The Promise of Place, People, and Purpose

The Promise of Place

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church - the first church designed by Charles McKim, oneof the founders of the famous Gilded Age architectural firm McKim, Meade and White - was completed in 1884. The Norman-style building was a gift from Charles Butler as a memorial to his wife, Susan Ridley Sedgwick Butler. The interior of St. Paul’s has been enriched with the work of some of the greatest architects and artists of the period: Stanford White, Augustus St. Gaudens, Louis Comfort Tiffany, Charles Lamb, Francis D. Millet, Charles J. Connick, and many others. A bronze sculpture by Daniel Chester French stands under the portico.

The Promise of People

Standing on Main Street at the busiest crossroads in the town of Stockbridge, Massachusetts, St. Paul’s is a place where Christians have worshipped for almost two hundred years. Isaiah spoke of God’s temple as “a house of prayer for all people” - a place where people of all nations would find joy and acceptance. Today, St. Paul’s, serves a diverse and vibrant community of worshippers. Visitors walking on Stockbridge’s Main Street who discover the churchyard find that our doors are always open for worship, prayer, meditation, and a place to find peace in a busy world.

The Promise of Purpose

A restoration project is underway to ensure that St. Paul’s stands for years to come as a place of worship, an important part of American history, an anchor on Main Street, and a beacon of the love of God in Jesus Christ. A new roof, new gutters (made to match the originals from the late nineteenth century), and a drainage system have all been installed. The next phase of the restoration program encompasses many different projects designed to restore and preserve important aspects of the church - the iconic wooden doors, the priceless stained-glass windows, the clock tower structure, the clock mechanism, the pipe organ, and much more. We hope you’ll join us as we work to fulfill the promise of St. Paul’s and ensure that this church stands as a place where future generations can worship, visit, and experience an important piece of Stockbridge history.