Our History

The first Episcopal Church in Cherokee County in modern times, St. Clement’s was founded as an Episcopal Mission in Canton in 1973 by a group of twenty dedicated individuals. In the early years, the congregation worshiped at the Old Brown Farm by the banks of the Etowah River. During Easter and other special services, the Church overflowed, and many worshipers sat in chairs on the lawn. Later, services were held in the old Georgia Power building on Main Street in Canton.

Davis Hall, which houses Sunday school and other parish activities, was acquired in 1986. Over a the next few years, the congregation updated the former home to have Sunday school space, expand the kitchen, and provide playground for our children.

In 2002, the church called it's first full-time rector, Fr. Jamie Stutler. To resolve an issue of crowded services and broaden the styles of worship, a contemporary service was added on Sunday mornings. In 2012, the church Narthex was expanded to enable entry from both sides of the building, and space added for a nursery in the Church building. At the same time, Davis Hall was expanded to increase the size of the Great Hall (our fellowship space) and double the classroom space.

In 2021, in order to have outdoor services during the COVID-19 pandemic, a wood outdoor altar was added behind the church. Since then, we have been able to enjoy occasional outdoor services in a place that takes advantage of our park-like setting.

In 2022, a patio was added in front of Davis Hall which is used during coffee hour and when weather permits, our Bible Study groups meet outdoors.

Who was St. Clement?

There are also many stories about the life and death of this important figure in the early church. It is recounted that the Roman Emperor sent him into a labor camp along the Black Sea and was so successful in those circumstances in bringing people to Christ that he was ordered executed by being flung into the sea attached to an anchor. In the 9th century, relics attributed to him were brought back to Rome and placed in the Basilica of San Climente where they rest today.

“. . . graciousness and humility and gentleness are with those who are blessed by God. Let us therefore cling to his blessing and let us explore what are the ways of his blessing . . . ,”

from Clement’s Letter of the Romans to the Corinthians, c. 95 AD.

“According to early traditions, Clement was a disciple of the Apostles and the third Bishop of Rome. He is generally regarded as the author of a letter written about the year 96 from the Church of Rome to the Church in Corinth, known as “First Clement” in the collection of early documents called ‘The Apostolic Fathers’. “

from Lesser Feasts and Fasts, p. 436.

The feast day of Clement is November 23rd. His symbol is an anchor-cross draped with a pallium, a bishop’s stole.

The Episcopal and Anglican Churches

St. Clement’s Episcopal Church is an active congregation in the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta which is comprised of 117 congregations in the northern half of Georgia. Our diocese is a part of a confederation of other dioceses which make up The Episcopal Church and which is geographically located mostly in the United States.

For more on The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, go to www.episcopalatlanta.org.

The episcopal church was formed in the aftermath of the Revolutionary War to continue the Anglican tradition which had been planted in this country by missionaries of The Church of England during the colonial period.

Historically, the Episcopal Church has been in active dialogue with other Christian traditions and, in so doing, has sought to clarify its faith through four broad understandings (The Book of Common Prayer, p 877).

The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, as “containing all things necessary to salvation” , and being the rule and ultimate standard of faith.
The Apostle’s Creed as the Baptismal Symbol, and the Nicene Creed as the sufficient statement of the Christian faith.
The Two Sacraments ordained by Christ himself – Baptism and the Supper of the Lord.
The Historic Episcopate, locally adapted in the methods of its admininstration to the varying needs of the nations and people called of God into the Unity of His Church.

To learn more about The Episcopal Church, go to http://www.episcopalchurch.org/.

The churches of the Anglican Communion share a common ecclesiastical structure, a common tradition of prayers and worship, and a common doctrine of reformed catholic belief. The English reformation of the 16th century separated the English church from the authority of the Bishop of Rome and, seeking to restore the ancient structure and teachings of the early church, established a church based on what has come to be called the “via media” (the “middle way”). This via media resulted in the kind of worshiping community you find at St. Clement’s today (as well as other Episcopal and Anglican churches): a church both “catholic” and “reformed.” As a result, those who have come to our church family from other traditions, both Protestant and Roman Catholic, have found it both new and familiar.

Our common worship is based on the tradition of The Book of Common Prayer. The first English prayer book came from the best available scholarship and drew from across the Christian tradition, both East and West, by the leaders of the English Reformation in 1549. Subsequent editions, including the American prayer books (the current 1979 Book is the fourth since 1789), all stand as a testimony to the importance of common worship in expressing the belief and practices of our tradition. Worship is very important at St. Clement’s because it expresses what we believe and what we are called to do and be in the world.

Anglican doctrine is also found in various historical forms (the 39 articles, for example, found in the back of the Prayer Book). There are four fundamental expressions basic to the Anglican tradition and shared by all members of the communion: (1) that the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are “the revealed word of God,” contain “all things necessary to salvation,” and is “the rule and ultimate standard of faith;” (2) that the creeds, Apostles’ and Nicene, are a “sufficient statement of the Christian faith;” (3) the centrality of the two sacraments of Baptism and the Holy Eucharist, “ministered with unfailing use of Christ’s words of institution and of the elements ordained by him” and; (4) the Historic Episcopate, “locally adapted to the varying needs of the nations and peoples called of God into the unity of His Church.” (See The Book of Common Prayer, pp. 876-878.)

To learn more, go to: http://www.anglicancommunion.org/.

Six members of the congregation purchased the original church building in 1977. In 1998 the parish began a total renovation of this structure. For several months during the construction and renovation, the congregation worshiped at the historic Rock Barn located near Cherokee High School on Hwy. 5 in Canton. The first service in our new building was held Christmas Eve, 1998. On January 16, 1999, the Rt. Rev. Frank K. Allan, Eighth Bishop of Atlanta, dedicated and consecrated the new building, the stained glass Altar window, and the church bell which was given by a parishioner as a memorial gift.