Zion Church History

A Brief History of Zion Church

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In 1782, Vermont was an independent republic. The British surrender to Gen. Washington at Yorktown, VA in October of 1781 was still a current event. The Treaty of Paris would not formally end the Revolutionary War until the next year.

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The Church of England was a minority church in New England. The Church had suffered losses and persecution during the War. Other denominations looked down on the Church. In Manchester there was no church building, no Diocese of Vermont and no bishop in Vermont or anywhere else in the country.

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In the face of all this adversity, in October of 1782, 24 men and their families in Manchester formed an Anglican worship community “…under the pastoral care of the Rev. Gideon Bostwick.”

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Bostwick was a missionary priest. He was in charge of St. James Church, Great Barrington, MA, but he rode through parts of western Massachusetts and Vermont helping to establish churches. He agreed to provide pastoral care in Manchester, visiting  the worshipers once or sometimes twice a year to preach, to baptize and to provide Sacraments from the Book of Common Prayer.

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At the very beginning a tradition was established that the involvement and leadership of lay people allowed the church to carry out its ministry. Women have been at the forefront of this tradition. Esther Shaw was one of the first vestrywomen in the Diocese and several women have served as senior warden. 

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In 1820, the society voted to build an Episcopal Church. A spot was found on Factory Point in Manchester Center. The church was completed in 1822 and named Zion Church. It was the only Vermont Church not named for a saint or a great truth. There is no record of how the name was chosen. In 1826 the society was incorporated as Zion Parish.

 

In 1867, with the Civil War over and more summer visitors coming to Manchester, St. John’s Chapel was opened in Manchester Village.

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The Zion Church building has been rebuilt, repaired and expanded over the years. A major expansion and alteration began in 1861. At this point the present chancel and Trinity windows were installed.  Music is an integral part of Zion’s church life and another milestone in its history, was the installation of the first pipe organ in 1909, at first powered by water it was later changed to electric power.

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From the commitment of a few brave families, a worship community was formed that has lasted for more than 200 years. Through the tumult of history this community has moved forward “To know Christ’s love and to share it.”

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Much of the information in this history is from Jubilate: a history of the Zion Episcopal Church, which was written for the church’s bi-centennial in 1982.

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