Episcopal Milton church to present consecration document to public archives June 5

On the 140th anniversary of its consecration, The Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist, Milton, will present its consecration document to the Delaware Public Archives at 10 a.m., Monday, June 5.

Although the parish started out at a different location outside Milton in 1728, the first bishop of the Diocese of Delaware, the Right Rev. Dr. Alfred Lee, consecrated the second church and created the document in 1877. The parish has displayed the artifact at the church for many years, but the vestry opted for managed, professional archiving with the State of Delaware. It will always be available for viewing at the Archives, and a high-resolution replica was created for display at the church.

The Rev. Tom White and vestry members will present the item to State Archivist Stephen Marz. White said, "We greatly value the long and rich history we have at St. John the Baptist Episcopal. Interestingly, our purpose in 2017 is the same as it was in 1877: to glorify God in our worship and share God's redeeming love with everyone we can, however we can."

The public is invited to witness the handover of the document. The Delaware Public Archives is at 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. North, Dover. For more information and a short history of The Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist church, go to www.saintjohnsmilton.org.