St. John’s Episcopal Church, 848 Harter, recently marked its 50th anniversary with a week-long celebration.

In 1946, 16 Episcopalians tired of traveling outside our neighborhood for church services petitioned their diocese for mission status. They held their first Holy Eucharist at a Dallas elementary school, says Kay Sykes, one of three co-chairs for the anniversary celebration.

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The congregation then rented a neighborhood building originally designed as a chicken coop for its services, Sykes says. They set up two card tables, folding chairs and a wooden cross.

In March 1947, the church purchased a one-acre lot at 905 Tiffany Way, and in 1953, the St. John’s School was established with 28 pre-school and kindergarten students.

As the congregation grew, more space was needed, Sykes says. In the 1960s, the Harter site was purchased. Construction was finished in 1963. Architects were O’Neil Ford and Arch Swank.

Today, the church includes 642 baptized members.

“It (the celebration) is about gratitude for our legacy, for what our ancestors have done for us. It’s about vision for the future,” Sykes says.

Sykes, Jean Sommerfield and Pat Hadawi chaired the anniversary planning committee. Committee members included Betty Ferguson, Hazel Wilensky, Jean McCarroll and Cindy Waits.

Charles Carneal has written a history of St. John’s, which is available for purchase at the church. Profits benefit the church’s outreach ministries.

For information about St. John’s, call 321-6451.