St. Thomas Episcopal Church is located in the lovely and historical residential community of Christiansburg, Virginia.  St. Thomas traces its beginning to the missionary effort of the Diocesan Missionary Society of the Diocese of Virginia which, in the interest of church extension in this section of the state, formed a congregation in 1858.  A movement was begun in 1887 to erect a church building which was completed in 1889 and named St. Thomas.  The first Communion Service was conducted on February 18, 1889 and the building was consecrated on April 6, 1892.  In August of the same year the building of the Montgomery Parish Rectory was begun at the corner of East Main and Roanoke Streets and was completed just before Christmas.On January 13, 1903, St. Thomas was destroyed by a fire which spread from a warehouse on the adjacent property.  There was sufficient time to save the Communion Silver and some furnishings.  The congregation rallied and raised sufficient funds to erect the present building on the corner of the rectory lot.  The Cornerstone of the new brick building was laid in the summer of 1903.  In 1947, the Parish Hall was constructed at the eastern end of the church and in 1964 an addition was added to it of which the Chapel of Christ the King is an integral part.  The church has been designated an historic landmark by the Montgomery County Historical Society.St. Thomas retained its original mission status until 1964 when it became a full-fledged parish within the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia and appointed its first rector, the Rev. A. Fraser MacCammond.  The parish experienced considerable growth during his ministry which ended with his retirement in 1974.A deep split in the congregation occurred in 1980, during the rectorship of the Rev. Harry B. Scott.  The split was primarily over the issue of the new Prayer Book and the ordination of women.  On that occasion approximately half the members withdrew under Rev. Scott’s leadership and established St. Peter the Apostle Anglican-Catholic Church.  During the ensuing years St. Thomas has prospered and regained it strength.After the brief ministry of the Rev. Bruce Caldwell (1979-1980), the Rev. Francis C. Tatem accepted a call from the vestry.  During his tenure, the rectory was demolished, a garden was planted in its place, and the columbarium was installed.  After a ministry of noticeable numerical and spiritual growth, he retired in December 1989.  Father Tatem then served as our Rector Emeritus.In September 1990, the Rev. Robert S. Goldsmith was called by the vestry and served a beneficent ministry of seven years.  He resigned in 1998 answering a call to a church in New Orleans, and the Rev. Susan Bentley served as interim Priest-in-Charge.In 1999, the Rev. Phil Paradine was called by the vestry.  Upon his installation, Father Phil began the monumental task of organizing the renovation of St. Thomas’ parish hall.  In just a few short years, the parish hall was transformed from a single story structure with a leaking roof to a two story facility that allowed us to expand and further our ministries.  When Father Phil answered a call to another diocese, the Rev. Bob Copenhaver was appointed interim Priest-in-Charge.Deacon Phyllis Spiegel was brought in during the latter months of Rev. Copenhaver’s time at St. Thomas.  Upon completion of her ministerial studies and her ordination, she was appointed rector of St. Thomas in 2003.  She led St. Thomas through a refocusing of its ministry to the surrounding community.  In June of 2015, Rev. Phyllis answered a call to another congregation in West Chester, OH.Rev. Dr. Mark W. Frazier accepted the call from the vestry as part-time rector November 2016.