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Saint Matthew's Church
The earliest Episcopal
worship services in the Comanche area were conducted in the late 1870s by
Bishop Alexander C. Garrett of Dallas. In 1886, soon after the organization
of the St. Matthews congregation, work began on this frame building. Located
on land deeded by Sarah Jane Walcott, it
 is the oldest existing church
structure in Comanche County and has been in continuous use since its
completion in 1887.
The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth formed in 1983 after the decision was
made to divide the existing Diocese of Dallas into two dioceses.
The Diocese of Fort Worth consists of 56 congregations serving 24 North
Central Texas counties. Major cities in the diocese include Fort Worth,
Arlington, Hurst-Euless-Bedford, Wichita Falls, Grand Prairie, Keller,
Brownwood, and Stephenville. We have 128 ordained clergy with approximately
19,000 communicants.
The Right Reverend Jack Leo Iker has served as the third Diocesan Bishop of
Fort Worth since 1995. His predecessors are the Rt. Rev. A. Donald Davies
and the Rt. Rev. Clarence C. Pope, Jr.
From its inception, the Diocese of Fort Worth has committed itself to the
proclamation and practice of a traditional, biblically-centered faith. The
churches of the diocese continue to grow steadily as a direct result of our
commitment to a traditional expression of Anglicanism.
Diocesan outreach programs include mission work in Mexico and the African
nation of Malawi. Locally, our churches have helped to build seven Habitat
for Humanity homes in the last six years. Clergy-led ministries are provided
to students at four local colleges and universities.
The mission statement of the diocese is "To Equip the Saints for the Work of
Ministry." Taken from Ephesians 4:12, the phrase sums up the diocesan
mission to build up our people for the purpose of taking Christ's love to
the world.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1964
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