St. John's Episcopal Church Congaree celebrates 150 years

Van Lott, a member of the vestry of St. John's Episcopal Church Congaree Over the past century and a half, new names have been added to those of the Westons, the Adamses, the Hopkinses, and other founding members at St. John's Episcopal Congaree. They share some of the fond recollections which abound among this close- knit Christian community.

This small congregation has contributed three clergymen to their denomination: Edward McCrady Claytor, English Hopkins Weston, and John Gorman Clarkson Jr.

One of these three lives in retirement just a short drive down Elm Savannah Road from his church. "Hop" Weston was ordained an Episcopal priest at St. John's in 1943. "I inherited my parents' house right down the road and retired here," he says. "My father and grandfather bought what was then Adams' property; the cemetery is still on the land. You'll find many family cemeteries on these plantation sites in Lower Richland."

Weston continued, "Next to the St. John's property is an old slave cemetery which the church would like to restore and respect as it deserves. I have supplied in the pulpit here many times. In fact, I supplied three Sundays in August while the rector, Jeffrey W. Meadowcroft, was traveling in Russia."

Hop Weston, ordained as an Episcopal priest at St. John's Episcopal Church Congaree in 1943, stands in front of the church. Van Lott III, recalls a fateful moment in the long history of St. John's. "In 1981, at age 30, I had just taken office as a member of the vestry at St. John's," he says. "We had been discussing a building campaign to make needed repairs and some improvements to the sanctuary and to enlarge it. We engaged the Columbia Architectural Group to help us make plans, and just before Christmas I went to the church with one architect to take some measurements. We measured and looked things over. We were hoping to apply to the Columbia Historical Society for some funding to preserve our historic building, and we needed to be specific about the present building and the needs.

"The day after Christmas, the building burned to the ground. It was made of heart pine which provided instant kindling, and there was never a hope of saving it. Our measurements were all that was left. And since we no longer had a historic building, we were not eligible to apply to the Historical Society for money."

Outdoor Chapel Altar at St. John's Episcopal Church Congaree Insurance stepped in. Members dug deep into their pockets, and just 10 months later a new building, complete and fully equipped, was dedicated. Its $480,000 cost was fully paid; no indebtedness on hand.

Brad Mobley, working from the original design plans, drew up the new plans. Burriss Construction Company was the builder. "Arson was never suspected," says Lott. "The heating system was fairly new, and several members commented that the sanctuary was unusually hot during the Christmas services. It is thought that the furnace malfunctioned. Of course old electrical wiring could have contributed to the problem.

"The re- built structure closely resembles the original one but is actually 20 percent larger and is built of cypress and white pine, not the heart pine which was first used."

Historic St. John's featured handsome stained glass windows crafted by Rohlf's Glass of Mt. Vernon N.Y. This firm was able to duplicate their original work, and when the new building went into service, 26 windows exactly like the first set were installed at a total cost of $33,420.

The baptismal font is an exact duplicate of the original. The furniture came from a store known as Lind- sey's in Tennessee: pews, altar, railings, pulpits. One interior feature was changed. The original building included a balcony which was first designated for slaves and was supported by large pillars from the ground floor. The 1982 building techniques allowed for steel beams which supported the balcony without a need for posts, a big improvement on both levels.

"That balcony or gallery, is now used for a variety of purposes," according to Hop Weston. "Young people come for the contemporary service, and there's an electronic keyboard up there which provides the music."

Sarah Clarkson Moore has been playing the organ for St. John's ever since she was 12 years old. "That was more than seven decades ago, in case anyone is counting. I was baptized at St. John's in 1924."

A brass plate honoring Sarah Moore for her service stands beside the organ where she holds sway every week.

"For the first service we held this year, which began our commemoration of the 150th anniversary, we used the Episcopal Prayer Book that was the one in use at the time of its organization, 1858. We also used hymns and service music from that time. It was quite impressive. We all felt that we were a part of the beginnings of our church."

Moore sums up her years at St. John's this way: "There's nothing that can happen in church that hasn't happened at St. John's. We've survived it all."

At St. John's, the past is honored as the congregation moves forward into the future. They're convinced St. John's Episcopal Congaree will be standing 150 years from now.

To conclude their yearlong birthday party, St. John's Congaree invites everyone to join them for three special occasions coming up:

Sunday, October 12: A joint service and picnic at nearby Zion Church, 4 pm.

Tuesday, October 14: Dinner at the Parish Hall at 6:30 pm.,followed by a talk by noted South Carolina historian Walter Edgar.

(Reservations through church office, 776-9292)

November 2: Annual Homecoming Day and final celebration of the 150th anniversary year.