209 E. Madison Street
Bolton, Mississippi
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St. Mary's
Reopened for Worship
September
12, 2010
Excerpt from the Hinds County Gazette
August 26, 2010
On
Sunday, September 12, 2010, at 4:00 p.m., the Holy Eucharist was
celebrated at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Bolton. The Reverend Billie
Abraham, rector of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church at Bovina, officiated. The
service was the first to be held at St. Mary’s since the church closed
its doors a decade and a half ago.
St. Mary’s, located in the heart of
Bolton, is one of the oldest Episcopal churches in Hinds County. As
early as 1855, Bishop William Mercer Green, the first bishop of
Mississippi, celebrated the Holy Eucharist in Bolton. Following the
service, Bishop Green wrote in his journal: “The day was pleasant and I
found, on my arrival, a large congregation of blacks as well as whites
comfortably seated under the cotton shed. The crude extemporary seats
were covered with clean cotton bagging and set on a triple tier of
bales.”
The cotton-shed service compelled local
villagers to work for the establishment of an Episcopal Church in
Bolton. On April 8th, 1872, members of the vestry signed articles
related to the organization of St. Mary’s Church. Four years later the
church was built and the first service in the new church was held April
10th, 1876, with Bishop Green officiating.
The Collect for the occasion proclaimed:
“O most glorious God, whom the heaven of heavens cannot contain;
Graciously accept the Dedication of this place to thy service; and grant
that all who shall call upon thee here may worship thee in spirit and in
truth, and may their lives show forth thy praise: through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen”
Bishop Green later made note of the
historic service in his journal: “Preached at Bolton in their new and
beautiful church, which, though in an unfinished state, may claim, both
in design and workmanship, to be an ornament to the Diocese, and a
monument in praise of the taste and labor of the builders.”
For over a century, St. Mary’s remained
active as a church family and played an important role in the community.
It was a sad day for the town when the church closed its doors due to a
dwindling congregation.
The Rev. Abraham says she looks forward to holding
services at St. Mary’s. “The interior of the church sets a prayerful
atmosphere. The hardwood carving behind the altar and the stained glass
windows enhance the worship space. The altar linens have been washed and
ironed, the vestments have been cleaned. The church will be completely
ready for worship soon.”
“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into
His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.”
Psalms 100:4
Rebecca Blackwell Drake
St. Mary's Makes a Grand Opening at the
185th Annual Council
<click here
to view the album>
Work Days at St. Mary's
Excerpt from the Hinds County Gazette
August 26, 2010
In
preparation for reopening the historic church, members of St. Alban’s
designated two Saturdays as “work days”. The first work day was held
August 21st and participants of all faiths came from Edwards, Bolton and
Raymond to help with the clean-up. During this time, all of the pews and
woodwork in the church, as well as the beautiful stained glass windows,
were cleaned and repaired. The next work day was held Saturday, August
28th from 8:00 a.m. until noon with a picnic following.
Among those attending the first work day were Carolyn and Marty Mellon,
former members of St. Mary’s, and Dan and Brenda Mashburn. Dan, a long
time member of the Bolton Methodist Church, recalled growing up in
Bolton and going to school in St. Mary’s parish hall.
“The Methodist, Baptist and Episcopal churches were like families in the
community,” said Mashburn. Even after St. Mary’s closed its doors, Dan
made sure that the lights on the cross above the entrance remained lit.
“Only once did the lights on the cross go out” stated Dan, “and that was
when Katrina hit.”
Kenon Ruska and Harvey Smith - God Loveth a Cheerful Worker!
Jack Hite from Bolton Baptist Church cleans off sidewalks
Jim Price cleans the stained glass window and woodwork over the high altar
Sherry Horan cleans the woodwork
Margie Scott polishes the brass cross and other church treasures
Beth Guynes, senior warden at St. Alban’s, cleans the sanctuary
Jim Drake, Bobby Barlow and Jerry McWilliams clean pew cushions
Lil Lovett from Edwards organizes a cleaning assembly line
Dan and Brenda Mashburn, members of Bolton Methodist, join the excitement of seeing St. Mary’s reopened
Work crew pauses for picnic at the lake house of the Mellon family
According to The Rev. Billie Abraham, “Bishop Duncan Gray III, visited
St. Alban’s several weeks ago and was not at all surprised that St.
Alban’s had come forward with an offer to help revitalize St. Mary’s.
The common denominator was an appreciation for history. St. Alban’s is
preparing to celebrate its 153rd anniversary on the last weekend of
October. St. Mary’s also has a long history, but it does not have an
active congregation at this time. That is changing!”
In response to St. Alban’s desire to help revive St. Mary’s, the
Episcopal Diocese gave Rev. Abraham permission to reopen the church and
celebrate the Holy Eucharist once a quarter. Assisting her efforts will
be Harvey Smith, Lay Worship Leader from St. Alban’s, who will lead
Evening Prayer once a month.
“Terry and Charlie Brantley, members of St. Alban’s church and residents
of Edwards, were responsible for getting the two churches together,” The
Rev. Abraham commented. “Terry and Charlie are blessed with an extra sense
when it comes to networking. They pulled together citizens of Bolton and
members of St. Albans and scheduled work days so the church could be
returned to its proper use - a place of worship for a faith community.”
“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with
praise:
be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.” Psalms 100:4
Rebecca Blackwell Drake
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