Get to Know: St. Vincent's-in-the-Vineyard, Ste. Genevieve

St. Vincent's-in-the-Vineyard is nestled in the wooded, rolling hills of Ste. Genevieve County. This beautiful little chapel is a jewel of Chaumette Vineyards and Winery, about 70 miles south of St. Louis.

The parish draws a small, but devoted, group for worship every Sunday and regularly welcomes additional guests who are visiting the vineyards. A rotation of mostly retired clergy enjoy leading worship services, which end each week with lunch (and wine, of course) at Chaumette's Grapevine Grill, just down the hill from the chapel. Meals are served family-style, with everyone pitching to cover the cost. Bishop Deon Johnson calls it "the best coffee hour in the Diocese!"

Member Kay Crecelius says you never know who will be vacationing at the villas and joining their Sunday tradition. "This is a church that really cares. It cares for its members and its community."

Chaumette is owned by Episcopalians Hank and Jackie Johnson. They established their boutique wine resort destination in 1990. At that time, the church did not exist -- at least not in Ste. Genevieve. The chapel was originally part of the Thompson Retreat and Conference Center (at I-270 and Ladue Road in St. Louis County), which was owned by the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri. When the Diocese sold the center in 2002, the Johnsons purchased the chapel, then called St. David's Chapel. The Johnsons had the chapel dismantled from its brick structure, and moved it piece by piece to Ste. Genevieve. The church was rebuilt with as a clapboard building, but with the same design, windows, flooring, pews, altar, pipe organ, and even the red carpeting. Then-Bishop George Wayne Smith reconsecrated the church and renamed it St. Vincent's-in-the-Vineyard in October of 2003.

The chapel's idyllic surroundings make it a perfect spot for weddings. St. Vincent's-in-the-Vineyard and Chaumette serve as a full-service wedding venue.

Members at St. Vincent's-in-the-Vineyard are proud of their radical hospitality. Although they are Episcopalians, they know Chaumette's visitors may not be. So they welcome all faiths in their worship and fellowship.

"The theology is sound," said member Martha DeMent. "This is truly a church that thinks with its head and acts with its heart."

Vital Stats:

Church name: St. Vincent’s-in-the-Vineyard

Address: 24345 State Road WW

City: Ste. Genevieve

Email: [email protected]

Worship Services: Sundays at 11:15 a.m.

Clergy: (on a rotating basis)

The Rev. Warren Crews
The Rev. Sally Weaver
The Rev. Rich Tudor

Mission:
Through the use of the rich resources of our Episcopal tradition, including our environment, hospitality, and inclusiveness, the mission of St. Vincent's-in-the-Vineyard is to seek paths of mutual understanding and peace by promoting openness in interfaith engagement, theological dialogue, and spiritual enrichment.

Members: 9
ASA: 15