St. Luke's Church (Blue Ridge, Georgia)
St. Luke's Church is a Continuing Anglican congregation located in Blue Ridge, Georgia. Founded as parish of the Traditional Protestant Episcopal Church, it is now part of the Diocese of the South of the Episcopal Missionary Church (Anglican), and affiliated with the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans.[1]
The church is refers to itself as "The Parish Church of the Mountains",[1] drawing worshippers from Fannin, Gilmer and Union Counties in Georgia and from Cherokee County in North Carolina and Polk County in Tennessee.
Worship is classical and Biblical and is conducted according to the Book of Common Prayer.
History
The first Anglican service in Blue Ridge was held on June 7, 1987, in the community room of the Blue Ridge City Hall, with 12 persons present. Several weeks after weekly services began, Mrs. David Henry (Willa) Haight III gave several lots near the city center for the construction of a church. One of the lots included a cemetery from the early 20th century containing graves of early settlers of Fannin County.
In 1995, a church of Carpenter Gothic design was constructed on the site located at the corner of Ewings and Jones. The building, enlarged in 2011, has a set of leaded glass windows, much fine walnut woodwork and an organ from The Netherlands. The church and grounds are popular with tourists.
The church is the site of the annual Georgia Episcopal / Anglican Men's Conference, usually held in September. Since 1995, St. Luke's Churchyard has been the site of the Blue Ridge Community Easter Egg Hunt.
The Rev. Victor H. Morgan, a native of Jackson, Mississippi, was the founding Rector.
References
- "Who We Are". St. Luke's Church. June 7, 1987. Retrieved February 17, 2012.