The Crown of Centre Street

St. Peter's Episcopal Church stands at the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Centre Street in Fernandina Beach, a congregation its own members call the "Crown of Centre Street." The parish traces its roots to June 14, 1858, when the Reverend Owen P. Thackara gathered a small group of Fernandina citizens to form a missionary outpost on Amelia Island. That same November the first Bishop of Florida laid the cornerstone of a small wooden church at the southeast corner of what is now St. Peter's Cemetery. More than 165 years later the parish still gathers in the same neighborhood, now in a soaring Neo-Gothic sanctuary that has become an island landmark.

Worship on Sunday and Wednesday

The rhythm of the week begins on Sunday with three celebrations of the Holy Eucharist. At 7:30 a.m. the liturgy is offered from Rite I of the Book of Common Prayer in the historic sanctuary. At 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. the congregation uses Rite II, with the Chancel Choir leading music at both later services. Children's Chapel meets during the 9:00 a.m. service, and the nursery opens at 8:45 a.m. for children from birth through age four.

Two musical alternatives are tucked into the Sunday schedule. On the second and fourth Sundays of the month, except during Advent and Lent, the 9:00 a.m. service becomes a Folk Mass, accompanied by a choir that draws on folk, contemporary, gospel, and spiritual traditions. On the fourth Sunday at 6:00 p.m., a Celtic Eucharist fills the church with harp, fiddle, and song, with a special Celtic Christmas service offered on the Sunday before Christmas. Two other seasonal services round out the year: a Bluegrass Mass in November and a Blessing of the Animals on the Sunday nearest the Feast of St. Francis in October.

Midweek worshippers gather on Wednesdays at 12:10 p.m. for a spoken Holy Eucharist in the church. All services are live streamed on YouTube, and a service archive is kept online for those who wish to worship from home or revisit a particular Sunday.

A Neo-Gothic Landmark Designed by Robert Schuyler

The present church was begun in 1881, when ground was broken for a new building on Atlantic Avenue. The first service in the completed Neo-Gothic structure was held on March 30, 1884. Just eight years later, in the early morning of February 24, 1892, much of the new church was destroyed by fire. The building was carefully restored and, on Easter Day 1901, was formally consecrated.

The architect was Robert Schuyler, a New York designer whose headstone now stands in St. Peter's Cemetery across Alachua Street. Schuyler also designed Fairbanks House and Hirth House, two other Amelia Island landmarks. His grave anchors a burial ground with its own stories. The cemetery was used by the Union Army in the 1860s, and the first known burial is believed to be a two-month-old son of a captain in the 7th U.S. Infantry. Near the Iron Gate stands the oldest headstone, that of "Jeffrey's Boy," a young man killed by a circus bear in 1866 while attending school in Gainesville. The parish's first rector, the Reverend Owen Thackara, rests at the center of the property.

The parish's history is also bound up with the story of its neighbors. In 1887, six years after the current church opened, the original 1859 St. Peter's was given to a Black congregation and renamed Good Shepherd Church. By the early 1960s the wooden building was condemned as unsafe, and the St. Peter's and Good Shepherd congregations decided to build a replacement. After lengthy discussions, Bishop Hamilton West of Florida chose not to consecrate the new Good Shepherd building and instead united the two congregations in the large church on Atlantic Avenue. The structure originally planned for Good Shepherd now serves as the parish's Youth Building.

During the 1980s and 1990s the parish added the present Christian Education building and church offices, completing the campus that today hosts four weekly services, a monthly Celtic service, and many parish and community events.

Children, Youth, and Family Life

St. Peter's takes seriously the formation of its youngest members. Nursery care is available every Sunday from 8:45 a.m. for children from birth through age four, and Children's Chapel gathers children ages four through fifth grade during the 9:00 a.m. service. After the Collect the children come to the front of the sanctuary, are blessed and sent to worship together, then return before the Eucharist to sit with their grown-ups for the remainder of the service.

On the third Sunday of each month during the school year at 2:00 p.m., Club 345 brings together third through fifth graders in the youth center for games, friends, and faith. Confirmation is offered each spring, with classes beginning in January for current eighth graders and any older high schooler who wishes to explore a personal commitment to Christ.

The Episcopal Youth Community, known as EYC, welcomes students in grades six through twelve. On Sunday evenings the youth center is busy: middle schoolers gather from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m., share a meal with the high schoolers from 5:00 to 5:30 p.m., and then high schoolers stay on until 6:30 p.m. A Wednesday morning high school breakfast runs from 7:45 to 8:30 a.m. Each summer the youth director leads a mission trip, and each winter the group travels to Winterplace, West Virginia, for a ski weekend. Every other year two confirmation classes combine for an international pilgrimage, with previous trips to Ireland, Scotland, Greece, Spain, and Italy.

Graduating high school seniors who are active members of St. Peter's can apply for the Delany Fund Scholarship, named for Bishop Henry Beard Delany, which provides up to $1,000 toward a year of college, university, or graduate study.

Adult Formation and Small Groups

Adults at St. Peter's have many ways to grow in faith. A Centering Prayer group meets Thursday mornings at 10 a.m. in the parish parlor, beginning in silence at the sound of a bell. Education for Ministry (EfM) offers a four-year distance-learning certificate in theological education through small-group study and practice.

Foyer Groups begin in the fall and run through May, with parishioners taking turns hosting dinners in their homes; some groups meet at local restaurants instead. Newcomer classes are offered each fall and spring: St. Peter's 101 introduces the Episcopal Church and parish life, while St. Peter's 102 is a wine-and-cheese tour of the campus through a historical lens. Nourish Wednesdays bring the parish together for a rotation of classes followed by a community dinner, often centered on the Rector's Forum. St. Peter's Readers, a monthly book group, gathers on the third Tuesday of each month to discuss fiction and nonfiction.

Outreach in Fernandina Beach

The parish puts its faith into practice through a wide network of outreach ministries. Twice each month a team from St. Peter's serves a free community dinner at the Salvation Army Hope House through the Interfaith Dinner Network, with volunteers preparing, serving, and packaging meals. Each Sunday morning a community breakfast opens at 8:15 a.m. in the fellowship hall, and everyone is welcome. The church also collects non-perishable food for Barnabas and partners with Episcopal Children's Services to provide Christmas gifts for children in programs across North Florida. Once a year the parish hosts a Rise Against Hunger meal-packing event that brings together volunteers from across the community.

The Mission Committee has sent hurricane relief to the Caribbean since 1985, working in six different islands of the Lesser Antilles on projects ranging from tile floors to complete roofs. Locally, the team partners with the Nassau Council on Aging to build decks, railings, and other projects that help seniors remain in their homes. The Women's Mission Team supports Our Little Roses, a home for girls in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.

Creation Care and the Meditation Garden

Creation Care is woven into the fabric of parish life at St. Peter's, addressing sustainability, education, community partnerships, service, environmental justice, and worship. The Creation Care Committee is transforming an abandoned community garden into a Meditation Garden with a walking path, gathering area, benches, and plantings of native and Florida-friendly flora, with a total project cost of approximately $30,000. The design includes habitat for pollinators and other wildlife, and intergenerational volunteer participation is encouraged. The parish has also helped lead the opening of a community cooling center through the Nassau County Extreme Weather Coalition. St. Peter's Creation Care was named a top ten finalist in ecoAmerica's American Climate Leadership Awards for 2025.

Music and the Liturgy

Music is central to worship at St. Peter's. The Chancel Choir sings at the 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. services and at special liturgies. The Folk Mass Choir leads music at the 9:00 a.m. Folk Mass on the second and fourth Sundays, blending folk, contemporary, gospel, and spiritual songs into a distinctive parish sound. Celtic musicians provide harp, fiddle, and song for the monthly 6:00 p.m. Celtic Eucharist on the fourth Sunday. Lay volunteers serve as Readers, Crucifers, Acolytes, Ushers, Greeters, and Eucharistic Ministers, while the Altar Guild prepares the sanctuary each week as a form of living prayer.

A Legacy of Inclusion

St. Peter's describes itself as a warm, welcoming community called to know, love, worship, and serve Jesus Christ and His people. The parish has a stated legacy of inclusion, aspiring to tell of God's love for every human being and welcoming all people of any race, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression. Worship follows the Book of Common Prayer, the Catechism, the Creeds, and the Sacraments of the Episcopal Church, and the parish belongs to the Diocese of Florida. The Brotherhood of St. Andrew maintains a chapter at St. Peter's, and Shepherds extend pastoral care to parishioners through cards, calls, and connection with the clergy.

Getting Connected

The Reverend Sarah Minton serves as Rector, with the Reverend Rachel McElwee as Priest Associate. Mallory Watkins is the Director of Children and Youth, and Timothy McKee directs Music Ministries. Sarah Flint serves as Creation Care Fellow, and Jennifer Lasserre directs Communication and Parish Life. The parish uses Realm for its communications, calendar, online directory, and online giving, with an iPhone and Android app called Realm Connect. Visitors who wish to explore membership are encouraged to contact the church office to set up a Realm account, attend a St. Peter's 101 class, or read a brief history of the parish online.

St. Peter's Episcopal Church is located at 801 Atlantic Avenue, Fernandina Beach, Florida 32034, and can be reached at 904.261.4293.