A Downtown Boulder Congregation with a 1903 Sanctuary and a Working Food Pantry
Two blocks north of the Pearl Street Mall, on Pine Street between 14th and 15th, St. John's Episcopal Church has stood at 1419 Pine Street since the current sanctuary opened in 1903, though Episcopalians have been gathering for worship in Boulder since at least the 1870s. The parish bills itself as a diverse community in age, background, and theology that follows what Anglicans call the Middle Way: a space for everyone, paired with advocacy for all of God's children through prayer, reflection, and action. It shows up both inside the liturgy and outside it, in a food pantry, a free community meal, and a clothing closet that operate out of the same downtown campus.
Sunday Mornings: A Spoken Chapel Service and a Choral Eucharist
St. John's offers two Sunday services that share the same Book of Common Prayer roots but feel very different in the room. The 7:30 a.m. service is a traditional, spoken Communion held in the mid-century chapel, with no music and a quieter feel. The 9:30 a.m. service is the principal Sunday liturgy, held in the historic sanctuary and led by the St. John's Choir with organ and congregational hymns. Both follow the lectionary, include readings, a sermon, and Communion, and welcome anyone at the table.
The 9:30 service is also livestreamed on the parish's YouTube channel for those joining from home. After the Children's Moment, children in Kindergarten through fifth grade head to the Education Wing for Sunday School, and the fully staffed nursery in the Rotunda is open for toddlers through pre-K. Coffee Hour in the Parish Hall follows the 9:30 service, and many people linger there long enough for it to feel like part of the morning.
A Weekday Rhythm of Prayer, Healing and Silence
The parish keeps a much fuller weekly calendar than the average downtown church. Morning Prayer is offered twice daily on Zoom: at 6:30 a.m. every day of the week, and again at 8:00 a.m. Monday through Friday. On Tuesdays, a Centering Prayer group meets from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. in the contemplative prayer room, with newcomers welcomed.
Wednesdays carry the heaviest contemplative schedule. At noon, a Healing Eucharist in the Chapel includes an organ sound bath and prayers for healing for self, community, and world. At 5:30 p.m., the chapel shifts to Contemplative Evensong, with chants, prayers, and silence in candlelight with incense; the service typically lasts about 35 minutes. Centering Prayer follows from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. On Thursdays at noon, the Service of Peace is held in the Chapel and on Zoom.
Music Built Around a Pipe Organ and a Choral Tradition
Music is one of the clearest signatures of St. John's. The Music program is anchored by a magnificent and expansive pipe organ in the sanctuary and includes the St. John's Choir, two handbell choirs, and the Evensong singers, with a repertoire that runs from Renaissance masterworks to newly commissioned pieces. The choir is described as an inclusive ensemble that welcomes all voices regardless of prior experience and supports the liturgy while also serving the wider community through concerts and performances.
St. John's Music Society, a separate presenting arm, hosts concerts in the main church featuring local, Colorado-based, and national artists. Andrew Halladay serves as Director of Music, and Aaron Hirsch is the Principal Organist and Director of the Music Society.
Children, Youth and Family Faith
Formation for younger members begins in the nursery for toddlers through pre-K and continues with a leveled Sunday School: Level 1 for Kindergarten and 1st grade, Level 2 for 2nd and 3rd grade, Level 3 for 4th and 5th grade. A week-long Vacation Bible School is offered each summer for children in K through 5, with games, crafts, and stories of the faith. Lu Walters serves as Director of Family Faith and oversees this work.
For middle and high school students, Youth Group gathers for fellowship, prayer, play, and study, led by priests and adult volunteers and open to newcomers throughout the year. Diocesan youth events, retreats, service trips, and camps supplement the local calendar. Mother Janine Schenone oversees Youth Ministry. Hikes, game nights, parties, and service projects fill out the year.
Adult Formation, Small Groups, and Sacred Ground
Adult formation at St. John's runs on three tracks. Sunday Forums meet after Coffee Hour to explore and deepen faith, with new series each fall. A weekly in-person Bible Study is offered, and a Zoom-based discussion of the upcoming Sunday readings called Bibles and Bagels meets Wednesdays at 8:00 a.m. Small groups are lay-led, intentional conversations around Christian topics and meet at homes, coffee shops, or the church. Dinner groups, organized by neighborhood, gather monthly.
Smaller, more idiosyncratic gatherings give the parish texture: a hiking group with two levels (a Monday morning walk and a Friday morning outing for experienced hikers), a Fiber Arts Group that knits and crochets baptismal blankets and other goods and meets the first and third Tuesdays from 12:30 to 2:00 in the McKeown Library, and Yoga in the Church, a Kundalini practice led by parishioner Jacob Rudolph that meets on second Mondays from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary and ends with a gong relaxation.
One major formation offering is Sacred Ground, an 11-session dialogue series from The Episcopal Church's Becoming Beloved Community initiative. Small groups use films and readings to walk through the history of race in the United States, weaving in family stories, class, and regional identity, and meeting every other weeks for reflection and conversation.
Social Action: Food, Clothing, Healthcare, and Justice
St. John's organizes its outreach through five social action networks: Food Insecurity, Caring Neighbors, Gun Violence Prevention, Community, Equity and Inclusion, and Locally Haiti, with Climate Care as a sixth. The work is hands-on and runs year-round.
The Whittier Pantry helps families at Whittier Elementary bridge the gap between what SNAP covers and what is still essential. The First Sunday Meal, a downtown Boulder tradition running for decades, is hosted indoors at the church on the first Sunday of each month. Grab-and-go dinners are served on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and a second indoor meal is served on Thursdays. The Thursday meal is also the site of Deacon's Closet, which gives out clothes, shoes, and other items from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. at the east 15th Street entrance, and of Community Court, held in the parking lot adjacent to 15th Street. St. Benedict's Health and Healing Ministry operates a clinic during the First Sunday Meal. The parish partners with Unity Table on the weekday meals.
A Welcoming the Stranger ministry keeps the parish engaged with immigration issues, advocating for the dignity of immigrants and offering practical and prayerful ways to respond. St. John's members co-founded the Colorado Coalition of Indigenous Allies (CCIA) in 2023, a justice and education group that recently published in the Anglican and Episcopal History Quarterly on a pilgrimage to the Sand Creek Massacre site.
Locally Haiti, founded in 1989, invests in locally led initiatives in Petit Trou de Nippes, a rural community of about 40,000, with programs spanning education, agriculture and food security, community health, and girls' empowerment. Gun Violence Prevention work includes an annual gun lock giveaway at the County Fair and partnership with the District Attorney on a gun safe giveaway.
The Campus: Labyrinth, Gardens, and Columbarium
The Pine Street campus has more to offer than sanctuary and chapel. A walking labyrinth is open to anyone who wants a contemplative stroll, and garden volunteers maintain seasonal plantings and peaceful outdoor spaces on the grounds. The columbarium serves as the final resting place for many members. Office volunteers staff the parish office during weekdays, and a Finance Committee and Stewardship Committee keep the institutional side of parish life running.
Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals
St. John's welcomes all ages and backgrounds for baptism. Weddings are recognized as a lifelong union of two people, their community, and God; the church publishes Wedding Guidelines for couples planning with the clergy. Clergy provide pastoral support and guidance for funerals, and the parish keeps printed Funeral Information and Planning documents for families navigating a loss. The columbarium offers an on-site option for memorialization.
Clergy, Staff and Vestry
The Rev. Janine Schenone is Rector. She grew up in a large Italian Catholic family in the San Francisco Bay Area, earned an M.Div at Yale Divinity School, began doctoral work at Fordham, and has served parishes in Bronxville, Pasadena, and San Diego. The Rev. Kevin Criley is the parish's Curate. Raised Roman Catholic in Castle Rock, he found the Episcopal Church as an undergraduate at CU Boulder, completed his M.Div at Virginia Theological Seminary in May 2026, and was ordained a Deacon that same month. Lu Walters is Director of Family Faith, Andrew Halladay is Director of Music, and Aaron Hirsch is Principal Organist and Director of the Music Society. The parish is led by a Vestry that includes Senior Warden Wayne Grider, Junior Warden Mark Biggers, Treasurer Mhari Peschel, and rotating classes of members through 2029.
What to Expect on a First Visit
The church is in downtown Boulder, with parking available on the sides of the building and street parking on 14th and 15th. Parking garages at 15th and Pearl and at Spruce and 14th are free on Sundays. Dress runs the full spectrum from Modest Colorado Casual to Sunday best, and all are welcome. The 7:30 service is best for those who want a quiet, spoken service in the chapel, while the 9:30 service offers the full choral experience, Sunday School, nursery, and livestream. Coffee Hour follows the 9:30 service in the Parish Hall. Parish office hours are Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m., and Friday by appointment.
Stewardship and Giving
St. John's operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and pledges to the general fund are the main source of income. The annual stewardship campaign funds Worship and Pastoral Care, Children and Family ministries, Adult Education, and Outreach, including diocesan programs and local and international partners. Online giving is available through Realm, with one-time and recurring options. Gifts of stock, securities, IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions, and direct brokerage transfers are accepted, with Parish Administrator Natalie Devine as the contact for non-cash gifts.