Transfiguration church celebrates milestones

The Church of the Transfiguration will celebrate two remarkable milestones this year: 135 years of Episcopal ministry in Mountain Grove and 90 years in its stone church building on East State St. The community is invited to join the anniversary service on Sunday, Dec. 14, at 11 a.m., officiated by the Bishop of West Missouri, the Rt. Rev. Amy Dafler Meaux.
Episcopal worship first came to Mountain Grove in 1890, when local mill owner James Archer gathered a small group of Episcopalians to form a mission church.
Bishop Daniel S. Tuttle, the first Bishop of the newly established Diocese of West Missouri, blessed the congregation that summer and named it St. Mark’s.
In those early years, services moved from a room above a downtown drugstore to the old Methodist parsonage, with visiting priests and faithful lay readers keeping the mission alive. Records show seasons of growth, seasons of struggle, and long stretches when dedicated volunteers carried on worship even when clergy were scarce.
By the 1920s, St. Mark’s had nearly faded, but a small group of families continued to meet, hoping for a new start.
That fresh beginning came in 1929 under the leadership of the Rev. Roy H. Fairchild, who served several communities in the region.
Regular services resumed, new members were confirmed, and by 1934 the congregation was ready to build a permanent home. Services during this period were held in rented spaces around town until the church could construct a new building.
In 1935, the congregation purchased the lot where the church now stands and began building the stone structure that has been a Mountain Grove landmark ever since.
Local stonemason Lester Dickey crafted the walls from native stone, and many of the congregation’s earliest families contributed time, funds, and furnishings.
The cornerstone was laid that fall, and on Dec. 10, 1935, Bishop Robert Nelson Spencer dedicated the building and gave it the name it still bears today: the Church of the Transfiguration.
Today, the building remains a place of worship, celebration, and community connection—much as it was envisioned by the early families who gathered with James Archer 135 years ago.
The congregation warmly invites neighbors, friends, and the wider community to celebrate this anniversary together.
The special service with Bishop Amy will be held on Sunday, Dec. 14, at 11 a.m., with a lunch reception to follow.
All are welcome.