A Parish Rooted in Niceville's Episcopal Tradition
St. Jude's Episcopal Church sits at 200 North Partin Drive in Niceville, Florida, where it serves as a parish of the Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast. The church is part of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States and, through it, the worldwide Anglican Communion. Its identity draws on the long history of Anglican worship while remaining grounded in the life of a Florida Gulf Coast community. The building, the chapel, and the surrounding grounds form the home for a congregation that emphasizes sacramental worship, scriptural depth, and lifelong formation.
The parish's tagline, "Find Hope, Healing, and Community," appears on its main page and captures the welcoming tone that runs through every ministry. Visitors who arrive for worship quickly encounter a community that takes its liturgy seriously while remaining open and approachable. St. Jude's describes itself as seeking to be a faithful expression of Christ's One, Holy, and Apostolic Church on the Gulf Coast.
Sunday Worship: Two Eucharists, One Pattern of Prayer
Worship at St. Jude's centers on the Holy Eucharist, celebrated twice each Sunday. At 8:00 a.m., a smaller gathering meets in the chapel for a quiet, traditional service. At 10:30 a.m., the main sanctuary fills for the principal Sunday Eucharist, which is also livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube so that parishioners who are traveling, ill, or otherwise away can still take part.
Each service follows the same shape drawn from the Book of Common Prayer. The Liturgy of the Word gathers the congregation around scripture and sermon, and the Liturgy of the Eucharist invites all baptized Christians to receive bread and wine in remembrance of Christ's sacrifice. Scripture plays a substantial role: an Old Testament reading, a responsively read Psalm, a New Testament reading from the Epistles, Acts, or Revelation, and a Gospel passage all form part of the liturgy, and the sermon is rooted directly in those appointed readings. Because the lectionary follows a three-year cycle, the same passages are read in Episcopal churches across the country on any given Sunday.
For most of the year, children's Sunday School and the nursery are available during the 10:30 service. Families who prefer to keep young children with them can ask for crayons and coloring pages. Children rejoin their families in the sanctuary during the Passing of the Peace so they can take part in Communion. When a month contains five Sundays, the message on that extra Sunday is given over to the children of the congregation - and to the young at heart.
Wednesday Eucharist and a Midweek Pause
On Wednesdays at 11:00 a.m., the chapel hosts a weekday celebration of the Holy Eucharist. The Wednesday service is described by the parish as "a wonderful opportunity for mid-week prayer and worship," a quiet offering for those who want to mark the middle of the week with prayer, scripture, and sacrament. Childcare is not available at this service, but all are welcome.
What St. Jude's Believes
The parish describes itself as protestant, catholic, liturgical, sacramental, and deeply scriptural. In the spirit of the English Reformation, worship takes place in the language of the people, and contemporary language liturgies and contemporary music are available alongside traditional forms. At the same time, the church holds to the catholic tradition in its understanding of the sacraments, its strong liturgy in continuity with the wider church, its three-fold order of ordained ministers (bishops, priests, and deacons), and its claim that its bishops stand in the apostolic succession.
The Book of Common Prayer shapes the congregation's prayer life. Its roots reach back to Archbishop Thomas Cranmer's 1549 Prayer Book and, through it, to the worship of the early church and the synagogue practice of ancient Judaism. The parish celebrates the historic sacraments and reads a substantial amount of scripture each Sunday, with preaching intended to open the meaning of the biblical text for daily life.
Formation for Every Age
Education at St. Jude's is built around the conviction that faith grows through sustained engagement with scripture and tradition. The parish offers an unusually rich set of formation opportunities for a church of its size.
On Sunday mornings at 9:15, the Rector leads a Rector's Talk, a forum for adults that often works through the lectionary or other texts in depth. These talks are recorded and posted online, building a library that now extends back several years and includes a long series working through the Book of Common Prayer. The Wednesday Adult Christian Education class meets at 11:45 a.m., both in person and via Zoom, with materials also distributed online for those who cannot attend.
The largest formation undertaking in recent years is the Walk in Love curriculum, a multi-chapter study of the Christian faith led by Father Blake Hutson and lay teacher Lyn Smith. The series has covered the sacraments, baptism, the Eucharist, confession and healing, ordination, the Daily Office, the church calendar, Holy Week, the creeds, the Bible, salvation and grace, prayer, the nature of the Church, and the structures of church governance. A Walk in Love 2026 cycle continues the work, with recent sessions on God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, spiritual practices, and the Christian's witness. Recordings of each chapter are available online for parishioners who want to revisit the material or catch up.
Beyond these programs, the parish has offered dedicated seasons of study on end-of-life topics through its "Planning for a Graceful Exit" series, with sessions on spiritual preparation, estate planning, legal documents, hospice care, and funeral planning, along with a series of health-oriented classes on nutrition, mental health, and healthy living.
Children, Youth, and the Next Generation
St. Jude's takes the formation of children and youth seriously and operates under a clear safeguarding policy. The parish follows the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast's requirement that everyone who works with children and youth complete online Safe Church / Safe Communities training, and the parish maintains a two-person integrity policy in all situations involving young people.
Sunday School meets during the 10:30 service in two classrooms: a lower elementary room for kindergarten through third grade and an upper elementary room for fourth and fifth graders. Children must be potty-trained to attend Sunday School, and the nursery is available during both Sunday services for infants and toddlers. Crayons and coloring pages are offered for families who prefer to keep little ones nearby.
The Youth Ministry welcomes students in sixth through twelfth grades. Sunday mornings gather for fellowship at 10:00 a.m., study and discussion at 10:15, and joining the worship service at 10:45. Once a month, the group meets for an evening activity, and outreach projects are scheduled throughout the year. Parents and teens stay connected through email and text updates organized by the Youth Ministry team. The Children's Minister, Stacy Grant, oversees the children's programs and is a key point of contact for families.
Fellowship and the Weekday Rhythm
Life at St. Jude's follows a steady weekly rhythm of study, fellowship, and shared work. Choir practices take place on Sunday at 9:45 a.m. and again on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m., with the Music Director Lois Henry leading the program.
On Mondays at 7:00 p.m., the parish hosts a Virtual Coffee Hour via Zoom, a chance for parishioners and newcomers to gather without leaving home. Tuesdays bring the Women's Study Group at 10:00 a.m. Wednesdays are particularly full: the Men's Study Group meets at 7:15 a.m. in the Parish Hall, the Sewing Guild gathers at 9:30 a.m., the midday Eucharist follows at 11:00, Adult Christian Education meets at 11:45 a.m. in person and online, and the choir rehearses again at 7:00 p.m. On the first Sunday of each month, the parish shares a Fellowship Breakfast after the 8:00 a.m. service.
Stewardship, Legacy, and the Long-Term Health of the Parish
St. Jude's depends on the generosity of its parishioners, and the parish takes a notably thoughtful approach to stewardship. The 2026 Annual Stewardship Campaign supports the operating budget that pays staff and sustains the regular ministries. A separate Capital Fund Campaign has identified a near-term need for a roof replacement estimated at around $180,000 within three years, along with other future facility improvements.
A newer Legacy Campaign encourages members to remember the church through bequests, wills, trusts, or estate gifts. The parish has hosted a five-part Legacy Stewardship series in early 2026, covering the theology of stewardship, examples of legacy giving, estate planning with an attorney, and the practical work of protecting, distributing, and communicating final wishes. Members can sign a pledge form, make an annual pledge online, or join the St. Jude's Legacy Society.
Beyond pledges and bequests, the parish offers several ways to give. Members may set up automatic bill pay through their bank, give online through Tithe.ly, or drop a check in the plate on Sunday morning.
Clergy, Staff, and Lay Leadership
The parish is led by the Rev. Blake Hutson, who serves as Rector. Lois Henry directs the music program, and Stacy Grant serves as Children's Minister. Anna Wells handles the office administration, Amy LaFrenier serves as the nursery attendant, and Terry Woods is the parish sexton. David Williams serves as bookkeeper.
Lay leadership is provided by the Vestry, which includes Aaron Miller, Joe Morgan (Junior Warden), and Ben Ward, all in the class of 2026; Jennifer Cook, Renee Larson (Senior Warden), and Dan Michel, in the class of 2027; and Cathy Shea, Lyn Smith, and Cecilia Snyder, in the class of 2028. Lyn Smith also serves as a lay teacher for the Walk in Love curriculum.
Life in the Wider Church
St. Jude's is an active participant in the wider life of the Episcopal Church. The parish sends delegates to the Annual Diocesan Convention of the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast and reports back to the congregation on diocesan decisions, including the annual address from Bishop Russell Kendrick. The diocese itself is a regional body of the Episcopal Church, and through it the parish belongs to the Anglican Communion.
The church's bulletin, weekly prayer list, monthly newsletter, and calendar are updated regularly and made available online. Recordings of the Sunday Eucharist, the Rector's Talks, the Walk in Love series, and the Legacy Stewardship presentations are posted on YouTube and Facebook, giving members and visitors a way to engage with the parish's teaching even when they cannot be present.
A Place for Worship, Study, and Community
From its Wednesday morning Eucharist to its yearlong Walk in Love formation series, from the children's Sunday School classrooms to the Fellowship Breakfast after the early service, St. Jude's Episcopal Church offers a steady rhythm of worship and learning. The parish combines the deep roots of Anglican liturgy with an openness to newcomers, an ambitious formation program for adults, and a careful commitment to the safety and growth of its young people. For those in Niceville and the surrounding Gulf Coast looking for a liturgical, scripture-centered, and community-minded church home, St. Jude's Episcopal Church stands ready to welcome them.