Rev. John Beach presides over final service at St. John’s Episcopal Church

By Laura Eisener

The Sunday after Easter (April 27) was the farewell service for Rev. John Beach and his wife Denise Beneteau, who are retiring from St. John’s Episcopal Church. They will be fondly remembered by many people from Saugus, as they helped people get through the pandemic and beyond. John’s career spans many locations, including time in Switzerland and several other U.S. locations, before coming to Saugus.

John will be remembered for his sunrise Easter services in the garden, his encouraging messages every Sunday, his frequent book discussion groups, special holiday service and many other things. He started the vegetable garden, which provided fresh produce for the Saugus food pantry for several years, and worked in it every week from spring through fall. Denise was a worship leader and participated in many aspects of the community activities.

Rev. Beach was often seen bicycling around town to visit parishioners and on other errands. He took a summer sabbatical to bicycle across the country, from the West Coast to the East Coast, visiting many communities along the way, which provided him with many stories to bring back here, and Denise accompanied him on sections of his trip.