The railroad arrived in the early 1890s, and Big Lick, Virginia, became Roanoke. Almost overnight, the city’s population soared, and tiny St. John’s Church, which had existed in Roanoke since 1850, grew along with it. In 1892, with profound faith that God would bless their endeavor, St. John’s two hundred members built a six hundred seat new church at the corner of Jefferson Street and Elm Avenue.
The construction of the church was not without its challenges. Conflict within the congregation about whether to build the new church at all threatened to halt the project and resulted in a split that seeded our sister parish, Christ Church (a relationship we now cherish). Additionally, the Roanoke economy in the early 1890s was in a downturn, and a shortage of construction funds was a chronic problem.
Some of the challenges, and the responses to them, are comical in hindsight. As one example, since the property on which the church was being constructed previously had been unoccupied, a neighbor had created a cesspool on it into which his sewer line drained. Initially, it wasn’t obvious which neighbor was the source of the refuse. Building Supervisor William C. Noland found himself going house to house along the block asking suspicious Roanokers if he could examine their sewer lines. The culprit was finally identified and the problem fixed. As another example, in order to raise funds for construction, the Ladies Guild hosted a benefit extravaganza at the Roanoke Opera House, including an original two-act comedy entitled “A Box of Monkeys!”
The faithful people of St. John’s overcame all obstacles in order to build this church as a testament to the central place of God in their lives and their community. That testimony has continued throughout the years. Today, St. John’s is a vibrant and growing part of the Roanoke community and is the largest parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia. Membership is 1,600, and the average Sunday attendance is 500. In 2009, the parish completed an extensive restoration of the historic church, ensuring that this holy place continues as a beacon of the gospel for future generations. (For more on the 2009 parish restoration project, click here and/or download the booklet about that restoration here.)
As the flagship parish of the Diocese, St. John’s sings praises to the Lord through renowned music, mission and outreach that extend from Roanoke to Ghana, Africa, and educational programs that engage people of every age. St. John’s moves into the future as a community in which the Gospel is preached, the Sacraments are administered, and the love of God in Christ is shared with all who enter.
The Brick Church 1831-1850 The Reverend Dabney Miller Wharton 1835-1843 The Reverend George Thornton Wilmer, D.D. 1844-1854
The Old Lick Church 1850-1877 Mr. Wilmer The Reverend William Henry Pendleton 1855-1860 The Reverend Peter Tinsley, D.D. 1860-1867 The Reverend Edward H. Ingle 1867-1877
The Big Lick Church 1877-1892 The Reverend Edward Anderson Penick 1879-1880 The Reverend Robert A. Goodwin, D.D. 1881-1883 The Reverend Davis M. Wood 1883-1886 The Reverend William Hopkins Meade, D.D. 1887-1898
The Roanoke Church 1892- Mr. Meade The Reverend William Hammond Milton, D.D. 1899-1910 The Reverend James Willis Cantey Johnson 1910-1920 The Reverend Karl Morgan Block, D.D. 1920-1926 The Reverend Alfred Rives Berkeley, D.D. 1926-1945 The Reverend Richard Reynolds Beasley, D.D. 1946-1968 The Reverend Charles Gumph Newberry 1969-1974 The Reverend Clay H. Turner 1975-1990 The Reverend Thomas P. O’Dell 1992-2000 The Reverend Robert L. Beasley 2002-2005 The Reverend Barkley S. Thompson 2007-2013 The Reverend Eric C. Long 2014-