300th Anniversary Celebration of Our Parish
This year The Fork Church is observing its 300th anniversary of the founding of our St. Martin’s Parish in 1726. To mark this momentous occasion, several events have already happened. Don’t miss the FINAL EVENT ON NOVEMBER 11 as we commemorate three centuries of worship, community, and service:
Please join us for Holy Eucharist – with Recommitment to Mission and Ministry – Wednesday, November 11, 2026, at 6:00 pm. Presiding will be The Rt. Rev’d E. Mark Stevenson, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia. Visiting clergy are invited to vest and process (White Stoles). Vesting begins at 5:30 pm in the Parish House. A reception in the Parish House will follow the service. All are welcome to join us in thanksgiving and celebration!
If you missed the first event – a talk by the Rev’d Dr. Robert Prichard, Professor Emeritus of Christianity in America at the Virginia Theological Seminary, on The Established Anglican Church in St. Martin’s Parish, 1726-1776,on Friday, February 27 – you can still catch it in on our Facebook page. Click here.
The second event was held May 29, 2026, a dinner and talk from the Rev’d Charles Joy on God’s Household: The Historic Lives of St Martin’s Parish. If you missed it, you can find a video of Rev’d Joy on our Facebook page. Click here.
On August 15, the momentous third event, we were honored to be the final stop in the Hanover 250 Voices of Freedom self-guided tour highlighting the disestablishment of Anglicanism and the adoption of the Statue for Religious Freedom in Virginia. Visit our Facebook page for highlights!
The fourth event commemorating our 300th anniversary was a dinner and talk from our church historian, Mr. Alastair Macdonald on September 11, on Fork Chapel and Fork Church: From the Bottom Up. You can catch it on our Facebook page. Click here.
In addition, check out our History page (under About) to learn more about Fork Church’s past and legacy, including writings from authors who have researched and studied our church’s beginnings. Don’t miss Alastair Macdonald’s St. Martin’s History Notes (here) or Rev’d Charles Joy’s St. Martin’s Parish Sketches (here)
Stay tuned as we continue to discuss ways to celebrate and include other churches and groups, and explore ways going forward for our treasured church as we discern who God is calling us to be.