Mission Statement:
Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we will provide the structure to make the Spirit of Christ real in today's world.

St. John's is a part of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. As such, we are a part of the larger community, the world of the Anglican Communion. We are aware and involved with local, diocesan and world programs to benefit and share with others.

St John's in New City

St. John’s Episcopal Church in New city was incorporated three days after Christmas in 1866. At the time, the Reverend E. Gay, Jr. held services at the Rockland County Courthouse. The following year, the congregation began erecting its own church building a few blocks away on a 1/4 acre corner site donated by Charles W. Root on Main Street, New City. The quaint framework structure reflected the rural tenor of the surrounding countryside.The first “Resident Rector” was called in 1908. Transportation was still mainly by carriage and the Reverend Keane continued to serve as Rector of St. Paul’s, Spring Valley, as well, with his $600 annual salary augmented by a Carriage Hire Fund of ten cents per week contributed by each Warden and Vestryman. St. Stephen’s in Pearl River was later added to his rounds.

It wasn’t until the mid-1950s that St. John’s was finally able to obtain a full-time rector. This was due to the area’s influx of World War II veterans with their families, changing the area to a suburban community. By 1956, a new rectory was added behind the church and the following year discussions began on raising money for a new church. The opening of the Tappan Zee Bridge across the Hudson River in the late 1950s began a surge of new housing development in Rockland County, spurring interest in the need for larger quarters. In 1960, land was donated adjacent to Lake DeForest and by January 1963, the church was completed with the rectory built by December of that year. With 155 children attending church school by 1966, the addition of an education wing was contracted in late 1967. Stained glass windows were designed for the church in 1968.

Through the 1960s, the predominantly young to middle-aged with children congregation bustled with activities and in early 1969 the Reverend Robert E. Morisseau was called as rector. Through the 1970s, the parish continued to grow. But by the 1980s, as witnessed in many denominations throughout the country, the size of the congregation began to level out and eventually decrease. Along with the decreasing size of the parish came increasing expenses. For many years, St. John’s had the benefit of volunteer Associate Clergy, the Reverend Anthony Macombe and the Reverend Allen Attenborough. Father Attenborough left in the late 1980’s to assume an interim ministry position. Father Macombe’s death in 1991 was a grievous loss to our parish. With the retirement of Father Morisseau in 1994, the concept of shared ministry by joining ESMOR (Episcopal Shared Ministry of Rockland) was considered and rejected. The congregation rallied around its Search Committee and interim pastor, the Reverend Brenda G. Husson, who served from 1994 to 1996.

At the end of the self-study period in 1995, this parish came together to discern a vision for our next eight to fifteen years and as a result, the Reverend Susan Auchincloss was called to be our rector in 1996. She retired in the summer of 2004. Her legacy is the healing ministry which has helped many families through personal crises, outreach into the community, and the rehabilitation of much of the physical plant. The search for a new rector started immediately. The Rev. Elizabeth Searle became our interim pastor in August 2004 and remained until November 2005. A pastor is responsible for the religious and welfare issues associated with the parish, but does not have responsibility for financial, personnel and property support matters which remain with the lay leadership. At the end of the Search procedure the vestry (the governing lay board) unanimously selected the Reverend Frances R. Twiggs as the rector after a review of many qualified applicants for the position. The new rector took up her responsibilities in November of 2005 at the beginning of Advent, the start of the church year.