St. Paul's Episcopal Church occupies the corner of South Saginaw Street and West Third Street in downtown Flint, the same intersection where it has stood since 1872. The parish describes itself as the church with a heart in the heart of the city, and the building - a tall gothic landmark of stone hauled across the frozen Flint River on sledges - has been the visual anchor of that corner for a century and a half. The motto "Loving. Liberating. Life-giving." runs beneath a passage from Jeremiah 29:7: "But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you... and pray to the Lord on its behalf... for in its welfare you will find your welfare." The congregation that worships there is theologically progressive, musically ambitious, and deeply tied to the surrounding city through longtime partnerships with food, shelter, and youth programs.
150 Years at the Intersection
St. Paul's is currently observing its sesquicentennial. The Diocese of Michigan's presence in Flint goes back further: in 1839, the Reverend Daniel Brown shepherded worshippers in a small wooden tabernacle that served as the area's first Episcopal Church. Many of Flint's early civic and commercial leaders found their spiritual home in that congregation. As the village grew into a city, the parish outgrew the tabernacle and in 1872 built the current house of worship on Saginaw Street. The building was designed by Gordon Lloyd, a respected gothic church architect, and constructed from local stone carried on sledges drawn over the ice of the Flint River.
Three successive rectors have led the parish in the most recent chapter of its life. From 2015 to 2021, the Reverend Dan Scheid guided St. Paul's before being called to All Saints' Parish in San Francisco. The Reverend Don Davidson then served on an interim basis as Priest-in-Charge beginning in September 2021, shepherding the parish through a period of discernment. Since 2023, the Reverend Thomas Manney has served as Rector and Priest-in-Charge. The parish's year of "150 Years at the Intersection" was marked in partnership with the Sloan Museum of Discovery, which hosted a "150 Years at the Intersection" exhibit, and continues to be celebrated through concerts, an annual Pet Blessing, and a yearlong Music in the Heart of the City series.
A second Facebook presence, "Friends of Historic St. Paul's - Flint," supports and publicizes preservation of the building and its history.
Sunday and Wednesday Worship
Each week, St. Paul's celebrates the Holy Eucharist three times. On Sundays, two services of Holy Eucharist are offered: a quiet 8:00 AM Rite I and a music-rich 10:00 AM Rite II. The 8:00 AM service runs forty-five minutes to an hour, has no music, takes place in the choir loft, and uses traditional language from the Book of Common Prayer. The 10:00 AM service runs sixty to ninety minutes, includes hymns sung by the congregation, a sung or chanted psalm, and an anthem by one of the parish choirs, all accompanied by pipe organ or piano. Both services share the same scripture readings and sermon. Holy Communion is offered to all who wish to receive it, and the parish describes the sacrament as "the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ."
The 10:00 AM service is livestreamed on the parish Facebook page each Sunday. A children's Sunday School meets during the 10:00 AM service on most Sundays; the children rejoin the congregation in time to walk the gifts to the altar during the offertory procession.
On Wednesdays at 12:10 PM, the parish offers a thirty-to-forty-minute Rite II Eucharistic Mass in one of the five chapels inside the building. The location rotates between the side chapels and the upstairs children's chapel (reached by elevator in Barth Hall); during good weather the Wednesday service moves outside into the church's garden. This brief midday Mass is intended to fit comfortably within a lunch hour.
The parish follows the Book of Common Prayer, the historic worship book of the Anglican tradition in continuous use since 1549. St. Paul's also observes the major feasts of the Episcopal Church calendar with services similar in shape to the Wednesday midday Mass. Masks are available at the entrance for anyone who wishes to wear one.
There is no dress code at St. Paul's. Members and visitors dress up or dress casually in roughly equal measure, and the parish has been clear that what one wears makes no difference. All are welcome to receive Communion.
Music at the Heart of the City
Music has defined worship at St. Paul's since the very beginning, when a flute and cello accompanied the first service in the tabernacle. Today the parish supports four overlapping musical forces: the Chancel Choir, the Handbell Choir, the Gospel Choir, and a robust program of congregational singing at the 10:00 AM service. Three musicians lead that work. Holly Richardson is the Director of Music and Artistic Director; she holds a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Michigan-Flint and a Master of Arts from Marygrove College, teaches music history at Mott Community College, and is the collaborative pianist for New Century Chorale. Rafeal D. McDaniel-Walker directs the Gospel Choir; he holds degrees in vocal music and music education from Central Michigan University, the University of Michigan, and the University of Phoenix, and is the Director of Choirs and Drama at Lapeer Community Schools. Edward M. Arter is the Organist, leading the congregation and choirs from the four-manual console of the Dalton Memorial Organ.
The Dalton Memorial Organ is the third organ built for the parish and was completed in 2018. It was built by Jerroll Adams of Milan, Michigan, who expanded and rebuilt the pipework of the previous organ (originally completed in 1940) and added new ranks. The instrument has eight divisions, seventy-one registers, eighty-eight ranks, and more than five thousand pipes; its pipes are housed in three functional cases plus an echo division in the rear gallery, and it has both a four-manual main console and a two-manual mini console in the gallery. The organ is named in memory of Florence Whiting Dalton, whose family funded the 1940 organ in honor of her mother, Alice M. Northup Whiting.
Outside Sunday worship, the parish runs "Music in the Heart of the City," a long-running concert series that brings organ recitals, chamber concerts, vocal performances, and instrumental programs into the sanctuary. Concert admission is set at $10 for adults and $5 for students, with free admission for University of Michigan-Flint and Mott Community College students with ID. Past artists in the series have included the New Century Chorale, organists Carl Angelo and Thomas Gouwens, Trio Rubato, and pianist Tyler Kivel.
St. Paul's also opens its doors as a host site for downtown Flint's monthly Second Friday Art Walk, presenting a featured visiting artist and live music in the nave, sanctuary, and chapel spaces from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Past featured artists have included Flint photographer Alvin Jermaine Brown, oil painter Tom Myers, and water-media artist Margrit Schlatter.
The Dalton Building and a Downtown Welcome
The 1872 stone church is more than a worship space. The building contains five chapels in addition to the main sanctuary, an organ gallery, Barth Hall, a children's chapel upstairs, and a garden courtyard off Saginaw Street. The parish hosts an annual CRIM (Catholic Radio in Michigan) Blessing of the Bikes, a Back to the Bricks community event on its grounds, and an outdoor Pet Blessing each fall, in addition to opening its halls for concerts, exhibits, and community gatherings.
Visitors find St. Paul's roughly a block and a half from the MTA bus station. Free parking is available in the main lot behind the church (on the east side) and in a smaller lot on the south side; on-street parking is free on Sundays and metered during weekdays. The big front doors on Saginaw Street are open on Sundays and Wednesdays; the rear and south side doors are open on Sundays, and the south side door is open Tuesdays and Wednesdays. An elevator in Barth Hall serves the main floor and the upstairs children's chapel, and a wheelchair-accessible garden door faces Saginaw Street.
A Loving, Liberating, and Life-Giving Community
St. Paul's belongs to the worldwide Anglican Communion and is a congregation of The Episcopal Church, a member of the Episcopal Diocese of the Great Lakes, a network of ninety-seven congregations. The parish affirms the church's teaching that "God loves you - no exceptions." The parish statement reads in part: "As Episcopalians, we believe in a loving, liberating, and life-giving God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe in following the teachings of Jesus Christ, whose life, death, and resurrection saved the world. We have a legacy of inclusion, aspiring to tell and exemplify God's love for every human being."
Episcopal polity governs both the parish and the wider church. In the local congregation, the Vestry is the board of trustees and handles stewardship of parish finances, stewardship of parish property, and the election of a Rector in consultation with the Bishop. Laypeople and ordained ministers cooperate as leaders at every level of decision-making. The ordination of women and men as bishops, priests, and deacons is part of Episcopal identity, as is full sacramental equality for LGBTQ people, including marriage and ordination.
St. Paul's historic welcome is tied closely to its downtown geography. The parish continues to subscribe to the Jeremiah 29:7 charge to seek the welfare of the city and pray for it. In practical terms, that conviction has shaped a half-century of partnerships with emergency food and shelter providers, an annual Angel Tree gift drive for children, regular blood drives with the American Red Cross, and a yearly observance of Transgender Day of Remembrance that is open to the wider community.
Ministry Partners in Flint and Beyond
St. Paul's channels much of its outreach through four standing ministry partners.
Crossover Downtown Outreach Ministry. Crossover is a faith-based, interdenominational mission that distributes free emergency food, clothing, household and personal items, and youth programs to families in need. St. Paul's is an active supporter; each fall the parish collects Thanksgiving food baskets that are delivered to Crossover for distribution to Flint families, and each Advent the parish supports Crossover's Angel Tree gift program for local children.
Family Promise of Genesee County. Family Promise is a shelter network that keeps families together during a housing crisis by partnering with area congregations to provide shelter and case management. Family Promise of Genesee County has served families since 2014 as a local affiliate of a national organization founded in 1986. St. Paul's serves as a partner church, takes part in Family Promise's summer food program, and supports families through the St. Paul's Assistance Fund.
Camp Chickagami (Presque Isle). Camp Chickagami is the Episcopal summer camp for the region, dedicated to bringing campers into relationship with God as recipients of God's gifts, stewards of creation, and members of a Christian community. The camp welcomes young people from the parish and diocese alike.
AuSable Inclusion Center (AuSable). AuSable is a faith-based community resource center rooted in the Episcopal tradition and fully LGBTQ+ affirming. Its work centers on education, advocacy, and support for people marginalized by gender, sexuality, or socio-economic status.
In addition to those four, St. Paul's supports the International Order of St. Luke the Physician, an ecumenical organization devoted to the Christian healing ministry. The parish's Order of St. Luke chapter offers prayer for healing as part of the parish's pastoral care.
The St. Paul's Assistance Fund
Since 2024, Rayna Hauter has administered the parish Assistance and Ministry program, dedicated to helping neighbors and parish community members in need. Through this fund, the parish has helped more than forty families navigate job loss and illness, providing direct mutual aid and connecting them with partner agencies such as Family Promise and Crossover Outreach. The Assistance Coordinator keeps office hours on Tuesdays and is reachable by phone through the parish office the rest of the week.
Weddings at St. Paul's
St. Paul's Episcopal Church welcomes couples of any gender or orientation to celebrate the Sacrament of Marriage in its historic building. The parish is explicit that membership is not required to be married there, though couples are asked to understand the parish's faith traditions and how they shape the preparation and ceremony. St. Paul's couples complete a Declaration of Intention and a Wedding Information Form, choose scripture readings for Holy Matrimony from a curated list, and select music from a wedding music catalog. Wedding fees are published in a separate schedule. The parish stands ready to officiate a wedding that honors either marriage equality or simply "marriage, full stop," as the parish has put it - and to do so in either the sanctuary or one of the chapels.
The Epistle and Parish Communication
St. Paul's has published a monthly newsletter, The Epistle, for more than forty years. The Epistle carries news of ministries, events, lay leadership, and seasonal programs. It is distributed primarily by email; printed copies are mailed on request or picked up from the lobby. The newsletter is edited by the Administrative Assistant and welcomes ideas from parishioners.
The parish also keeps an active Facebook page where Sunday services are livestreamed, special services and concerts are publicized, and event invitations go out. The Bishop of the Diocese of the Great Lakes has used the parish Facebook page to deliver special messages such as an Easter letter to the wider diocese.
Beliefs and Lay-Led Governance
St. Paul's is one of the most theologically progressive congregations in the Diocese of the Great Lakes. In its own words: "St. Paul's and the Episcopal Church practice full sacramental equality for LGBTQ people. This includes marriage and ordination. Episcopal Church policies are set democratically by governing bodies made up of lay people, deacons, priests, and bishops." The Vestry is elected for staggered three-year terms and shares decision-making with the Rector on all areas of parish leadership except finances, property, and the calling of a Rector. The current bylaws were amended in January 2025. Vestry meetings are held most months on the first Wednesday at 5:30 PM, conducted in a hybrid in-person and Zoom format, and approved minutes are posted publicly.
Building Rental and Community Use
St. Paul's makes its facility available to other organizations through a formal building-use process. Two documents govern rentals: a Church Use form for parish-connected or faith-related groups and a Non-Church Building Use Rental Agreement for outside events. Sundays are not available for rental. Completed forms are submitted to the Administrative Assistant at stpoffice@stpaulschurchflint.com or dropped off at the parish office during weekday hours.
Clergy, Staff, and Vestry
The Reverend Thomas Manney leads the parish as Rector and Priest-in-Charge. He is supported by the Reverend Deacon Donna Kusky, the Deacon in Residence. Holly Richardson serves as Director of Music and Artistic Director; Rafeal D. McDaniel-Walker directs the Gospel Choir; Edward M. Arter is the Organist. George Gibson is Director of Finance, Karein Russell is Administrative Assistant and Editor of The Epistle, and Rayna Hauter is both the Assistance and Ministry Coordinator and the Clerk of the Vestry. Terence Whitehead is the Sexton.
The 2026 Vestry includes TaMara Oertel as Senior Warden (with the Liturgy and Education liaison portfolios); Robert Cuthbertson-Twine as Junior Warden and Diversity liaison; Jan Bugbee as Treasurer, Clerk, and Finance liaison; and members Karen Schaefer (Community Outreach), Shay Natchez (Pastoral Care and Hospitality), Cindy Hall (Stewardship), and Becky Bennett (Order of St. Luke, lector, lay worship leader, lay preacher, Building and Grounds). John Cherry serves as Vestry Chaplain and Rayna Hauter as Vestry Secretary.
Visiting and Getting Involved
Anyone curious about St. Paul's is welcome at any Sunday service, the Wednesday midday Mass, a Music in the Heart of the City concert, a Second Friday Art Walk, or a Healing and Prayer service with the Order of St. Luke. Donations to the parish mission and ministries can be mailed to the address above or made online through PayPal or Tithe.ly. Sunday bulletins and the most recent Epistle are kept on hand for newcomers who want to follow the service or read more about parish life.