St. John's Church in Savannah is a

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

of the

Episcopal Diocese of Georgia The Episcopal Diocese of Georgia, USA is one of 20 dioceses that comprise Province IV of the US Episcopal Church, and is a diocese within the worldwide Anglican Communion. The current bishop is Frank S. Logue, who succeeded Scott Anson Benha ...

. The church was formed in 1841 from the growing Christ Church,

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...

, as part of a plan to increase Episcopal presence in Georgia and to provide for a first

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of the

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

. One of its founders was local businessman Edward Padelford. After his death in 1870, his name was added to one of the church's stained-glass windows. Eleven other windows are also dedicated to notable early members of the church.''A Short Biography of Edward Padelford''
Larry Tinker (

Armstrong Atlantic State University Armstrong may refer to: Places * Armstrong Creek (disambiguation), various places Antarctica * Armstrong Reef, Biscoe Islands Argentina * Armstrong, Santa Fe Australia * Armstrong, Victoria Canada * Armstrong, British Columbia * Armstrong, O ...

) In addition to his Episcopal duties, the bishop would be

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of both St. John's and Christ Church.

Stephen Elliott, Jr. Stephen Elliott, Jr. (October 26, 1830 – February 21, 1866) was a Confederate States Army brigadier general during the American Civil War. He was a planter, state legislator in South Carolina and militia officer before the Civil War ...

was consecrated as Bishop of Georgia in February 1841. St. John's first building was consecrated in 1843. When the congregation outgrew this building, the construction was undertaken of the current building (which is situated in

Madison Square Madison Square is a public square formed by the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Broadway at 23rd Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The square was named for Founding Father James Madison, fourth President of the United States. ...

, across from the historic Green-Meldrim House, now the church's parish house). The building was designed by Calvin N. Otis of

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

,''Antebellum Churches in Georgia''
Don Joiner (2007) and was consecrated in May 1853. The Parish continues to use the 1928

Book of Common Prayer The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the name given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The original book, published in 1549 in the reign ...

, as the basis for worship. St. John's maintains a cordial relationship with the

, although the character of the congregation is more traditional than most of the parishes in The Episcopal Church (TEC). It is included in the

Savannah Historic District Savannah Historic District may refer to: *Savannah Historic District (Savannah, Georgia), a National Historic Landmark district in Georgia * Central of Georgia Railroad: Savannah Shops and Terminal Facilities, Savannah, Georgia, a historic district ...

Rectors

References

External links

Official websiteThe Episcopal Diocese of GeorgiaThe Prayer Book Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint John's Church, Savannah, Georgia Landmarks in Savannah, Georgia Book of Common Prayer Episcopal church buildings in Georgia (U.S. state) Churches in Savannah, Georgia Churches completed in 1853 Religious organizations established in 1841 1841 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Madison Square (Savannah) buildings Savannah Historic District

Rectors

References

Further reading

External links