| St. John's Reformed Episcopal Church | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | 91 Anson Street,Charleston, South Carolina |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Anglican Church in North America |
| History | |
| Founded | 1906 |
| Dedicated | 1850 |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Reformed Episcopal Diocese of the Southeast |
| Clergy | |
| Rector | The Rt. Rev.Willie J. Hill Jr. |
St. John's Reformed Episcopal Church is a historicAfrican-AmericanAnglican church inCharleston, South Carolina. Founded in 1906 and occupying a building built in 1850, the church is a member of theReformed Episcopal Church'sDiocese of the Southeast.
The building currently owned by St. John's was built at 91-93 Anson Street as theAnson Street Chapel in 1850 by a group of free and slave blackPresbyterians.[1] It was the site of an 1857 revival in Charleston.[2] The house next door was used as amanse. The church was heavily damaged by shelling during thesiege of Charleston, and the church was rebuilt and restored in the 1880s. Next door, a board-and-batten school building was completed by 1887.[1]
The Presbyterians relocated and the building passed to theCatholic Diocese of Charleston, which used the building until 1965.[1] St. John's was founded in 1906 at 43 Elizabeth Street in Charleston. In 1971, the church moved to its current location. The Diocese of the Southeast, formed by freedmen who had left theEpiscopal Diocese of South Carolina due to racism and exclusion, was predominantly black and St. John's new location inAnsonborough was likewise predominantly African-American.[2] Most of St. John's parishioners starting in the 1970s came from the church's immediate neighborhood. However, by the late 2010s, Ansonborough and the Charleston Peninsula had been substantiallygentrified, with most of St. John's black parishioners commuting fromWest Ashley.[2]
Ronald Satterfield, who was pastor of St. John's from 2000 to 2012, was convicted and sentenced to 18 months in prison for bank fraud after forging the church secretary's name to acquire a $250,000 bank loan and running what federal authorities called a $3.3 millionPonzi scheme that lost church members' money.[3]
The Rt. Rev.Willie Hill Jr. was appointed rector in 2013 and launched new initiatives to engage the community. He welcomed visiting collegegospel choirs to sing in St. John's sanctuary and added a middayBible study for elderly members who cannot travel to evening events.[2] Hill was elected bishop coadjutor of the Diocese of the Southeast in 2022.[4]
The 1880s renovation of the church addedtransepts, a Gothic frame ceiling and 14stained glass windows. According to theHistoric Charleston Foundation, "the St. John's congregation has retained most of the structure's interior features, including stenciled decoration and gilded Gothic elements."[1]
On the grounds of the church is a commemorative landscaped garden in honor of church memberPhilip Simmons, a notable Charleston ironworker. Simmons designed the "Heart Gate" that marks the entry to the garden.[1]
32°47′11″N79°55′55″W / 32.78643°N 79.93191°W /32.78643; -79.93191
