Communicant—Page 1

November 2011

VOLUME 23  ISSUE 11

 

 

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church In Maumee

Marks 175 Years Of Serving Community

 

BY NANCY GAGNET

MIRROR REPORTER

 

Selling a pair of blue jeans for $1.00 may not seem significant, but for members of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Maumee, it is.  Twice each year, members of the church as well as outside volunteers spend countless hours collecting, sorting, marking and selling used items at their annual rummage sale.

 

But what makes their effort unique is that all of the proceeds are given to charity, explained the Rev. J. Paul Board, who has served as church rector since 1997.

 

“We don’t keep any money.  It all goes back into the community. It’s not about ourselves, it’s about life

Reproduced with permission from The Mirror

Continued on page 8

in the area and community commitment,” he said.

 

As the church marks its 175th anniversary this year, local historian Marty Wendler said that community outreach has always been important to church members.

 

“From the beginning, the people were very dedicated to the church and to the community,” Wendler said.

 

The church traces its roots to the early 1830s, when James Wolcott and  Mary Wells Wolcott built a log chapel on their property, she said. In 1836, leaders petitioned to become an

established Episcopal society.

 

Eight previous Maumee mayors, including first Mayor Robert Forsyth, were church members, Wendler said.

 

In addition, church member Morrison R. Waite became chief justice of the Supreme Court.

 

         Wendler,  who has been a member of the church since 1959, also wrote the book titled  A Beacon in the Wilderness, which described stories of the early church settlers.

 

“It’s always been about community involvement for the people of the church that have sustained it for 175 years.  Activities like the rummage sale are a perfect example of that,” she said.

 

For the past 88 years, the church has held rummage sales with proceeds supporting the community.