THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 25, 1995 TAG: 9505240229
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TRUDY CUTHRELL, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 213 N. Main St., will celebrate the 350th anniversary of its establishment and the 100th birthday of its present building June 4, with elaborate festivities.
``This will be a very significant day in the life of our church,'' said the rector, the Rev. H. Vance Mann III. ``It is also Pentecost Sunday, which commemorates when the Holy Spirit came down to Jesus' disciples - the birthday of the church.
``It's my prayer for this day, that the Holy Spirit might come to us and send us out into our community and diocese to spread the good news of Christ,'' Mann said.
On April 23, as part of the centennial, a rectangular tin box was retrieved from the church's cornerstone, revealing memorabilia from 1893. Children got front-row seats as local historian Sue Woodward and Senior Warden Grier Ferguson disclosed the contents. Now displayed in the Parish Hall, they include church articles, personal notes and souvenirs of the life and times of 19th-century parish life.
Among the items were two local newspapers, the weekly Suffolk Herald and The Suffolk Daily Progress, both dated April 23, 1893. They sold for 5 cents per copy or $1.50 for a year's subscription. A 3-inch ad sold for $2.
A Handbook of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew and a brochure of The Nansemond Seminary - a local Episcopal girls' school - all contain glimpses of Suffolk life in the late 1800s.
Three coins and several used stamps depicting the Columbia Exposition are reminders of trade and commerce of bygone days. A brass military button is reflective of parishioners who served their community in the 4th Virginia Militia. Pieces of slate reveal the names of City Council members and St. Paul's Vestry in 1893. And a Bible, Prayer Book and church roster reflect the spiritual commitment of many prominent families - Joseph P. Hall, Captain James Causey, Quinby, Woodward, Holladay, Prentis, Hutchins, Bradshaw, Pruden and many others - ancestors of many of the church's present membership.
``And everything's in terrific condition,'' noted Marion Watson, local history enthusiast. ``It was all printed on rag paper, which survived the test of time.''
On June 4, a Festival Choir of present and former members, directed by organist and choir director Margery Setnicky, will provide sacred anthems. Prior to the service, St. Paul's Handbell Choir will present a mini-concert. A brass ensemble and trumpet-organ postlude will add to the jubilance of the day's worship.
The Rt. Rev. O'Kelly Whitaker, assistant bishop of the Diocese of Southern Virginia, will participate in the morning worship. The ordinances of Baptism and Confirmation will be observed. Worship banners have been designed for the celebration.
Following worship, dinner on the grounds will include a ``Thanksgiving'' for the church. During the afternoon, memorial items and historic articles will be on display throughout the church, and outdoor activities will be provided for children.
The climax of the birthday celebration will be the release of 50 red helium balloons (environmentally safe) filled with Pentecost messages.
Later in June, parishioners at St. Paul's will reassemble articles for the tin box to be resealed in the cornerstone. A pictorial directory of the present congregation, 1995 stamps and a crisp dollar bill will be among symbolic articles stored for the next century. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MICHAEL KESTNER
The Rev. H. Vance Mann III displays the 1893 cornerstone box from
St. Paul's Episcopal Church.
by CNB