Our History

St. David of the Hills Episcopal Church resulted from a combining of two groups of Episcopalians in the Woodland Park area. One group consisted of local Episcopalians who wanted to start a diocesan mission in Woodland Park. The other group was The Community of Celebration with their Fisherfolk music ministry, organized in Houston, Texas in 1964 as part of a renewal movement in the Episcopal Church. In 1975 The Community moved to the Thunderbird Ranch, a summer camp of Grace Episcopal Church in Colorado Springs (and now a subdivision). Both groups were urged by Colorado’s Bishop William C. Frey to come together as one Episcopal presence. On June 3, 1979 services for all local Episcopalians were held at the Grace Church Camp. The name chosen for the new mission in a contest was St. David of the Hills. 

A letter from then Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado, the Right Reverend William C. Frey, to Mr. Tom Nelson of Colorado Springs, dated 8 March 1979 began:

“Father Hewitt has shared with me your interest in the possibility of forming a mission congregation in Woodland Park. I confess I was grateful to have the information, since I had seen while passing through Woodland Park in November, a sign in a shop window urging Episcopalians to call a given phone number. Not knowing what it was about, I was naturally curious.”

Tom Nelson replied to Bishop Frey’s letter on April 10, 1979:

“…On the evening of April 4th, I had a fruitful meeting with several of the families and individuals interested in starting the Mission. The outcome of the meeting was the need of a leader, preferably a Priest… I have been in communication with a retired Priest in this area and at present, have a tentative promise from one to preside at the Easter morning service and give Communion.  I am looking forward to at least 50 to attend this service.  Please let me hear from you.  Sincerely yours in Christ, Thomas Nelson, Jr.”

Five days later on Easter Sunday, April 15, 1979, forty-two worshipers, including a number of children, gathered at the home of Albert and Patricia Maidt in Woodland Park for Easter services and with Father Giffin celebrated Holy Communion.

An article titled “Episcopalians form Church” published in the Ute Pass Courier of June 29, 1979, chronicled the next step in the church’s birth.

“Colorado Episcopal Bishop William Frey met Wednesday, June 20, with local Episcopalians to discuss a proposed mission in Woodland Park…. he wanted the new mission to be “unique among missions in Colorado and one that could be used as an example for other missions.” It would be a “corporate ministry” in which the members would do much of the ministering themselves, performing duties such as visiting the sick, calling upon new members, serving as lay readers and forming active committees. Services and Holy Eucharist are observed at 10 a.m. each Sunday at the recreation hall of Grace church Camp, located at 300 S. Baldwin St. in Woodland Park.”

By August 1979, church services were being held in the family building of the Community of Celebration, adjacent to the Woodland Park Schools at the corner of Baldwin Avenue and Pikes Peak Street. A ‘corporate vicar’ of four persons were appointed to represent the Bishop and have responsibility for the ministry at St. David.

Father Ernest Priest was appointed by the Bishop to be the presiding priest for 1979, but the church membership never grew large enough to support a full-time rector.

In the summer of 1986 the Community of Celebration disbanded at the Church Camp and most members left the area. St. David’s Mission continued to hold services at the Church Camp and became a parochial mission of Grace Church in January, 1988. Fr. Ernest Priest who had been with St. David’s from its inception transferred to the St. Francis Center in Denver. St. David’s continued to be served by supply and interim priests appointed by Grace Church. 

In December 1989 when Grace Church put the 200-acre Church Camp property on the market, St. David’s Mission moved to a small rental building at 108 N. Park Street in Woodland Park where services were held for 10 years. St. David’s celebrated parish status in October, 1997. In (October 2002) St. David’s purchased a 3-bedroom home with a commanding view of Pikes Peak at 36 Edlowe Road at the junction of Highway 24, just west of Woodland Park. It became a parish wide effort to transform this building into a lovely place of worship.

By February 1990 the church had moved again, this time to 108 North Park Street in downtown Woodland Park.

In 2000, the vestry purchased the present sanctuary, a converted ranch style home located at 36 Edlowe Road, in the Catamount area of Teller County, just off Highway 24.  Renovations commenced in 2000 and continuing into 2003, converting the residence into a sanctuary, offices and a kitchen-meeting room area.

St. David’s continues to be blessed with a strong lay leadership and dedicated supply priests and committed to our Mission Statement: A Worshiping Community, Seeking to Know Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Striving to make his love Known.

Reverends Myrna Bevens and Vaughan McTernan, two ordained Episcopal priests share the pulpit on alternating Sundays, supplemented by lay readers when the priest’s schedules take them away from St. David.