A Youngstown Church is celebrating a milestone this weekend. Saint John's Episcopal Church on Wick Avenue is 150 years old. Reverend William Brewster was Rector at Saint John's from 1979-99. He tells us, "This is a celebration of the life and the work of this Parish. It is a Parish that was formed in 1859."
Saint John's Episcopal Church began as a Sunday School in 1859. Not long after that, their members built their first building on Wood Street in downtown Youngstown. It was destroyed by fire on Christmas Even in 1896.
That led them to build the church they still call home today on Wick Avenue right across from Youngstown State University. Rev. Brewster added, "It opened in 1898. In fact, the congregation was so eager, they got in here even before parts of the roof were on. To celebrate a new beginning."
The church has seen its ups and downs throughout the years, from the great depression, and through the rise and fall of the steel industry in Youngstown.
The Reverend William Brewster took over as Rector of Saint John's in 1979 just about the time the mills were all closing. From its beautiful stained glass windows, to it's unique stone structure Saint John's Episcopal is a Youngstown Landmark.
