Early in his episcopate the Right Reverend Theodore Nott Barth began to see the need for planning for growth of the Church in southeast Memphis.  By late Winter or early Spring of 1956 he was talking and working with Edmund Orgill, Robert Snowden, and William Ray.  A site was chosen for a new Mission to be located at the corner of White Station Road and Quince Road.  At that time this intersection was near the center of the fastest growing area in metropolitan Memphis.

This Mission was to be unique, in that for the first time no existing Parish would be the Sponsor.  Instead, it would be sponsored by the Diocese of Tennessee.

Through the Spring and Summer of 1956 Mr. Ray, while still working for the First National Bank of Memphis (now First Tennessee Bank), put in long hours working for and with Bishop Barth.  It should be said here that Mr. Ray became known affectionately by all of us as “Bill” and later left the Bank and was ordained to the Priesthood.

On the evening of August 3, 1956, a group of some 35 or 40 interested people met at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Jack Mask to be told what progress had been made toward starting a new Mission to serve the people of southeast Memphis.  At that time the closest parishes, geographically, were Holy Communion, St. John’s and St. George’s.  We learned officially that the Reverend Robertson Eppes, Jr. would be the Vicar.  Because of an emergency he was unable to attend this meeting.

For the next week about twenty-five of us worked feverishly getting organized for our first service, but for most of us a lot of our time was spent convincing our old Rectors that we were really moving.  This can be more easily understood if you realize that these people were very active in the parishes in which they were communicants.  During this period we called our Mission “St. FNB’s” (pronounced St. Finby’s).  This was in deference to the Bank that gave us so much support.

At eleven o’clock Sunday morning, August 12, 1956, a small group met in the home of the Misses Ruth Neil Murry and Caroline (Doc) Jenkins for the first service.  Holy Communion was celebrated using an improvised Holy Table.

Those whom I remember as being there were:

NELSIE EPPES
PETE AND PEGGY ARNOLD
TOM AND EVELYN BOWEN
MORRIS & MARY FRANCES COBB
SARAH WYNNE COBB (confirmed but too young to vote)
JIM AND ELLEN COFFMAN
M.S. AND ELLA CONE
SAM AND JEAN CONE, JR.
CHARLOTTE HAZELHURST
JOE AND CAROLINE LANEY
JACK AND PEGGY MASK
HARRIET PIERCE
DOROTHY PIERCE
MURIEL SMITH
GEORGE SOIKA
CREED AND KAY TAYLOR

I have not included the names of any children who had not been confirmed.

Immediately after the Worship Service we held a business meeting for the sole purpose of selecting a name.  After all, we could hardly continue as St. FNB’s.  After some discussion and several suggestions but no vote, Mary Frances Cobb said, “Since we came from so many parishes, why can’t we be All Saints'?”  Jean Cone was the first to speak up in support, quickly followed by her mother, Mrs. Hazelhurst, then Sam and Nelsie and, I think, everyone there.

In the next seven days Tom Bowen, with the help of Sam Cone and some of the
other men, built a “Traveling” Alter. For our second service we had the first
of our tangible requirements. Again on August 26 we met for service at the
home of Miss Murry and Miss Jenkins and learned that the problem of space had
been solved and that for the next Sunday we had been offered the use of
Colonial Kindergarten, just down the street at the corner of Poplar.
For that, our third, service we had room for the children to start our
Church School. We needed it because by this time we had more than doubled our
number.

On Tuesday, September 4th we met with Bishop Barth at the home of Grace and
Carrington Bacon for an organizational meeting. The highlight of this meeting
was that the Bishop named our first Mission Warden, Dr. George Soika, our
first Treasurer, Creed Taylor. Sam Cone, Jim Coffman and Jack Mask were
appointed to the Mission Council.
The Laymen’s Conference was held at Monteagle the weekend of September 7-9.
All Saints' sent its first Delegation and they won the “Oak Bucket” for the largest group from any mission in the Diocese of Tennessee.

About this time the first Letters of Transfer began to come in. The very first one transferred Nelsie Eppes. The Dean of the Cathedral laughed and said that he did not want to separate a husband and wife. The next four were Walter and Ruth Raleigh and Carrington and Grace Bacon. It would be repetitious to list others who have been named earlier. By the end of September we had outgrown the kindergarten and on Oct. 7th, 1956 we held the services at Memphis University School. This was the first time that M.U.S. had offered the use of their facilities to any church for religious uses. For the first time we would truly have a church school, and again we were blessed in having Jean Cone. She had both education to direct and help us. During this period Douglas and Lorraine Ogilvie joined us and Doug
became our first Church School Superintendent.

On October 5th thirteen ladies and Mr. Eppes met at the home of Dorothy Pierce to organize and Altar Guild. Attending this meeting were:

Peggy Arnold Lorraine Ogilvie
Mary Frances Cobb Dorothy Pierce
Ellen Coffman Harriet Pierce
Nelsie Eppes Ruth Raleigh
Evelyn Bowen Adele Rudder
Charlene Gaubert Muriel Smith
Nancy Kubler The Rev. Mr. Eppes

The first order of business was to elect officers, and named were:

Dorothy Pierce ~ Directress
Adele Rudder ~ Sub-Directess
Mary Frances Cobb ~ Secretary
Charlene Gaubert ~ Treasurer

They selected as their name “St. Margaret’s Altar Guild of All Saints'
Mission”. They undertook the making of as many of the linens as possible, both to save
money and to help gain a better knowledge of the linens.

In the atmosphere that prevailed at all Saints', of worship and love, prayer and play, at their January 1957 meeting they made Pete Arnold, Tom Bowen, Same Crone and George Soika honorary members of the Altar Guild.

We will always be indebted to Harriet Pierce for the many years that she devoted to lovingly caring for the altar linens.

On October 14, we celebrated our first Baptismal Service. The Reverend Mr. Eppes administered the Rite of Holy Baptism to:

Mark Arnold, son of Mr. and Mrs.Pete Arnold
Lonnie Carlton, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Carlton
Walter Raleigh, Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Raleigh

In the late November Mr. Eppes asked a couple to meet representatives of the Bishop at the northeast corner of White Station and Quince Roads and to act as representatives of the Mission. Mr. and Mrs. Edmund Orgill and Mr. Bob Snowden were there and stated officially that this the place where we would erect a church building for All Saints' Mission and suggested where the first structure should be. One remark that Mr. Snowden made should be noted. He cautioned that at some time in the future we might be tempted to sell the south part of the property, but never to yield to the temptation because "You have the potential to be one of the largest parishes in the City."

Early in January 157 we began clearing the lot, and on January 13th we had the Groundbreaking Ceremony. Of course Bishop Barth officiated, and as was most fitting, Mr. Orgill and Mr. Snowden participated. Among the members of the congregation were the happy members of the Mission council: George Soika, Creed Taylor, Jack Mask, Douglas Ogilvie, and Bob Lee, Jr.

By this time Judy and Gene Smith had joined us and Gene brought in his heavy equipment to clear and grade the lot.

On January 20, 1957 a very important event took place at M.S.U. Mr. Eppes, as Vicar of All Saints' Mission, presented his first Confirmation Class to Bishop Barth. The Confirmands were: Mary Ann Bettison, Charles Carlton, Virginia Carlton, Betty Green, Clifford Green, James Harrelson, Margaret Harrelson, Priscilla Hawkes, Helen McCann, James McCann, Dick Raines, Micki Raines, Louise Shipley, Ted Shipley, Catherine Thompson, Betty Wynne, Robert Wynne, and Kay Taylor (received from the Roman Communion).

Meanwhile, first at the kindergarten and then at M.S.U. we noticed that some fine voices were being heard during the singing of the hymns. These ladies and gentlemen had been in the choirs of other parishes in the city. We were blessed too, in that Miss Muriel Smith, one of our original members wa a talented and trained musician. She became our first pianist. the first time Russ Hawkes cam to M.S.U. he started working to organize a choir. There were Kay Taylor, Ada Shaw, Mary Frances Cobb, Hope Richards, Pris Hawkes, Elizabeth Moore, Cecil dickinson, Bill West and Russ.

During this time the architectural firm of Windrom, Hagland and Venable designed and furnished the working plans for the building and the contracting firm of Wilkinson and Snowden did the construction.

Although it was not completely finished and was almost totally lacking in refinements, the building was far enough along that the evening of April 18, 1957, Maundy Thursday, saw our first service in the new building. We literally "walked the plank" to get in. Due to spring rains it was so muddy that we had to lay planks from the sidewalk to the steps.

Through late winter and early spring several ladies worked on altar cloths and acolyte vestments. On Saturday of Holy Week three sets of vestments were finished and ironed and some of the husbands rushed to the church to deliver them.

Easter Day, 1957, the procession moved down the aisle led by Charles and Tommy Dickinson and dick Whitaker. I have forgotten which one wa Crucifer because we all loved them as though they were our own.

On the afternoon of June 23rd Bishop Barth was present for the laying of the Cornerstone. We are all human, thus few things ever go perfectly: as the Crucifer passed Nelsie’s pew she was heard to whisper, “You have the cross turned backward.” He quickly turned it and everything proceeded as it should. Although the building was structurally complete, we had a concrete floor. The young people in the Mission Family took on the job of correcting that situation. Under the leadership of Creed and Kay Taylor, Carl and Diddie Sanders,
Gene and Dottie McKee and Tom and Evelyn Bowen and others, the teenagers proceeded to “Pave the Nave”. For three Christmas seasons they sold fruitcakes, but their main project was a series of Pancake Suppers. There was a standing joke that although the floor was tiled, it was apparently “paved with pancakes”. Now remember that at that time the Parish Hall extended only about to where the kitchen is today. The money was raised, but, personally, I can go the rest of my life and never eat another pancake.

The walls behind the Altar and Holy Table were also raw. Tom Bowen, Creed Taylor, Fred Kubler and Sam Cone put in the paneling that is still there. They also built and installed the Altar rail. Tom assembled the chairs that are still being used in the Chapel. During
all of this time we were using folding chairs for pews and little green pillows for kneelers.

Just after New Year’s Day 1960 the Mission Council, with their wives, met for a delightful buffet dinner at Jean and Sam Cone’s and after dinner the Council adjourned to the den and, after prayerful consideration, the Reverend Mr. Eppes was called to be the first Rector of the soon-to-be All Saints' Parish. The men rejoined the ladies and Sam proposed a toast to the new Rector of All Saints', and everyone happily joined in.

When All Saints' Mission was organized in late 1956, there was a certain time frame in which it was hoped that parish status would be attained. The Bishop wanted that goal to be reached in 5 years. With prayer, faith and work it was done in just over three years. The records indicate that this had never before been done so quickly in the Diocese of Tennessee.

On January 20, 1960 All Saints' Mission was accepted by the Diocese of Tennessee and admitted as a Parish.

On January 31, 1960 Bishop Barth installed the Reverend Robertson Eppes, Jr. as the first Rector of All Saints’ Parish.