From a Log Schoolhouse to a 1909 Stone Sanctuary
St. John's Episcopal Church has stood at the corner of Portage Trail and 2nd Street in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio for nearly two centuries. Organized on November 28, 1830, by Episcopalian families who had followed Joshua Stow's Connecticut settlers into the Western Reserve, the parish first met in a local log schoolhouse. The first church building was built on the present site in 1835 on land Stow gave the congregation. The local Methodist church was gifted the adjacent lot, and the two congregations have been neighbors ever since. That first frame church was consecrated on July 10, 1836 and served the community until it was razed in 1907.
The present stone-and-stained-glass church was erected in 1908 and 1909 and first used on February 14, 1909, with consecration following on May 22, 1914. The parish house, now offices and classrooms, was completed in 1927, and the front narthex was added in 1958. In recent years the parish has welcomed a small resurgence of new members and has just completed a foundational giving campaign aimed at renovating the church building.
The parish describes itself as an eclectic blend of old and young, believers and seekers, lifelong Episcopalians and those who are testing the waters, knit together by love of God and a desire to share that love through worship, acts of service, and spiritual formation. The greeting on parish communications reads, "God loves you. No exceptions."
A Sunday at St. John's
Two Sunday services set the rhythm of the week. At 8:30 am the congregation gathers in the chapel just inside the north entrance; at 10:30 am it gathers in the sanctuary. Both services use a printed bulletin that contains everything said, sung, and done, and ushers hand the bulletin out at the door. The 10:30 service is typically livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook, and an archive of previous weeks' worship is kept at vids.stjohnscf.org. Live streams begin shortly before 10:30 each Sunday morning.
Most Sundays include communion. The bread is vegan at both services and gluten-free at the 10:30; gluten-free wafers are also available at the 8:30. Wine is the Episcopal norm, but partaking is not required to receive the fullness of communion. All baptized Christians are invited to receive the Eucharist, regardless of denominational affiliation, marital status or history, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Anyone who would prefer a blessing may come forward during communion and indicate so by crossing their arms over the chest when reaching the priest. A divorced person can remarry in the Episcopal Church with approval from their bishop, and any marriage recognized by civil authorities is recognized at St. John's as well.
Worship is structured according to the Book of Common Prayer. Most Sundays follow one of two orders: Morning Prayer or Holy Eucharist. Morning Prayer draws on monastic traditions and centers on the readings appointed by the Revised Common Lectionary, with hymns, sung passages, several prayers said together, and a homily. Holy Eucharist adds a retelling of salvation history, the consecration of bread and wine, and an invitation to come to the altar. Episcopal worship will feel familiar to those with experience in Roman Catholicism or another western liturgical tradition. Visitors from evangelical or Reformed backgrounds will notice that scripture readings usually include four passages - one each from the Old Testament, Psalms, New Testament, and Gospels - that most prayers come prepared from the Book of Common Prayer rather than extemporaneous, that two to four hymns are usually sung, and that sermons run between ten and fifteen minutes. The parish follows a liturgical calendar that gives Biblical themes to different periods of the year, especially from Advent in December through Pentecost in May.
What Episcopalians at St. John's Believe
St. John's belongs to the Episcopal Church, the American branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Each congregation is grouped into a regional diocese led by an elected bishop; St. John's is in the Diocese of Ohio, whose bishop is the Rt. Rev. Anne B. Jolly. The national church is led by a Presiding Bishop, currently Sean W. Rowe. The parish uses the 1979 edition of the Book of Common Prayer.
Members affirm a loving, liberating, life-giving God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, whose life, death, and resurrection saved the world. The Bible is held to contain all things necessary for salvation. Basic beliefs have been stated by the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed. Sacraments are understood as outward signs of inward spiritual grace.
The parish describes its approach to scripture as prima scriptura. The Bible is the primary source of Christian revelation, but centuries of Christian tradition and prayerfully expressed human reason also belong to the conversation. Anglican theology calls this the three-legged stool of Scripture, Tradition, and Reason. The Episcopal Church recognizes Baptism and the Eucharist as the two great sacraments given by Christ, while honoring other milestones such as marriage as channels of God's grace. The church affirms the doctrine of the Real Presence of Christ in the consecrated elements without requiring belief in transubstantiation. The historic practice of Apostolic succession has been maintained through the Episcopal Church's links with the Church of England, the Scottish Episcopal Church, and Old Catholic churches of the Union of Utrecht.
Authority is shared among ordained and lay people with interlocking checks and balances. At St. John's the elected lay committee called the Vestry is the governing body of the parish. The Senior Warden, Mark Rechner, and the Junior Warden, Betty Travis, lead the Vestry, whose other members are Marj Benjamin, Sue Bremkamp, Laurie Frank, Chuck Glanville, and Hal Hendrick, Treasurer. The Bishop of Ohio provides pastoral oversight, and ordained and lay people at the diocesan level help ensure that suitable bylaws and norms for worship are followed.
Orthodox and Inclusive
St. John's describes itself as proud to be a welcoming parish for LGBTQ+ people, and as both orthodox and inclusive - inclusive because of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and not in spite of it. Orthodox, in that members believe that the holy and glorious Trinity is revealed by Jesus Christ, that Christ became one of us in order to suffer death on a cross and rise again, freeing us from bondage to sin and death, and that each person enters mystical union with Christ through prayer, devotion, and the holy sacraments of the church. Inclusive, because when Jesus teaches us to love our neighbor as ourselves, the parish understands him to mean everyone, including LGBTQ+ people and their partners.
Everyone is allowed to participate fully in the life of the church, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation. This includes receiving the Eucharist, taking a leadership role, getting ordained, and getting married. The parish is working to establish an LGBTQ+ group offering social activities and discussion, and to form an LGBTQ+ and Friends choir.
Treasures in Glass
The sanctuary is filled with stained glass windows of varied age and style. The Healing Christ, beside the baptismal font, was crafted in 1910 and is often described as the most exquisitely designed and executed window in the building. It depicts Jesus healing the sick brought to him in various states of illness.
The Resurrection dates to about 1929 and shows the risen Christ with the paschal banner unfurled behind him, surrounded by seven doves representing the gifts of the Spirit and watched over by the women at the tomb and by Saints Peter and John. The bottom three panels depict the Nativity with the visitation of shepherds and the Magi.
The mid-twentieth century brought four pieces from Douglas Phillips of Cleveland in 1967. Christianity and the Family frames the family cycle from marriage through baptism to a young man going out into the world. Christianity and Industry shows the figure of Christ leading a man through contemporary and biblical cities, with symbols of work - an oak wreath, a wheel with cogs, a lamp, dividers, tractors, a cash register, a T-square, a hammer, and a flask - crowding the border. Christianity and the Unity of Nations and Races brings together East and West, Chinese and Caucasian, united by the cross, with figures of an Indian woman, an Arab, a black, and a white at its base and a broken sword and rifle symbolizing the end of war. Christianity and the Unity of the Churches gathers an Episcopal priest, a minister from a major denomination, a fundamentalist, an Eastern Orthodox priest, and a Roman Catholic priest around a single altar, with a Latin cross over a gothic building and a Greek cross over an Eastern church at the base.
The Sermon on the Mount depicts Christ holding a scroll while families in biblical and modern dress look on, with the Beatitudes and the Lord's Prayer tucked into the panels. Mary and Martha and Jesus and the Little Children, both commissioned in 1954 from the Payne Studios of England, show the popular figures of Mary and Martha attending their Lord and the familiar scene of Jesus inviting the little children, the latter with a modern-dressed little boy and toys to signal Jesus' continuing call to the young.
The featured window, The Old Testament, covers the back of the church and was designed to take advantage of sunlight. Dedicated on December 15, 1974, it shows the serpent, fruit, and flaming sword of Eden at the top, two Yods - the Hebrew symbol of God - in a raised circle below, and Moses holding the tablets of the Ten Commandments standing on Mt. Ararat at the center. The prophets Elijah and Elisha flank Moses, and the major prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel are represented in the side panels. The deluge and the salvation of man appear above, with Abraham and Isaac to the right and Cain and Abel at the very top.
Weekday Rhythms
Worship and formation continue through the week. Online Morning Prayer is offered on Mondays and Wednesdays at 7:00 am, and an online Book Club gathers on Tuesdays at 7:00 pm. Holy Eucharist is celebrated in the chapel at noon on Fridays. A quarterly newsletter and the parish calendar keep the wider congregation informed, and the parish periodically joins neighboring churches in shared worship.
Serving the Falls Since 1986
Soup's On has been offered from St. John's for nearly four decades. Hosted on the fourth Saturday of every month, it provides a hot home-cooked meal and additional food products to anyone in need. Volunteers prepare around 120 carefully planned, nutritious, and complete meals at each gathering and then set up tables with extra items so that guests can shop and carry home a bag of groceries. The drive-thru service runs from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm. On the Saturday during Thanksgiving weekend, the kitchen opens a Christmas Gift Shop staffed by youth volunteers, allowing adults to pick gifts for their children and grandchildren to be wrapped for Christmas.
Soup's On also picks up food items from area stores three days a week and delivers them to local charities including the Lighthouse Mission of Hope, Good Neighbors, Icandora Hall, and Gennesaret. New volunteers and partnerships with stores willing to work with the program are always welcome.
A Parishwide Range of Service
The parish keeps a long list of service opportunities for those who want to participate, show up, serve, learn, and pray together.
Acolytes assist Eucharistic Ministers and clergy during communion, lead processions, and help throughout the service. The Altar Guild prepares the spaces for worship, cares for sacred items, and decorates for special occasions. Lectors read the scripture lessons appointed for each service. Eucharistic Ministers assist in administering the consecrated elements of the Eucharist during most services. Lay Eucharistic Visitors take communion to those unable to attend because of illness or injury. Ushers welcome attendees, hand out bulletins, assist with seating, conduct the offering, and direct congregants during communion.
Music Ministry welcomes instrumentalists of all kinds - as soloists, accompanists, or part of an ensemble. The Choir is being revived, and those interested in singing are invited to get in touch. A Hospitality Club helps with coffee hours, church dinners, and other events. Adopt-A-Spot maintains flower beds at the intersection of 2nd Street and Broad Boulevard for the city each year. Buildings and Grounds oversees maintenance, repair, and beautification projects around the building and grounds.
Outreach promotes opportunities to share Christ's love through service projects and activities in local communities. The Clothesline Ministry collects items year-round, especially during colder months, for unhoused neighbors; items are hung in the green space so they can be taken without the stigma of asking. St. John's supports Good Neighbors, a local volunteer non-profit in Cuyahoga Falls that provides emergency assistance with minimal red tape, by collecting items and encouraging volunteer hours. Faith Formation offers occasional classes, including a recent introduction to the Episcopal tradition and a Confirmation Class, and welcomes ideas from those who want to learn or lead. Inter-generational programming during the coffee hour welcomes people of all ages to room 105 for fun activities aimed at involving the whole family in making the Gospel accessible to children. Prayer Ministry members pray for those on the prayer list and other concerns brought to their attention. The Columbarium Committee maintains the holy space of interment of ashes in the narthex.
Two long-standing groups connect women of the parish. The Episcopal Church Women board meets at 10:30 am on the second Saturday of each month from September through May in the lower-level lounge and supports several ministries of the parish. St. Theresa's Guild coordinates the Christmas Toy Shoppe in November. The St. Hildegard of Bingen Chapter of the Daughters of the King, a religious order for lay and ordained women in the Episcopal Church, gathers women around a rule of life anchored by prayer, service to the parish, and evangelism.
Visiting St. John's
The church is at 2220 2nd Street, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio 44221, at the corner of Portage Trail and 2nd Street. Parking is in the public lot on 2nd Street across from the church, with a small lot on the property reserved for those with mobility issues. The accessible entrance is from Portage Trail: turn down the driveway to the left of the church and follow it around to the back. The office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm and can be reached at 330-928-2139.
The Priest-in-Charge is the Rev. Alan B. Cowart, who joined St. John's in 2025. A native of Florida with deep Southern family roots, he was ordained a priest in 2015 after discerning a call in the Episcopal Church and has served churches in Georgia and Southwestern Virginia. He and his wife Kelly live into the parish's call to be an honest community of faith that exists to love on purpose, as Jesus did. The Rev. Al Muller serves as Deacon.
The stained glass, the steady rhythm of worship, the Saturday Soup's On meal, and the parish's commitment to radical welcome have defined St. John's since the log schoolhouse days. Almost two hundred years after the first settlers gathered in Joshua Stow's lands, the parish continues to invite anyone who walks through the door into a community knit together by love of God and love of neighbor.