Our
Heritage
Christ Church is set in tall, mossy grass under towering oak trees. The
church grounds include a cemetery. Christ Church, one of the oldest
churches in Georgia, was founded on St. Simons Island nearly 70 years
after the island was first settled by English colonists. Worship has been
continuous since 1736 in Christ Church Parish, established by English
colonists at Frederica under General James Oglethorpe.
In February 1736, James Oglethorpe and the first English settlers arrived
on St. Simons Island. Shortly thereafter, in March 1736, Reverend Charles
Wesley, who also served as Secretary for Indian Affairs and Chaplain to
General James Oglethorpe, entered his ministry at Frederica. From
1736-1766, the first religious services on the island were conducted by
John Wesley, George Whitfield, and other clergy members of the Society for
the Propagation of the Gospel. When the Trustees surrendered their charter
to the king in 1752, Georgia became a royal colony. It was after the
Revolutionary War, in 1808, that Christ Church was founded. Though
inspired by such men as John and Charles Wesley, the small St. Simons
Island population was prevented by the Revolutionary War and War of 1812,
among other factors, from erecting a church building until 1820.
Following a petition for a charter by descendants of early settlers,
Christ Church was established by an act of the state legislature in 1808.
It is the second oldest Episcopal Church in the diocese of Georgia. Before
the actual church was built, people met at their homes. The first church
building was constructed in 1820 on the same site where the present church
is now located. In 1823, Christ Church of Savannah and Saint Paul Church
of Augusta merged together. The first small church building lasted until
Union Troops damaged it so badly that members of the church had to have
service at their homes once again. The church was rebuilt in 1884.
The first rector was The Reverend Edmund Matthews, who served before,
during and after construction of the original building. The only island
church, it was attended by people from the 14 St. Simons plantations. As
the center of community life around which religious and social life
revolved, its loss during the Civil War was a terrible blow for islanders.
In 1862 the church was desecrated and virtually destroyed. A way of life
and a strong refuge were lost, so the families lovingly dismantled the
remaining structure, saving what they could. Salvaged were the
four-columned credence table base to the right of the altar and some pews
having carved crosses on the ends, most now located in the choir. The
congregation then cleaved together, meeting to worship in homes and
receiving Holy Communion from occasional visiting clergymen. These devoted
people are buried behind the church, and many of their descendants are
present-day communicants.
What remained of the first altar was incorporated into our present altar
in 1884 when the church was rebuilt on the cornerstone of the original
building. Shipbuilders constructed the new church, cruciform in shape and
resembling in design an inverted ship’s hull, denoting the ship of faith.
Our Mother Church, Christ Church, Savannah, originally loaned the
Communion rail, two clergy chairs and pulpits for a period of ten years,
but we still have them!
Christ Church is a gothic style building with a tall belfry and narrow
stained glass windows. The stained glass windows, given in memory of loved
ones, commemorate the early history of the church and St. Simons Island,
as well as incidents in the life of Christ. For example, one window shows
the ministry of John and Charles Wesley at Frederica under live oak trees.
The ship that brought John from Savannah is seen in the background.
Another window celebrates the founding of Georgia by General James
Oglethorpe. Oglethorpe is shown with the Native Americans, Chief
Tomochichi and his son. Still another window with a biblical scene has
been authenticated as an unsigned Tiffany masterpiece. The largest window,
designed and executed in Germany in 1899, is dedicated in memory of
Reverend Anson Green Phelps Dodge, Jr., who rebuilt Christ Church.
Deacon Anson Green Phelps Dodge, who later became rector, built the new
church as a memorial to his first wife. The Italian marble bust at the
rear of the church, carved by the American sculptor Birdwell, is of Anson
Dodge as a boy. The large stained glass window above it was given in 1898
by Rebecca Dodge, Anson’s mother. This Meyer window, from Munich, Germany,
shows Peter, James and John with Jesus, in whose halo are depicted pearls,
symbol of salvation worth more than all Earth’s treasures. Our baptismal
font was a gift of Anson Dodge’s former Sunday School class in the
northeast.
At the age of twenty-four, the Reverend Anson Dodge funded and built four
other churches on the island: Transfiguration at the beach; St. James at
Epworth for mill workers (now re-consecrated as Lovely Lane Chapel); St.
Perpetua at German Village; and St. Ignatius on Demere Road for the black
families living in the area, who frequently had their own black minister
and teacher. All were missions of Christ Church. When St. Ignatius closed
as a mission in the 1980’s its remaining membership and that of Christ
Church were merged. Daily Morning Prayer and Sunday evening services are
still held there today.
At one time Sunday School classes were conducted in the pews of Christ
Church, which in 1933 was enlarged by moving the rear wall to extend the
nave to its present length. The Wesley windows—the last two bays of rear
side windows beyond the Oglethorpe window—were installed in 1968. A
Tiffany window with the artist’s two trademark red dots, opposite the main
entry, was given by descendants of A. Gould; it bears the inscription from
Proverbs 31, “Her children arise up and call her blessed.”
Adorning the altar, pulpit, and lectern are needlepoint hangings created
by Mrs. William Chisholm at 76 through 93 years of age. A member of Christ
Church along with her husband, she designed these to include the
liturgical colors for all the seasons of the church year except Lent, when
they are removed. Mrs. Chisholm designed and executed much of the
needlework for the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Under her
tutelage the women of Christ Church needlepointed our kneeling pads and
chair cushions.
The oldest graves in the cemetery are unmarked ones known to date from
1796; the oldest marked grave located thus far is dated 1803. Although a
section east of the church, near the altar wall, is set aside for burial
of clergy and their families, The Reverend Matthews’ gravestone, in the
shape of an altar table, is located behind the church. It was the custom
in those days to use such a gravestone as a table to feed the poor. The
present steeple cross is carved from a single block of wood too large for
the undertaking of local artisans. It was carved by Portuguese craftsmen
working in this area in the 1980’s.
The countless visitors to historic Christ Church, Frederica and its
cemetery through the years have included former Archbishop of Canterbury
George Carey, Queen Wilhelmina, Presidents Calvin Coolidge, Jimmy Carter
and George Bush, and Vice-President Alben Barkley, all of whom worshipped
in the present building.
Today Christ Church, Frederica has nearly 1,000 members joining in
increasing opportunities for involvement in worship, prayer, study,
service and fellowship. Parishioners serve as Sunday School teachers,
Acolytes, and EYC advisors. Docents keep the church open to visitors 364
days a year. Martha’s Guild members take food to bereaved families, and
the Angel Guild to those returning home from the hospital, or otherwise in
need. The Altar Guild, Brotherhood, and Adult and Children’s Choirs offer
other avenues for service. Christ Church teams regularly serve the hungry
at Manna House, and outreach funds support dozens of community and world
wide charities.
The Episcopal Church Women, who sponsor the
Annual Tour of Homes and Gardens and the Christ Church
Cookbook, have both daytime and evening guilds. Within the parish are a
Cursillo community, a Daughters of the King chapter, and an Education for
Ministry group. Noon and evening Bible study classes, special Lenten
programs, and Vacation Bible School provide opportunities for study in
addition to Sunday School, First Communion, and Confirmation classes.
Families with children from infants through high school meet for
fellowship, choir, service projects, and some fun on Sunday
evenings. Parish suppers, as well as Sunday morning coffee hour and our
teams of greeters, also foster fellowship.
In addition to these and other parish organizations and activities,
numerous committees function under the direction of our rector and
vestry. Building upon our rich heritage at Christ Church, Frederica, we
work together “...to know Christ and to make Him known to our parish, our
community and the world...through worship, teaching, fellowship and
service.”
Church and Window Photos (Shown Below)
Courtesy of Melanie Howard
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Stained Glass Window
Featuring John and Charles Wesley |
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Stained Glass Window
Featuring Tomochichi and Oglethorpe
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Stained Glass Window from
England Featuring Biblical Scene
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Authenticated, but Unsigned Tiffany |
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Stained Glass Window Featuring Biblical Scene
Largest Stained Glass Window (located in
the rear of the chapel) - Featuring a Biblical Scene |
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The
current building known as Christ Church has changed somewhat since
colonial times. The original church building became deteriorated.
Anson Dodge, who owned lumber mills and helped build many island
churches including Lovely Lane Chapel at Epworth-by-the-Sea, saw how
bad the church looked and decided to rebuild it. He dedicated the
new building to his recently deceased wife. He also had her body
entombed under the altar. He became the first rector of the newly
built Christ Church in 1884.
Many
famous Georgians are buried at Christ Church. One famous Georgia author,
Eugenia Price, is buried there. She wrote many novels about Georgia,
including a series on St. Simons. Another famous Georgian, John Couper,
a plantation owner, is buried there. He owned the point on St. Simons
where the lighthouse was built. Still another famous Georgian buried
there is Lucien Knight, the first state historian of Georgia.
