old Harvey Rodovick was the man in charge, aided by his
pregnant 16-year-old wife.
What the Rodovicks lacked in age, they more than made up
in talent, because the church sailed through the 24-hour
journey without any issues to a canal 500 yards from the
building site. With the help of burly workers, a bulldozer,
three days and telephone poles strategically placed in front of
the structure, the building was pulled to its present location.
Holy Apostles was home.
PEOPLE MAKE THE CHURCH
The story of the church that floated up the river on a barge
and its honest, simple beauty are inspiring, but not as much
as its congregation.
“The real beauty and the real inspiration of this place is not a
building or a story, but rather the people who call this church
their home,” the Rev. Todd Schmidtetter said of Holy Apostles.
Agnes Wichmann and her family joined Holy Apostles in
1964, at a time when about half of the congregation was
military personnel. She remembers sermons from many a
sizzling summer Sunday when the opaque glass windows
were flung open to try and gather any sea breezes. Air
conditioning was a dream.
“I used to hold my son by the seat of his pants as he hung out
the window,” the Satellite Beach resident said. >>
66: SPACE COAST LIVING | SPACECOASTLIVING.COM
MARIA SONNENBERG PHOTOS
Agnes Wichmann remembers helping to assemble the homemade stained
glass windows that decorate Holy Apostles.
Working in a small shed behind his home, Emery created this colorful triptych, a three-paneled work of art, for
the windows that are behind the altar of Holy Apostles Episcopal Church.
Learning the art of stained glass from his son,
Carleton Emery then taught fellow parishioners.
/SPACECOASTLIVING.COM