About St. Thomas Episcopal Church
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Welcome to St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church
Come worship, celebrate, and share with us. Families, couples, or singles, we welcome you to our community of faith. Our life in the spirit is one in which we all seek to discern God’s will for us and for others. It is in the power of a group that “when two or more are gathered together in my name”, the holiness of the Lord may be felt. We invite you to share that power with us. Whether in school, at college, working, or retired, familiar with the Episcopal church or not, we open our doors to you, as we celebrate the Eucharist and share our services and common life together.
St. Thomas’ Parish was organized in Camden on October 1, 1855. For the next fifteen years the parish worshiped in the former Universalist meeting house on Mountain St. After 1884 it began to grow in size and prosperity. In 1924 St. Thomas’ moved to its current building, to which the tower and chapel were added in 1930. This expansion was supported by the influx of summer people in the early part of the century, and the church today remains a mix of summer residents and the local people, along with an increasing number of those who have retired to the area, bringing with them a variety of church histories and preferences.
Although in its early history the parish and its rectors would have described themselves as “broad church”, for a short time, 1975-1995, the parish moved toward an Anglo-Catholic liturgy. Now the parish draws on both traditions, using both Rite I and Rite II in its services, and drawing traditional and contemporary sources for its worship and music, blending the best of the past and present. A new organ installed in 1992 and the enthusiasm of the parish led to the construction of a new educational wing in 2007 and new opportunities for worship to parishioners and the community.
