The U.S. National Episcopal Historians and Archivists (NEHA) recognized St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church, Canonsburg, on June 20 during the Tri-History Conference held at the University of Toronto, Canada.
In 2016, parishioner Samuel J. Richards wrote The Middle Holds: A History of St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church, Canonsburg and the Community it Serves, published by Closson Press.
The NEHA awards committee recognized the Canonsburg book with its silver 2019 Laurence D. Fish Outstanding Parish History Award.
Richards’ research work is based on the records of St. Thomas’ Church, the Archives of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, and interviews of past and present clergy and members of the congregation. His history was written with consideration for multiple audiences. The narrative is helpful for students of church history, genealogists seeking information about family, local history buffs wanting to know a bit more about how Christians approached life along Chartiers Creek from their earliest arrival to the present, and those who have found a spiritual home at St. Thomas’ Church.
Historic images of the church and its people help illustrate the text. In addition, appendices include sermon examples ranging from 1947 to 2013, several membership rosters from past church directories, and a transcribed list of all entries from Volume I of the parish Canonical Record of Baptisms.
The Middle Holds is available from Closson Press.