WHO WE ARE
Welcome to Grace Episcopal Church! We are a historic Episcopal congregation in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, embarking on a new, exciting chapter in our parish life. We are one of 57 parishes in the Diocese of Bethlehem, a diocese of the Episcopal Church, the United States province of the Anglican Communion.
Whoever you are, and wherever you find yourself on your journey of faith, there is a place for you here. We are an LGBTQ+ affirming parish, and we invite persons of all colors, ages, and physical abilities to take their rightful place as God’s children at God’s table.
Believing with Canon Stephanie Spellers that “the church has been cracked open,” we are pursuing new community partnerships and praying to discern how best to use Grace’s many gifts. We hope to live into our identity as the salt of the world, being the hands and feet of Jesus beyond our church walls.
Office hours are by appointment, Tuesday through Thursday. Email rector@gracechurch.org to make an appointment with Rev. Jay.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
We Episcopalians believe in a loving, liberating, and life-giving God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As constituent members of the Anglican Communion in the United States, we are descendants of and partners with the Church of England and the Scottish Episcopal Church, and are part of the third largest group of Christians in the world.
We believe in following the teachings of Jesus Christ, whose life, death, and resurrection saved the world.
We have a legacy of inclusion, aspiring to tell and exemplify God’s love for every human being; women and men serve as bishops, priests, and deacons in our church. Laypeople and clergy cooperate as leaders at all levels of our church. Leadership is a gift from God, and can be expressed by all people in our church, regardless of sexual identity or orientation.
We believe that God loves you – no exceptions.
(from The Episcopal Church)
A TWO-MINUTE PRIMER
ON THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
CLERGY AND STAFF
VESTRY
Sue Keller, Junior Warden
William Bush
Sue Keller
Connie Macleary
Jeanne Schwartz
Marie Sullivan
MUSIC DIRECTOR/CHOIRMASTER
Taber Starnes
OUR HISTORY IN HONESDALE
The history of Grace Church is intimately tied to the founding of Honesdale. When the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company completed its 108-mile canal along the Lackawaxen and Delaware rivers in 1829 in order to transport coal to New York City, people and jobs began to flow into Honesdale, the canal’s western terminus. By 1832, the new town was home to enough Episcopalians to warrant their own congregation. (Back then, Episcopalianism was known as the religion of presidents, including George Washington, James Madison, and James Monroe).
D&H donated the land for the church at the southwestern corner of Central Park and in 1834, a modest wooden building was erected. In 1856, the fast-growing congregation employed NYC architects Willis and Dudley to design the current Gothic structure, built of locally quarried stone, with seating for 200 people. The adjoining rectory was built in 1875 and the spire added in 1878. In 1949, the parish received a magnificent gift from Byron and Hortense Miller in the form of a three-story parish hall.
The church building features several Tiffany windows, wood carvings, and original paintings, many featuring historic scenes of Honesdale. It also houses a Möller pipe organ as well as a classic 1902 Steinway piano.
Our parish hall features an auditorium and stage, a large industrial kitchen, sacristy, and rector’s office as well as several meeting rooms, classrooms, and a library. Throughout the years, Grace has been and continues to be a venue for concerts and artistic presentations, community programs, youth groups, and 12-step meetings in addition to church events.
Land Acknowledgement of the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem
The Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem resides within Lenapehoking, the traditional home of the Lenni Lenape and a migration route for the Munsee, Susquehannock, Haudenosaunee, and many other Indigenous peoples. As we live, work, and pray on this land, we humbly acknowledge all Indigenous peoples connected to this land, named and unnamed, whose presence continues in the region due to their resilience in the face of colonization.
We are mindful of covenants broken and the need to strive to make right with all our relations. Thus, we recognize and repent of the Church’s part in the colonialism and oppression of Indigenous peoples, and we strive toward greater awareness, recognition, support, and advocacy for Indigenous peoples who live here now, and for those who were forcibly removed.