August 8, 2007

There are several beautiful churches in Brownsville, Tenn. Have you stopped to notice them? One such church here in the community is Christ Episcopal Church located at 140 N. Washington Ave. This beautiful brick structure and, more importantly, the people who worship here, are proud to announce a historic celebration – our 175^th Anniversary on August 25, 2007. A Celebration Eucharist will begin at 11:00 a.m., with a reception afterwards.

Combing through the records of the church provides a look into the very distinguished history of the Episcopal Church and the dedicated residents of Haywood County. We would like to share a brief bit of this history with you. There are a couple of books that have an excellent history of the Episcopal Church in Tennessee; they are “Heirs through Hope: the Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee” and “The Romance of the Episcopal Church in West Tennessee,” both by Ellen Davies-Rodgers. There are other good sources as well.

Zion Church, the first name of the Episcopal Church in Brownsville, was organized after a very prolific journey into West Tennessee on August 25, 1832. There were 5 communicants who worshipped in an upper room of the Courthouse, which had been “comfortably fitted into for the purpose.” The first rector of Zion Church was Rev. John Chilton. Fr. Chilton lived several miles outside the city where he also helped establish a small chapel and school, St. Gregory’s, and a cemetery. There are several other Episcopal Churches that were also established in West Tennessee in 1832 that we share this milestone year with. They are: Calvary Church in Memphis, Immanual Church in LaGrange, and St. Luke’s in Jackson.

After worshipping in the Courthouse, and raising funds, the present structure located at 140 N. Washington Ave., was designed and built around 1846. The church building itself is beautiful. It has been described as Gothic Revival. On the interior there is a “chased” tin ceiling. The “St Augustine Window” was added sometime during 1892 – 1893. The Altar was built of native black walnut; the design represents the Burning Bush. The angels serving as a false supports were added in the late 1800’s and soon after were gilded, giving the impression of being surrounded “by so great a cloud of witnesses.” The Parish Hall was added in 1969 and blends itself beautifully with the church.

In 1898, it was decided, after a proliferation of churches in Brownsville taking the name of “Zion,” to change the name of the Episcopal Church to Christ Church, the name which remains today. Christ Episcopal has been served by many devout clergy over the last 175 years. The list is too long to include here, but we wish to extend our sincerest and heartfelt “God’s Blessings” to all the clergy who have ever served and/or who continue to serve us with God’s presence – “Peace and blessings from our Lord, Jesus Christ.”

Christ Episcopal Church has offered, and will continue to offer as we are able: Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, Holy Eucharist, Christian Education opportunities, Holy Matrimony, Baptism, Confirmation, Services of Healing, Stations of the Cross, and Midnight Mass of Christmas (which was begun by Fr. Charles Woodward in 1941), just to name a few.

The Rt. Rev. Don Johnson, Bishop of West Tennessee, will be our Celebrant, as we celebrate our 175^th Anniversary with a Holy Eucharist on Saturday, August 25, 2007, at 11:00 a.m. A reception will take place immediately after the service. The Haywood County community is cordially invited to attend the 175^th Anniversary Celebration Eucharist, August 25^th at 11:00 a.m. God’s Peace and Blessings to all.