History Of The Parish

 

 

A Brief History of St. Francis’ Episcopal Church

In the early Twenties, in the area West of

Twin Peaks, there was no Protestant house

of worship, no community center, no place

where young people’s organizations might

meet, no hall for neighborhood social

gatherings.

 

St. Francis was founded in 1922 as St.

Francis’ Community Church (Episcopal). It

was named not only for the patron saint of

San Francisco, but also for the residential

development in which it is located, St.

Francis Wood. It was the first Protestant

church established in the West of Twin

Peaks area and became known in the

community as “A Center to Serve the

Surrounding Neighborhood and A House of

Prayer for All People.”

 

On May 7, 1925, a group of sixteen women

formed St. Francis’ Guild, the agent that

created the active mission that would

become our church. Eight days later one of

the ladies held a silver tea and the proceeds,

$55.50, went into a newly-created Building

Fund. The local newspapers dubbed the

mission the “Golfer’s Church,” because the

property then overlooked six golf courses.

The first service was held in the newly

constructed church on February 24, 1929.

As soon as construction was completed,

groups began to hold meetings in the new

building. The St. Francis’ Guild, the Scouts,

the first Cub Pack west of the Mississippi,

and the Young People’s Fellowship began to

meet regularly. New groups were formed,

including an Altar Guild, a junior Altar

Guild, a Girl Scout Troop, and Brownies, all

of them possible because there was now a

place for them to meet.

 

By 1930, a Deanery School (elementary

grades) had been established and had grown

to more than 435 students. All of this growth

prompted the construction of our Guild Hall

in 1931 and a Parish Hall in 1940.

St. Francis experienced rapid growth over

the next decades. When the U.S. entered

World War II, we became a center for the

local war effort, including housing the

British War Relief Association, an

American Women’s Volunteer Services

Chapter and the neighborhood Red Cross

Unit. The parish also became more

involved in diocesan affairs in the form of

service and financial pledges.

 

In 1944 the word “Community” was

dropped from the parish’s name and the

focus became more “Episcopal.” After the

war, the baby boom was on and community

involvement waned in the war-weary

community. Fewer groups used the

facilities, though the outstanding Little

Theater Group was a major user and a highlight.

The 1950’s saw a building boom in the area,

the redevelopment of most of those six local

golf courses, and a booming parish,

topping out at over 1,000 communicants

and 400 pledging units, accompanied by

a greater emphasis on spiritual life and

less on social events.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The parish was not spared the turmoil of the

60’s and 70’s, but saw renewed community

use of the facilities, the beginnings of our

ministries at Laguna Honda Hospital and the

two local colleges, the appointment of our

first female Senior Warden, and the sponsorship

of two Vietnamese refugees. By the

beginning of the 1980’s attendance was up

somewhat, community spirit was strong,

and many groups were using our facilities

again.

 

As was the case for many traditional

churches, the late 80’s, the 90’s, and the first

decade of the new century saw a slide in

membership and attendance. In 1993 we

welcomed St. George’s Orthodox Church to

conduct services following our Sunday

services and to use our facilities, a

partnership that was highly productive

for all involved.  In 2001 we established our

Food Pantry as a distribution center for the

San Francisco Food Bank. Today we are

seeing a resurgence in younger families

joining the parish.

 

St. Francis’ Episcopal Church has continued

to adapt to changing needs over its almost

ninety year history. Just eleven priests have

served as Rector of St. Francis’ Episcopal

Church. Together with the people of St.

Francis’, they have truly provided “A Center

to Serve the Surrounding Neighborhood and

A House of Prayer for All People.”

 

 

1922 Men and women from the area west of Twin Peaks met in Westwood Park for a service of Evening Prayer.
May 7, 1925 From this group, St. Francis’ Guild was organized. This small group of sixteen women was actually the agent that finally created the active mission that would become St. Francis’ Church.
September 1926 The first vestry was elected. The property at Ocean Avenue at San Fernando Way was purchased for $11,500.
February 1, 1927 The mission was formally organized as a mission of the Diocese.
May 6, 1928 Ground was broken for the new Parish Hall, which is now the Church.
1930 St. Francis’ Community Church was admitted to the Diocese as a parish.
1931 The Guild Hall was completed. Many community groups used the facilities as part of the original purpose for the church as a house of worship and a community center.
1940 The Church School had increased to 327 students with twenty teachers. Easter Day 1940 witnessed the largest crowd to date with 420 chairs filled, 100 standing, and 30 boys in the choir.
September 8, 1940 Ground was broken for the new parish hall.
March 1941 The Parish Hall was ready. Church services were held in the hall for a few Sundays until the altered church was ready for use. The church as we have it today was used for the first time on Easter Day 1941.
Christmas Eve 1944 The rector wore Eucharistic vestments for the first time in the history of the parish.
September 28, 1947 The St. Francis statue was placed in the pulpit niche.
1949 The south-side cloister was made an inside part of the church building and was rededicated the Baptistry Chapel in 1950.
1950 The cloister along San Fernando Way was changed to provide room for construction of the office building for the rector and church staff.
1951 The sanctuary was changed to what we see today. It was blessed in 1954.
1960 Parish facilities were formally approved for use in wedding receptions. However, a Vestry policy was established that “no alcoholic beverages be served or consumed at social functions held on its premises.”
1965 The first woman was elected to the Vestry.
1969 The Organ Committee of the parish recommended purchase of a Werner Bosch organ for approximately twenty-six thousand dollars plus the freight from Germany.
1970 The rector and his assistant took over Episcopal chaplaincy duties at Laguna Honda Home.
1973 A marble carving of St. Francis of Assisi created by Ruth Cravath was installed at the rear of the church.
1984 The Thrift Shop opened.

Information for this brief history was taken from “A House of Prayer for All People: A Short History of St. Francis’ Episcopal Church, San Francisco, California, 1927-1987” by The Rev. Robert Louis Semes.