A Firestone family endowment launched the construction of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in the Firestone Park area, originally for Firestone Company employees.The church was completed in 1928. St. Peter’s was impacted by the declining rubber industry in Akron during the 1970’s and 80’s. By 2001, the parish was unable to support a full time priest.

In the late 1970’s, a small Episcopal congregation was forming in Northern Stark County as a break-off group from St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Canton, Ohio. Named St. Michaels and All Angels, the congregation eventually purchased a church building near the intersection of Cleveland Ave. and Route 619 in Uniontown. The church membership ebbed and flowed over the next 20 years. By 2001, St. Michaels was looking for a half-time priest for its faithful but declining congregation.

In 2001, the Bishop of the Diocese of Ohio appointed The Rev. Stephanie Pace to serve half time at St. Michael’s. As St. Peter’s was also looking for a half-time priest, discussion arose about Rev. Stephanie about serving both churches. Within a short period of time, the benefits of merging the two churches and having a full time priest became clear, and the two vestries began discussions.

The brand new New Life Episcopal Church celebrated its first Eucharistic Service on the first Sunday in December, 2002.

New Life Episcopal Church is the new faith family resulting from the merger in 2001 of two churches; St. Michaels and All Angels, Uniontown, Ohio, and St. Peters, Akron, Ohio.

As the rubber industry and Akron’s population exploded in the early 1900’s, Harvey Firestone responded to the housing crunch by building homes for employees in an area of Akron that was named Firestone Park. A Firestone family endowment launched the construction of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in the Firestone Park area, originally for Firestone Company employees. The church was completed in 1928. In the 1950’s and 60’s, a surge in the industry resulted as the use of the automobile took off. But after 50 years of serving Firestone Park and surrounding communities, St. Peter’s was impacted by the declining rubber industry in Akron during the 1970’s and 80’s. By the early 1990’s, all the rubber companies but one had moved their headquarters out of Akron. St. Peter’s struggled to survive with a declining membership. By 2001, the parish was unable to support a full time priest.

While St. Peters was grappling with the challenges of Akron and Summit County in the late 1970’s, a small Episcopal congregation was forming in Northern Stark County as a break-off group from St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Canton, Ohio. In the spring of 1980, the group held its first services in a bank building, and then in the Uniontown, Ohio Firehouse. Named St. Michaels and All Angels, the congregation eventually purchased a church building near the intersection of Cleveland Ave. and Route 619 in Uniontown. The church membership ebbed and flowed over the next 20 years, with full time priests at times and only supply priests at times. By 2001, St. Michaels was looking for a half-time priest for its faithful but declining congregation.

In 2001, the Bishop of the Diocese of Ohio appointed The Rev. Stephanie Pace to serve half time at St. Michael’s. As St. Peter’s was also looking for a half-time priest, discussion arose about Rev. Stephanie about serving both churches. Within a short period of time, the benefits of merging the two churches and having a full time priest became clear, and the two vestries began discussions.

With Rev. Stephanie’s guidance, the friendly merger was complete in November 2002, and the new combined church families became New Life Episcopal Church. It was decided to sell the church building which was the most expensive to operate (St. Peter’s), and to locate to the smaller church in Uniontown until a new church in the nearby, fast-growing City of Green, Ohio could be constructed. The brand new New Life Episcopal Church celebrated its first Eucharistic Service on the first Sunday in December, 2002.

In 2006, as the church continued to build the financial and human resources to support the construction and move to a new church building, a decision was taken to make some needed repairs and improvements to the Uniontown facility, making the building fully handicapped-accessible and better able to serve various populations.

Today, New Life is a vibrant and exciting, medium-sized parish with much to offer and much to look forward to in the future. Some of the excitement involves new young families that have filled our halls with children. Some of the excitement involves potential ministries that our handicapped-accessible building enables. And some of the excitement stems from the time, talent and treasure of new members. Our growing faith family enables us to do more of God’s work within the parish and larger community, and brings us ever closer to our goal of building a new church.  We are blessed to be a part of New Life at this time of exhilarating opportunity to experience God. Join us for this fantastic journey of faith!