St. Mary's Episcopal Church - Andalusia, AL - Anglican and Episcopal Churches on Waymarking.com

One way to know you are getting close to this church is to look for the water tower in the lot west of the church office building. The current church building was consecrated in 2003, but it incorporates an earlier building that was moved to this site after a final service in 1999. St. Mary's is a parish in the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast.

The following excerpts from their website history page help tell the story of the parish and the construction of the current facility.

"Our history began in the 1920’s. There were few Episcopalians in Covington County and no organized Episcopal Church, but the faithful few held services in private homes with “borrowed” ministers from other congregations presiding. These pioneering Episcopalians longed for a church of their own and eventually purchased a lot just north of the Methodist Church. By the mid 1940’s, several more Episcopal families had settled in the area and lay services were being held in a room over the utilities office on South Cotton Street. On November 30, 1948, the twenty-one Episcopalians in Andalusia met with Bishop Carpenter from the Diocese of Alabama to formulate plans for their church. A petition was submitted to the bishop asking for mission status and the request was granted."

"January 17, 1999 was the last service ever held at the Second Avenue location as St. Mary’s became a “church on the move”. A large lot had been purchased on East Three Notch Street, and after much prayer, planning and dreaming, the tiny church was literally sawn in half and trucked to the new property - behind a procession of jubilant Episcopalians wielding the church banner. The architectural firm of Bargannier, Davis and Sims was hired and on March 10, 2002, a ground-breaking service was held for the $1.1 million building project that would provide worship space for 250 while retaining the character of the 55 year-old church."

"The new worship space was laid out in the shape of a cross – the nave and sanctuary forming the body and the transepts forming the arms of the cross. While one transept serves as a choir nook, the original church was incorporated into the design as the second transept and now functions as a library and meeting room for adult education. A large parish hall, complete with a small chapel, industrial kitchen and nursery was also added. A columbarium and prayer garden sits peacefully in the midst of the complex. The new church was consecrated on July 19, 2003 in an ecumenical event that involved many area churches and almost 400 of our friends and neighbors who turned out to celebrate with us."

Active Church: Yes School on property: No Date Built: 07/19/2003 Service Times: 9:15 a.m. - Holy Eucharist Website: [Web Link]

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Take a picture of the Church. Please try to keep your GPSr out of the photo.

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Date Logged Log   05/05/2014 powertool visited it