In February, 1944, in a shanty just south of John’s Pass, Philip Henry Ralph, a retired minister from New England, convened a group of 20 adults and 20 children for the inaugural service of the Church by the Sea. Not quite a congregation, but this was just the beginning. They met in the Fisherman’s Union Hall, a retail store with a backroom used for “events”. The roof leaked when it rained and rumor has it the church leaders had to dust off the cigarette ash and toss the beer bottles, but at least they had a place to meet!
Ralph was a visitor to our beaches. On his flagship winter visit, he was struck by the absence of a protestant church. Like any community leader worth their salt, he went door to door to gauge local interest in starting one. With St. John Vianney being the only other seaside place of worship north of Pass-a-Grille, he soon found the energy he sought.
Construction began in July 1945 on the splendid building that we see today, and 2 years after the first service in 1944, the congregation had Landmark church with a Spanish-style tower on the intracoastal, north of John’s Pass.
They say Phillip didn’t just want to build a church, rather his mission was to create a community center, an orbital point around which families and children could grow and develop. This focus on youth and the family was important at the Church’s founding and continues to this day.
Today Pastor Jeff Iskra celebrates his ability to invest in the younger members of his congregation. He corrected me when I suggested this investment mirrored that of the commonplace, “these kids will be what’s left when we’re gone”. Iskra is passionate about calling on young members to lead today, through integration with the larger church family and allowing them to serve members of the community. Instead of sit down and shut up, he is stand up and get down (and dirty). If I recall, that’s what Jesus was too. Here’s to 75 more years.
Service to the community has always been a priority for this Church by the Sea. They pride themselves on being a beacon of light for the beaches, and their history tells that same story.
After the main sanctuary building was built, a spotlight was installed where the cross spire is now perched. I’m told the light would turn on when local fishermen went out into the Gulf and would turn off after all the boats came through John’s Pass and were secured at their respective docks. If there was still a boat offshore, the light would stay on. That way if the light shone longer than usual, it was cause for alarm. The threat of a lost fisherman would rally the entire church community in prayer while in-person support would be dispatched for the onshore family. For many of these local fisherman, Church by the Sea is their home church whether or not they regularly attend.
“If they need a funeral, they come to us. If they haven’t been out on a boat in a while and they need food, they come to us. Toiletries, blankets, clothes… If we can meet their needs, we do it.”
Matthew 5:14 says, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
This month we are celebrating 75 years of this bright light. Here’s to 75 more.
In 1831, a 26-year-old Frenchman was sent to the United States to study America and what makes her tick. Alexis de Tocqueville was a man on a mission. His political bosses sent him to dissect the American prison system, but his trip morphed into something bigger. Over nine months he traveled across the United States, observing and reflecting on our unique religious, political, and economic character. He spent much of his work addressing political society and various forms of political associations, yet his reflections on our civil society resonate with me. Tocqueville saw that the coming together of people for mutual purpose, both in public and private, created a more active political society and a vibrant civil society. Think: Community.
Community can get a bad wrap these days with Home Owner’s Associations declaring what kind of plant we can display on our porches, radical politicians being groomed inside the bunkers of right and left wing ideological institutions, and powerful interest groups thrusting lower speed limits and higher taxes upon fellow citizens… but this isn’t the sort of community that De Tocqueville meant. What he observed was equality and peace, and a strong synthesis between religious and political liberty. He saw this in neighborhoods, schools, and churches.
Once home, De Tocqueville penned a thorough report of his visit to our shores. Published in 1835, Democracy in America would become one of the most influential books of the 19th century. He writes, “Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits, aflame with righteousness, did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.” So maybe it’s not as much about making things great, but keeping them good. So, thanks be to those in our community who remind us, that there is good in our world and on our beaches.
Happy 75th anniversary, Church by the Sea.
Thanks for the past and we look forward to your bright future!
Ending
You likely will not see this article in time to take part in special commemorative services on February 3rd at 9:30 and 11 AM, but perhaps you would like to attend the Grand 75th Anniversary Ribbon Cutting on Wednesday, Feb 13th from 5-6 pm. They are also having a Vow Renewal Day on Saturday, Feb. 16th and a block party on February 23rd from 2 – 6 pm. On Sunday Feb 24th children will be performing a skit about the founding of the church as part of their Sunday morning service.
For further information including recent sermons and an archive of older ones, visit www.churchbythesea.com. Paradise NEWS readers are welcome to visit the church at 495 137th Ave. Cir., Madeira Beach, FL 33708 or call 727–391-7706 for more information.
Story by Corey Hubbard