In the early 1950's, The Episcopal Commission of Southeast Tennessee purchased eight acres of property, with an uncompleted two-story house, and an abandoned cottage. A Dream was Visualized.
In early 1960, four families from Grace Episcopal and one from St. Paul's began discussing the feasibility of utilizing this 600' x 1200' vein of churt (that's rock, clay and mud) to start a mission in the undeveloped suburb of East Brainerd. A Vision was Conceived.
"Seventy-one persons, a simple table for an altar, a blanket roll for a communion rail, in a school, and auditorium chairs instead of pews with kneelers ..." This quote from Father Leon Balch, the late Rector of Grace Episcopal (St. Martin's mother church) aptly described the newly formed congregation of Saint Martin of Tours Episcopal Church as they met, the first Sunday in September 1960. A New Congregation was Born.
Original drawing of the Jolly House
The seventeen original households truly became "one family" as they undertook the chore of converting the old Jolly House and property into a viable place of worship. Following the start of their ministry in such humble beginnings, the new family pulled together to install wallboard, add an extension to the back of the living room for use as a sanctuary and sacristy, and plug up the holes in the floor. Dedication can be measured in hundreds of wheelbarrow loads of gravel, many mashed thumbs, and untold number of man-hours. On Christmas Eve, 1960, midnight mass was held in the "New, Red Carpeted Chapel," complete with donated pews, a used organ, and a hand built altar, and Father Richard A. Busch, our first Vicar, blessed his flock. The Dream became a Reality.
Church development was strong as we welcomed The Reverend William C. Garrison
as our second Vicar. During his tenure from 1962-1967 he guided us through the
growth and construction of the original church building in 1964. The new
sanctuary, a contemporary structure, modified A-Frame building, affectionately
referred to as the "chicken coop" was dedicated on May 5, 1965. This
established a new haven of worship for the congregation, and allowed them to
convert the Jolly House into a parish hall.
Easter 1962 Father Busch
1968 was a landmark year for the church. St. Martin's was elevated to status of Parish by the Diocesan Convention in January, and our first Rector, The Reverend James W. Law, delivered his first sermon at the church on the first Sunday following Easter. As the community developed and the attendance of the parish expanded, it was necessary to demolish the old parish house and start the expansion for our current parish hall. A completion of the new facility with eight classrooms, office space, and up to date kitchen brought other benefits to our communicants. Broader church offerings were now possible; the EYC was able to expand (becoming the largest in the District), parish dinners could be held at the church, and Supper Club, the adult fellowship organization was created. The new parish hall became a meeting place for local organizations, and served as the voting poll for the neighborhood. The baseball field was built behind the church, and was leased to the City of Chattanooga. St. Martin's was now serving not only their communicants, but lending leadership and assistance to the community.
Father Law departed in 1975 and marked the arrival of Father James L. Rogers,
as our second Rector. Between the years of 1975 and 1978, St. Martin's
experienced moderate development, and dealt with the normal hurdles of a
growing parish. This included the expansion of the church, and a design
change from contemporary style to a modified gothic structure. The result was
a beautiful transition to our current facility.
Father Rogers left in 1978 and The Reverend John G. Barrow, served as Rector until 1983.
Easter Father Jim Law
1971 Photos of the Church
1977 Ground Breaking & 1979 Photo of the Church after renovation
Easter Sunday, 1984, marked the arrival of a long, productive and eventful relationship for St. Martin's fourth Rector, The Reverend James F. Marquis, Jr. The parish flourished and matured under Father Marquis's direction. In 1985 the parish undertook a new venture. A group of parishioners including, Mary Michael Foster and Jennie Virgin (who continues as director of the school), proposed the creation of The Saint Martin's PreSchool. After much thought, prayer, some reservations, and encouragement of the new Rector, the vestry agreed to sponsor and underwrite the new endeavor. Seventeen years later, the school is considered the premiere institution for early education in our area. It currently serves 95 children, ages 1 thru 4, and has a staff of 7 teachers.
Progress and growth of the parish again dictated more expansion of our physical plant. Between 1987-1988, the Parish Hall was enlarged to its current size and was connected to the church building with a covered breezeway. The addition of a Meditation Garden and Courtyard between the buildings brought the completion of the project, and resulted in the structure as it is seen today. The addition of the stained glassed windows added the finishing touch aesthetically to the church. The people of the church donated the window depicting the life of Saint Martin in the front door transom. The twelve side "stained glass teaching windows," were donated by individuals as memorials/honorariums. Each window delivers a different message by depicting a unique cross, pictorial of a bible story and Christian symbolic flowers. St. Martin's is probably most recognized by residents of the community for the mammoth primitive Crucifix that was carved from the dead oak that stood in it's place on the front yard of the church grounds. Many feel this emotional icon draws a poignant comparison of our faith, when compared to the Christus Rex, symbolizing the risen Lord that hangs over our altar inside the church.
After a fruitful fourteen years, Father Marquis announced his retirement in 1997. In September 1998, The Reverend Gary E. Callahan became the fifth Rector of St. Martin's parish. Under his guidance, we have made a successful transition from a pastoral church to a program church. This has allowed for more hands on guidance from laity and a stronger committee structure to serve the every changing needs of our parish. Father Callahan has brought new approaches to the liturgy, music program, and parish curriculum that include Last Wednesday, interactive Lenten programs, and Parish Family weekend retreats. One of the endeavors that brought out some enlightening reflection of our needs was the completion of the ReVision Study, a process that spanned more than 6 months commitment and involved more than 100 parishioners to determine St. Martin's future. Realizing the demands to nurture the spiritual needs of his parish, Father Gary worked long and hard to secure the services of Father Jack A. Rogers, as Assistant to the Rector, and Youth Pastor. The youth program flourished under his direction and inspiration.
The emphasis on ministry began during the Marquis years, and carries on even stronger today. Outreach ministry continues through parishioners volunteer participation in EYC Thanksgiving and Christmas food basket distribution, in serving breakfast to the homeless at the Chattanooga Community Kitchen, funding of toiletries and supplies for the elderly at St. Barnabas Nursing Home, ECW ministry for Room at the Inn, transitional housing for abused women, and sponsoring and supporting the BRIDGE refugee relocation project. As the request for assistance continues to mount, the St. Martin's Family respond by providing manpower and financial assistance for mission projects in Costa Rica, Haiti, South Dakota, and Alaska. Through the generosity of a benevolent donor, we have established the Carpenter's Fund to sustain and support the construction of missions in underprivileged areas. After more than 40 years, we are just getting started.
A Church is more than brick and mortar. It is the people of God growing, sharing, giving and molding us into a special Family of Faith. This is especially true at St. Martin of Tours. Our Mission Statement says what we believe.