On Oct. 12, the Rt. Rev. Mark J. Lawrence, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina, will consecrate St. John’s Chapel. Built on Hanover Street on the East Side in 1839 for $4,000, St. John’s was Charleston’s second “free church” after St. Stephen’s on Anson Street. Worshippers, a mix of black and white, did not have to pay rent to sit in the pews.<\/p>\n
The resurrection of the chapel, which has been dormant for much of the past half-century, was made possible by the determination and financial support of the diocese, which contributed about $900,000, and four thriving Episcopal parishes: St. Michael’s downtown, St. Andrew’s in Mount Pleasant, the Church of the Holy Cross on Sullivan’s Island and the Church of the Cross in Bluffton, which provided about $300,000. (The total cost of the project is about $2 million, according to church officials.)<\/p>\n
The theme of St. John’s is “to bring uncomplicated worship to the East Side community,” and the focus is ministerial, the Rev. Dallas H. Wilson Jr. said.<\/p>\n