St. John’s Episcopal Church was founded in 1858 after the people meeting at the schoolhouse on Joel Adams II’s Elm Savannah Plantation were organized as an Episcopal congregation by a visiting minister, The Reverend Edwin Reed of Flat Rock, North Carolina. The name for the church became St. John’s Episcopal Church. St. John the Apostle was chosen. St. John the Evangelist and St. John the apostle are believed to be the same person by Christian tradition. The eagle is one of the attributes of Saint John the Evangelist. The eagle represents one of the
four creatures (symbolic of the Evangelists) that are described as surrounding God’s throne in the Bible in Revelation 4:7. He was one of the “pillars” of the Jerusalem church after Jesus’ death. He was one of the original twelve apostles and thought to be the only one to have been killed for his faith. He is also credited with writing the fourth Gospel and three New Testament epistles. Part of the Book of Revelations was also traditionally assigned to him. The Ancient symbol of a rising eagle is said to have been assigned to St. John because his gaze
pierced further into the mysteries of Heaven than that of any man. The manner of his death is not known. A gold eagle rising and nimbus on a blue field is what St. John’s has on a banner in the church. The banner on the right of the pulpit was made in the early 1990’s by two parishioners.

A little history about the banner – the ECW decided St. John’s needed a nice banner to represent St. John’s at ECW conventions. Jo Bortz and Wilmarose Davis volunteered to make a banner representing our church. It took Jo Bortz nine months just to needlepoint the eagle and another month for Wilmarose to make the foundation for the beautiful needlepoint eagle. To this day the banner is presented with glory and honor to God at ECW conventions. The feeling of the presence of God when you carry in the banner is overwhelming, at least for one humble
servant (me) was amazing.

In some St. John Episcopal Churches, a serpent is used on the banner. The serpent is because John’s gospel’s emphasis on Christ’s incarnation and also a symbol of healing and salvation, as seen in the story of Moses lifting a bronze serpent in the wilderness (Numbers 2 :4-9) and Jesus’ statement that he must be lifted like the serpent in the wilderness (John 3:14. On June 24th each year a feast day is held in honor of St. John, the Evangelist. One last
thought about John, his message was always to “Love one another” just as Jesus loves us. 

God Bless St. John ‘s and continue to shine his grace on each of us.

​

Written by: Rita McCaskill