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The Middle Holds: A History of St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church, Canonsburg, and the Community it Serves

In 1866, Antebellum America was a place of change filled with many questions when Episcopalians of the Chartiers Valley began gathering in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.

One year later, Pittsburgh's first Episcopalian bishop visited to name the mission after St. Thomas the Apostle. In the 150 years since then, the ministry of St. Thomas' Episcopal Church has illustrated the struggles and triumphs of small mainline churches as they wrestle with questions of finance, leadership, theology, and mission.

Samuel Richards’ work, titled The Middle Holds: A History of St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church, Canonsburg, and the Community it Serves, is based on research in the records of St. Thomas' Church, the Archives of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, and interviews of past and present clergy and members of the congregation. His history was written with consideration for multiple audiences. The narrative is helpful for students of church history, genealogists seeking information about family, local history buffs wanting to know a bit more about how Christians approached life along Chartiers Creek from their earliest arrival to the present, and those who have found a spiritual home at St. Thomas' Church.

Historic images of the church and its people help illustrate the text. In addition, appendices include sermon examples ranging from 1947 to 2013, several membership rosters from past church directories, and a transcribed list of all entries from Volume I of the parish Canonical Register of Baptisms.

The book is published by Closson Press, Apollo, Pennsylvania and is softbound, 155 pages and is available for $24.95. Visit www.clossonpress.com to place your order online.

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