Church of Our Heritage

Church of Our Heritage. Forest Lawn Memorial Park. , Designed from St. George's Church, Fredericksburg, Virginia, erected 1732, demolished 1814. , On its vestry, James Monroe, fifth President of the United States, served for many years. , , This church, designed from old St. George's in Fredericksburg, Virginia, honors the heritage of patriotism and religious freedom bequeathed by our forefathers, three of whom attended the original church: James Monroe, George Washington, and John Paul Jones. , , James Monroe enlisted in Washington's army at sixteen, and from that day, his whole life was devoted to serving our nation. He was minister to three European countries. He served as Secretary of War and of State. He negotiated the Louisiana Purchase. His two terms as President were known as the Era of Good Feeling. In 1823, he proclaimed the Monroe Doctrine, which is his best-known achievement. Fredericksburg always remained his home and St. George's his church, of which he was a vestryman. , , George Washington, too, was a vestryman of St. George's. His boyhood home was a nearby farm where he was born. Even after he had lived at Mount Vernon for years, he visited his mother in Fredericksburg and attended St. George's on Sundays. His last visit before his inauguration was to ask his mother's blessing on the work that lay ahead. , , John Paul Jones, our first naval hero, worshipped in St. George's during the years he lived in Fredericksburg before the Revolution and when he returned after independence was won. He remains in our country's memory as the man who met the demand for surrender of his blazing ship with the cry, "I have not yet begun to fight!" , , The Church of Our Heritage is non-denominational and welcomes all faiths.