St. John’s Episcopal Church

This is the first article in a series featuring different faith communities in Cache Valley. The role of faith in the early settler’s day-to-day life was central. For many who call Cache Valley home today, faith continues to play a pivotal role in Valley communities and individual lives.

On a crisp autumn morning, Father Jason Samuel and long-time parishioners Marjorie Cramer and Jeannie Simmonds shared their hearts and chapel with the readers of Cache Valley Family Magazine. They opened a window into the rich history of St. John’s Episcopal Church and the lives of faithful members through the generations. We thank them for their time and kindness.

FAMILY FAITH

TARA BONE contributing writer

In the heart of Logan at 85 East and 100 North stands St. John’s Episcopal Church, a Gothic-style cathedral that has been a place of peace, music, and refuge for parishioners and visitors alike since the turn of the 20th century. A walk through its historic chapel tells the story of a faith community that brings old and new together, and seeks to honor its past, meet present needs, and look to the future.

Father Jason Samuel is the church’s new vicar Father, having arrived from California in September 2021. He has been a priest for 29 years and looks forward to building on St. John’s rich traditions while working to increase outreach to Utah State University (USU) students and those who feel alone.

“I have never been as engaged and excited by a congregation,” said Father Samuel. “St. John’s is known as a traditional, historic Christian church, but is also known to be extremely progressive, especially in its embracing of social justice and [being] defenders and champions for those on the margins. There’s a sense here that no matter who you are and where you are on your spiritual journey, you are welcome here.”

Welcoming all who enter has always been a tenet of St. John’s. One example is the attendance of people of all faiths to the church’s many concerts and musical worship services. The chapel’s incredible acoustics create “magical performances,” according to Jonathan Rose, St. John’s organist and choir master since

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Working with other denominations dates back to Utah’s pioneer Episcopal Bishop, Daniel S. Tuttle. Father Jason Samuel shares: Bishop Tuttle arrived in Utah on one of the first passenger trains. The first thing he did was meet with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ leader and prophet Brigham Young. Bishop Tuttle told him the Episcopal Church was there as fellow Christians; they were not there to threaten or cause problems. Bishop Tuttle asked to work peacefully together. Brigham Young was surprised, and gave him his blessing.

When members of St. John’s first organized, they met in a storefront on Main Street. Later they moved to a small stone building, pictured above on Center Street, before moving to their current location.

Marjorie Cramer with her prayer shawl.

The Butler Window, one of many stained glass windows in the chapel.

MUSIC RINGS AGAIN AT ST. JOHN’S THIS CHRISTMAS

85 East 100 North, Logan • 435-752-0331 Office hours: Monday —Thursday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Christmas Lessons and Carols for Advent: First Sunday after Christmas Day Christmas Eve Family Evening Service: 5:30 p.m. Christmas Eve Night Service: 10:30 p.m. Principal Service: 10 a.m., every Sunday Morning Prayers: 7:30 a.m., Monday — Friday Established in 1873, St. John's was the first congregation in Cache Valley not of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ faith. St. John’s has 100 to 200 members. The church includes a chapel, commercial kitchen, fellowship hall, and nursery, along with a yard for receptions and weddings.

2009. Jonathan says the church makes the space available to USU students for recitals and small assembles that are open to the community. The acoustics are so beloved that when the church was expanded in 2003 and 2004, an acoustic engineer ensured renovations wouldn’t impede the chapel’s pristine sound.

Jonathan has lived in Cache Valley his entire life and came to the church’s Christmas services as a child. There he found a passion for music. He graduated from USU in organ performance, studying with world-class organist James Drake. Though Jonathan was of a different faith, he remembers his feelings at those services.

“I was a little nervous, but as soon as you go in people made me feel welcome,” Jonathan said. “The traditional church music and the standard to which it was performed was high quality. People from all faiths attend and lose sense of different religions and come together.”

To ensure that quality music continues, St. John parishioners have established scholarship endowments for the USU Choral Scholars. This group of singers performs throughout the year at the church, with special services during Christmas and Easter. Though COVID halted performances, Jonathan and Father Samuel say music will ring again this Christmas.

Jeannie Simmonds has been a church member since 1976 and says these Christmas services are one of her favorite parts of the entire holiday. For Jeannie, St. John’s has been a family to her. community for more than 100 years. We have always worked with the community to create an ecumenical approach to the challenges of food and shelter insecurity. And our building was created to share the gift of music with the community.”

Marjorie Cramer is another community member whose life has been impacted by the music and ministry of the church.

She moved to Logan with her husband in 1989 and says the first thing she did upon moving was find a church and she felt “immediately at home” at St. John’s. Marjorie sang for years in the choir and at 78 years old still takes voice lessons. She even knows the “sweet spot” in the chapel for the best acoustic vocal performance.

Recently Marjorie received a prayer shawl from the church’s knitting group. The St. John’s group meets each Tuesday and over the years has given countless shawls to those in the community who are struggling.

Father Samuel says one of the reasons he came to St. John’s is because members take their baptismal ministry seriously, even during COVID and when they didn’t have a priest. “They didn’t just shut down; they kept going,” Father Samuel said. “They visited the sick, the shut-ins have been visited and prayed for, and people have taken responsibility for buildings and grounds. They asked, ‘how can we make our services online?’”