The Story of St. Alban's Episcopal Church
St. Pete's Beach
Our Story
In 1950 a group of faithful and devoted Episcopalians, who lived on the Gulf beaches and drove over into town to worship, began meeting in the Beach Community Clubhouse, on Corey Avenue and Blind Pass Road, for Sunday School and worship. They were sponsored by St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church and later by St. Peter's. At the time these were the only two Episcopal churches in the St. Petersburg area. They chose the name "St. Ambrose" for their mission, and Richard Clark became Senior Warden. John and Betty Lazzari were part of the original eleven.
Through friends and word of mouth, their numbers grew, so that by April of 1951 they had to find larger quarters in the Gulf Beaches Schools cafeteria on Blind Pass Road at 85th Avenue. All around them were vacant parcels of land, for which they had the vision to see the possibilities for a future church. Across Blind Pass Road, on the west side, was a large parcel of land with only a white frame, "barn-like" structure. This was the original building for St. John's Roman Catholic Church.
Bishop Henry I. Louttit, Coadjutor of the Diocese of South Florida, came to visit and encourage the small congregation, appointing the Rev. Kee H. Harrison as Vicar to provide the services. They chose the name St. Ambrose, and Diocesan Convention "officially" accepted them as an unorganized mission. Fundraising began in earnest in order to enable them to buy up enough land to meet their future needs. According to the handwritten minutes of the Women's Auxiliary, then meeting in homes, most of their events were held at the Tides Bath Club in North Redington Beach where Phil Dross, another founder, was manager. By the fall of 1953, they had grown enough to be recognized as an organized mission.
The majority decided the name St. Ambrose no longer suited them and chose "Church of the Advent" instead. Their fundraising efforts were so successful that they were able to acquire the lots on 85th Avenue and Boca Ciega Drive on which to start building the parish hall/church. The building was completed in time to hold the first service on Christmas Eve 1952. By that time the Rev. C.O. Farrar had been appointed Vicar.
In December the vestry also voted to seek parish status. With 159 communicants, the Church of the Advent became a parish at Diocesan Convention in October of 1953. the name of "St. Albans" was chosen, accepted, and remains so today. In 1965 Fr. Hamblin published a booklet for the Annual Meeting in which we were told that the congregation now numbered almost 700 communicants with the potential of reaching one thousand. By 1969, just as the Diocese became "Southwest" Florida and a new bishop, William Hargrave, was elected, and St. Peter's in downtown St. Petersburg became the Cathedral for the new Diocese, we broke ground for a new church building on the Blind Pass side of our block. Plans had already been drawn, a huge canvass had been started and committees were made up for making the many decisions for the building, furnishings, etc., But not everyone thought we ought to build that church or go into debt for it. There was some disagreement about the very modern style of the church building. Indeed, everyone had an opinion on just about everything. "The demons got into that temple" even before we moved into it. Later, our current Rector would make reference to that text in Matthew and how it applies, even today. But whatever the reasons, as many as there were people I suppose, people began to leave St. Alban's for other churches or, worse, become unchurched. Over the next three years, it appears that as many as four to five hundred people were gone. And there were only about 150 of us left to carry the load. And, even during construction, plans had to be changed to cut expenses. The biggest and worst change was the one that replaced the proposed gabled roof with a flat one. That one decision has cost us dearly over the years. Nevertheless, we moved into the completed building and held our first service on May 30, 1970.
In 1950 a group of faithful and devoted Episcopalians, who lived on the Gulf beaches and drove over into town to worship, began meeting in the Beach Community Clubhouse, on Corey Avenue and Blind Pass Road, for Sunday School and worship. They were sponsored by St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church and later by St. Peter's. At the time these were the only two Episcopal churches in the St. Petersburg area. They chose the name "St. Ambrose" for their mission, and Richard Clark became Senior Warden. John and Betty Lazzari were part of the original eleven.
Through friends and word of mouth, their numbers grew, so that by April of 1951 they had to find larger quarters in the Gulf Beaches Schools cafeteria on Blind Pass Road at 85th Avenue. All around them were vacant parcels of land, for which they had the vision to see the possibilities for a future church. Across Blind Pass Road, on the west side, was a large parcel of land with only a white frame, "barn-like" structure. This was the original building for St. John's Roman Catholic Church.
Bishop Henry I. Louttit, Coadjutor of the Diocese of South Florida, came to visit and encourage the small congregation, appointing the Rev. Kee H. Harrison as Vicar to provide the services. They chose the name St. Ambrose, and Diocesan Convention "officially" accepted them as an unorganized mission. Fundraising began in earnest in order to enable them to buy up enough land to meet their future needs. According to the handwritten minutes of the Women's Auxiliary, then meeting in homes, most of their events were held at the Tides Bath Club in North Redington Beach where Phil Dross, another founder, was manager. By the fall of 1953, they had grown enough to be recognized as an organized mission.
The majority decided the name St. Ambrose no longer suited them and chose "Church of the Advent" instead. Their fundraising efforts were so successful that they were able to acquire the lots on 85th Avenue and Boca Ciega Drive on which to start building the parish hall/church. The building was completed in time to hold the first service on Christmas Eve 1952. By that time the Rev. C.O. Farrar had been appointed Vicar.
In December the vestry also voted to seek parish status. With 159 communicants, the Church of the Advent became a parish at Diocesan Convention in October of 1953. the name of "St. Albans" was chosen, accepted, and remains so today. In 1965 Fr. Hamblin published a booklet for the Annual Meeting in which we were told that the congregation now numbered almost 700 communicants with the potential of reaching one thousand. By 1969, just as the Diocese became "Southwest" Florida and a new bishop, William Hargrave, was elected, and St. Peter's in downtown St. Petersburg became the Cathedral for the new Diocese, we broke ground for a new church building on the Blind Pass side of our block. Plans had already been drawn, a huge canvass had been started and committees were made up for making the many decisions for the building, furnishings, etc., But not everyone thought we ought to build that church or go into debt for it. There was some disagreement about the very modern style of the church building. Indeed, everyone had an opinion on just about everything. "The demons got into that temple" even before we moved into it. Later, our current Rector would make reference to that text in Matthew and how it applies, even today. But whatever the reasons, as many as there were people I suppose, people began to leave St. Alban's for other churches or, worse, become unchurched. Over the next three years, it appears that as many as four to five hundred people were gone. And there were only about 150 of us left to carry the load. And, even during construction, plans had to be changed to cut expenses. The biggest and worst change was the one that replaced the proposed gabled roof with a flat one. That one decision has cost us dearly over the years. Nevertheless, we moved into the completed building and held our first service on May 30, 1970.
Chronological History:
St. Alban's Church St. Pete Beach Florida - 1950-2000
May 7, 1950
The first meeting was that of a Church Sunday School, sponsored by St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church. The meeting was in the St. Petersburg Beach Community Hall on Blind Pass Road and Corey Avenue. Richard Clark was in charge.
May 21, 1950
First Church service was conducted in the Community Clubhouse with eleven communicants present. The Rev. Arnold Charnock of St. Bartholomew's conducted the service.
June 2, 1950
St. Ambrose Mission was accepted as an unorganized mission by the Diocese of South Florida.
June 11, 1950
The Rev. C. F. Langlands, from St. Peter's Episcopal Church in St. Petersburg, was appointed Vicar in charge of St. Ambrose Mission.
July 12, 1950
The Rt. Rev. Henry I. Louttit, Bishop Coadjutor of the Dioceses of South Florida paid the congregation a visit and conducted the service of Morning Prayer.
April 7, 1951
Due to the rapid growth of St. Ambrose Mission, the church service was moved to the Gulf Beaches Elementary School on Blind Pass Road.
May 1951
Majority of the congregation voted to change the name of St. Ambrose to Church of the Advent.
June 1951
Purchased lots on 85th Avenue and Boca Ciega Drive with projected plans for the construction of a church/parish hall. The Rev. Kee H. Harrison was appointed first vicar of the Church of the Advent.
May 1952
Purchased the southwest corner of the block on 84th Avenue and Blind Pass Road.
June 1952
Plans were approved and construction of the parish hall/church building was contracted out for $50,000.
Sept 15, 1952
The Rev. C.O. Farrar was appointed Vicar of the Church of the Advent and served until 1954.
Dec. 1952
Completion and dedication of the Parish Hall. The first service in the new building was on Christmas Eve.
Oct. 1953
The Church of the Advent was granted parish status by the Diocese of South Florida at Convention. The congregation numbered 159 communicants.
1954
The Rev. Walter Cook was called as Interim Rector. Construction of the Rectory on 84th Avenue was contracted out for $18,000.
Dec 1954
The Rev. John Hamblin, Jr. was called to Rector the Church of the Advent.
April 1956
Construction plans were approved, and the contract was accepted for $76,000 to build the Education Facility.
Sept 1956
Groundbreaking for the Education building.
Jan 1957
Fr. Hamblin was authorized to hire an assistant to the Rector. (1957 - 1959)
March 4, 1957
Construction of the education building was completed and accepted.
Sept 1957
Start of the Parish Day School with 18 registrants.
June 1959
The Rev. John Moore was appointed Assistant to Fr. Hamblin (1959- 1961)
June 1959
Property was purchased in Belle Vista as housing for Fr. Moore.
Oct 1959
St. Alban's was the final name adopted for the church.
Jan 1962
The Rev. George P. Huntington was appointed as Assistant to the Rector. (1963-1963) That year the house at 330 84th Avenue was purchased for occupancy by the Assistant.
1964
The Rev. Eric W. Potter was called as the new assistant to the Rector.
1965
The Attic Shopped, sponsored by the ECW of St. Alban's opened for business on Corey Avenue.
1966
A publication was put out at Annual Meeting that St. Alban's had almost 700 communicants and it was time to plan for the construction of a new church building.
1967
The Rev. Harry Leventis was called as the new Assistant to the Rector. (1967- 1969)
June 1969
Ground was broken for the new church building on Blind Pass Road. Bishop Louttit was present. The Rev. Clayton Graves was called as the new Assistant to Fr. Hamblin (1969-1970)
May 1970
Completion of the new Church Building
May 30, 1970
The first service was held in the new church building.
1970
The Rev. Raymond P. Kress was called as the new Assistant to Fr. Hamblin (1970-1972)
Sept 1974
The Canterbury School, Kindergarten and Grades 1-4 will occupy classrooms in the Education Building.
Oct 1, 1974
The Rev. J. Kevin Stanley is called by the Vestry to become Rector
Oct 31, 1974
St. Alban's Parish was reduced to mission status by the Diocesan Convention.
Advent Sunday 1974
Fr. Stanley conducts his first service as Vicar of St. Alban's.
June 1975
Celebrations of the 25th Anniversary of St. Alban's church.
Oct 1980
St. Alban's returned to parish status at the Diocesan Convention and Fr. Stanley was called as rector, after serving six years as Vicar. Oh, Happy Day!
Nov 1980
Dr. Donald Coggin, 101 Archbishop of Canterbury, pay St. Alban's Church is an honored visit for the day.
1984
Completed remodeling of the parish hall.
1985
Installation of the stained-glass windows; 12 in the church and 7 in the chapel. The theme is The Life of Our Lord, Jesus Christ.
May 1983
The last of the mortgages on the church property are paid off. The Rt. Rev. E. Paul Haynes was our honored guest for the burning of the mortgages.
Dec 21, 1984
Celebration of Fr. Stanley's 20th Ordination of the Priesthood and his tenth year at St. Alban's
1983
Complete repayment of our loans to the Diocese. St. Alban's is now debt free!
June 21, 1985
Celebration of St. Alban's 35th Anniversary. Bishop Haynes attended as did many priests of the Diocese.
Dec 31, 1988
Fr. Stanley must retire due to ill health
Oct 1989
The Rev. Larry W. Thornton became Rector of St. Alban's
Aug. 1992
After a lengthy illness with cancer, Fr. Larry Thornton retired on medical disability.
Sept 1992
Fr. Owens was called as Interim while we went into the lengthy process of calling a new rector.
Sept 1994
The Rev. James Lynn McDowell was called as rector of St. Alban's.
1999
A refreshed and growing St. Alban's parish prepares to celebrate its 50th Anniversary in February of 2000.
Nov. 1999
The church building has been renovated, adding a Welcome Center on the North side and with a beautiful brand-new gabled roof to crown it.
Dec 1999
The ceiling has been removed in the parish hall and opened to reveal the mahogany beams of the former church. the hall will be redecorated and ready (except for the kitchen) for the Anniversary Celebration.
Feb. 25-27 2000
Happy Fiftieth Anniversary Celebration of St. Alban's Church. We are eagerly expecting Bishop John and Marcie Lipscomb, and many representatives of the Diocese to celebrate with us on Sunday, February 27th.
Aug 2004
St. Alban's Day School began.
Oct 31, 2004
After ten years of faithful service to St. Alban's Fr. Lynn McDowell retires.
Nov. 2004
Fr. Julian Cave returns as a priest in charge.
Sept. 2006
Fr. Julian Cave retires as a priest in charge.
Sept 30, 2006
Bishop John B. Lipscomb installs Fr. Nicholas J. Funk as Rector.
July 2007
Fr. Nicholas J. Funk moves to a new assignment.
Aug. 2007
Fr. Julian Cave returns as an interim priest in charge.
November 2008
Fr. Julian Cave dies.
December 2008
Fr. Hayden Crawford was appointed interim priest in charge.
January 2009
Fr. Hayden Crawford appointed a priest in charge.
Feb 7, 2010
Celebration of the sixtieth anniversary
August 8th, 2010
The Reverend Stuart A. Swann was Appointed Priest.
January 1st, 2013
The reverend Cannon Georgene “Gigi” Connor was appointed Priest
January 2nd, 2022
Reverend Omar A Reyes was Appointed Priest in charge
The first meeting was that of a Church Sunday School, sponsored by St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church. The meeting was in the St. Petersburg Beach Community Hall on Blind Pass Road and Corey Avenue. Richard Clark was in charge.
May 21, 1950
First Church service was conducted in the Community Clubhouse with eleven communicants present. The Rev. Arnold Charnock of St. Bartholomew's conducted the service.
June 2, 1950
St. Ambrose Mission was accepted as an unorganized mission by the Diocese of South Florida.
June 11, 1950
The Rev. C. F. Langlands, from St. Peter's Episcopal Church in St. Petersburg, was appointed Vicar in charge of St. Ambrose Mission.
July 12, 1950
The Rt. Rev. Henry I. Louttit, Bishop Coadjutor of the Dioceses of South Florida paid the congregation a visit and conducted the service of Morning Prayer.
April 7, 1951
Due to the rapid growth of St. Ambrose Mission, the church service was moved to the Gulf Beaches Elementary School on Blind Pass Road.
May 1951
Majority of the congregation voted to change the name of St. Ambrose to Church of the Advent.
June 1951
Purchased lots on 85th Avenue and Boca Ciega Drive with projected plans for the construction of a church/parish hall. The Rev. Kee H. Harrison was appointed first vicar of the Church of the Advent.
May 1952
Purchased the southwest corner of the block on 84th Avenue and Blind Pass Road.
June 1952
Plans were approved and construction of the parish hall/church building was contracted out for $50,000.
Sept 15, 1952
The Rev. C.O. Farrar was appointed Vicar of the Church of the Advent and served until 1954.
Dec. 1952
Completion and dedication of the Parish Hall. The first service in the new building was on Christmas Eve.
Oct. 1953
The Church of the Advent was granted parish status by the Diocese of South Florida at Convention. The congregation numbered 159 communicants.
1954
The Rev. Walter Cook was called as Interim Rector. Construction of the Rectory on 84th Avenue was contracted out for $18,000.
Dec 1954
The Rev. John Hamblin, Jr. was called to Rector the Church of the Advent.
April 1956
Construction plans were approved, and the contract was accepted for $76,000 to build the Education Facility.
Sept 1956
Groundbreaking for the Education building.
Jan 1957
Fr. Hamblin was authorized to hire an assistant to the Rector. (1957 - 1959)
March 4, 1957
Construction of the education building was completed and accepted.
Sept 1957
Start of the Parish Day School with 18 registrants.
June 1959
The Rev. John Moore was appointed Assistant to Fr. Hamblin (1959- 1961)
June 1959
Property was purchased in Belle Vista as housing for Fr. Moore.
Oct 1959
St. Alban's was the final name adopted for the church.
Jan 1962
The Rev. George P. Huntington was appointed as Assistant to the Rector. (1963-1963) That year the house at 330 84th Avenue was purchased for occupancy by the Assistant.
1964
The Rev. Eric W. Potter was called as the new assistant to the Rector.
1965
The Attic Shopped, sponsored by the ECW of St. Alban's opened for business on Corey Avenue.
1966
A publication was put out at Annual Meeting that St. Alban's had almost 700 communicants and it was time to plan for the construction of a new church building.
1967
The Rev. Harry Leventis was called as the new Assistant to the Rector. (1967- 1969)
June 1969
Ground was broken for the new church building on Blind Pass Road. Bishop Louttit was present. The Rev. Clayton Graves was called as the new Assistant to Fr. Hamblin (1969-1970)
May 1970
Completion of the new Church Building
May 30, 1970
The first service was held in the new church building.
1970
The Rev. Raymond P. Kress was called as the new Assistant to Fr. Hamblin (1970-1972)
Sept 1974
The Canterbury School, Kindergarten and Grades 1-4 will occupy classrooms in the Education Building.
Oct 1, 1974
The Rev. J. Kevin Stanley is called by the Vestry to become Rector
Oct 31, 1974
St. Alban's Parish was reduced to mission status by the Diocesan Convention.
Advent Sunday 1974
Fr. Stanley conducts his first service as Vicar of St. Alban's.
June 1975
Celebrations of the 25th Anniversary of St. Alban's church.
Oct 1980
St. Alban's returned to parish status at the Diocesan Convention and Fr. Stanley was called as rector, after serving six years as Vicar. Oh, Happy Day!
Nov 1980
Dr. Donald Coggin, 101 Archbishop of Canterbury, pay St. Alban's Church is an honored visit for the day.
1984
Completed remodeling of the parish hall.
1985
Installation of the stained-glass windows; 12 in the church and 7 in the chapel. The theme is The Life of Our Lord, Jesus Christ.
May 1983
The last of the mortgages on the church property are paid off. The Rt. Rev. E. Paul Haynes was our honored guest for the burning of the mortgages.
Dec 21, 1984
Celebration of Fr. Stanley's 20th Ordination of the Priesthood and his tenth year at St. Alban's
1983
Complete repayment of our loans to the Diocese. St. Alban's is now debt free!
June 21, 1985
Celebration of St. Alban's 35th Anniversary. Bishop Haynes attended as did many priests of the Diocese.
Dec 31, 1988
Fr. Stanley must retire due to ill health
Oct 1989
The Rev. Larry W. Thornton became Rector of St. Alban's
Aug. 1992
After a lengthy illness with cancer, Fr. Larry Thornton retired on medical disability.
Sept 1992
Fr. Owens was called as Interim while we went into the lengthy process of calling a new rector.
Sept 1994
The Rev. James Lynn McDowell was called as rector of St. Alban's.
1999
A refreshed and growing St. Alban's parish prepares to celebrate its 50th Anniversary in February of 2000.
Nov. 1999
The church building has been renovated, adding a Welcome Center on the North side and with a beautiful brand-new gabled roof to crown it.
Dec 1999
The ceiling has been removed in the parish hall and opened to reveal the mahogany beams of the former church. the hall will be redecorated and ready (except for the kitchen) for the Anniversary Celebration.
Feb. 25-27 2000
Happy Fiftieth Anniversary Celebration of St. Alban's Church. We are eagerly expecting Bishop John and Marcie Lipscomb, and many representatives of the Diocese to celebrate with us on Sunday, February 27th.
Aug 2004
St. Alban's Day School began.
Oct 31, 2004
After ten years of faithful service to St. Alban's Fr. Lynn McDowell retires.
Nov. 2004
Fr. Julian Cave returns as a priest in charge.
Sept. 2006
Fr. Julian Cave retires as a priest in charge.
Sept 30, 2006
Bishop John B. Lipscomb installs Fr. Nicholas J. Funk as Rector.
July 2007
Fr. Nicholas J. Funk moves to a new assignment.
Aug. 2007
Fr. Julian Cave returns as an interim priest in charge.
November 2008
Fr. Julian Cave dies.
December 2008
Fr. Hayden Crawford was appointed interim priest in charge.
January 2009
Fr. Hayden Crawford appointed a priest in charge.
Feb 7, 2010
Celebration of the sixtieth anniversary
August 8th, 2010
The Reverend Stuart A. Swann was Appointed Priest.
January 1st, 2013
The reverend Cannon Georgene “Gigi” Connor was appointed Priest
January 2nd, 2022
Reverend Omar A Reyes was Appointed Priest in charge
