Evening star., 1928-10-10

e1eIry n. ~. SCerreJJ. Inc cnurch serves
| practically in the capacity of a COM
munity church since there are no other
Protestant churches in the immediate
vicinity and has been the center of
many local activities not strictly con-
nected with the Episcopal Church.
| st. Stephens Church. at Fourteenth
and Columbia road, soon is to give way
to new structure to cost approximately
quarter of a million, which will be
erected on a site at Sixteenth and New
ton streets, recently acquired for $780,
600. The style OF the building will be
early English Gothic and it is expected
that it will prove a worthy addition to
the group of magnificent churches
which have been erected in that part of
the city.
st. Stephens Church.
st. Stephens Church began 35
years ago. In June, 1898, there was a
chapel capable of holding 125 people,
as communicates and Is Sunday school
members. The population was sparse in
that part of the city and the nearest
building was half block away. In 1927
this little chapel had given way to
spacious church with 1,240 communi-
cants and SOS Sunday school members.
During this period $4,000 was spent on
the church and parish house, the largest
individual contribution to which was
$3.50.
The pastor, the Rev. G.. F.. Dudley.
has been with the congregation from
the start and has been largely re-
sponSible for the progress of the parish.
He has seen the neighborhood grow to
one of approximately $4,000 inhabitants
and has seen 81 other churches arise
in the section where he was pioneer.
Church of ST., Agnes.
One of the youngest of the city's
Episcopal churches is the Church of st.
Agnes, established in 1923 as the seat of
parish, although it previously had
been a mission of Trinity Church. The
rector is the Rev. v. o. Anderson.
There Is congregation of approximate
ly $50.
st. Agnes is one of the two churches
in Washington representing the Anglo
Catholic movement. All the services
are conducted with full ceremonial. The
church is a pretty little stone-front
! building in semi Gothic architecture. 1t
has had two other rectors in it's history,
the Rev. C. D. Weldon and the Rev. c.
w. Whitmore.
Grace Church.
The Episcopalians of Southwest Wash
ington have one church-Grace Church
at Ninth and D streets. 1t was organ
| lied in 1882, at time when the neigh
borhood was one OF. the most prosperous
in the city. In 1925 the seVenty-fifth
anniversary was observed and the mort
gage was burned by the late Bishop
Harding in 1921
1t is one of the few churches still
standing which were used as hospitals
during the Civil War The parish actu-
| ally was organized in 1846 and services
were held for some time in a girls
school kept by a Mrs. Rocker at the
southwest corner of Twelfth street and
Maryland avenue. The first rector was
the Rev. Alfred Holmead. The present
rector is the Rev. Meade Bolton Mac
Bryde.
The pariShioners are intensely loyal
to Grace Church. With the passing
years many of them have moved from
the neighborhood into the vicinity of
other and more ornate Episcopal
churches. All the veStrymen live up-
town. But all suggestions that the prop
erty be sold and a new church erected
In some other section have met with
instant opposition. The church is en-
tirely Self-suStaining. Every Sunday
morning the old parishioners, many of
whom were baptized and married there,
come back to the steepled wooden build
ing by the railroad track.
Grace Church, Georgetown.
One Of the most picturesque churches
in Washington is Grace Church.
Georgetown parish, at the foot of Wis
consin avenue between the canal and
the river. The stone Gothic building is
set In large lot, which affords almost
the only touch of greenery for blocks
around. Smoke from factory cf1imneys
floats around the Steeple Under its
stained glass windows flows the green.
sluggish canal.
chapel was erected on this lot in
1846. 1t was intended to minister to
the spiritual needs Of the sailors who
came into the port of Georgetown. The
neighborhood then was known as Brick
yard Hill. BY 1866 the neighborhood
had changed. Some of the finest
homes in Georgetown were located in
the immediate vicinity. Gov. Cooke of
the District of Columbia, a devoted
church member, made gift of the land
to the diocese and provided money to
build the present church. The chapel
was torn down. On the spot where 1t
stood there now Is stone cross in
memory of the boys of the parish who
died in the World War.
For years. the neighborhood has been
changing fIWfm residential to industrial.
Now it is not residential at all.
Factories and automobile repair shops
surround the church. But the old
commandments have remained loyal.
They come from 90 miles around to the
Sunday services. Most of them belong
20 old Georgetown families whose ances-
trail homes have disappeared, but who
cling to the church as their one tangible
link to the locality where they were
born, baptized and married. There is
one man who has had the same pew
for so years.
Trinity Rich in History.
Another beautiful old parish whose
days of richness and splendor probably
have gone forever is Trinity, at Third
and c streets. 1t was established In
1927. At that time Is was in the center
Of the fashionable neighborhood of
Washington. Among it's prominent
early communicates was Daniel Web
ster. During the Civil War its rector
was a gentleman of pronounced pro-
Southern SympathieS who did not heSi-
tate 20 express himself bluntly from
his pulpit AS a result the Government
closed the church and took it over as
an army hospital. After the war an
indemnity was paid to the parish with
which the church was enlarged.
Trinity Church fell upon evil days
when the character of the neighborhood
began to change. Some of the fine old
mansions were sold and transformed
into rooning houses. The congregation
became one of drifters-here one Sun
day and gone the next. Trinity was a
large church, expensive to heat and
maintain 1t could not SubsiSt on a
small congregation. During the war,
when meeting places were at premium
in Washington, it undertook extensive
social service work under the leadership
of Rev. D. r. Covell, now of Los
Angeles. With the close of the war
and the removal Of q considerable part