St. John's Episcopal Church, Elizabeth
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St. John's Episcopal Church is located at 61 Broad Street in the historic heart of Elizabeth, New Jersey, and part of the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey headquarted in Trenton. It was founded by missionaries of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, London, England, in 1706. It is the marriage site of the parents of the first American Roman Catholic saint, Elizabeth Ann Seton, and its Churchyard is the burial site of the youngest signer of the U.S. Constitution, US Senator Jonathan Dayton.
The current church building, consecrated in 1860, has five of the largest Tiffany stained glass windows in the US. It is neo-Gothic style, with a 126-foot tower right on Broad Street at the center of the Elizabeth National Historic District, and is designed after St. Mary's University Anglican Church (interior) in Oxford, England, and Merton College, Oxford (exterior). It seats approximately 700 and is the largest Episcopal worship site in New Jersey.
The church founded the Habitat for Humanity affiliate for eastern Union County in 1993. It is known as a lively sponsor of community social services and feeds as many as 80 persons a free meal each Sunday afternoon following Vespers. Its three worship services are at 10:00 AM, Holy Eucharist with Choir and Organ; 12:15 PM with contemporary music; 1:45 PM Alpha Bible study; and 2:30 PM Jazz Vespers. Sunday School is at 10:00 AM for children. Adult Christian Education is at 11:30 AM Sundays. The Rector is the Rev. Joseph R. Parrish, Jr., who has served there since 1989. The church telecasts its church services each Sunday at 9:00 AM on Cablevision Channel 18.