The main room of the Marble church was built in Aspen in 1886 and was known as St John's Episcopal Chapel. By 1900 in Marble there was a need for a church building. St. John's Episcopal Chapel became available in 1908. With $2500 donated by the Episcopal Women's Guild, two lots were purchased from William W. Woods. The chapel was dismantled and moved to Marble on a railroad car and reassembled on it's present site. At that time the two side rooms were added and it was renamed St. Paul's Church. The bell tower and the 500 pound bell were added in 1911. The bell was donated by Mrs. Proctor, of Proctor and Gamble. Brothers John and Ambrose Williams served as superintendents for many years.
St. Paul's Church provided a sanctuary for many congregations (Episcopal, Union Congregational, and Catholic) as well as a meeting place for other groups. It was the center of religious and social activities until late 1951 when the imminence of World War II caused the closing of the Marble Company and the demise of the town. The building was left in the care of the William's brothers and was not used for many years.
In the early 1950's, teenagers from the Vanderbosch and Loudermilk families received permission from the Williams brothers to clean the church and use it for prayer meetings and hymn singing services. Interest in these services grew, and by 1950 a congregation had formed and adopted the name Marble Community Church. During the summers of 1960 and 1961 George Drake served the congregation. George went on to become president of Grinnell College.
An unfortunate misunderstanding led the Episcopal Diocese to disallow the congregation's use of the building. For the next twelve summers the group held worship services in the old high school building. During this period the practice of inviting guest ministers from many denominations to conduct Sunday services was initiated and proved to be very successful. In 1974 the congregation was again allowed to use the church in exchange for maintenance assistance. In 1980 the recently retired Rev. Dr. Frederick Udlock moved to the area and served the church on a year round basis.
In 1983 the Marble Community Church became incorporated under the laws of Colorado, and had a roll of forty regular or associate members. After much negotiation, on July 7, 1985 the Rev. Fr. Cyril Coverly of the Episcopal Diocese presented the deed to the building and land to the officers and members of the Marble Community Church. In 1987 Dr. Udlock retired as pastor and the Rev. Miss Doris Brumbaugh was called to serve the church. Unfortunately, various circumstances caused the membership to decline and in 1991 financial conditions forced the congregation to return to its summer guest minister program.
Rev. Linda Arocha Boylan became a part time pastor in 1997, and with growth in the valley and an increase in membership, services were once again held every Sunday. From 2002 to 2004, the church undertook the huge task of renovating the original church and building a fellowship hall. With a grant from the Colorado Historical Society, donations from the community and volunteer labor, the project was completed ahead of schedule. A breezeway to connect these two buildings was completed in 2004 and landscaping was added in 2005.
With the hiring of a full time pastor and his wife, Lafe and Lori Murray, in 2006 a parsonage was needed and realized by a donation from the estate of Charles W. Jones. In July 2008 the Marble Community Church celebrated it's 100th Anniversary and the dedication of a marble angel sculpture by Connie Hendrix.
The church is on the National Historic Register. Through boom times, and difficult economic and war times, the faithfulness of God and his servants have remained strong to keep the good news moving forward.
The Marble Community Church stands a beacon of light in God's magnificent setting in the Elk Mountain Range for community… for spirit… for history… for the future... for the Kingdom of God.
