St. John's History
Our Beginnings
In November 1904, a small group held a service in a room on West Main Street in Waynesboro. The Rev. Robert Carter Jett (pictured above) of Emmanuel Church, Staunton officiated. The Rev. Jett later became the first Bishop of the newly created Diocese of Southwestern Virginia in 1919.
By 1905, it was determined that Waynesboro needed its own church. After petitioning the Staunton churches, it was confirmed that Waynesboro was in the dormant Boyden Parish established in 1837. Thus St. John’s inherited the Parish history and its name. The first church building was built in 1907 facing Wayne Avenue.
Throughout the years since its inception, St. John’s has expanded its original building, added a Primary School in 1994 (which closed 2007), established memorial and decorative gardens, and a columbarium.
As the Waynesboro community grows and changes, St. John’s continues to meet the challenges of the community. We welcome you to our church family and hope you find your church home with us.
The book History of St. John’s Episcopal Church by Stetson Conn contains a thorough history of the church from its beginnings to the present.
The stained glass windows from the Little Green Church are now in our chapel.