On February 18, 1950, the congregation which would later be known as St. David’s Episcopal Church, Friday Harbor, met for its first service in the Valley Church (at Valley Cemetery) on San Juan Island. The service was conducted by the Rev. George Foster Pratt of Abbotsford, British Columbia in Canada.
Over the years, services have been held in a variety of locations. The original structure, at the current 780 Park Street location, was built on 1.65 acres of land given by Mr. and Mrs. De Forrest W. Fletcher in October 1957 and dedicated to the glory of God by Bishop William Fisher Lewis on June 16, 1963.
The Rev. Edward Douglas Leche, III became vicar of the San Juan Islands Mission on April 1, 1967 and was the first vicar to live in Friday Harbor. His 21 year tenure saw the mission through many changes within the church, the community and society.
In 1995 St. David’s made a leap of faith and under the leadership of The Rev. West Davis, moved from being a mission to becoming a parish in 1999.
In 2007, The Rev. Nancy Tiederman and the congregation undertook a major renovation project which resulted in an expanded, modern, accessible and light-filled church building. However the living church is not the building. It is reflected in the people of St. Davids… a struggling, seeking, believing, imperfect, but loving people, who trust that the grace of God will lead them into the Light.