Tucked away in the hardwood hammocks of the Middle Keys, tiny St. Columba Episcopal Church carries a hefty history.
President Harry S Truman worshiped there. Its 19 cut glass windows are on a national registry of historic arts. Parishioners have gone on missions to Honduras, Sudan and Madagascar. And though its summer congregation numbers only about 25, the church has helped thousands in the community.
So for its 50th anniversary, the small congregation thought big. They invited Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, the elected leader of the Episcopal Church’s 2.4 million members in 16 countries and 110 dioceses.
Who knows if it was divine intervention, but she said yes.