St. John’s in the Wilderness, Paul Smiths, is a summer chapel in the Northern Adirondack Deanery of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany. The church was founded in 1876 by Edward Trudeau, on land donated by hotelier Paul Smith, largely to minister to summer residents and guides at the hotel (now Paul Smiths College) and at the great camps of St. Regis and Spitfire Lakes. The original log cabin structure burned down in 1927, and was replaced by the current structure designed by noted Adirondack architecture William Distin. Surrounding the church is a non-denominational cemetery home to the burial sites of many notable local residents and visitors.
Services are typically held Sundays in the months of July and August, with occasional evensong and other special services. As an Episcopal church, all are joyfully welcomed to participate in worship, and all baptized Christians are welcome to receive communion.
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Priest-in-Charge: Rev. Eric Olsen
Rev. Eric Olsen comes to us with a long history of ecumenical ministry: as a Chaplain in the United States Army, a Chaplain for the NYS Department of Corrections, and as a pastor, preacher, and priest in Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Episcopal congregations.
He was ordained a Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) in 1988, after earning a BA in World Religions from Wagner College and a Master of Divinity from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (now United Lutheran Seminary).
He spent 30 years in the Army, retiring with the rank of Colonel, interspersed with prison ministry, retiring as the Senior Protestant Chaplain in Clinton and Adirondack CFs. In between these ministries, he has led multiple churches. Rev. Olsen has also served on the NYS Council of Churches and works on veteran’s issues, helping lead the Diocesan Welcome Home Initiative. He is currently transferring into the Episcopal Church through the Diocese of Albany. He is married to Susan Nagle Olsen, and is the proud father of Garth (Anna) & Evan and grandfather of Mabel.
St. John's in the Wilderness, Paul Smiths 