Saint Paul's Episcopal Church is a century-old

Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...

parish on the eastern shore of Lake James near

Morganton, North Carolina Morganton is a city in and county seat of Burke County, North Carolina, United States. It is located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the Catawba River. The population was 17,474 at the 2020 census. Morganton is approximately ...

. It is in the Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina and is noted for its ministry to older adults in the Lake James community, especially through a program called "Happy Tuesday".

History

Saint Paul's was founded in 1906 by Grace Episcopal Church, as a mission to the remote western portion of Burke County. The new parish included a sanctuary, an

orphanage An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or abusi ...

and a

school A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the Educational architecture, building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most co ...

. Prior to the establishment of

public education A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in part by taxation and operated by the government of the state. State-f ...

throughout the county, Saint Paul's school was the only grade school in the area. The church's clergy were also instrumental in establishing The Patterson School for Boys (now known as

The Patterson School The Patterson School was a private, non-profit, co-educational, non-denominational, multi-cultural boarding and day school for grades seven through twelve, and one year of post-secondary study, located in Lenoir, North Carolina. The school opened ...

) in nearby Lenoir. The school and orphanage stayed open until 1926, when public education was established throughout the county, and as people moved to the area in the effort to build Lake James. From 1951 to 1993, Saint Paul's was yoked with its sister parish, Saint Mary's Church. The original church structure was destroyed by fire on December 31, 1979. Though initial plans were not to rebuild the church, members displayed their devotion to the parish's survival to 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, prov ...

. This effort, along with a donation of land, allowed Saint Paul's to be rebuilt in its current location. In 1993, Saint Paul's became an independent parish, and completed a fellowship hall in 1996. The hall was named "Fitzgerald Hall" in 2004 in honor of its former rector, the Rev. John W. Fitzgerald. The Alfred T.K. Zadig Sr. Library was completed in 2008.

Current data

Saint Paul's Episcopal Church currently consists of about 75 members. Its

liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and participation in the sacred through activities reflecting praise, thanksgiving, remembra ...

contains some

Anglo-Catholic Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholicism, Catholic heritage (especially pre-English Reformation, Reformation roots) and identity of the Church of England and various churches within Anglicanism. Anglo-Ca ...

features and the church stresses its ties to the

Anglican Communion The Anglican Communion is a Christian Full communion, communion consisting of the Church of England and other autocephalous national and regional churches in full communion. The archbishop of Canterbury in England acts as a focus of unity, ...

. Dr. Rev. Gary Butterworth is serving as Priest in Charge. November 2021 a 3 Rank Wicks Pipe organ was Donated to the Church in addition to a 1919 Chickering piano was donated.

References

External links

Saint Paul's Episcopal Church, Morganton NC
{{Authority control Anglo-Catholic church buildings in the United States Episcopal church buildings in North Carolina Christian organizations established in 1906 Churches in Burke County, North Carolina 1906 establishments in North Carolina