Saint John’s is a parish church established in Laurel, Mississippi in 1894 in the Anglican tradition of the Episcopal Church. Our worship is to the Glory of God and sacramentally centered in the celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice of Jesus. Our mission is evangelical: to bring all persons to the knowledge and love of God, and to respect the dignity and freedom of every human being.
We are located at 541 North Fifth Avenue in historic downtown Laurel. Saint John’s is the only Episcopal/Anglican Church in Jones County and our parish family is comprised of faithful from Laurel, Ellisville, Bay Springs, Moselle, Soso and all over Jones County and we seek to meet the spiritual needs of this diverse county.
We are a church family of persons married and single; young and old; rich and poor; liberal and conservative, our common goal and greatest bond is to follow Christ Jesus, worship God in His Holy Church, and to sacrificially give, work, and pray for the spread of His Kingdom.
The parish adheres to “the faith once delivered to the saints,” revealed by God in the person of His incarnate Son, Jesus Christ, recorded in the Holy Scriptures, to which the teaching and practice of the undivided Church of the first-millennium bears witness. In our public worship at St. John, we return our praise to God with the greatest possible reverence in thanksgiving for all that we have been given. We believe wholeheartedly that the traditional worship and devotional practice of the Christian Church speaks as clearly and powerfully today as it did a millennium ago.
And the Spirit and the Bride say, Come.
And let them that hear say, Come.
And let them that are athirst come.
And whosoever will, let them take the water of life freely.
If you are visiting our parish for the first time and have never visited any other Episcopal Churches, you might find something much different than you have ever experienced.
We are generally a more ‘formal’ church, with the men wearing coat & tie, or golf shirt & trousers. The ladies of Saint John for the most part wear dresses or ‘dressy’ outfits. You will see everything from Bowties to Blue-jeans and leggings to lacey dresses for the women, and everything in-between.
When you walk in the door for the first time before services, you will most likely find it to be silent, with very little hushed conversation. One of our ushers will greet you quietly, hand you a bulletin, and ask if you need any help finding a seat. We are accustomed to using the time before the service for private prayers and intentions. So, you should find most people either in prayer or reflection and allowing others to do the same. When you find your seat, you are welcomed and encouraged to do the same.
Our service is an ancient and formal ritual, dating to the 70’s AD and might seem a bit foreign to some so we have designed our bulletins to help you through our service. You will find instructions as to when to stand, when to sit and when to kneel, and you are invited to participate as fully as you are comfortable.
After the service, the atmosphere changes greatly, and you are most likely to have many different people coming up and introducing themselves and greeting you. If you want more information about the parish, be sure to introduce yourself to the priest, who will be standing at the back doors of the church greeting people as they leave.
There are two services on Sunday morning at Saint John’s Episcopal Church for you to choose from. The first service is at 8:00am and is in traditional language, using language like that of the King James Bible. The service is all said, with no hymns or music. The general feel of the service is one of reflection and quiet. Generally the attendance at the service is around 30 persons, so in that, it feels a bit more private because of the empty pews (our church sits 290). This service usually lasts about 45 minutes. For your convenience there is a nursery provided for this service.
If you are interested, our Christian education program begins at 9:15am. In the time after the 8:00 service and the start of Sunday School, we offer a continental breakfast of pastries, juice and coffee. There is Sunday morning Christian education for all ages. The children’s classes meet downstairs, and any of our parishioners can show you and your children the way. Upstairs, we have High School and adult classes.
Our 10:00am service is the main service of Sunday. This service is well attended and therefore not private or individual feeling like our 8:00 service. Contemporary language is used for this service, and it makes use of music. In fact, we have one of the best choirs around, and generally our music is from the sacred choral tradition, so it is not uncommon to hear Mozart, Bach and other great composers from throughout the ages. There are hymns sung by the congregation, choral anthems by the choir and much of the service is chanted- which is an ancient form of worship carried through to modern day.
Contact Us
Email office@stjohnslaurel.com
Phone
Parish - 601.428.7252 Facsimile - 601.428.7253 Mobile - 601.422.7388
Location
Saint John's Episcopal Church 541 North Fifth Avenue P.O. Box 1766 Laurel, MS 39441