All Saints' Episcopal Church stands in Lakeland's historic downtown district at 202 South Massachusetts Avenue, with a mailing address of 209 South Iowa Avenue. The parish is known for a worship life built around the Book of Common Prayer and Holy Eucharist, with seven services each week, and for pairing that tradition with music, Christian education, healing prayer, and hands-on service in North Lake Wire. Since 1884, All Saints' has grown from a small wooden church in Acton into a historic downtown parish whose Spanish Revival nave, stained glass, bells, Skinner-Colby organ, and McClurg building support worship, learning, fellowship, and outreach.
Seven Weekly Services in Downtown Lakeland
All Saints' gathers for seven regular weekly services. Every one includes Holy Communion, or the Lord's Supper, and follows the liturgy in the Book of Common Prayer.
- Tuesday at 12:10 p.m. Noonday Prayer takes place in St. Mary's Chapel. The 20-minute service is followed by sharing, prayer requests, and conversation with congregants.
- Wednesday at 12:10 p.m. The Healing Prayer and Holy Eucharist service includes Scripture, a message on healing, prayers for individuals and the community, Holy Communion, and a concluding time of prayer for people attending.
- Friday at 6:15 a.m. A small group gathers in St. Mary's Chapel for a 30-minute Morning Prayer service with prayers, Scripture, a message, and encouragement for the day.
- Saturday at 4:00 p.m. This Eucharistic service serves people who must work on Sundays and those who prefer a smaller, intimate afternoon fellowship.
- Sunday at 7:30 a.m. The quiet early service uses the Rite I liturgy and includes Holy Communion.
- Sunday at 8:50 a.m. Piano, an adult ensemble, organ, and congregational songs shape this service, which also provides Children's Church and nursery care.
- Sunday at 10:50 a.m. Organ, adult choir, cantors, Episcopal Hymns, sung psalms, and more ceremonial worship characterize this later service. Student acolytes serve, and Children's Church and nursery care are available.
The three Sunday services offer distinctly different ways to worship. The 7:30 service is quiet and contemplative, the 8:50 service draws from a broad musical vocabulary, and the 10:50 service is rooted in Anglican hymnody and ceremonial worship. All Saints' observes the traditional Christian seasons of Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, and Pentecost.
What a First-Time Visitor Will Notice
Visitors are treated as respected and welcomed guests. Stewards greet people, offer a worship bulletin, and help them find a comfortable place to sit. The nave creates an atmosphere of beauty and reverence, drawing attention toward the altar and historic stained-glass windows. The changing colors of the church year are part of the visual worship experience, while music, Scripture, and prayer connect the congregation to generations of Christians who have used the Book of Common Prayer.
All Saints' worship involves the congregation. Copies of the Book of Common Prayer and Bibles are available in the pews for prayer, study, and reflection. A general posture pattern is to stand for singing, the Creed, and the Gospel; sit during anthems, biblical readings, and the sermon; and kneel during prayer. Sunday worship is also followed on television monitors, with congregational responses distinguished in the displayed text.
Holy Communion is central to the Eucharistic services. All baptized people are welcome to receive it. The host and common cup are offered on the right, intinction is offered from a designated chalice in the center, and preintincted hosts are offered on the left. Gluten-free hosts can be provided. A steward can arrange for Communion to be brought to someone's pew. Those who have not been baptized are welcome to come to the rail for a blessing, with arms crossed over the chest.
At the close, some worshippers remain for the organ postlude while others greet one another before departing. The clergy also greet people as they leave, and guests are encouraged to let them know they are visiting.
Children Belong at the Center
The nursery ministry serves children from birth through Pre-K with a safe, Christ-centered environment built around prayer, Scripture, song, and play. Wee Worship for toddlers is offered at both the 8:50 and 10:50 services, while preschoolers can attend Sunday School at 10:00 a.m. Workers are CPR trained, employees undergo background checks, volunteers complete the Safeguarding God's Children course, and each nursery room is staffed by at least two workers.
Children in kindergarten through third grade are invited to Children's Church during both Sunday services. After fellowship and play, they follow a children's service that resembles the adult worship with music, prayer, and the Gospel reading of the week. Fourth- and fifth-graders are encouraged to participate in worship with their parents but are also welcome at Children's Church. Grade-level Sunday School classes for kindergarten through fifth grade meet from 10:00 to 10:40 a.m.
Kids' Club meets on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. during August through June, with games, music, snacks, crafts, and a thematic Bible study. The youth ministry begins in sixth grade and continues through high school graduation. Youth Sunday School meets at 10:00 a.m., while the Wednesday youth group gathers from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. for large-group activity, small-group conversation, Scripture, snacks, service projects, and fellowship. The young adult ministry serves people generally aged 18 to 35 through friendship, Bible study, spiritual growth, and service.
Learning That Takes Root
All Saints' describes spiritual formation as a lifelong process of becoming conformed to the image of Jesus in body, mind, and spirit. Its practices include worship, Scripture meditation, contemplative and intercessory prayer, devotional reading, Christian education, using one's gifts, giving, retreats, and engagement with the community. Small groups for conversation-based learning, ministry teams, performing arts events, hospitality, and outreach all have a place in that process.
Sunday education includes adult classes in the Book of Common Prayer, the lectionary, parenting, and Scripture, as well as the children's and youth classes. Fr. Reid leads a Wednesday morning Bible study from 10:30 a.m. to noon and a Friday morning Bible study from 7:00 to 8:30 a.m. The studies combine attention to Scripture with reading and dialogue among Christian authors.
Parish Academy gathers multiple classes on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Courses address the Bible, biblical history, faith, theology, and ethics. Live online classes are also available, and participants can watch later. The church's broader study offerings include daily lectionary programs, biblical teaching, discussions of worldviews and world religions, prayer meditation, and classes centered on Christian faith and culture.
Community is part of formation as well as classroom learning. The Brotherhood of All Saints' brings together men of all ages for a monthly meal, prayer, reflection, conversation, and consideration of ways to serve the church and community. All Saints' also offers retreats, small-group gatherings, hospitality ministry in downtown Lakeland, and opportunities to share music through choirs, ensembles, cantors, instrumentalists, and community jam performances.
Gospel, Scripture, and an Open Table
All Saints' calls itself faithful to the Holy Scriptures, Anglo-Catholic and Evangelical, intentional and joyful in worship, family-friendly, focused on preaching and teaching the Gospel, and innovative while remaining reverent. The parish describes its central value as making an impact with the message of Jesus Christ. Its people are called to share the gospel, worship and glorify God in spirit and truth, receive forgiveness, extend it to others, and pursue wisdom through prayer, Bible study, and sound Christian education.
The Bible is understood through Scripture, tradition, and reason. Holy Baptism and the Eucharist are recognized as the two great sacraments instituted by Christ. Confirmation, Reconciliation of a Penitent, Matrimony, Orders, and Unction are also recognized spiritual markers in the journey of faith. All Saints' affirms that God loves everyone without exception and describes a legacy of inclusion in which people of all genders and sexual orientations serve as bishops, priests, and deacons, while laypeople and clergy share leadership and governance.
From Acton to Lakeland, 1884 to Today
All Saints' began in 1884 when English settlers in the community of Acton built an Episcopal church between Lake Parker and Lake Bonny. The opening of Florida's first railroad line linking the coasts had brought new opportunities for citrus development, but a severe freeze in 1890 ruined the local economy and dispersed the community. The church closed for three years, yet the Rev. John H. Weddell refused to let the mission die. With Bishop Weed's permission, he moved the small wooden building to the corner of Lemon Street and Massachusetts Avenue in nearby Lakeland in 1892. The community had united to request the move, and a stained-glass window in the present nave memorializes that effort.
Weddell moved to Lakeland with the church and served as vicar for 27 years. After his retirement, the mission became a self-supporting parish. Under the Rev. G. Irvine Hiller, the wooden church was demolished and construction began on a Spanish Revival building that could seat 400. Furnishings from the earlier church, including an altar carved by Weddell, were incorporated into St. Mary's Chapel. The first service in the completed nave took place on February 24, 1924. The building remains the oldest continuing church in downtown Lakeland and was recognized as part of Historic Lakeland in 1992.
The parish continued to develop new ministries and buildings. St. David's mission was established in the 1950s, and Christ-the-King was founded in 1983. The Rev. Dr. Al Jenkins, who served for 26 and a half years, oversaw extensive renovations, the education and administration wing, a new Book and Gift store, the Parish Academy established in 2003, and an Order of St. Luke pastoral care ministry. Four new bells made in France were hung in the tower in 2006.
The four-story McClurg building, dedicated in 2012, added classrooms, music rehearsal rooms, a youth center for grades six through twelve, a teaching center, a worship floor, and a parish fellowship hall. The church also developed a robust media ministry under Fr. Reid, including livestreamed worship, online education, and a production studio. Its work has included two mission parishes, St. David's and Christ the King. Since 1884, All Saints' has had only one vicar and seven rectors.
A Healing Ministry in the Heart of the Parish
The International Order of St. Luke is an ecumenical Christian healing order founded in 1932 by an Episcopal priest. Its All Saints' Doulos Chapter maintains a trained prayer team that supports the rector and the parish's healing ministry. The Wednesday Healing Eucharist includes Scripture, teaching, prayer, Communion, and specific prayer for people attending. The Order of St. Luke holds that healing remains present through health professionals and fellow Christians and that people are equipped to heal through the power of Jesus Christ.
The prayer team's wider ministry includes hospital and nursing-home visitation, home Communion in coordination with lay Eucharistic visitors, crisis ministry, education about healing, and prayer support in worship. Deacon Kay Ruhle co-leads the Doulos Chapter and leads the Wednesday healing service. The ministry also connects All Saints' with mission work in Guatemala, Uganda, and Belize and with disaster-relief service.
One Congregation, Many Musical Expressions
All Saints' describes music as part of the congregation's shared prayer. The Saturday and 7:30 a.m. services are spoken, with no congregational singing, and a contemplative prelude for the early service begins at 7:20 a.m. The 8:50 a.m. service draws on contemporary Christian music, gospel traditions, hymns, spirituals, and other sacred repertoire, with congregational song led by the 8:50 Ensemble. The 10:50 a.m. service is rooted especially in Anglican choral music, Episcopal Hymns, psalms, anthems, and the wider Christian tradition.
The Parish Choir leads the 10:50 service and many major feasts, rehearsing on Thursdays from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. during the regular August-through-May season. The 8:50 Ensemble rehearses on Tuesdays from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. year-round, while the Handbell Choir meets on Thursdays from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. during its regular season. Cantors and instrumentalists also serve throughout the church year, and singers and players of varied backgrounds are welcomed.
Public performing arts concerts are another expression of All Saints' musical life. Parish musicians and guest artists present sacred, classical, contemporary, jazz, blues, Dixieland, operatic, and other repertoire. Annual concerts are free and open to the public, with an offering supporting future events. The My Jam performances give parish musicians and guest artists room to explore styles that may not ordinarily appear in Sunday worship.
Loving God, Neighbor, and Lakeland
The phrase “Loving God, Neighbor, and Lakeland” expresses All Saints' understanding of its place in the community. Outreach is described as showing up with love and a willingness to serve rather than having every answer. Parish members and other volunteers go into neighborhoods to distribute food, clean up, mow lawns, and pray with residents. North Lake Wire is a central focus, with twice-yearly Neighbor Day gatherings, quarterly projects, and continuing relationships with residents.
Other recurring service includes Operation Christmas Child, the St. Nicholas Project, a Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast, and participation in First Fridays in downtown Lakeland. Youth ministry connects worship and formation with food distribution, food packing, neighborhood service, and mission projects. Deacon Bob Johnson helps communicate community needs to the church and encourages people to love and serve their neighbors.
All Saints' works alongside the Dream Center of Lakeland, the Salvation Army, A Woman's Choice, Talbot House, Anchor House, Senior Orphans of Polk County, and Parker Street Ministries. These relationships extend the parish's concern for families and neighbors, people experiencing homelessness, women facing unplanned pregnancies, young people in crisis, seniors without family support, and the spiritual and educational needs of the Parker Street neighborhood.
Clergy and Ministry Leaders
The Rev. Dr. Reid Hensarling is All Saints' eighth rector. He previously served as associate to the rector and as priest-in-charge. His work emphasizes preaching and teaching the Bible, adult Christian education, sacramental ministry, spiritual growth, the Order of St. Luke, and parish leadership. He also leads the Wednesday and Friday morning Bible studies and the Wednesday evening Parish Academy.
The Rev. Robert W. Johnson serves as a deacon and directs the parish's outward-facing concern for community needs. The Rev. Kay Ruhle also serves as a deacon, co-leads the Doulos Chapter, leads the Wednesday healing service, and has a background in teaching, chaplaincy, mission, and disaster relief. Their work follows the deacon's responsibility to help build the church in the world.
Ministry directors include Tony Comegys in Communications, Joshua Mazur in Music, Greighton Hernandez in Nursery and Children's Ministries, Garrett Waldron in Youth and Young Adult Ministries, and Kimberly Milton as 8:50 a.m. Music Director. Dr. Alan Snyder serves as Parish Teacher. Together these leaders oversee worship, formation, communication, pastoral work, and the many programs that connect the congregation with children, adults, families, and the wider community.
Worship That Travels
The 8:50 and 10:50 a.m. Sunday Eucharistic services are livestreamed through All Saints' on Facebook and YouTube as well. Archived services and homilies make the church's teaching and worship available to people at home, at work, or on the go. The Daily Office Lectionary follows a two-year cycle and is offered in audio and video, including a weekly podcast. Other recorded ministries explore biblical worldview, world religions, Scripture, prayer, Christian culture, and the lives and works of Christian writers.
All Saints' also teaches that generous giving is part of ministry. Gifts support worship, education, neighborhood outreach, and global mission. Contributions can be made online through Realm, by texting ASCL and an amount to 73256, through the Realm Connect app, or through online bank bill pay. The church's mission is to lead people into a deeper relationship with God and one another in Christ and to transform its community through the presence, resources, and financial support of its members.
Parking, Tours, and the Heart of Downtown
The main parking garage on South Iowa Avenue is the best parking option for services and special events. Parking is free and generally easy to find, with designated accessible spaces. On Sundays, shuttle rides run to and from the garage for the 8:50 and 10:50 services, and shuttles are often offered during major church events. Limited spaces are also available near the east entrance and near City Hall to the south. Very limited street parking, including a few accessible spaces, is available near the west entrance and can suit early worshippers.
Groups of four or more are encouraged to arrange a tour of the historic church when volunteer guides are available, and the tour normally lasts 30 to 45 minutes. Tours highlight the Skinner-Colby Organ, stained glass, and architecture, and can include the 4:00 p.m. Saturday Eucharist or the noon Tuesday or Wednesday service. All Saints' welcomes visitors in downtown Lakeland, worship is conducted in English, and the church office can be reached at (863) 688-4502. That is All Saints' Episcopal Church today: a historic downtown parish whose seven weekly services, education, music, healing ministry, and neighborhood outreach continue the work begun in 1884.