastor of the church. The current Presiding Bishop is Michael Curry.
Brief history of the St. John's
St. John's has been a part of Cuyahoga Falls almost from its beginning. In the the early 1800s, a wealthy landowner named Joshua Stow began encouraging groups of Connecticut settlers to relocate to his lands in the Western Reserve. A number of devout Episcopalians made the journey, and by 1818 a local family was holding services in their log cabin at Stow Corners. St. John's was officially organized on November 28, 1830 and initially met in local log schoolhouse.
Our first church building was built at our current site in 1835 on land that Joshua Stow gifted to the our church (fun fact: the local Methodist church was gifted the adjacent lot, and we're still neighbors!). That church was consecrated on July 10, 1836 and served our community until it was razed in 1907. It was replaced with our current building, which was built over 1908-09. Our current building was first used in February 14, 1909, though it wasn't consecrated until May 22, 1914. The "parish house," now offices and classrooms, was finished in 1927, and the narthex (front entrance) was added in 1958.
In recent years, St. John's has seen a small resurgence in new members with plans for a sustainable future. Our parish just completed a foundational giving campaign, with an aim towards renovations of the church. We are all excited to see the future that God has in store for St. Johns!
