Built in 1891, St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church was designed by the British-born architect Henry Vaughan, who also designed the Washington National Cathedral. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1984, the church features a distinctive square, battle-mounted tower with a round turret and fieldstone walls. The adjacent architecturally and historically significant Federal-style William Hale House is used for parish offices and activities.

St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church has been an active and integral member of the Dover Cooperative Ministries Council (DMC), a nonprofit interfaith laity organization, founded in 1972. For the past 40 years, under the umbrella of DMC, the Dover Friendly Kitchen (DFK) has served as the only continuously operating soup kitchen in the Dover area, serving free meals to the hungry and homeless. During DFK mealtimes, MARF (Mutual Aid Relief Fund) offers free used clothing, blankets, sleeping bags, and personal care items. Its community service includes sharing space with a weekly Alcoholics Anonymous meeting group and with the Indonesian Christian Community that has used St. Thomas’ for services and activities since 2013. The Dover Rotary uses the parish hall for its annual food relief program. The Fourth Street Jazz Community Singers, The Garrison Players Showstoppers, as well as other local choral/musical theater groups, regularly perform in the sanctuary and use Hale House for rehearsals.

A National Fund grant of $192,500 with a matching $192,500 to be raised by the congregation will fund a new roof for the church that will safeguard the interior and exterior from water infiltration.

Photo by Suzanne Poulin