St. Thomas' Episcopal Church Falls City NE

St. Thomas Episcopal is the only Episcopal church in Falls City, but it is by no means new. Located at 16th and Harlan,across from the post office, St Thomas has been in essentially the same location since 1868. See the History Link at the top of the page for more details. With such a long tenure, it is not surprising that our services have so much tradition in them. Our outlook to the future is modern in concept but traditional in execution.

The parishes of the Episcopal Church are regulated by a Pastor (Rector) and Vestry system. The Vestry is elected by the congregation, and they in turn locate and hire a rector. The Vestry is made up of a Senior Warden, A Junior Warden, and a number of Vestry members. How many members depends on the size of the congregation.

High Church Episcopal services resemble Roman Catholic in many ways. It would be difficult to tell the difference, especially early in the service. Episcopal churches embrace many different levels of formality however, the most formal and traditional being referred to as high churches, and the least formal being called low churches. Regardless of which type of Episcopal Church you visit, all baptized Christians are welcome to participate fully in our Holy Eucharist service. Except in unusual circumstances, we have the Eucharist every week. Episcopal Priests are not required to be celibate, and most are married and raising families. St. Thomas participates in the Richardson County Ministerial Association, the food pantry, and other charitable organizations. We have an active outreach program that supports youth activities, libraries, charitable organizations, and occasionally individual people in need. We believe in the power of prayer, and have a prayer service for anyone that needs it. See the Prayer Line link at the top of the page.

St. Thomas is traditional in appearance as you can see from the photograph at the left. Our exposed beam and stucco sanctuary are right out of old England.

 

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The Episcopal Church was among the first of any religious body to begin work in the city. In 1860, Bishop Talbot, Then residing in Nebraska City, drove to Falls City with the Rev. Mr. Adams. There was but one plastered room in Falls City. The Bishop and Mr. Adams shared that room with two Judges and a third man who combined in his person the official dignities of " A person learned in the Law" and a Campbellite preacher. Before retiring to rest, service was held by the Bishop and his attendant Priest, in a building put up to serve as both a schoolhouse and a Church. It was the session of court, yet there was at the service only one person who knew how to read the responses. This was Mr. Ed Thomas, a young lawyer who happened to be attending court, and who now lives in Falls City, and is our oldest communicant.

The Parish of St, Thomas', New York, largely aided in the construction of the church. The church proper was built a considerable height above the street, to allow of a parish school house being constructed in the basement. The church was a long time in the building, owing to the lack of materials. Originally intended to be made of brick with a stone foundation, the bricks delivered were found to be of so inferior that they were rejected, and wood was used instead. The wood had to be brought from St. Joseph, Mo. The building was finally completed in 1873, the basement being used in the meantime for services , and loaned to the Presbyterians for theirs also. It was located jjust north of the present church. The mound where the flagpole is now located contains some of the foundation of the original church. The first service in the church was the baptism of Edward Grand Houghton, June 30, 1873, by the Rev. Thomas Betts. The carpenters shavings and sawdust were still strewn on the floor.

That baptism was the Rev. Betts last official act, he falling asleep in the Lord at a ripe old age shortly thereafter. He was followed by various Priests, each remaining only a short time, but three of them returning for a second rectorate. Strangely enough the church was never consecrated , even though it was debt free. The Congregation wished it to remain un-consecrated. The first marriage in the church was solemnized by Bishop Clarkson on May 19th 1876 when J. P. whitmore and Hetty Schoenheit were united in wedlock.

In 1893, Richardson County had a population of 3000. St. Thomas Parrish had 36 communicants and property worth $2000.

In addition to the information from the article quoted above, other sources have yeilded the following.

The first St Thomas' basement was used as a classroom for many years, and the construction of the church benefitted from labor donated by the school district. The wooden structure was high up in the air , as the stone foundation was over half above ground. The public school district used the basement for several years until bigger elementary schools were built. Private schools then used the classroom for many years. Our first pastor, Rev. Thomas Betts, was appointed missionary-in-charge for Falls City, Rulo, and Salem. He established his residence in Rulo, as he was convinced that that proximity to the Missouri river would make Rulo the choice for growth. By 1886, Rev. Betts had moved to Falls City, and was living in the church. St Thomas began the construction of the present building in 1899, and concecrated it on June 21, 1901. The article in the Journal of that date's events follows:

Last Tuesday was an important day for St. Thomas Episcopal church of this city. It marked the concecration of a magnificent new edifice, the fruits of the personal sacrifice and the united efforts of the people of the parrish and their families. The church had been, for many years, in urgent need of a better building. The old frame structure that had done duty for so many years had not only become too small, but was no longer in any wise fitted for its purpose. The new St. Thomas church stands on the corner of 15th and Harlan streets, just south of the old building, and is an imposing structure of pressed brick with a large square tower rising from the southwest corner. The interior of the church is especially fine. The woodwork is finished in hard pine and the walls elaborately frescoed. The pews are elaborately carved. The arrangement is perfect according to the usages of the Protestant Episcopal Church, the vestry room, chior, sacristy, and all parts being planned and constructed according to the most approved plans. The building cost about $3000, and having been completed and the debt discharged, it was solemly concecrated last Tuesday. The Bishop and his assisting clergy arrived in the city on Monday, and that evening the order of confirmation was administered to Mrs. Mary Rowley, Miss Nellie Gillespie, Miss Amelia Lindeman, and Miss Cain. These services were very impressive, the sermon being preached by the Rev. George Worthington, Bishop of Nebraska, and the confirmation by his co-adjutor, Bishop Williams.

Records show that the Diocesan convention was held at St. Thomas on Nov 4, 1902, when a new altar and font were blessed.

This first brick structure was not as we see it today. The east wall was just behind the altar, and there was no basement. East of the church was a two story frame house where the pastor and his family stayed. During the thirties and forties the area under the church was dug out by hand, The men digging and filling buckets and the boys dragging the buckets out and dumping them. John Falter and Reuben Metsger can tell stories of that labor. Then the excavated area was walled and finished into the area now known as the undercroft. On august 6th 1985, ground was broken for the expansion and undercroft extension which would connect the church to the rectoryand rebuild the rectory into a brick structure, thereby bringing about the church we see today. Fr. Mitch Lindeman was the pastor during this project, and vestry members were John Falter, Joe Wittwer, Reuben Metsger, and Kenneth Payton. Dave Sailors Construction was the contractor.

The windows of the present church are a story in their own right.

The three windows in the front of the church, directly over the altar, were originally instaled in All Saints Episcopal Church, 26th and Dewey, Omaha. "Christ the Good Shepherd" was given by Mrs. A. H. Richardson in 1939. "Christ the King" was given in memory of William Redick, and was installed at All Saints in 1938. "The Victorious Christ" was given by Mrs. A. C. Stokes and James Shackelford in 1939. All three of the windows were the creation of artist A. J. Larsheid They were purchased from All Saints in the mid 1900's, but the exact year has been lost. The window depicting St. Thomas, which was originally hung over the altar was moved to the west corner of the north wall where it is in the worshiper's direct view as he enters the sachristy. It was moved when the Larsheid windows were mounted, but, again, the year is not recorded. The stained glass windows in the undercroft were installed in 1987, and were from the original St. Thomas Episcopal church built in 1868. It is noteworthy that the original building still exists and is in use as the G.A.R. hall. It is located at 15th and lane, and is occupied by chapter 43 of the Disabled American Veterans. The most recent change to the church is the addition of the Columbarium which was dedicated in June of 1988. The first committal was for Lyle Law and Mr. & Mrs. Mark Dennis. Through the use of the columbariums, churches have revived the ancient custom of being within the church from baptism, confirmation, marriage, and after death.



This article was written in Jan. of 2006 by Tom Whitehouse.