St. Simons Vacation: Christ Church

Photography Credit: Don Whitten July 2010

The first English settlers arrived on St. Simons Island under the leadership of James Oglethorpe in February 1736. In March, the Reverend Charles Wesley, MA, who also served as Secretary for Indian affairs and Chaplain to General James Oglethorpe, entered his ministry at Frederica. From 1736 until 1766, services were conducted by John Wesley, George Whitfield and other clergy appointed by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. In the 1870s Anson Greene Phelps Dodge, came to visit the Island. He fell in love with St. Simons, and became an active member of Christ Church. Anson’s wife, Ellen, died in India while they were on their honeymoon trip around the world. He returned to St. Simons and built the present-day Christ Church as a memorial to Ellen. Her body was entombed under the chancel of the church.  The present church building is cruciform in design, with trussed Gothic roof. Stained glass windows, given as memorials, commemorate the life of Christ and the early history of the Church.

REFERENCES: http://www.glynncounty.com/History_and_Lore/Christ_Church/, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Simons,_Georgia, http://www.stsimonsislandexperience.com/site/539680/page/210413, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wesley, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Wesley