Church realizes vision of chapel

After a parishioner dreamed of an altar on a hilltop, members of All Saints' Episcopal Church labored to build an outdoor place of worship.

By TERRI D. REEVES

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 26, 2000

TARPON SPRINGS -- Larry Carroll, a parishioner at All Saints' Episcopal Church, said God sent him a vision.

In it, three misguided teens were walking down the street in front of the 108-year-old, white, wooden church where Carroll worships. One of the teens looked up at the top of the hill, saw a limestone altar under the tall pines, walked there, confessed his sins and gave his life to God.

[Times photos: John Pendygraft] The Rt. Rev. John Lipscomb blesses the altar of All Saints' Episcopal Church's newly built outdoor chapel.

It was that image that moved the 61-year-old hairdresser to lead the creation of a picturesque outdoor chapel on a piece of heavily wooded church property.

"I said, "This church is going to have this,' " Carroll said.

After sharing his dream with the congregation and getting their approval, Carroll, his wife, Beverly, and several other church members worked for the past 18 Tuesdays from daybreak until late in the afternoon to create an outdoor retreat.

Wednesday evening, a dedication ceremony for the new chapel was held on the church property at 1700 Keystone Road east of U.S. 19. During the ceremony, the Rt. Rev. John B. Lipscomb, the bishop for the Diocese of Southwest Florida, led a procession of about 100 up the hill, past stained-glass panels and several wooden crosses, to enjoy the rustic, open-air chapel.

With the fragrance of freshly laid cedar mulch in the air, the bishop gave his blessing to the Chapel of the Resurrection, which overlooks Lake Tarpon.

Parishioners seemed pleased with the new surroundings.

"There is so much serenity up here," said Nita Ball of New Port Richey.

Larry Carroll hugs a member of the congregation after the chapel's dedication. Carroll started work on the chapel after dreaming about it, he said.

"This is just like the Bible, where people worshiped outdoors," said Betty Purchase of Tarpon Springs. "I'd rather be outdoors any day than inside."

Her 12-year-old daughter, Libby Ziegler, said the chapel had an "amazing view of the lake."

Richard Purchase said he was surprised the location had become so attractive.

"It was a jungle," he said. "You couldn't even see up here."

The property, formerly a dumping ground, had become so overgrown with vines, weeds and scrub that the old stoves, televisions, mattresses and beer bottles on the ground were hidden. After the volunteers cleared the property, it was time to get creative.

Mrs. Carroll, who has been doing stained-glass work for 15 years, repaired some broken amber and ruby stained-glass windows and placed them in standing wooden panels. Old telephone poles donated by GTE became legs for plank benches. One parishioner, who owns a rock mine, donated a huge chunk of limestone. Carroll fashioned it into an altar, which has a natural dip in it for a baptismal fount.

The chapel will be used for sunrise services, weddings and baptisms, and will serve as a sanctuary for the neighboring community.

Hanging above the altar is a rough-hewn cross made by Larry Carroll.

"Like our Lord Jesus, Larry is a crafter of wood," said the Rev. Frank C. Creamer, leader of the 600-member congregation. "And he has shared his talents with the church on many occasions."

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