POINT CLEAR, Ala. — A little chapel on Scenic Highway 98 that has survived hurricanes, a wartime closure, decades as a gift shop and a return to worship is ready for its next chapter. St. Francis at the Point Anglican Church will rededicate its newly restored historic chapel Saturday, Oct. 3, and mark the 25th anniversary of its sanctuary the following day.
The rededication service begins at 10 a.m. Oct. 3 inside the renovated chapel, followed by an open house and fellowship. On Sunday, Oct. 4, a 10 a.m. service in the main sanctuary will commemorate 25 years since that building was completed.
The Rt. Rev. Alex Farmer, bishop of the Gulf Atlantic Diocese, will celebrate the chapel’s rededication Saturday and lead worship Sunday.
Weekend at a Glance
- Saturday, Oct. 3, 10 a.m.: Chapel rededication service, followed by an open house and fellowship
- Sunday, Oct. 4, 10 a.m.: Worship in the sanctuary celebrating its 25th anniversary
- Officiant: The Rt. Rev. Alex Farmer, bishop of the Gulf Atlantic Diocese
- Rector: The Rev. Gary Blaylock
- Location: St. Francis at the Point Anglican Church, 17280 Scenic Highway 98, on the Eastern Shore between Fairhope and Point Clear
A Mission Church Born in the 1890s
The chapel’s story begins in 1896, when it started as a mission. Construction was finished in 1898. According to the church’s own history, the building was put up by local Episcopal men as St. Luke’s Mission and was recognized by the Protestant Episcopal Diocese of Alabama in 1900.
In those years, Point Clear was already a well-known retreat on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay, where Mobile families escaped the summer heat and bay boats carried passengers across the water. A small mission chapel gave the community a place of worship close to home.
Storms tested it early. Hurricanes in 1916 and 1917 caused significant damage, and the chapel was rebuilt — in its original style, according to the church — and continued as a place of worship until the early 1940s.
War, Closure and a Gift Shop
World War II brought the chapel’s first long silence. With ministers in short supply during the war, the chapel closed. It was later deconsecrated and, in 1954, sold.
For a number of years afterward, the building served as a gift shop. Most of its original pews and furniture were removed during that period. Two of the original pews survive today, a tangible link between the mission chapel of the 1890s and the congregation that worships on the property now.
Revival in 1984
The chapel’s return to sacred use began in 1984, when the Rev. Philip Stenzel and his sister purchased the chapel and the surrounding land. The church identifies his sister as Joan Murphy and says the pair founded the congregation that October.
Interest grew in restarting worship using the 1928 Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church, a traditional prayer book cherished by many Anglicans for its language and liturgy. The chapel was re-consecrated as St. Francis at the Point Traditional Protestant Episcopal Church.
The congregation kept building. Its parish hall was completed in 1988. A new, larger sanctuary was designed and built and was completed in 2001, the milestone being celebrated Oct. 4.
Joining the Anglican Church in North America
In 2012, the congregation joined the Gulf Atlantic Diocese of the Anglican Church in North America, and the sanctuary and chapel were renamed St. Francis at the Point Anglican Church.
The Anglican Church in North America brings together congregations in the United States and Canada in the traditional Anglican stream. According to the church, the Gulf Atlantic Diocese serves Florida, southern Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. St. Francis at the Point continues to worship from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer and affirms the historic Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion.
What the Restoration Involved
The latest restoration was undertaken to prepare the chapel for its rededication and to preserve it as a vibrant part of the community, with more room for worship and prayer for years to come.
Progress notes posted by the church describe a thorough renovation rather than a cosmetic one. Among the work reported:
- Removal of the old sacristy and bathroom interiors, including walls, floors, ceilings, fixtures and cabinets
- New foundations for an extension and a porch, followed by framing of a new addition to the chapel
- A new sacristy floor built level with the main chapel seating
- New Gothic-arched windows in the sacristy wall facing the street, and an arch cut between the nave and the new addition
- A new side porch, removal of the chapel’s siding and repair or replacement of rotten wall studs
- Complete rewiring of the chapel, with additional interior and exterior lighting
- New plumbing and a new air-conditioning system
For a wooden building well over a century old, standing a short distance from Mobile Bay’s humidity and storms, that kind of structural work is what allows it to keep serving.
How the Chapel Is Used Today
The chapel is not a museum piece. It has been used for small weddings and is open for prayer during church office hours.
A healing service is held in the chapel each Wednesday. During construction, the church moved that service temporarily to Grace Anglican Church in Fairhope; with the chapel restored, it returns home. The congregation also plans to add early Sunday services in the chapel in the future.
Main Sunday worship is at 10 a.m. in the sanctuary, where the Rev. Gary Blaylock serves as rector. The church describes its congregation as growing.
A Piece of Eastern Shore History
The chapel’s arc — mission church, storm survivor, wartime casualty, gift shop and restored place of worship — mirrors much of the history of the Eastern Shore itself. Point Clear, south of Fairhope along Scenic 98, has long been known for its bayfront homes, its historic Grand Hotel and its quiet, tree-lined stretch of shoreline.
Small historic buildings along the bay have not always survived the pressures of hurricanes, development and changing times. That this one has, and that two of its original pews remain inside, is a point of pride for the congregation.
Visiting
The rededication service on Oct. 3 is followed by an open house and fellowship in and around the restored chapel, and the anniversary service follows Oct. 4. Anyone with questions about the weekend, weddings in the chapel or regular services can contact the church office at 251-928-1255.