History

BEGINNINGS

1882 Welcome to Half Way. The town “Half Way” existed half way between Greeley and Fort Collins. The Hollisters built a little shack there, where you could get some shade and water your horse. In 1882, a train line was built between Greeley and Fort Collins, right through “Half Way,” and the town of Windsor was born shortly thereafter.

1886-1914 Churches. Windsor experienced a building boom of churches. The First Methodist Episcopal Church was built on 5th and Walnut in 1886 (later rebuilt in 1914), followed by the Christian Church on north 6th and Walnut (1898 structure still in use).  In 1903, Germans from Russia, many of whom could not speak English, established St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church at 1st and Main, followed in 1910 by the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church on 5th and Walnut (since rebuilt) and, lastly,  in 1914, St. Alban’s Mission Episcopal Church on south 6th and Walnut (original 1914 structure still in use). These five churches are known today as the “Windsor Historic Churches.”

FOUNDING ST. ALBAN’S MISSION EPISCOPAL CHURCH

“The largest Episcopal parish in Colorado.” The Reveremd Iraneous Trout was rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Loveland, one of the northern Colorado pioneer parishes. His success caused the Episcopal Bishop of Colorado to assign him to shepherd ALL the homesteading Episcopalians in North Central Colorado, an area of about 900 square miles. (“The largest parish in Colorado,” he would joke.)

1905 A Parish but No Church. Father Trout met a group of Episcopalian families in Windsor in 1905, resulting in Sunday services in the borrowed Christian Church at 6th and Walnut. Father Trout registered the group as a parish in the Colorado Diocese: “St. Alban’s Mission Episcopal Church.”

1909 A Young Priest with a Vision. On a bright day in 1909, the Windsor Episcopalians attended services at Greeley’s Trinity Episcopal church and met the new Greeley rector. The Windsor group told him of their longing for a place of worship of their own…in Windsor.

1910 With God’s Help. The new rector of Trinity Episcopal Greeley was young Rev. B.W. Bonell, an energetic and charismatic pastor. Rev. Bonnell encouraged the Windsor church women to form a St. Alban’s “Ladies Guild” to raise the money to build a church. “You can do it,” he said, “with God’s help.”  And with God’s help, and a lot of sewing and cooking and organizing, the women held monthly “bazaars” where they sold their products. The ladies first bought hymnals. Then they made the down payment on a lot on 6th and Walnut, across the street from Christian Church. Two years later, the ladies made the final payment on the lot. Rev. Bonell then showed the ladies the architectural plans for a stone “village church” that he thought would be fine church building for the property they purchased.

1914 The Church is Built. As the Ladies Guild continued to sew and cook for the building fund, holding more “bazaars” and “cooked food sales”, ground was finally broken in the summer of 1914 and the first part of the structure (the rectangular nave) was enclosed by the end of that year. With their own building partly finished but useable, the ladies expanded their fund-raising to serve dinners for sale to the public.

1921 The Little Stone Church. By 1921 Rev. Bonell’s vision of the village church was complete, with the building of the Chancel (for the altar and choir), Organ Loft and “Parish House” (including kitchen) completed and in use.  Except for various revisions of the kitchen and incremental expansions of the Parish Hall over the years, the St. Alban’s church building remained unchanged until 2016, when the Parish Hall underwent its last, major, expansion.

1935 A Full-Time Priest. In 1935 Rev. Bonell, age 68, “retired” to serve the people of St. Alban’s as a full-time parish priest.  Rev. Bonell died in 1958 age 91, a year after he left the service of St. Alban’s at age 90.

1935-1975 Keep Calm and Carry On. Through the Depression, through World War II, through the 50’s, through the 60’s and the 70’s, the ladies of St. Alban’s continued to cook and can and sew and sell, holding countless fundraisers for the church building upkeep, to build the “basement” rectory,  and for priests’ salaries and expenses.

1975: A New Spirit for an Old Church. A change was happening at St. Alban’s.  Under new Vicar, The Reverend Robert Warner, the members of St. Alban’s began to look outward to serving their community.  The mission of the church changed from survival to service.  The fundraisers were as much for a community in need as for building maintenance. The Holy Spirit was leading members to look outward, and to grow in faith.  Attendance rose rapidly.  The little stone church now held multiple services to accommodate the growing congregation.

1986 St. Alban’s is a Parish!  It took 65 years after the celebration of their new stone church for little St. Alban’s to be self-supporting in order to graduate from “mission” status to “parish” status. In 1986, the congregation received with joy the designation of “St. Alban’s Parish.” 

2011 The Red Doors Open. In 2011 a 6 week Lenten project to feed the needy community of Windsor was so well-received that it grew to a weekly free community meal, the “Red Door Suppers.”  So many attended the meals that the congregation raised the money to expand the Parish Hall in 2016 to accommodate all who came to be fed.

2020:  COVID and Beyond.  COVID may have temporarily closed the red doors, but not the hearts of the congregation of St. Alban’s who longed to serve those hurting through the pandemic. The congregation installed an outdoor Community Free Pantry pantry (also painted red) for those in the neighborhood to grab a meal or a snack or some needed toiletries.  In the summer, the congregation began to offer a selection of fresh herbs and vegetables to the community, free for the picking. As soon as restrictions permitted, the congregation brought back the Red Door community meal—this time as the Red Door Lunch for Windsor’s elderly neighbors.