“Small beginnings” isn’t usually how one describes a place of historical resonance. Yet, here at The Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration, the story began humbly enough.
In September 1980 eighteen Episcopalians gathered. They met with Rev. George Quaterman from Trinity Episcopal Church. The group discerned a call to form a second congregation. This took place in western St. Charles County. Bishop William Jones approved their request to become a Mission Church in November 1980.
The first worship service was held November 2nd 1980. In those early months they met in homes. By January 25 1981 “The Episcopal Community at Wentzville” held its first annual meeting.
A special meeting took place after a worship service on April 5 1981. It was determined the church would officially be called Church of the Transfiguration. The congregation grew too large to meet comfortably in homes. They began worshipping in Elder Court. This was a space within a senior citizen apartment complex. Believe it or not, a covered pool table served as their temporary altar.
Growth continued and soon Elder Court became too small. By July 1983 a 3.4-acre plot of land was purchased in Lake St. Louis. Like The Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration, Lake St. Louis was a growing community. In March 1985 ground was broken for the church building. The Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration became only the third congregation to call Lake St. Louis home. The red doors first opened in November 1985.
Another Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration exists in Belle Plaine Minnesota. This church has a unique history of its own. It was built in 1868 in Stick style. This was a departure from most contemporaneous churches in Minnesota. The building has an essentially rectangular footprint. A steeply pitched gable roof and buttresses accent it. Triple lancet windows are at the gable ends. Pointed windows line the longer sides. Board and batten adorn the lower walls and gable peaks. Clapboard siding fills the space between. A small tower with open stickwork sits above the main entry.
Interestingly, Belle Plaine’s founder Andrew G. Chatfield donated the land. An architect in New York City sent the plans to Minnesota’s Bishop Henry Benjamin Whipple in 1867. The construction cost $3500 equivalent to about $80115 in 2023.
Membership peaked in 1871 with only 16 families. The dwindling congregation merged with a church in St. Peter Minnesota in the 1950s. The city of Belle Plaine bought the property. The Scott County Historical Society maintains it.
The Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration stands as a testament. It is a testament to faith community and architectural uniqueness.