On the Corner of Kent and Portland Since 1902
St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church sits at the corner of Kent Street and Portland Avenue in St. Paul's historic Ramsey Hill neighborhood, one block north of Summit Avenue and just west of downtown. The congregation first gathered in January 1881 in a chapel at the nearby Dayton Avenue Presbyterian Church, then moved through spaces at Ashland and Mackubin and at Dale and Portland before settling into its present home in 1902. The parish calls itself the "Church of the Open Door," a phrase that has marked its life for generations and continues to shape its welcome today.
With more than 300 active members, St. John's is a large and diverse congregation rooted in the Book of Common Prayer and also committed to living out an ancient faith in a way that responds to the present. The parish has made an intentional commitment to justice work over the past decade, and the building itself has become a neighborhood hub that hosts an early childhood school, a chamber music school, twelve-step groups, a summer farmers' market, and many other community gatherings.
Worship is liturgical and sacramental, drawing on the Book of Common Prayer while incorporating new emphases on racial and gender justice and adapting language and imagery to be more inclusive of all cultures, races, genders, and sexualities. St. John's actively affirms the full participation of women and the LGBTQ+ community in every area of church life.
Sundays at 8 and 10
Sunday is the heart of the week at St. John's, and two celebrations of the Holy Eucharist bookend the morning. At 8:00 a.m., a simple Rite I Eucharist gathers in the church - a quieter, shorter service using the traditional language of the prayer book. At 10:00 a.m., the larger Rite II Eucharist fills the nave and is also livestreamed on the parish's YouTube channel, allowing members at home to worship with the gathered community.
The fourth Sunday of each month is set aside as a Holy Eucharist for Racial Reconciliation and Healing. This liturgy began in 2021 in keeping with the Episcopal Church in Minnesota's diocesan priority of Becoming the Beloved Community, originally celebrated on the first Friday of each month. As the powerful preaching, culturally diverse music, and prophetic language of that service drew wider participation, the Liturgy Committee and clergy brought it into the Sunday flow so that more of the congregation could share in the witness. Gluten-free wafers are always available on request.
Worship follows the historic Anglican pattern: readings from Scripture, music, a sermon, and Holy Communion, with a printed bulletin guiding visitors through the service so no one has to navigate a prayer book alone. Audio assistance devices are available for those who are Deaf or hard of hearing. Most services last a little over an hour, after which the community gathers for a coffee hour to meet newcomers and catch up with old friends.
The Daily Office: Morning Prayer and Compline
Beyond Sunday morning, St. John's keeps the older monastic rhythms of daily prayer alive in two distinctive settings.
Morning Prayer is offered Monday through Saturday at 8:00 a.m. on the SJE Daily Office Facebook page, where it can be joined from anywhere. The service is said directly from the Book of Common Prayer using contemporary Rite II language and lasts no more than thirty minutes. Morning Prayer, or Matins, is the first of the four daily offices in the current prayer book. Its seasonal cycle of psalms, canticles, Scripture readings, and prayers for the world's needs is in sync with the liturgical seasons marked at Sunday Eucharist, providing a bridge from one Sunday to the next.
Compline, the last of the daily offices, is offered at 7:00 p.m. on Thursdays during the program year - except for Thanksgiving, Maundy Thursday, and other special services. It is held in candlelight in the church, with incense, as a contemplative close to the day. Compline is not offered in the summer. The service was launched through a seed gift from John Graham, and an ongoing fund in his name sustains it.
During the seasons of Advent and Lent, Healing Prayer and Anointing are offered in the Chapel of the Beloved Disciple during the distribution of Holy Communion at the 10:00 a.m. service. At the 8:00 a.m. liturgy, the clergy are glad to pray with anyone who requests this ministry after the service.
A Sacred Music Tradition Built Around a 1922 Skinner Organ
Music has long been one of St. John's proudest ministries. The parish aims to engage a diverse community of faith and enrich each member's spiritual development through worship services and its Sacred Music Series. The musical life draws on both traditional and contemporary Anglican practices, with excellence in preaching and a choral tradition that includes several ensembles.
The Parish Choir is the core ensemble for Sunday worship, supported by the Handbell Ensemble. Each year the parish hosts the Winifred Bean Sacred Music Series, which brings guest artists and repertoire that stretch beyond the ordinary Sunday choir. Recent concerts in the series have been recorded and posted to the parish YouTube channel.
St. John's is also home to the Artaria String Quartet, a professional chamber music ensemble in residence. In 2002 the quartet founded the Artaria Chamber Music School (ACMS) for high-school string players at St. John's. The school meets in the undercroft each Saturday during the academic year, and student quartets regularly perform chamber music classics during Sunday services. ACMS presents free concerts at St. John's each season as well as masterclasses open to the public.
The instrument at the heart of the building is the pipe organ, originally built and installed in 1922 by the E. M. Skinner Organ Company of Boston and restored and expanded by the Schantz Organ Company in 2008. The organ is regularly played for services, recitals, and concerts.
Faith Formation from Nursery Through Journey to Adulthood
St. John's understands faith formation as a lifelong process "from womb to tomb," and the parish offers programming for every stage of that journey.
Children from Birth Through Sixth Grade
The nursery, located in the Children, Youth, and Family Center in the undercroft, is staffed beginning at 9:00 a.m. on Sundays for children from birth through age four so that parents can attend the 10:00 a.m. service. Children Pre-K through sixth grade begin at 10:00 a.m. in the church and then gather in their classrooms. The Pre-K through grade 3 group uses Godly Play, a Montessori-based approach that tells Bible stories with three-dimensional materials. The grades 4 to 6 group uses Whirl, a lectionary-based curriculum with videos, discussion, and activities that follow the church calendar. Every year the children offer a Christmas Pageant on Epiphany Sunday, telling the Christmas story in their own creative way.
Youth in Grades 7-12
Youth ministry uses the Journey to Adulthood program, a curriculum divided into three phases. The Rite-13 class for grades 5 through 7 celebrates the gift of gender and lays a foundation through the themes of self, society, sexuality, and spirituality. The J2A class for grades 8 through 10 builds skills of adulthood - listening, assertion, negotiation, research, partnership, and leadership - and includes planning a spiritual pilgrimage during the second year. The Senior Youth phase for grades 11 and 12 follows the "Way of Love" curriculum from the national Episcopal Church, based on the work of the Most Rev. Michael Curry.
During the second year of J2A, youth prepare for the rite of Confirmation - understood in the Episcopal tradition as a mature, public reaffirmation of the Christian faith and the baptismal promises rather than a prerequisite for communion. Confirmation preparation includes regular Wednesday-night attendance, mentor meetings, a retreat, service hours, and participation in a worship ministry such as acolyte, reader, altar guild, or usher.
Adults
Adult faith formation at St. John's includes Sunday Faith Forums from 9:00 to 9:50 a.m. between September and May, offered on Zoom and in the Fireside Room. Seasonal weeknight offerings have included Bible studies, hymn studies, book studies, and discussions of how film, art, and music engage theology.
Several ongoing small-group studies are available. Sacred Art Bible Study meets on the second and fourth Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. The Bible Discovery Class, offered seasonally, walks through the whole Bible in eight sessions. The Wayfinders Series, offered twice a year in fall and spring, explores the beliefs and practices distinctive to the Episcopal Church's Anglican tradition and is especially recommended for those preparing for Baptism, Confirmation, or Matrimony. Small Groups of seven to ten members meet monthly or seasonally for spiritual support and shared life of faith.
Spiritual Life Groups
St. John's nurtures the spirit through a wide web of small intentional communities.
- The Book Group meets on the first and third Thursday of the month from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. in the Fireside Room or on Zoom, reading works chosen to challenge, affirm, and deepen members' spiritual lives.
- The Men's Breakfast gathers on the second Saturday of the month at 9:00 a.m. on Zoom, while the Men's Gathering meets on the second Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in the Fireside Room (or the Holly Garden when the weather is warm) for conversation, a beer or soda, and prayer.
- Older, Wiser, Laity (OWLS) gathers for those who self-identify as part of this ministry.
- The LGBTQ+ Spiritual Life Group is one of the parish's explicitly welcoming spaces.
- The Prayer Shawl Knitting Group meets on the second and fourth Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m. in the Fireside Room; shawls are knitted with prayer and then delivered by the Circle of Care to those recovering from illness, after the birth of a child, or in times of grief and transition.
- The Women's Group meets on the first Tuesday from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. in the Fireside Room and on Zoom, sharing faith, concerns, and joys.
- The Young(ish) Adults group gathers at least one weeknight each month for food, drinks, and activities like mini-golf, trivia, or a Minnesota United match.
- Spiritual Life in the Episcopal Homes Pub meets on the first Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. at Watters Pub on the Episcopal Homes campus in Midway Village for fellowship with residents.
Faith in Action: Hunger Relief, Housing, and Health
The parish's outreach mission, organized through the Faith in Action Commission, advocates for hunger relief, safe housing, and accessible health services - guided by the United Nations Millennium Development Goals endorsed by the Episcopal Church. Three main areas organize the work.
Hunger Relief. St. John's co-sponsors the Sunday-morning Farmers' Market in its own parking lot from June through mid-October, in partnership with the Hmong parish of Holy Apostles Episcopal Church. The Fields to Families branch buys produce from the market each week and delivers it to local hunger relief partners. Parishioners also volunteer regularly with First Nations Kitchen, a ministry of All Saints' Episcopal Indian Mission in Minneapolis that serves traditional indigenous food every Sunday evening. The parish partners with the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center, the "lighthouse of the community" since 1929, supporting its food shelf (which serves more than 1,000 households every month) and clothing closet. Every March, the Pack the Pews drive fills the front pews with non-perishable food that is then caravanned over to Hallie Q. Brown. Volunteers also help deliver Meals on Wheels.
Housing. St. John's works with Project Home, which provides 24-hour emergency shelter, food, clothing, rapid exit housing case management, tutoring, job coaching, and on-site mental health support for families facing homelessness at its location on Bandana Boulevard West. St. John's and other faith communities each serve a monthly meal at Project Home.
Health Care. St. John's supports the Kayoro Clinic in Uganda and the Days for Girls program, which provides menstrual hygiene kits and education to girls around the world. School Tools, an August drive done with Interfaith Action, collects school supplies for students from low-income families and those experiencing homelessness.
Creation Care, the parish's environmental ministry, meets on the second Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. and partners with Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light, working toward becoming a Climate Justice Congregation. Social Justice Everyday rounds out the outreach offerings.
Pastoral Care Through the Circle of Care
The ministry of pastoral care at St. John's is shared by every member of the parish. Lay pastoral caregivers are trained and licensed through Community of Hope International and serve in three principal ways: pastoral visitors who offer listening and one-to-one lay care; prayer lists, both public at Sunday services and confidential through a daily prayer chain; and Eucharistic visitors who bring communion from Sunday worship to parishioners unable to attend.
Healing Prayer and Anointing are available with trained ministers who remain after services to pray with anyone seeking pastoral support. Confidential prayer requests can also be shared with the clergy or written out and placed in the offering plate. During Advent and Lent, Healing Prayer and Anointing are offered in the Chapel of the Beloved Disciple during the distribution of Holy Communion at the 10:00 a.m. service.
Open and Affirming: A Safe Space for LGBTQ+ People
St. John's calls itself "a safe space for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people," going beyond simple welcome to actively affirm the full inclusion of women and LGBTQ+ people in all sacraments and levels of leadership. Multiple LGBTQ+ clergy have served at St. John's. Same-sex weddings and rites of renaming for trans parishioners are part of the parish's regular life.
The parish's Open and Affirming statement names Jesus' teaching of love of God and love of neighbor as the foundation of the work: "When we create a safe, open, and affirming environment for everyone, we honor his teaching." The parish's educational resources on LGBTQ+ identities include reading lists, a glossary of terms, and a curated watch list of films and series that represent trans people and characters in positive ways.
A Building with Two Renowned Architects
The present church building reflects contributions from two of Minnesota's most renowned architects. Cass Gilbert, known for the Minnesota State Capitol and the U.S. Supreme Court building, and Clarence H. Johnston, Sr. both contributed significant work to the present edifice. The parish history of St. John's, written and edited by James Frazier, tells the full story of these architects, the building's stained glass treasures, and the pipe organ that has been part of the parish's worship for more than a century.
Accessibility is taken seriously inside. The elevator in the Kent Street lobby serves the whole building, and a wheelchair lift at the side door on the corner of Kent and Portland provides access to the main worship space. The parking lot sits kitty-corner to the church at Kent and Portland, with additional handicap spaces in front on Kent Street. The building is close to bus routes 63 and 65 and a few blocks south of Metro Transit's B Line and Route 72. The parish also operates a columbarium for members.
Big Wonder Child Care
Big Wonder Child Care, a non-profit early-childhood center, has opened in the church building. Big Wonder incorporates Montessori and Reggio Emilia models of formation in an anti-racist framework that encourages spiritual inquiry, and actively seeks to enroll children from diverse racial and economic backgrounds through scholarships, public aid, and grants.
Becoming Part of the Parish
Newcomers are encouraged to start by attending Sunday worship. Three times a year, Basics classes introduce newcomers to Christianity, the Episcopal Church, and life at St. John's. The Wayfinders Series offers a deeper exploration of Anglican beliefs and practices, especially for those preparing for Baptism, Confirmation, or Matrimony.
Episcopalians from another parish are encouraged to request a transfer of membership records through the parish office. Those who are not yet Episcopalians can choose to be received or confirmed into the church after a conversation with clergy. Membership at St. John's is not a static state; the parish sees it as a way of publicly affirming a commitment to a shared community of faith, worship, formation, and service.
The parish's online portal, My St. John's, gives members access to the directory, discussion forums, the calendar, and resources. The E-vangelist digital magazine, livestreamed services, the sermon archive, and the parish app (available through Google Play and the Apple Store) keep the wider community connected throughout the week. Morning Prayer, Compline, the 10:00 a.m. Sunday Eucharist, and sermons all reach beyond the building through the parish's YouTube channel and Facebook pages.
Office hours are Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to noon, and Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The parish office can be reached at 651-228-1172 or through the general email address. The Diocese of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota, under the pastoral leadership of the Rt. Rev. Craig Loya, 10th Bishop of Minnesota, anchors St. John's within the wider Anglican Communion - the worldwide family of churches descended from the Church of England that share a common theological and liturgical heritage weaving a "middle way" between catholic and protestant traditions.
St. John's lives out its call to be a Church of the Open Door through its members, its partners, and the many small communities that gather under its roof each week on the corner of Kent and Portland.