As one of the oldest churches in the Diocese of Southeast Florida, All Saints attracts many wishing to enjoy this fine example of Carpenter Gothic style architecture, a church where more than 100 years of dedicated worship services have been celebrated. The life of the congregation is reflective of the life of the community and its history.

Early Episcopal Activity - 1894 to 1896

The earliest reference to Episcopal activity in the region appears in the diary of the Rt. Rev. William Crane Gray, Bishop of the Missionary Diocese of Southern Florida, who visited various settlements along the Indian River in the year 1894. On the 23rd day of January, Bishop Gray visited Eden, Florida, and preached in the local schoolhouse. Later that day, he walked the three miles down to Jensen Beach where he delivered a sermon in the parlor of the Jensen Hotel. This was the first Episcopal service conducted in the Waveland area.

In this formative period, the Church's missionary efforts along the southern reaches of the Indian River were entrusted in Archdeacon B. F. Brown of Titusville among others. This history of Jensen Beach, Sewall’s Point, and All Saints Episcopal Church are inexorably linked.

Building the Church and establishing the Congregation - 1897 to 1940

During these pioneer years, the small congregation of Episcopalians held their monthly devotional services at first in private homes and later in a schoolhouse. The commencement of a building program was made possible by a gift of five acres from Charles and Mary Racey to be used as the site for the church and the cemetery grounds.

In 1897, funds were raised for the construction of the church building, led by Frederick W. Willes and in the following year All Saints' Episcopal Church became a reality. On February 18, 1899, Bishop Gray returned to Waveland to consecrate the structure.

The residents of Stuart joined those from the Jensen area for services until 1925, when Martin County was created and Stuart became the county seat. A year later, the Stuart communicants established their own mission and purchased a building, which was dedicated in 1932 as St. Mary's Episcopal Church. This led to a dramatic decrease in attendance at All Saints, and the population shifts to the south resulted in the ceasing of regular services at All Saints in 1940

A New Beginning and a Self-Supporting Church - 1949 to 1977

Almost a decade later the population of the area had once again increased to the point where All Saints' Church could again hold weekly services, conducted by a number of retired clergy and other clergy who enjoyed the gentle winters. After the devastating hurricane of 1949, the church building was put back upon its foundations for a wedding for one of the daughters of a pioneering family.

In 1958, a native Floridian and a graduate of the University of Florida and Berkley Divinity School, the Rev. Allan B. Purdom, was called. A veteran of the U.S. Navy, he was ordained a priest on December 23, 1958; his first celebration of the Holy Eucharist was on Christmas Eve. When the church became self-supporting, the 1961 Diocesan Convention approved All Saints as a parish in the Diocese of South Florida making Father Purdom the first Rector. In 1959, a residence adjacent to the church property was purchased, renovated, and expanded to serve as a parish hall. The primary carpenter was Carl Houg. This building, while upgraded and subsequently expanded, carries his name.

A New Location and a New Rectory - 1962 to 1977

In 1962, Father Purdom was called to a parish in St. Petersburg, and was succeeded by the Rev. Norman B. Feaster, a graduate of Seabury-Western Theological Seminary. Father Feaster arrived from Pompano Beach. During Father Feaster’s tenure, the original rectory was torn down. The church was moved in 1963 from it’s original location to the current location so that more efficient use of the land could be enjoyed. The church was brought to the pinnacle of the hill, surrounded by the cemetery and parking areas. Through funds bequeathed, air-conditioning was installed in 1965. In 1966, a new rectory was built on the original site of the church. New stained glass windows were dedicated, including one the Rector and Vestry gave in thanksgiving for Isabel Kline’s bequest.

Upon Father Feaster's departure to Broward County, the third Rector, the Rev. James Willard Lynn was called. A native Floridian, he and his wife Earlene attended Florida State University. He was awarded a BA in 1957, and in 1960 he graduated from the School of Theology, University of the South. They stayed for only two years, 1967-1969. The Lynn’s were the first family to live on the site of the original church in a newly built Rectory. The rector’s children, Julie Dorothy and Rusty Willard, were both confirmed here in 1968. Rusty served as an acolyte to his father.

In 1970, the much-beloved fourth Rector, Frank R. Alvarez was called. A stained glass window, offered in his memory, resides in the sacristy. A Nashotah House graduate, this priest from Miami oversaw the continual numerical growth in the parish. He died in 1977.

Continued Growth of a Parish - 1978 to 1988

The Rev. Jonathan B. Coffey was named the fifth Rector in 1978. He received his theological education on the West Coast, at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, and arrived from All Souls' Church, Miami Beach.

In 1979, due to overflow crowds, the original church edifice was enlarged with the greatest care taken not to alter the rich character of the past. Existing back walls were pushed out to make seating room for 60 additional people, and a choir loft was added under the rose window.