St. John the Divine Episcopal Church (17740 Peak Ave.) has declared the entire year 2006 – the church’s 50th year – a year of celebration.
The anniversary committee is chaired by Jean Pinard, a native daughter of Morgan Hill and a member of the first confirmation class at St. John’s. An early vicar (pastor) of St. John’s, the Rev. Charles Ericson, visited in March to recall his days of ministry here. On July 2, we remembered the ministry of the late Rev. Dr. Douglas S. York in an event that was attended by his widow, Pam Beale, and his son, Douglas Jr., and family.Â
On Sunday, July 23, the members of St. John invite South Valley community members to a joyous occasion: the principle celebration event of the parish’s 50th anniversary. Special Founders’ Day observances will be held at all three morning services: 8am (Eucharist), 9am (Family Eucharist) and 10:30am (Choral Eucharist). Two priests who served the parish during its earlier years will be honored at the 10:30 Mass.
n The Rev. Stanley Fowler, who served as vicar from 1976 to 1982, is fondly remembered for his leadership in initiating an outreach program, expansion of the sanctuary building and improvement of the grounds. In 1987, he accepted a call to a church in Seattle, from which he recently retired. Father Stan continues to assist in a parish after retirement.
n The Rev. Bill Baumgarten, a former Roman Catholic priest, served from 1983 to 1989, first as vicar, then as the church’s first rector when it achieved parish status in 1987. His years are remembered as a time of spiritual growth, a wider range of worship experiences, and an emphasis on lay involvement. Father Bill accepted a call to Santa Paula, Calif., in 1989, and currently serves a church in Kalispell, Mont. (where he was a candidate in a recent election for Bishop of Montana).
Also to be honored will be former members of the congregation who have entered the ordained ministry over the years: Brian Duffty, Roger Riggsby, Jan Miekle, and Judy Ahlvin. These people have spread St. John ‘s gifts of grace to other communities elsewhere.
Special music at the liturgy will be provided by Bruce Ahlvin, returning on this occasion to the parish where he so generously shared his talents two decades ago.
Guests and visitors are invited to enjoy a Parish Picnic on the church grounds immediately following the 10:30 service. Barbecued ribs and other delicious fare will be served. It is asked that guests RSVP to 779-9510 or sj********@*****on.net.
The first attempt at an Episcopal presence in Morgan Hill was in 1916 when a small chapel dedicated to St. John the Divine was constructed in an orchard owned by Bill Britton west of the farming town. For a while, about 15 families attended services conducted by a priest from Gilroy’s St. Stephen’s Church, but attendance dwindled, and the building was dismantled.
By 1955 the city’s population had grown enough that a group of lay people started a Sunday school at the Morgan Hill Masonic Hall. Thirty local Episcopalians then requested Bishop Block of the Diocese of California in San Francisco establish a mission, and seminarian Clarence Stacy was appointed vicar.
Property on Peak Avenue was purchased in 1959, and services were held in a house there. The following year a small sanctuary was built.
More recently, in 1997 the Very Rev. William Clancey was appointed Bishop’s Vicar while the parish sought a new rector. He ministered until 2000, when the present rector, the Rev. Philip Cooke accepted a call to Morgan Hill.
Throughout its history, St. John’s has actively served the Morgan Hill community. Notable outreach projects include:
n Staffing and supplying food in cooperation with other local churches to ReachOut, an ecumenical food program which serves the hungry in Morgan Hill and Coyote Valley.
n Providing Christmas gifts and other support to La Isla Pacifica, South County’s battered women’s center.
n Offering annual Vacation Bible School classes which welcome neighborhood children to learn about God and the Bible.
n Establishing a popular preschool in 2003 which successfully meets the needs of many residents, and a family liturgy that allows the family to worship together while fully incorporating young children into the worship experience.
n Planning new facilities to support the kinds of additional programs which will accomplish the church’s mission in Morgan Hill.
Construction is expected to begin before the end of this year. Father Phil Cooke issues the following welcome: “In the 100th anniversary of the city of Morgan Hill, we are pleased to invite friends of St. John the Divine to our golden anniversary celebratory event on July 23. Many friends are returning to renew ties that were forged in the ministry of St. John the Divine. St. John’s has been blessed with faithful people who have been here from the outset; it has been a haven for people whose employment has brought them here for but a few years. We are also blessed with new young families who will take us into our future. I hope that you can join us on this special day.”
