The History of Christ Church
On September 26, 1886, a missionary priest of the Episcopal Diocese of Florida, led a small group of Christians of the Anglican tradition in the celebration of Holy Communion within the parlors of the Bullock residence in Fort Meade. In addition to new residents from the Northern States, many in this young congregation were new to the United States, coming from Engla
nd, Scotland, Ireland, Wales and Canada. They brought the Anglican tradition of their home land, and the Church of England, to be the focus of their life in the new country. Shortly after their first meeting, the founding members of Christ Church were invited to meet in the Fort Meade Methodist Church. W**d, Bishop of the Diocese of Florida, made his first visit to Ft. By early 1887, the congregation’s numbers had grown enough to consider the building of a church of their own. It was during this time that Bishop W**d appointed the Rev. Fitzhugh, missionary to South Florida, as a priest in charge of the congregation; thus the Church was formally organized as a mission of the Episcopal Church. In March, 1888, Bishop W**d visited the congregation, bringing with him a donation of $1,000 toward the cost of building the church. Construction was started and completed in 1889 and was fully furnished in 1890. Completed cost of construction was about $1,600. Christ Church was designed by the Rev. J.H. Weddel, architect, in a Carpenter Gothic style familiar to Florida while maintaining the essentials of the Anglican tradition as found in English churches. The bell was ordered in 1891, cast in West Troy, New York, by Meneely & Co., and was hung later that same year. To this day, it remains the only church bell in Fort Meade. The congregation continued to flourish until the early 1900s when economic and political conditions forced many businesses and people to move away from Fort Meade. Still, the church continued to hold a small congregation until after World War II. In 1948, the decision was made to close Christ Church and sell the property. Several years later, Christ Church was re-activated at the residence of Mr. & Mrs. Bill Childs. With the encouragement of Rev. Russell S. Carleton, the church was re-opened in the 1960s as a place of worship with Rev. Alford Bruce Lauenborg, a retired priest living in Fort Meade at the time. In the mid-1970s, application was made to have Christ Church placed on the National Register of Historic Places and was approved on May 6, 1976. By 1998, the congregation had declined and an offer was made to move the church building to All Saints’ Academy in Winter Haven, FL. At this time, Rev. William H. Hazelett, came out of retirement to hold the hands of the remaining few members, as they mourned the loss of their church. The community joined together to keep the historical building in Fort Meade. During that summer, the congregation more than tripled in size, by means of membership and financial contributions. Finally, in September that same year, it was decided that Christ Church would remain in Fort Meade to continue in the ministry for which God intended. Through the years, Christ Church has been documented in several historical books, periodicals and was featured in the HBO Original movie, ‘Judgment,’ and has undergone an exterior restoration thanks to a matching funds grant from the State of Florida in 2004. To this day, Christ Church is the oldest church building still in use in Polk County where services continue to be held on Sunday mornings. Christ Church remains a worshiping community of liturgy and sacrament, devoted and faithful to Christ’s commandment to love God and love our neighbor.
