Church of the Epiphany is a constant in changing area

[Editor's Note: This article has changed. The Church of the Epiphany has never moved from Madrona. Also, Seattle civil rights leader Ed Pratt was a member of Epiphany's mission congregation, St. David of Wales, located in Edmonds.]

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The chiming noon bells of the Church of the Epiphany echo in Madrona, playing old Episcopalian melodies that reflect the staying power of a church in an ever-changing city.

The bells that chime twice a day are a symbol of the longevity of the 100-year-old church and have become part of what makes the neighborhood distinct, said the Rev. Jane Maynard.

"Our mission is to offer ministry, worship and support to the neighborhood," Maynard said.

Since 1907, the parish has seen its main sanctuary burned in an arson and growth in its congregation and buildings.

The current location of the parish was not established until 1911, which gave the Pacific Northwest enough Episcopal churches to formally declare itself a full-fledged diocese, according to church historian Barbara Stenson Spaeth.

Before the property was purchased, church services were held in a storefront a few blocks away.

In 1971, the church was named one of the most significant architecture designs in the city by the Seattle P-I and the American Institute of Architects.

In October 1978, it was declared a historic Seattle landmark.

Epiphany was in the spotlight early in its history when the Rev. S. Cameron Morrison died of poisoning Aug. 2, 1922.

Morrison bought the poison barium sulfide when his doctor had prescribed barium sulfate for pains in his abdomen.

Spaeth said that in May 1975 a firebombing damaged much of the interior of the church, but structurally there was no damage.

No one was injured in the fire, and the church was repaired by the end of the summer, she said.

No one on the church staff knows exactly how the church was named Epiphany.

But Spaeth said a group of women chose it in 1908 to reflect the Christian realization, or epiphany, of Jesus as Christ.

Many of those moments are captured in the stained glass windows of the main chapel. Stories from the Bible, such as Jesus' first miracle, the crucifixion and resurrection are depicted in vibrant color.

"It's really about the 'aha' moment," she said.