Fish-fry July 6 at historic St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Bon Secour

Fish-fry July 6 at historic St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Bon Secour
Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Witt & Mrs. Billie organized congregation in 1878
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church will host an old fashioned fish-fry on the first Thursday of every month an its beautiful campus in Bon Secour from 5-7 p.m. The next feast is July 6, and fish-frys are also scheduled on Aug. 3, Sept. 7 and Oct. 5. Fried fish plate includes sides of hushpuppies, baked beans, coleslaw, potato salad and dessert all for $10. Eat in or take out. St. Peter’s is located on the corner of County roads 10 and 49 at 6270 County Road 10 in Bon Secour. For more info, call 251-949-6254 or visit stpetersbonsecour.diocgc.com.

Church History

St. Peter’s Church began in 1878 when three women in the community organized the congregation. They were Mrs. Theresa Margaret Miller, Mrs. Mary Ann Witt and Mrs. Dena Billie. For the first seven years the congregation met in the homes of the members of the church who lived on both sides of Bon Secour River.
In 1885, a frame church was built at the entrance to Bon Secour Bay on land donated by the Witt family. Clergy came to the church from Mobile by sailing a vessel to conduct services. Local laymen were licensed so that services could be held when ordained ministers were not available.
The wind-powered vessels operated on no set schedule so a system of signals was devised. If a priest arrived by day, a flag was flown from a staff in the church yard; if by night, a lantern was hung in the belfry. Church members came to services by pulling a skiff or by walking across marsh on planks.
The first effort towards missionary work in Bon Secour was made by the Rev. Asa J. Roberts, Deacon in the spring of A.D. 1878.
He labored zealously and effectively, baptizing and holding service and preaching from house to house. Visiting among the people he showed the true spirit of an ambassador of Christ, counseling, guiding, giving, leaving lessons of love and good deeds behind him. He left in 1882 at the time when President Garfield was shot.
The Rector of Trinity church, Mobile the Rev. J.Sl. Johnston, made occasional visits until the arrival of the Rev. W.W. Kimball as regular missionary at the close of 1894, winning the hearts of the people.
The first move towards building a place of worship was inaugurated by Mr. Roberts, and took shape in the present building under Mr. Kimball. The build began in October 1885 and was completed in July 1886. Rev. Mr. Kimball labored until January 1887 when the mission was again left without a minister until July 1887 when the Rev. O.R. Bourne was sent upon the field.
The Rev. O.R. Bourne left eh field in 1889, and was succeeded by at least six pastors until 1895
It is noted that Mobile clergy visited the parish when it was without a missionary in charge, holding services and baptizing infants.
Rev. Louis Tucker, at St. Peter’s from 1895 to 189, started as an ordained Deacon working from Christ Church in Mobile under Bishop Wilmer. He served two other missions at the time: Citronelle and Whistler.
Rev. Tucker described Bon Secour at that time as “a fishing town, an oyster town on salt water, where common sailors from the lumber fleets had taken up government land, built their own boats and houses, and made their living with nets and oyster tongs and goat and gardens and fowls and fig trees. Its public square was a triangular sheet of brine, its buggies were all boats.”
For 33 years a school operated by the church met the educational needs of the community. In the early 1920’s a branch of the Woman’s Auxiliary was formed.
After 43 years of service, on December 29, 1928, the oldest Episcopal mission in Baldwin County, St. Peter’s By the Sea, burned to the ground. Photographs of the original building are prominently placed in the Parish Hall today.
The faithful members of St. Peter’s kept the congregation together with Sunday school even in the days of constant changes in clergy.
With many families moving up the river it was decided to relocate the church to the present location where the red brick church was constructed in 1931.
In 1936 a fifty year celebration was held at the church. The Parish Hall was added in 1962, the rectory – a mile south of the church – was built in 1967, and the Sunday School Building was erected in 1974. The Youth Building was completed in 1982.
St. Peter’s Church became a Parish at the Annual Convention of the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast in 1982. Ten years later in 1992, the church called its first full-time priest.