The Church That Serves on Union Hills
At the corner of 41st Avenue and Union Hills Drive in Glendale, Arizona, the Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist has spent more than four decades making a quiet claim: the Body of Christ is a serving Body. The signage out front reads "The Church that Serves," and the parish takes the words seriously. The congregation has been part of the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona since the late 1970s and secured its standing as a parish in April 1984. Today the church is sustained by roughly thirty active ministry teams, three choirs, a busy Kids Zone, and a long list of outreach partnerships that reach into every corner of the west Phoenix valley.
Worship is at the heart of life here, and the rhythm is deliberately easy to step into. Two Sunday services, an education hour between them, and a building that hums with choirs, acolytes, lectors, and fellowship keep the parish in motion from early morning until well into the week. Fr. Tim Yanni, the rector since 2022, sums up the welcome in the simplest possible terms: "You are welcome in this place! Come as you are!" Visitors who arrive nervous about Episcopal liturgy, children in tow, or unsure what to wear, will find a greeter at the door, a hymnal in the pew, and an order of worship projected on a screen so that no one has to fumble through a prayer book.
A Liturgy Designed to Be Easy to Follow
The 8 a.m. Sunday Holy Eucharist is the quieter of the two Sunday services. It is a spoken service without congregational singing, and instrumental music often underscores the liturgical season. The 10:15 a.m. Sunday service is the parish's flagship gathering, sung and intentionally intergenerational, with hymns, a sung setting of the prayers, and members of every age present in the pews. The liturgy follows the Book of Common Prayer and runs through the same arc each week: gathering in the name of the Lord, readings from Scripture, a sermon, prayers for the Church and the world, confession of sin, exchange of the peace, and the sharing of Holy Communion. A deacon closes each service by dismissing the assembly back out into the world to be the Body of Christ until the next Sunday.
The parish makes a point of removing common barriers to following along. Television monitors project the entire order of worship; hymnals stay in the pews; the rector preaches from a place where children sitting up front can see and even ask questions. Visitors are encouraged to take communion, and the welcome is wide. "All who seek Jesus are welcome to receive holy communion at St. John's," the parish teaches. The bread is real, the wine is real, gluten-free bread is available on request, and a chalice minister can bring communion to anyone who cannot come forward. Parents who prefer a blessing for an infant can cross their arms over their chest; the deacon and priest will know exactly what that means.
Three Choirs and an Intergenerational Sanctuary
Music is woven into nearly every part of parish life. St. John's supports three distinct ensembles, each with its own rehearsal rhythm. The St. John's Choir rehearses on Thursdays at 7 p.m. and sings a wide repertoire of sacred music throughout the church year. The Joyful Noise Choir, an open and welcoming ensemble, rehearses on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. and welcomes singers of every ability. The Praise Band rehearses on Sundays right after the 10:15 service and brings a more contemporary sound to special services and gatherings. Singers interested in joining can speak with the rector or with Jimmy Diaz, who helps coordinate the choirs.
The instrumentalists and singers do more than fill the sanctuary with sound. They shape the prayer life of the parish. The 10:15 a.m. service in particular is designed to be the kind of place where grandparents, parents, teenagers, and small children all sit together - or, in the case of the very youngest, head up to the Kids Zone up front when the time comes for their own formation.
Kids Zone Up Front, with Miss Julie
The Kids Zone is the first thing many young families notice. Led by Julie Tarbutton, the Assistant to the Rector and Youth Minister, the Kids Zone opens at 10 a.m. in the front of the sanctuary during the 10:15 service. Children learn prayers, songs, dances, and even some American Sign Language at a level designed for them, while remaining close enough to the liturgy to absorb how Episcopal worship actually feels. Coloring pages, soft toys, and percussion instruments are always on hand for restless hands. Two adults staff the space each Sunday, and the program is built around two foundational lessons: God loves you, and so do we.
Julie brings more than a decade of children's ministry experience to the role, along with a degree in biblical studies and Christian ministry with a concentration in youth ministry from George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon. For parents who would rather keep their children in the pew, the parish recommends sitting near the front of the sanctuary so that kids can see what is happening, and Rector Tim makes a habit of inviting children to ask questions after the sermon. Kids of all ages are welcome at any service, including the quieter 8 a.m. spoken Eucharist.
Thirty Ministry Teams, from Altar Guild to Adopt-A-Highway
If the music is the sound of St. John's, the thirty active ministry teams are the engine. Inside the walls, Altar Guild, Lectors, Acolytes, Eucharistic Ministers, Bread Bakers, Greeters, Ushers, and the audio/video team keep every service running smoothly. Crafters and Quilters, the Daughters of the King, Faith Through the Arts, and Hospitality keep the social fabric strong.
Outside the walls, the parish operates a Food Pantry and the St. John's Closet Thrift Store, runs a thriving Military Veterans Ministry, and partners with Borderlands POWWOW (Produce on Wheels Without Waste) to bring low-cost produce to hundreds of families each month. Men's Fellowship, Adopt-A-Highway Cleanup, a Land Use Task Force, scouting groups, and AA recovery meetings all meet on the campus. The church is also available to outside groups whose values align with its own, with suggested donations listed for use of the Parish Hall, Library, East Annex, kitchen, and Sanctuary.
Sacramental Life, Open Doors
The Episcopal Church celebrates seven sacraments, with Holy Baptism and Holy Eucharist at the center. St. John's celebrates the Eucharist at every Sunday service and welcomes all who seek the sacrament to the table. Baptisms are scheduled as requested, with the Book of Common Prayer pointing to the Easter Vigil, the Day of Pentecost, All Saints' Day, the Sunday after, and the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord (the First Sunday after the Epiphany) as especially fitting times. Reconciliation, Unction (for the sick), Confirmation, Holy Matrimony, and Holy Orders are all available; anyone interested in any of these rites is invited to begin a conversation with the rector.
The parish's sacramental theology is intentionally generous. Children are welcome to receive communion, and the priest will place a small spot of consecrated wine on the lips of an infant. There is no requirement to receive both kinds; receiving bread or wine alone carries the full grace of the sacrament. A corporate confession and absolution is part of most services, and private confession can be arranged with a priest by appointment.
Father Tim and the Clergy Team
The rector, the Rev. Timothy J. Yanni, has served St. John's since 2022. Ordained in 2016 at St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Provo, Utah, he grew up in Southern California's Imperial Valley, attended seminary at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, and holds a master's degree in sacred theology from the University of Notre Dame. He is also a Board Certified Chaplain through the Association of Professional Chaplains and brings an MBA to his work running a self-sustaining parish. He came to Glendale from All Saints' Episcopal Church in central Phoenix, where he served as associate rector and taught religion to first-through-fourth graders at All Saints' Episcopal Day School. He previously served as chaplain at Ogden Regional Medical Center in Utah.
He lives in Phoenix with his wife, Brandy, and a rescue dog named Ari (short for Arizona), and he is well known at the parish for his playful spirit, his guitar playing, his golf game, and a collection of more than seventy aloha shirts. He writes weekly on Substack and is active on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
He is supported by a deep bench. The Rev. Cn. Chuck Milhoan, who has been part of the St. John the Baptist community since 1983, serves as a deacon and brings a lifetime of Episcopal formation to the role. The Rev. Mary Brooks also serves as a deacon. The Rev. Henry F. Orth, ordained first in the Roman Catholic Church more than forty years ago and received into the Episcopal Church in July 2024, serves as assisting priest. The Rev. Cn. Harry Way, rector emeritus, served as rector from 2001 to 2011 and still preaches periodically. The parish's vestry of nine elected members, a Senior Warden, and a Junior Warden shares the work of governance, building, and policy with the clergy.
Between the Services: Education and Fellowship
Christian education at St. John's is intentionally drop-in friendly. Fr. Tim leads a weekly program between the Sunday services at about 9 a.m. during the program year, which runs from September through May, with a break in late December and early January. Topics are wide-ranging and pertinent to the life of the Church in the present day, and questions are welcomed and even encouraged. The gathering usually meets in the East Annex (the doors to the left as you pass through the Parish Hall) and moves to the parish library (the doors to the right) when needed.
Coffee hour and fellowship follow each Sunday service, and many parishioners arrive twenty or thirty minutes before worship to settle in. Office hours run Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Pastoral care from the clergy is available around the clock in emergencies.
Weddings, Funerals, and a Building that Hosts the Valley
Holy Matrimony is one of the sacramental rites the parish celebrates. Canonically, at least one of the parties must be a baptized Christian, and the wedding must conform to the canons of the Church, the policies of the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona, and Arizona state law. Couples are asked to contact the parish office at least six months before their desired date, and pre-marriage counseling with a member of the clergy is required. The rector ordinarily presides, may authorize another priest to preside or preach, and retains the right to decline if strong reservations arise. Same-sex and opposite-sex weddings follow the guidelines authorized by the General Convention, and Rite I, Rite II, or Enriching Our Worship language may be used.
Funerals are likewise sacramental. Last rites and anointing are administered by the clergy when possible, ideally with family present, and the funeral is best held in the church building, with the Holy Eucharist as part of the service when circumstances allow. The liturgy the parish uses draws from the Book of Common Prayer and is shaped by the conviction that, because Jesus was raised from the dead, the burial service is fundamentally an Easter liturgy. A customary donation of $400 helps cover cleaning and building use, with an additional $100 for the Parish Hall and kitchen if needed.
The building itself is a community hub. The Parish Hall, Library, East Annex, kitchen, and Sanctuary are all available for use, with suggested donations ranging from $40 for the Library (up to four hours) to $100 for the Sanctuary. All applicants complete a Building Use Request Form and a Waiver of Liability Form, payments are made in advance, and church programs always take precedence. AA groups, scouts, and other non-profit service organizations regularly use the campus.
Beliefs, in the Church's Own Words
St. John's stands in the historic Anglican and Episcopal tradition. The parish affirms the Nicene and Apostles' Creeds, holds the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God, and celebrates seven sacraments, with Holy Baptism and Holy Eucharist at the center. Every human person is believed to be made in the image of a loving God, and Jesus is named as the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
The parish is also intentionally welcoming and affirming. The leadership is explicit that all people - of every age, race, income level, cultural background, gender identity, and sexual identity - have a place at the table. While acts of violence, foul language, and harassment are never appropriate, sacraments are available to all who seek them. The parish's Ministry Covenant, recently updated, frames every baptized Christian as a minister of the Gospel, called to give time, talent, and treasure out of gratitude, and to follow Christ in week-by-week worship, prayer, and service to neighbors near and far.
Getting Involved at St. John the Baptist
Parishioners describe St. John's as a place where "we do a whole lot" and where new faces are met by name within a Sunday or two. The church operates as a self-sustaining parish, supported entirely by the generosity of its members and friends; online giving is available at stjohnsaz.org, and pledges of time and talent are welcomed alongside financial support. Anyone curious about serving on the altar, reading as a lector, welcoming as an usher, baking bread for communion, running audio/video, joining a choir, or stepping into one of the many outreach ministries can speak with a member of the clergy after any service.
Visitors are invited to find the church at 4102 W. Union Hills Drive in Glendale, at the corner of 41st Avenue and Union Hills Drive, with two clearly marked parking areas - the east lot accessed from 41st Avenue, the west lot directly off Union Hills Drive. The mail goes to PO Box 10307, Glendale, AZ 85308. The parish office can be reached at 623-582-5449 or info@stjohnsaz.org, and the parish is active on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. A weekly email newsletter, Living the Liturgy, is available by subscription.