1847 on North Main Street
St. John's Episcopal Church has stood on the north end of Main Street in Versailles, Kentucky since June 29, 1847. The brick building that holds the Nave was consecrated on May 28, 1885, and the parish house (now Hosea Hall) and St. Mary's Chapel were consecrated in 1930. Over time the parish acquired the two lots between the church and Green Street, giving St. John's roughly two acres of green space. A columbarium was added on the north side of the church in 1987, and two plaques still mark the pews where Queen Elizabeth II and President George H. W. Bush once sat.
The parish belongs to the Episcopal Church and sits within the Diocese of Lexington. Among its former rectors is the Rt. Rev. Addison Hosea, who served as Rector from 1954 to 1970 and then as Bishop of the Diocese of Lexington from 1971 to 1985.
Royal and Presidential Footsteps
Few small-town parishes can match St. John's guest list. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II attended Morning Prayer on Trinity Sunday, May 25, 1986, and three years later, on May 14, 1989, the 41st President of the United States, George Herbert Walker Bush, worshipped unannounced at the 8 a.m. service in St. Mary's Chapel. Plaques now mark both seats.
Two Sunday Services in Two Rooms
Sunday worship centers on the Holy Eucharist, with Morning Prayer used occasionally. At 8:00 a.m. the congregation gathers for a quiet, contemplative Holy Eucharist Rite II in the intimate St. Mary's Chapel, where there is no singing. At 10:30 a.m. the assembly moves into the Nave for the principal service of the day, also Rite II, sung from the 1982 Hymnal. That 10:30 service is livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube. Between the two services, adults meet at 9:00 a.m. for Christian Education; recent studies have included "How We Learn to be Brave" by Mariann Budde.
The parish makes a point of inviting newcomers without preconditions: come as you are, wherever you are on your faith journey.
A Week of Prayer
The rhythm of the week stretches well beyond Sunday morning. On Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 8:30 p.m., lay members of the parish lead Compline from their homes using the Book of Common Prayer and New Zealand Night Prayer, streamed live on Facebook. Wednesday afternoons bring Evening Prayer and Healing Prayer at 5:30 p.m. in St. Mary's Chapel. The church office is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Summer Outdoors and Seasonal Traditions
During the warmer months St. John's periodically holds outdoor services followed by a parish picnic, often shared with neighbors from Versailles Presbyterian and St. Paul's African Methodist Episcopal Church. The calendar of special services runs from the Blessing of the Animals (which fills the green space with horses, turtles, dogs, and cats) to Kirkin' o' the Tartans, when a bagpipe band processes down Main Street, to a candlelit Festival Holy Eucharist on Christmas Eve with strings and incense.
Children, Adults, and Lifelong Learning
Younger members of the parish meet through Godly Play, a Montessori-style program that introduces children to the stories of the Christian faith. Sunday School classes for adults run alongside the children's programs, and the parish takes part in Education for Ministry, a four-year small-group program of theological reading and reflection. A Reading Club gathers readers around shared books, and Vacation Bible School fills one week a year with crafts, games, and storytelling for children of the community.
Outreach in Versailles and Beyond
The parish has woven outreach into the rhythm of the year. A Diaper Drive collects supplies for families with infants, and Blessing Boxes placed around the neighborhood offer shelf-stable food and toiletries to anyone who needs them. Angel Tree provides Christmas gifts for children whose parents are incarcerated, and a Community Dinner opens the parish hall to neighbors who might otherwise eat alone. Together these efforts reflect the parish's stated conviction that God calls the church to be that love in its town and the world.
Music at St. John's
Music has been a steady thread in the life of St. John's for generations. Brent Nicholas serves as Organist and Choir Director, bringing more than four decades of church music experience to the Nave. He holds a bachelor's in Music Education from West Virginia Institute of Technology, where he studied piano with Olive Meyers and conducting and voice with Guy Owen Baker, and a master's in Choral Conducting from West Virginia University, where he studied with Dr. Kathleen Shannon and served as Assistant Director of Choirs. The 10:30 a.m. service draws on the 1982 Hymnal, with string instruments joining the choir for the Festival Holy Eucharist on Christmas Eve.
What St. John's Believes
The parish articulates its faith simply. God loves and accepts everyone, and God calls the church to be that love in its town and the world. The church exists, St. John's teaches, not to tell people what to believe but to make evident in whom to believe. Members are clear about the Christian faith, not preoccupied with secondary issues, rooted in the rich tradition of Christian worship, encouraged to grow in the faith they profess, and called to live so as to make a difference in the world.
The People Who Lead
The Rev. Dr. Keila C. Thomas serves as Priest-in-Charge. Before entering the ordained ministry, Mother Keila spent twenty-eight years at Berea College as an endowed professor; teaching The Understandings of Christianity drew her toward her vocation. She has also served as priest at Saint Alban's in Morehead and Saint Peter's in Paris, and as a hospice chaplain. Brent Nicholas directs the music program as Organist and Choir Director.
Come As You Are
St. John's sits at 210 N. Main Street in Versailles, with the Nave facing the street and St. Mary's Chapel, Hosea Hall, and the green space stretching back toward Green Street. Visitors are welcome at any service. The principal Sunday gathering at 10:30 a.m. is livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube for those who wish to worship from home, and weekday Compline is streamed on Tuesday and Thursday nights at 8:30 p.m.