Church of Our Saviour is a congregation in Akron's West Hill neighborhood that is home to just over 200 people. Most Sundays, between 80-100 people attend church. We are young, old, gay, straight, partnered, single, parents and not. Some of us were born Episcopalians, and others of us never heard of such a thing before we got here. We are best known for our active outreach ministry in our neighborhood and beyond, our vigorous lay leadership, and our early and radical welcome to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
Learn more about how we worship God together
Right now, Church of Our Saviour is searching for a priest-in-charge to join us in the ministry God has called us to, help us grow spiritually, share our quirkiness and love our children. We have been blessed by the many priests who have visited us in the last nine months to conduct services.
We are part of:
The Episcopal Diocese of Ohio, which comprises 95 parishes with a total of nearly 19,000 members in the 48 counties of northern Ohio.
The Episcopal Church, which welcomes all who worship Jesus Christ in 109 dioceses and three regional areas in 16 nations.
The Anglican Communion, the third largest Christian communion in the world, with approximately 70 to 80 million members.
History
Church of Our Saviour began in 1892 when a group of Episcopal women who lived in West Hill wanted a church near their homes. They appealed to Bishop Leonard of Ohio, who sent his archdeacon to organize a mission. In April 1895, that mission, which had been self-supporting from its beginning, became Church of Our Saviour.
Bishop Leonard laid the cornerstone of our building on June 13, 1895, and the first service was held on All Saints Day (November 1) 1896. The Parish Hall, endowed by Mrs. Richard P. Marvin, was completed in 1913.
Our history is intertwined with the history of Akron, and our focus on outreach today has been made possible by the generosity of the business leaders who endowed the parish in its early days. We have been a home for Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-Step groups since the earliest days of that program. Dr. Bob, the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, sent his children to our Sunday School in the 1930s.
Vestry
Congregations in the Episcopal Church are governed by a vestry, a group of laypeople elected by the congregation according to our bylaws.
The members of our vestry are: