b. July 3, 1944
by Allison Rankin, Holy Cross Episcopal Church, Wilmington, 2015
Judith Johnson Beckett
Some people start a book club or a community watch program. Judith Beckett starts a church. This isn’t a project for the faint of heart. But Judith welcomed the challenge, and with the support and guidance of fellow Episcopalians and the Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina, she spearheaded the formation of what is now Holy Cross Episcopal Church, in the southern portion of New Hanover County.
It all began with an idea posed by Holy Cross member Fred Hammond – why not start a church in the southern section of the county and affiliate it with the beach town of Carolina Beach? It was 1991, and Fred had noticed a cinderblock church building for sale on Myrtle Grove Road. He emailed Judith and said, “Let’s buy it and start a church.” Judith responded, “No, hell no!” But she thought about it some more and emailed him back to say, “Let’s talk.”
“We started meeting every week trying to figure out next steps,” said Judith. It wasn’t long before word got out to John and Claudia Bennett, Jim and Marie Warren, and John Carter, all members at St. Paul’s, as well as to Paula Studebaker, member at St. Andrew’s on the Sound. Fred thought the next thing to do was to contact the Rev. Richard “Dick” Warner, a retired priest who had filled in at St. Paul’s. Dick advised them on the process of starting a church.
Meanwhile, Judith and her husband, Carl, went to the Deanery twice to get support. “It went over like a lead balloon!” said Judith. The Deanery could not understand why another Episcopal Church was needed in Wilmington. “We explained the demographics, and told them all of the existing Episcopal churches were north of Monkey Junction (where US highway 421 intersects with NC 132),” she said, leaving the whole southern section of New Hanover County without an Episcopal Church.
“In 2003 we started meeting at our house on Wednesday nights,” Judith said. Church members continued to meet at the Becketts’ house until they were able to rent the choral room in Ashley High School. The church started to grow and services migrated to the high school band room and then to the school cafeteria.
In 2007 Holy Cross members began worshipping in the Myrtle Grove Middle School cafeteria. Those were the days when church services were “on the road” – the altar, chairs, prayer books and song books, and the nursery “quilt” were all set up and taken down for each service. “This got tiresome,” Judith said. “We did that for two years.” And then in 2009 the vestry bought the property on Myrtle Grove Road at what is now Holy Cross Church. Members broke ground for the new church on Saturday, November 14, 2009.
Today, Judith serves as a greeter at Holy Cross, is a member of the parish life committee, helps out at the annual yard sale, and is involved in most any church activity that comes along. Judith Beckett – an Episcopal churchwoman for all times.