A Parish at the Corner of Genesee and Elizabeth
Grace Episcopal Church sits at the corner of Genesee Street and Elizabeth Street in historic downtown Utica, New York, where it has gathered worshipers since 1838. As one of the city's oldest continuous congregations and a parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York, Grace is known for its commitment to traditional Anglican worship, its long-running choral and organ program, and an explicitly inclusive welcome that reaches into a diverse surrounding community.
Founded in 1838, Built by Upjohn
Grace Church was organized as a parish in 1838, with its first home a simple frame building at the corner of Broadway and Columbia streets. About twenty years later, Alfred Munson purchased the current site on Elizabeth Street and gave it to the parish for what was described as "the new church." With Munson's financial backing, the parish engaged Richard Upjohn - the architect of Trinity Church in New York City - to design the present building. The Gothic Revival structure that still stands at 6 Elizabeth Street remains the architectural centerpiece of Grace's identity and the daily setting for its worship life.
Sunday Worship: Two Eucharists, One Parish
Worship at Grace follows the rhythms of the Book of Common Prayer and centers on the Holy Eucharist. Two Sunday services anchor the week. At 8:00 AM, the parish gathers for a spoken Holy Eucharist, a quieter liturgy that lets the words speak for themselves. At 10:30 AM, the Sung Eucharist with Choir fills the church with music drawn from plainchant, medieval and Renaissance compositions, the English choral tradition, and contemporary Anglican composers. The Advent season opens with a Service of Lessons and Carols. Between the two services, at 9:15 AM, Christian Education classes meet for children and youth. Service times may change for holidays and during the summer, when a single combined Eucharist is typically offered at 9:30 AM.
The lectionary and the Church Year shape the parish's shared prayer. White marks Christmas, Easter, and other feasts, as well as marriages and funerals; purple or violet marks Advent and Lent; red marks Holy Week, the Day of Pentecost, and ordinations; and green fills the long stretches of Epiphany and the Ordinary Time after Pentecost.
Weekday Prayer in the Lady Chapel
Beyond Sundays, Grace keeps a regular rhythm of weekday prayer. On Tuesdays at 12:00 PM, the parish offers a Holy Eucharist in the Lady Chapel, an intimate setting inside the main church. On Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8:30 AM, the Rector leads "Pray With Grace," a brief service of Morning Prayer that is open both in person and online via Zoom and the parish's YouTube live stream. Together, these weekday liturgies give the parish a steady, almost monastic rhythm of daily prayer rooted in the Anglican tradition.
Music at the Heart of the Parish
Music has been central to the worship life of Grace Church from its earliest decades. The parish choir is a single ensemble of adults, teens, and younger choristers who sing together from September through mid-June at the Sunday Sung Eucharist. A separate Handbell Choir, drawn from ringers of all ages, and a Beginning Handbell Choir round out the program. Both choirs are affiliated with the Royal School of Church Music, reflecting Grace's place in the wider English choral tradition. Membership is open to anyone through a simple interview and audition; parish membership is not required.
For decades, this music program has been shaped by Organist and Choirmaster Bruce Smith. The parish has begun a search for a new full-time Director of Music Ministry and Organist, a transition the Rector has described as "thoughtful, prayerful, and collaborative." The position posting is open on the parish's Work Opportunities page.
The Holtkamp Organ and a Full Instrumental Palette
Grace Church has had several notable organs in its long history. The current instrument was installed in 1983 by the Holtkamp Organ Company of Cleveland. Three manuals and pedals control 64 ranks of pipes distributed across the Great, Swell, Choir, and Pedal divisions, with separate swell chambers for the Swell and Choir. A 2007 Matters Memory and Relay System added 100 levels of memory, a transposer, record and playback, programmable crescendo and reversibles, and a full complement of couplers. A Zimbelstern crowns the Choir division.
Beyond the organ, the church is home to thirteen Meneeley tower bells played by an automatic ringer, a four-octave set of Malmark handbells, three octaves of Schulmerich hand chimes, and grand pianos by Yamaha and Kohler and Campbell. The full inventory of instruments supports the parish's regular choral worship, the choir's concert work, and a busy calendar of community concerts, organ recitals, and weddings - processionals and recessionals from Clarke, Pachelbel, Bach, Handel, and many others are offered as suggestions for couples marrying in the church.
Forming Young Christians
Grace Church's Children and Youth Ministry welcomes young people from preschool through the teen years. Christian Education classes run from September through May, meeting in the parish auditorium for Bible study, conversation, and craft projects, along with periodic outreach fundraisers. The program closes each year with a Youth Sunday, where the children serve as ushers, acolytes, lectors, and choir - singing the anthems as a group and offering vocal and instrumental solos.
Each Epiphany season brings the parish's traditional Epiphany Pageant, a celebration that places everyone from the youngest angels and sheep to teen narrators on stage. The team of teachers and volunteers is a fixture of parish life. Many families, the parish notes, come to Grace specifically because of this strong, fun program - and the Rector and congregation take seriously that "the future of Grace Church sits in our classrooms."
Anglican Roots and an Open Welcome
Grace is a parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York, part of the Episcopal Church in the United States and, through it, the worldwide Anglican Communion - a family of self-governing national churches historically related to the Church of England and remaining in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury. The parish's own mission statement describes it as "a historic downtown parish reaching out to our diverse community, and fostering the Christian faith in the Anglican tradition through worship, music, fellowship and education."
Worship at Grace is centered on the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist, also called Mass or Holy Communion. In the Eucharist, the parish proclaims the central mystery of the Christian faith: that Jesus Christ has died, that he has risen from the dead, and that he will come again to save the world from sin and death. In receiving Holy Communion, Episcopalians at Grace believe they receive Christ himself, truly present in the consecrated bread and wine.
That theological tradition is paired with an explicit welcome. The parish describes itself as "welcoming and inclusive of all" and invites newcomers and longtime Uticans alike to "come as you are." The Rector signs parish messages simply as "Rev. Christine."
Visiting Grace Church
Grace is located at 6 Elizabeth Street, at the corner of Genesee Street in historic downtown Utica. Complimentary parking is available on Sundays in two parking lots behind the church, off Elizabeth Street. The parish office is open Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 1:30 PM, with periodic closures for religious holidays, staff meetings, and funerals noted on the parish calendar. In a pastoral emergency, the Rector can be reached through the dedicated line listed on the Visitor Information page.
Webcasts are available for all choral Sunday services on the parish's YouTube channel, with additional webcasts of concerts, organ recitals, and special events such as weddings and funerals offered when circumstances allow. Visitors who want to receive updates by text can text "Join" and their email address to (315) 753-7282. Those considering joining the parish are invited simply to send an email or contact form; the parish walks newcomers through the next step whether they are unbaptized, already baptized, new to Utica, or returning to church life.
Joining the Work
Grace depends on the time and generosity of its members and friends. Financial gifts can be made securely online through the parish's Realm giving page, and annual pledges can also be submitted online. Volunteers support worship as lectors, acolytes, ushers, choir members, and handbell ringers, while outreach efforts include seasonal collections such as the St. Margaret's Food Pantry and the annual Blessing of the Animals in the Garth, the churchyard adjacent to the parking lot. Opportunities for ministry within the parish are listed on the Opportunities for Ministry page, and current paid roles, including the search for the next Director of Music Ministry and Organist, are posted on the Work Opportunities page.