The
first parishes in central Pennsylvania were established in the mid-18th
Century. In 1774, the Rev. William Smith, founder of Huntingdon
and a priest in the Church of England, baptized the first 80 Huntingdon
Christians. This was the first service of this kind in Huntingdon
County. By 1818, Huntingdon Episcopalians shared a building with
Lutherans and Presbyterians. This building was later torn down and,
in 1845, the congregation built the existing Gothic church on Penn
Street. This building has remained virtually unchanged and is recognized
for its architectural and historical integrity. Today it houses
the church and sacristy upstairs, and a nursery, kitchen and fellowship
hall in the undercroft. St. John's Parish also owns the adjoining
property, The Episcopal House, where the church office and Christian
education rooms are located.
St.
John's has a congregation of nearly 150 members. Some represent
generations of St. John's parishioners while others bring new life
and character into the church family. Generations of small but faithful
congregations have kept St. John's a solid, vital source of inspiration,
comfort and support for its family and community for more than 155
years.