A Home in Midvale for Sixty Years
St. James Episcopal Church sits on seven acres at 7486 South Union Park Avenue in Midvale, Utah, with a 20,000-square-foot building that houses one of the busiest faith communities in the southern Salt Lake valley. The parish has been a fixture of the city for sixty years, and its self-description is simple and consistent: "Faith for all." Every printed communication from the church returns to those three words, which are echoed in the longer parish motto, "Celebrating God's Love and Sharing it with All."
St. James is a member of the Episcopal Diocese of Utah and of the worldwide Anglican Communion, which the parish describes as "the third largest group of Christians in the world." Its twenty-three ministries include an altar guild, a choir, a working garden, a knitting circle, and a food bank that serves more than a thousand clients each month. The congregation is intentionally eclectic. "We are a church of many religious backgrounds," the parish says. "Transplants from nearly every imaginable Christian religion."
The church publicly acknowledges that it "occupies and operates upon the ancestral and traditional lands of the Northwestern Shoshone, Goshute, and Ute Tribes." That acknowledgment is shared with every communication from the parish and reflects an honest accounting of the place the building occupies.
Worship on Sundays: The Book of Common Prayer
Two principal Sunday services are held each week, both following the Book of Common Prayer. Worship begins at 8:00 a.m. and again at 10:00 a.m. Between them, at 9:00 a.m., adults gather for Adult Faith Formation. After the later service, the parish hosts a Social Hour in the Parish Hall from 11:15 a.m., with coffee, tea, snacks, and fellowship.
Visitors are told there is no dress code. "You'll find some folks dress in their Sunday best, others in jeans and a sweater," the parish explains. "Overall, we are a casual bunch. Come as you are." Printed worship bulletins are provided for both principal services and contain everything a newcomer needs to follow along. Clergy and worship leaders also offer verbal cues during the service to help newcomers.
The principal service on most Sundays is a celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Recent Sundays have been led by The Reverend Mary Janda, with Deacon Angela Ferree preaching on several occasions. Other supply clergy who have presided include The Reverend Alan James and The Reverend Terri Heyduk, and lay Worship Leaders Laura Orcutt and Duncan Fischer have presided when clergy were unavailable. The parish is currently between rectors and is being served by a series of supply priests, its own deacons, and lay worship leaders.
Wednesday Compline and the Choir
On Wednesday evenings the church adds a brief service of Compline Evening Prayer, held from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m. in the sanctuary. This prayer office, drawn from the Book of Common Prayer, became part of the parish's weekly rhythm in the fall of 2026.
Following Compline, the choir meets at 7:00 p.m. to rehearse, with Dr. Seth Bott directing. The choir sings at the 10:00 a.m. service most Sundays but takes the summer off from rehearsals and worship. On Sundays during the program year, choir members gather at 9:15 a.m. for a final warm-up before the late service.
Children and Youth
St. James takes the place of children in the sanctuary seriously. "Children are a welcome sight and sound in our Sanctuary for Worship," the parish says. "We encourage parents or caregivers to support children in following along with the service in whichever way works for you." A Children's Corner in the southwest section of the Sanctuary holds books, quiet activities, and drawing supplies for visiting families.
Two structured programs run alongside the main worship service. Children's Chapel is offered during the 10:00 a.m. service for children ages five through ten in Classroom A. The curriculum is Godly Play, adapted to the ages of the children present. Children stay with their leaders through the Offertory, then rejoin their parents and caregivers in the sanctuary for the rest of the service, including Communion. On the fourth Sunday of each month the lesson is interpreted through Lego creations in a Lego Bible Study. The Children's Chapel team is led by Connie Nokes and includes Marina James, Greg Annis, Jessie Peterson, Tim Carter, and Jinx Strout.
For younger children, the Child Care Room is open from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. and accepts children up to age five. Jessie Peterson serves as Child Care Director, with Cooper Vaughan assisting. The parish is hiring a Child Care Assistant Director to round out the team.
Faith Formation for Adults
Adult Faith Formation meets on Sundays at 9:00 a.m., between the two services. "Core to our spiritual journey is understanding our faith," the parish explains. "This is a lifelong process helping us understand our relationship with God, our church and our community. It is a lifelong journey with Christ, in Christ, and to Christ." Discussion leaders host sessions on scripture, current events, and the Baptismal Covenant.
The program treats every life experience as an opportunity to live out the Baptismal Covenant. A calendar of upcoming sessions is shared with the congregation, and visitors are welcome to drop in.
The Food Bank: A Lifeline for More Than a Thousand Clients Each Month
The St. James Food Bank is the most visible community ministry of the parish and the single largest outreach effort. Operated entirely by volunteers from the congregation and the wider community, the Food Bank is an affiliate of the Utah Food Bank and distributes groceries and hygiene products to more than a thousand clients each month.
Distribution is held on the second and fourth Sunday of every month, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., in the parish hall. The schedule is published in advance, and a Spanish-language version of the announcement is shared alongside the English. "All are welcome at the St. James Food Bank," the parish says. "There is no required residency or ID needed."
Food donations are accepted in person Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to noon. The parish asks that food not be left unattended at the church; it will be discarded for safety reasons. Monetary gifts to the pantry can be made online. The pantry is supported by an "Item of the Month" program and restocked by volunteers on delivery days. A list of partner food pantries is maintained through the Tackle Hunger map.
The Garden of Eatin', a parish garden ministry, channels the harvest from its beds into the Food Bank during the growing season. "This ministry doesn't require the proverbial green thumb or a magic touch with plants," the parish notes. "Rather it requires being ok with getting a little dirty, having a good eye for weeds and a passion for feeding the hungry in our community."
Music and the Organ
Music is central to worship at St. James. Dr. Seth Bott serves as Director of Music and Organist. He earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in organ performance from the University of Kansas in 2020, where he studied under James Higdon and Michael Bauer. Earlier degrees include a Master of Music and Bachelor of Music in organ performance and pedagogy from Brigham Young University, where he studied with Don Cook and Douglas Bush.
Dr. Bott is an active recitalist who performs around the country each year, maintains a private teaching studio, and directs the parish choir. The choir is "a group of dedicated singers from within our parish," according to the church. Rehearsals are held on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. and on Sunday mornings at 9:15 a.m. before worship. The choir sings at the 10:00 a.m. service most Sundays and does not rehearse or sing during the summer.
Twenty-Three Ministries in a Single Building
The parish describes itself as having "twenty-three ministries," each organized around a central purpose and made up mostly of lay people. A Ministry Inquiry Form lets visitors sign up to learn more about each one.
The Altar Guild prepares the sanctuary each week, cares for vestments, vessels, linens, and flowers, and oversees seasonal appointments months in advance. The Building and Grounds team maintains the seven-acre property, replacing light bulbs, repairing sprinkler lines, working with HVAC contractors, managing the landscaping maintenance relationship, and coordinating with the city on projects near the property.
Pastoral Care is led by the parish's priest and deacon, supported by trained lay visitors who provide religious, spiritual, social, and emotional support, including home Eucharist for the homebound. A separate Shepherd Ministry assigns members to keep in touch with a small slice of the congregation through phone calls, emails, and texts. The Shepherds Ministry is actively recruiting new volunteers.
St. Brigid's Guild oversees Sunday Social Hour, the kitchen, the pantry, and parish fellowship events. The Knitting Circle has shifted over the years toward crochet and donates hats, scarves, and other creations to the Road Home Midvale Family Resource Center and Shelter. The Hospitality and Fellowship ministries work alongside the Ushers and Greeters, who double as the first point of contact for visitors on Sunday mornings.
The Parish Games Group meets on the second Friday of each month for a potluck dinner followed by table games. The Men's Coffee Group meets Tuesdays at 8:00 a.m. for conversation and ends with Morning Prayer; on the first Tuesday the group goes out to breakfast. The Women's Coffee Group, also known as the Prayer Posse, meets Wednesdays at 9:00 a.m. at the church and on the first Wednesday at a local restaurant; an active text chat lifts up prayer requests throughout the week.
Parish Technology oversees livestream activities, the sanctuary sound board, the assisted hearing systems, the parish's online presence, the network, system security, social accounts, and the Breeze church management system.
The Camping Ministry
For more than twenty years, the parish has organized group camping trips at campgrounds near the Wasatch mountains. "Utahns live near some of the most spectacular places on earth to camp and be in the outdoors, making a ministry around camping a natural fit," the parish says. Trips are held several times a year, and Sunday-morning worship is typically celebrated outdoors during the weekend.
Clergy and Staff
The Reverend Mary Janda serves as Priest. Her history with the parish stretches back to October 1995, when her family arrived in Utah and began attending St. James. She was ordained a deacon in 2007 at the Cathedral of St. Mark in Salt Lake City and ordained to the priesthood in the St. James sanctuary in January 2008. After serving as a deacon during her first year as a priest, she became Associate Rector at All Saints while remaining associated with St. James, and later became Vicar of St. Stephen's in West Valley City, where she served until retiring in December 2018. She returned to St. James as a diocesan supply priest and now presides at most Sunday services.
The Venerable Robert Shoop serves as Deacon. A native Utahn and cradle Episcopalian, he was baptized at St. Peter's, confirmed at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark, and married at All Saints in 1968. He was ordained to the diaconate at St. James in 1985. His secular career was in computer science at Unisys, Enterasys, and L-3 Communications; he retired in 2014. He has seven grandchildren, all baptized at St. James, and two of his grandchildren were married there.
The Reverend Angela Ferree serves as Deacon. She was born in Methley, Yorkshire, came to the United States after earning an honors degree in English, and married Bill, an airline pilot. After raising three sons and earning a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Texas at Austin, she taught at Western Illinois University. She accepted the call to ministry in the Diocese of Missouri, graduated from the Episcopal School for Ministry at Eden Seminary, and was ordained to the diaconate at Christ Church Cathedral in St. Louis in December 2021. She relocated to Utah to be near family.
Dr. Seth Bott serves as Music Director and Organist. Collette Vaughan serves as Parish Administrator and Treasurer and Clerk of the Vestry.
Lay Leadership and the Rector Search
The Vestry is the lay leadership body of the parish and serves a function akin to a board of directors. Members are elected annually at the St. James Annual Meeting, typically held in January, and serve three-year terms, with a one-year option that may be renewed twice for candidates ages sixteen to twenty-one. Senior Warden is David James; Junior Warden is Ric Tanner. Other members include Angela Micklos, Terry Palmer, Betsy Tubbs, Greg Annis, Irene Eishenhut, Becky Parker, Lili Brady, and Kathy Slaymaker.
St. James is currently between rectors. A Rector Search Committee was formed in late 2025 and is chaired by Kari Butler, with members Steve Allnatt, Steve Hutchinson, Mindy Mitchell, Laura Orcutt, Britley Randstatler, and Kim Smart. The committee worked with Holy Cow, a consulting firm, to conduct a parish survey with a response rate of 96 percent of average Sunday attendance, and held focus groups facilitated by Toni Sutliff. The parish profile has been submitted to the Bishop and to Canon to the Ordinary Jeff Stevenson of the Episcopal Diocese of Utah. The committee has reviewed several candidates and reports that the search is "11 months into the process and that would be considered standard, or even a little ahead of schedule."
Stewardship and the Grateful Spirit Endowment
St. James operates as a self-funded parish supported almost entirely by pledges from members. The Stewardship Committee, chaired by Collette Vaughan, oversees an annual campaign and encourages proportional giving, citing 2 Corinthians 9:8: "And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work." Stewardship at St. James is framed as the right use of "Time, Talent and Treasure," and the parish is transparent about the financial pressures that come with a smaller number of pledging households and the rising cost of maintaining a maturing building.
In 2024 the Vestry established the Grateful Spirit Endowment, an investment fund held through the Episcopal Church Foundation and State Street Global. The Endowment consists of a Permanent Endowment Fund, in which gifts are held in perpetuity under the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act in Utah, and a General Endowment Fund, which the Vestry may draw from in an emergency. The Endowment Committee consists of Leon Hammond, Debbie Matticks, Mindy Mitchell (chair), Ric Tanner, and Ken Swedburg, with the Rector, Senior Warden, and Treasurer serving ex officio. Gifts can be made by check, by ACH or credit card through Breeze, by wire transfer, or as a bequest through an estate plan.
Common Values and Welcome
The parish has published a list of Common Values that articulate its identity. The values include respecting the dignity of every human being in all their diversity, following Christ's command to love neighbors, encouraging intellectual freedom in interpreting scripture and tradition, seeking forgiveness and reconciliation, striving to create inspiring worship and thoughtful Christian formation, recognizing Christ in every person, and welcoming "all people looking for healing, love, forgiveness, and acceptance, and seeking to find or recover a spiritual home in Christian community."
The parish includes "families, children, young people, older people, couples, singles, and LGBTQ+ persons of any ethnicity, ability, or spiritual perspective." Visitors are explicitly invited to come as they are.