All Saints' Episcopal Church stands at 1322 Kimball Avenue in Richland, Washington, between Williams and Symons. It is known for two Sunday Eucharists: a quiet 8:00 a.m. service without music and a music-rich 10:15 a.m. service with choir, instruments, and a livestream. Rooted in a parish that began with a Litany in 1944, the church also has a broad ministry of formation, pastoral care, music, fellowship, local and global outreach, and winter shelter.
A Litany in 1944 and a Parish Rooted in Richland
Richland was a farming community of about 200 people until the federal government purchased it in 1943 as a bedroom community for the secret Hanford Engineering Works. The government built a Protestant church and a Roman Catholic church. Episcopalians in the DuPont management team wanted a congregation of their own, and the first Episcopal service was a Litany held in the Methodist church on March 7, 1944, by the Rev. Leo W. Dyson.
In January 1947, Dyson became vicar of a new congregation with 42 charter members. Because the members lived across the country, they chose the name All Saints'. Services were held in the Richland Grange Hall, shared with Richland Lutheran Church, and the congregation received parish status in April 1950. Groundbreaking for a dedicated building began in March 1952, and Bishop Edward Cross dedicated it on October 19, 1952. Its cornerstone held fragments of stone from Canterbury Cathedral, the charter-member list, a Book of Common Prayer, coins, and newspapers.
Later expansions shaped the church building: an office and education wing in 1955, a remodeled sanctuary and stained glass, a 1975 education wing with multipurpose and loft space, a narthex with accessible restrooms, nursery, and classrooms, and a larger kitchen, parish hall, offices, and restrooms. The mortgage was paid in 1963. The Rev. Jane Schmoetzer has served as rector since September 2010.
Two Sunday Eucharists and a Shared Formation Hour
Episcopal worship at All Saints' follows a structured, ancient liturgy. Scripture, a sermon that applies it to life, common prayer, the affirmation of shared faith, and Holy Eucharist shape the services. The 8:00 a.m. Sunday Eucharist is quiet and contemplative, with Scripture readings, prayers, a sermon, and no music. At 10:15 a.m., the main service adds congregational singing, choir, instrumental music, Scripture, sermon, and prayers around Holy Communion. Visitors are always welcome to join services and events.
Children may sit with their parents at 10:15 or attend children's chapel. Nursery care is available during the 9:00 formation hour and the 10:15 service. Formation for all ages runs from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. between the Eucharists, creating a regular Sunday rhythm of learning, worship, and community. The parish also recognizes baptisms, weddings, confirmations, funerals, prayers for healing, and Holy Eucharist in the home. All Saints' Memorial Garden serves as a final resting place for the parish.
At baptism, children and adults who have never been baptized are welcomed into Christian initiation. Confirmation is open to young people beginning in 10th grade, adults, and people joining from another Christian tradition, with the bishop laying on hands. The clergy visit people who are sick or homebound, and Lay Eucharistic Ministers bring communion to those unable to attend worship.
Children, Youth, and Care for the Whole Family
Sunday School for preschool through high school meets from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. from September through mid-June. Preschool and elementary students use Godly Play, a Montessori-like approach in which stories, religious language, wonder, and discovery help children encounter God in a safe, sacred space. The youth class for grades 6 through 12 studies the Bible and Christianity and considers their effect on life and the world.
The nursery in the Education Hall is open from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. for children from birth through age 3 or 4. Two professional caregivers staff a room with age-appropriate activities, a nursing chair, portable crib, changing table, and silent pagers for parents. STAR Time, a child-friendly Liturgy of the Word for preschool and elementary children, meets from 10:05 to 11:00 a.m. in the multipurpose room and includes questions and play.
Middle and high school students also gather monthly, usually from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., for dinner, service projects, games, and Compline. Vacation Bible School is a week-long summer program for children from preschool through 6th grade, with daily stories, art and science projects, snacks, play, and music. All Saints' also connects youth with Camp Cross, the diocesan camp on Lake Coeur d'Alene, and provides scholarship support for a young person's first trip.
Daily Prayer, a Thirty-Voice Choir, and a Notable Organ
Morning Prayer is offered by Zoom every weekday at 9:00 a.m. Participants display their full names so they can be admitted, and the office can send a link directly to those who request it the day before. First-time participants are invited to arrive 10 to 15 minutes early to install the Zoom application. The Bible is described as the foundation, understood through tradition and reason, and approximately 70% of the Book of Common Prayer comes directly from it. Other prayer resources include the three-year lectionary and the Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer.
Music has a prominent place in the 10:15 service, which includes traditional hymns, occasional selections from ancient and modern sources, congregational singing, choral anthems, and instrumental interludes. The largely volunteer music ministry also includes an occasional handbell choir and a brass band for special occasions. Chancel Choir membership draws about 30 singers of all ages, with no tryouts or age limits, and the choir rehearses on Wednesday evenings during its season and on Sunday mornings before worship.
The church's pipe organ began in 1972 with 10 ranks and 694 pipes, expanded to 896 pipes in 1992, and received a fully rewired console and expanded presets in 2018. Its repertoire has included Bach, Franck, Stainer's Resurrection, Dubois's Seven Last Words of Christ, and portions of Handel's Messiah.
Pastoral Care That Extends Beyond the Building
Pastoral care includes clergy visits, Lay Eucharistic Ministry, homebound visitors, the Flower Guild, prayer shawls, reception coordination, and working parties that assist with moves and changes in people's homes. Homebound visitors offer conversation and church news, while Eucharistic visitors carry communion to those unable to be present for worship. The Flower Guild takes altar flowers beyond the church, and prayer shawls are knitted or crocheted for people in need.
Loaves and Fishes provides short-term meals for families facing a difficult transition such as surgery, injury recovery, or the arrival of a new baby. Saintly Drivers take people to and from church when transportation is needed. A Prayer Angels team provides daily intercession, and a Pastoral Care Team supports the congregation's ongoing care ministry. Reception Coordinators organize optional post-funeral gatherings with light food and beverages.
The Parish Hall as a Winter Warming Shelter
All Saints' opens its parish hall as a temporary emergency warming shelter when cold temperatures make shelter especially urgent. From 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m., unhoused guests receive a warm place to sleep, hot dinner, breakfast, and the safeguarding of trained volunteers working in four-hour shifts. The parish provides cots, sleeping bags, pillows, linens, blankets, toiletries, and warm clothing.
The ministry grew from parishioners' response to a dangerously cold holiday gathering and developed into a coordinated shelter with operating procedures, volunteer training, and professional security support. Its central practice is hospitality: shelter, food, safety, comfort, and care for people seeking refuge.
Outreach With Local Roots and a Global Reach
The Outreach Committee raises funds each year for ministries in the Tri-Cities, elsewhere in Eastern Washington, and internationally. Local partners include Tri-City Community Health, Skills Development Mission, World Relief in the Tri-Cities, All Saints' Discretionary Fund, Tri-City Food Banks, Second Harvest Early Learning and Mobile Market, Teen Adult Challenge, Holiday Gift Cards, and the Samaritan Fund. Eastern Washington partners include Camp Cross, Campbell Farms, Noah's Ark, St. Michael's Episcopal Mission, and West Central Episcopal Mission. International support goes to Episcopal Relief and Development.
The monthly Narthex Giving Box pairs with a local organization and invites donations of needed items. The Samaritan Fund helps people turn service ideas into projects that make a difference. Giving to All Saints' can take the form of cash or a check in the offering plate, a mailed check, an automatic bank payment, or a secure one-time or recurring online gift.
Books, Supper, Service, and a Walking Prayer
All Saints' Book Group meets every five to six weeks to discuss a book connected with faith, and anyone may join even without finishing the selection. The Men's Fellowship usually meets on the first Thursday at 7:00 p.m., prepares a monthly soup, bread, and salad lunch, hosts the Shrove Tuesday pancake supper, and handles minor repairs. Saints and Sinners gathers for a potluck on the first Friday of the month, whether at church or in a home.
The church's labyrinth, patterned after the medieval labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral, has one winding path rather than the branches and dead ends of a maze. It offers a self-guided setting for meditation, prayer, and attention to the movement of the Holy Spirit. The Vestry, the congregation's governing board, meets on the third Monday at 7:00 p.m.; any congregant may attend and add input, while only Vestry members vote.
Christ at the Center, Service in the World
All Saints' states its mission as equipping the saints to seek and serve Christ in all people. Its vision is a community of Christ-like transformation and growth that makes God visible in the Tri-Cities and around the world. Core values include keeping Jesus at the center, worship in the broad Episcopal tradition, loving and accepting neighbors, supporting one another in prayer, providing education for every age, sharing resources for local and global outreach, managing what God has given them, and joining in fellowship.
The Nicene Creed summarizes the church's faith in one God, the Father; Jesus Christ, incarnate from the Virgin Mary, crucified, buried, risen, ascended, and to come again; and the Holy Spirit, who gives life and speaks through the prophets. It affirms one holy catholic and apostolic Church, one baptism for the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.
All Saints' also acknowledges the Cayuse, Umatilla, Walla Walla, Yakama, and Wanapum people as the traditional custodians of the land where it meets, expressing a commitment to listen, justice, reconciliation, and healing. From two Sunday Eucharists to formation for every age, music in the sanctuary, care beyond the building, and shelter offered in winter, All Saints' carries its mission through worship, learning, fellowship, and service.