While surviving the great fire of 1877, Stone Church has not been immune to the ravages of time. The worshiping congregation at St. John’s “Stone” Church regards the building as an important part of our spiritual heritage. As part of the Saint John community, we are keenly aware of the importance of the church and its history.

The year 2024 marks our building’s 200th anniversary! As a Church, we are committed to care for its structural and masonry challenges that have become more and more evident. Since 2019, we have been working diligently with the highly-qualified team at Heritage Standing Inc. and Briand Frost Masonry (both New Brunswick enterprises), to repair and secure the massive tower in front of the church.

As of the end of 2023, we have addressed significant structural and masonry deterioration of the Southern and Western facades of the tower. We were also able to work with Black River Woodworking Ltd.of Saint John to build and replace the South facing wooden louver. The whole construction project was a major undertaking costing more than $650,000! We are grateful that nearly all of the costs were covered from funds provided by our congregation and grants from the Diocese of Fredericton, The Anglican Foundation, WorkingNB, and Parks Canada Heritage Grants.

The momentum gained over the last few years encourages us to continue working toward the completion of the Conservation Project. In 2024, we’d like to address the Eastern facade of the tower and at least replace the West facing louver. The total estimated cost for the 2024 construction season is $400,000.