St. George’s Episcopal Church
About St. George's Parish 

A Brief History of the Parish

    It was Easter Sunday in 1913 when the first Episcopal communion service took place in Texas City. The celebrant was The Rev. Chaplain C.W. Freeland of the 6th Cavalry in the U.S. Army. In the summer of that year, Chaplain Freeland became the first vicar of the newly formed mission of St. George's Episcopal Church.

    Worship services were held in the homes of the mission's members until the spring of 1915, when the 18th Army Infantry was moved out of Texas City. Their recreation shack was purchased for the sum of $18.00, and it became the first church building of the young congregation when it was moved to purchased lots at 314 10th Avenue North. The first service in the building was on Easter Sunday of that year. Several families and congregations donated the altar furnishings for the newly consecrated building.

    Due to damage from the hurricane of August, 1915, the former army shack only served as the church building for a short time. In 1922, the St. George's congregation moved to a store building, where its first service was also held on Easter Sunday. In 1923, plans were drawn for a new church building, which was built on the corner of 10th Avenue North and 4th Street North under the direction of Captain John Jacobson.

    At the diocesan council of 1941, St. George's was raised to parish status, and it was served by clergy shared with Holy Trinity in Dickinson and Grace Church in Galveston.

    In March of 1947, the devastating Texas City disaster took place when the Grandcamp exploded at the dry cargo docks and set off a chain of explosions that killed over 500 people and injured many more. In this devastating event, the parish building suffered extensive damage, as did most of the structures in the area. Twelve names were added to the St. George's Book of Remembrance in memory of St. George's communicants, relatives and friends. The parish held a memorial service for those departed loved ones on the 9th of May.

    In November of 1949, Bishop Quin broke ground for a new church building on its current location at the corner of 6th Street North and 13th Avenue North. The first service was held in that building on July 2, 1950. In 1955, work was begun on a building expansion with the addition of Quin Hall, new classrooms, offices and a study. The work was completed in 1957.

   Another disaster struck early on a Sunday morning in January of 1983 when the church building burned with heavy interior damage. Further damage was caused by Hurricane Alicia later on in August of that same year. During the time of recovery and rebuilding, other churches in the community invited the parish to use their facilities for worship, and for a time, the rector's office was located in the First Presbyterian Church while worship services were held in the chapel of the First United Methodist Church. The dedication and consecration of the current rebuilt church took place on November 5, 1984.

    Today St. George's continues to be a holy place of Anglican spiritual tradition, and seeks to be inviting and welcoming to all who enter its doors. While buildings have come and gone due to hurricanes, fires, and even a terrible explosion, St. George's has survived because it is not a building, but rather it is a family of Christians who share a relationship bound by the love of Jesus Christ.
 

    St. George's Vision Statement

    Our vision at St. George's Church is to grow spiritually by the power of the Holy Spirit and the love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; and to be witnesses through outreach and spiritual ministries.

St. George's Mission Statement

    Our mission as St. George's is to know and proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Who was St. George?

    A native of Cappadocia in Asia Minor, George was a soldier in the Roman army. He was martyred in Palestine during the Diocletian persecutions in 303 A.D. There are many legends about St. George. He was the gallant knight of God who slew dragons, undertook great journeys, destroyed pagan deities, and converted whole nations to Christianity. He was even said to put armies of demons to flight.

    From the Ninth Century on, he was popular throughout Christendom. Kings of the Francs claimed they descended from him. Richard the Lionhearted made George patron saint of the crusaders, and in 1222 George was made patron saint of England.

    His shield is the emblem of the English Flag (see below) and forms the cross of the shield of the Episcopal Church to the left.

    George is the patron saint of cavalry, horses, smiths and farmers. His name is from the Greek georgios, which means "farmer." His feast day on the Church calendar is the 23^rd of April.

The English Flag