St. Martin in the Fields of Edwardsville, Kansas, named after St. Martin in the Fields in London, England, is a fitting name for a little church that sits above a meadow where deer are frequently seen grazing.
On October 15th, 1952, a group of eighteen people met to discuss the possibility of establishing an Episcopal Mission in the Edwardsville area. Several weeks later, on November 2nd, 1952, the first worship service was held in the basement of the Delaware Township Fire House in Edwardsville. After a little over a year without permanent clergy, Canon Charles R. Tyner, retired, agreed to serve at St. Martin on a part-time basis.
In April of 1953, 19 acres of wooded land were donated by the Rhode family to the church for a permanent church site. Our first building, an old farmhouse sitting atop a hill, was transformed into our place of worship. In 1954, our first minister assumed the duties as Rector. He and his family occupied the second floor of the farmhouse until the Rectory was completed in November, 1954. Several months after the completion of the Rectory, our first church structure with sanctuary and narthex was built. It has served us well for over 50 years.
We have come a long way since the first Church services were held in the basement of a firehouse in 1952.
As our Church Family grew, we added the Fellowship Hall in the undercroft, adding a full kitchen, Sunday School areas and room for our fabulous pot luck suppers. Our Fellowship Hall is now named Lassiter Hall in honor of Fr. Arleigh Lassiter.
In October 2007, we began a new and exciting phase of our growth.
We started work on the expansion to the current nave by building a new structure over Lassiter Hall! While the timing was driven by necessity, we are very excited about the addition to the church. With materials funded through donations to our building fund, a tireless group of parish members have worked endless weekends to make this new structure a reality. This new structure has provided us with more seating and additional space for our growing Sunday School program and offices. After suddenly losing our leading man on the project in January 2022, we were fueled to get the project finished.
Our new space was Consecrated on May 3rd, 2022. We later held a Dedication for the new space in his honor, and named it Claxton Hall in honor of John and Margie Claxton.
Our previous nave is now our Fellowship Hall named Milan Hall, in honor of Jesse and Alversa Milan. Jesse was a long-time deacon at our church.
St. Martin has persevered, evolved, and flourished. The dedication of its members and the grace of God have made this possible. The parish has been richly blessed by God. May the vision and dedication of the St. Martin congregation continue to grow in the years to come, and may its members serve joyfully to the glory of God.
On October 15th, 1952, a group of eighteen people met to discuss the possibility of establishing an Episcopal Mission in the Edwardsville area. Several weeks later, on November 2nd, 1952, the first worship service was held in the basement of the Delaware Township Fire House in Edwardsville. After a little over a year without permanent clergy, Canon Charles R. Tyner, retired, agreed to serve at St. Martin on a part-time basis.
In April of 1953, 19 acres of wooded land were donated by the Rhode family to the church for a permanent church site. Our first building, an old farmhouse sitting atop a hill, was transformed into our place of worship. In 1954, our first minister assumed the duties as Rector. He and his family occupied the second floor of the farmhouse until the Rectory was completed in November, 1954. Several months after the completion of the Rectory, our first church structure with sanctuary and narthex was built. It has served us well for over 50 years.
We have come a long way since the first Church services were held in the basement of a firehouse in 1952.
As our Church Family grew, we added the Fellowship Hall in the undercroft, adding a full kitchen, Sunday School areas and room for our fabulous pot luck suppers. Our Fellowship Hall is now named Lassiter Hall in honor of Fr. Arleigh Lassiter.
In October 2007, we began a new and exciting phase of our growth.
We started work on the expansion to the current nave by building a new structure over Lassiter Hall! While the timing was driven by necessity, we are very excited about the addition to the church. With materials funded through donations to our building fund, a tireless group of parish members have worked endless weekends to make this new structure a reality. This new structure has provided us with more seating and additional space for our growing Sunday School program and offices. After suddenly losing our leading man on the project in January 2022, we were fueled to get the project finished.
Our new space was Consecrated on May 3rd, 2022. We later held a Dedication for the new space in his honor, and named it Claxton Hall in honor of John and Margie Claxton.
Our previous nave is now our Fellowship Hall named Milan Hall, in honor of Jesse and Alversa Milan. Jesse was a long-time deacon at our church.
St. Martin has persevered, evolved, and flourished. The dedication of its members and the grace of God have made this possible. The parish has been richly blessed by God. May the vision and dedication of the St. Martin congregation continue to grow in the years to come, and may its members serve joyfully to the glory of God.