On East Boundary Street in Perrysburg
St. Timothy's Episcopal Church stands on several wooded acres on East Boundary Street in Perrysburg, a suburb just south of Toledo, Ohio. Its motto, "God loves you. No exceptions.," greets visitors online and at the door, signaling a parish that takes seriously its call to welcome. St. Tim's is part of the Diocese of Ohio within the Episcopal Church and describes itself as "a church home where our worship is based on Christian traditions," one that seeks "to be a blessing to the communities we serve - to clothe the naked and feed God's children."
The campus carries that openness into brick and tree. The architecture is New England-influenced, with a large brick wall that wraps around a tree-filled central courtyard where receptions, outdoor worship services, and community events have been held for decades. The parish sits back from the road on a wooded lot that gives the property a quiet, campus-like feel. Two major expansions, one in 1985 and another in 1995, brought the building to its current footprint. A rectory followed in the summer of 1970 to provide clergy housing. Parking is plentiful behind the building, with guest spaces close to the entrance and handicap parking on site.
Two Eucharists and Coffee Hour on Sunday
Sunday is the heart of the week. Two celebrations of the Holy Eucharist anchor the morning: at 8:00 a.m., a spoken service that is small, quiet, and unaccompanied by music, with a brief coffee hour gathered afterward; and at 10:00 a.m., a larger service that includes music and a full choir during the school year. In the summer the choir steps back and the liturgy is supported by organ and guest musicians. Coffee hour follows at 11:00 a.m.
Worship at St. Tim's aims for what the rector describes as "not too formal, not too casual, but instead have a 'just right' blend of the two." The 10:00 a.m. service draws on the Anglican musical tradition while remaining rooted in the Book of Common Prayer, and the liturgy is familiar to visitors from Episcopal, Roman Catholic, and Lutheran backgrounds. Both Sunday services are livestreamed through Vimeo so those unable to attend in person can still join, and the bulletin is posted online in book form for those watching from home.
Soup Supper, Healing, and Chanted Compline
The week keeps going after Sunday. Wednesday evenings open with a community soup supper at 6:00 p.m., a chance for prayer, fellowship, and conversation with the rector. The home page describes a healing service with Holy Eucharist that follows the supper on Wednesday evenings. On Tuesdays from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. the parish gathers for a separate Bible Study and Healing Service, where parishioners and visitors explore Scripture together through interactive conversation before sharing in a service of anointing with Holy Eucharist.
Once a month, on the second Thursday from October through April, the parish offers candlelit Chanted Compline at 8:00 p.m. The service follows the Order for Compline from the Book of Common Prayer and is sung by a small schola of singers. The half-hour liturgy opens and closes in silence, and congregants may chant along or sit in meditation. The name comes from the Latin completorium, the completion of the working day, and the parish keeps the contemplative spirit of the monastic "Great Silence" that traditionally follows.
A Mission Becomes a Parish
St. Timothy's was founded in 1962 as a mission of the Diocese of Ohio. Members first gathered in March of that year at the First Presbyterian Church in Perrysburg, then moved on March 1, 1964 into a newly constructed church on East Boundary Street. The congregation grew so quickly that by 1969 it had reached financial self-sufficiency, and the diocesan convention granted it full parish status in 1970. The Flower Guild has been part of the parish since 1985, when it was founded to care for Sunday altar arrangements, Advent greens, Lenten arrangements, and the larger pieces at Christmas and Easter. The rector, the Rev. Matt Wahlgren, served for seven years at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Fremont before returning to his home diocese, and he continues to sit on the Commission on Ministry for the Diocese of Ohio and completed a three-year term on Diocesan Council at the 2024 convention.
Christian Formation for Every Age
Christian formation at St. Tim's begins from the conviction that "God meets us where we are, and we are called to do the same for our children." Sunday School runs during the regular school year, September through May, with three age groupings: Pre-K through Second Grade, Third through Fifth Grade, and Seventh Grade through High School. Children start in the service with their families, are released after the Gloria for a short classroom session, and return in time for Holy Communion. Grades 5 through 8 meet at 9:20 a.m. On the first Sunday of each month, classes pause so that all families can worship together, and so the volunteer teachers themselves can attend the service.
Older students in grades 7 through 12 form a youth group that meets the first Wednesday of every month from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m., typically beginning with a brief micropractice, moving on to pizza, and ending with board games, video games, or just hanging out. Friends are welcome as long as they are in seventh grade or older. Past outings have included bowling nights in Toledo, summer pool parties hosted by a parishioner, and an annual trip to the Toledo Mud Hens' Faith and Family Night at Fifth Third Field.
Children take visible roles in worship as well. They serve as intercessors and acolytes, can join the Junior Flower Guild, and play in a children's bell choir. All Sunday School teachers have completed Safe Church, Safe Communities training, a denomination-wide program that addresses vulnerability, power, and healthy boundaries.
Adults have their own formation. Recent adult-education offerings have included series titled "Women on the Journey," conflict resolution, Visio Divina, and a film-based conversation about how cinema represents Christ and Christianity. The rector's blog, "A Joyful Word: Notes from St. Tim's," extends that conversation with reflections on the lectionary, Advent, reconciliation, and what it means to be a neighbor.
Music at the Center of the Parish
Music sits at the center of parish life at St. Tim's, led by organist Michael Gartz and music director Ryan Ebright. Gartz, a Toledo native, sang as a boy in the Choir of Men and Boys at Trinity Episcopal Church and became assistant organist there before graduating from the Eastman School of Music. He went on to serve as adjunct professor of organ and choral accompanist at Bowling Green State University, and he is also organist for the Toledo Diocesan Choir at Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral.
Ebright is an associate professor of musicology at Bowling Green State University and has sung in Episcopal choirs for two decades. He sang at the Washington National Cathedral, Old St. Paul's in Baltimore, and St. John's in the Village in New York before settling in northwest Ohio, where he also sings with the Northwest Ohio Vocal Arts Ensemble. The full choir rehearses Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m., and instruments such as harp, violin, flute, and trumpet enrich the program across the year. New singers are always welcome.
Outside Sunday worship, the parish operates Discovers, a multi-event concert series founded in 2013 under the auspices of Timothy's Perrysburg Foundation. Discovers opens its doors to Perrysburg and its neighboring communities for concerts that have included vocal jazz recitals by veteran Toledo jazz musicians and the annual HarpFEST directed by Toledo Symphony principal harpist Nancy Lendrim, as well as Toledo Opera's Opera on Wheels program for children and families. The recitals are free, with donations kindly accepted.
To Clothe, Feed, and Fulfill
Timothy's Perrysburg Foundation, the giving arm of the parish, runs three core programs under the motto "To Clothe, Feed and Fulfill." Clothesline collects and distributes clothing to those in need. Tim's Rescue Kitchen channels the parish's effort on food insecurity. Discovers handles the music series described above.
Closer to home, the parish hosts a free community breakfast on the second Friday of every month from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m., and the Wednesday-evening soup supper is open beyond the parish to neighbors in need. A resource page on the parish site lists partner agencies for help that goes beyond what St. Tim's can offer directly, including the Cocoon Shelter for domestic violence, the Brown Bag Project in Bowling Green, the Perrysburg Christians United Food Pantry at Grace United Methodist Church, Wood County Job and Family Services, the Aging in Place program, the Perrysburg Senior Center, NAMI Wood County, Mosaic Ministries, and the Salvation Army. Transportation options are also listed, including Ride Right for $1 rides within Perrysburg and Wood County Net Plus for free ADA-accessible rides to medical appointments across northwest Ohio.
The parish has taken its welcome off the grounds in other ways as well. Members gather each summer to march in the Toledo Pride Parade alongside other faith communities, and the parish hosts a booth at the BG Pride Event in Bowling Green. Within the parish, the rector's 2026 stewardship letter set a financial goal of $390,000 to sustain ministries and staff, with an emphasis on "sharing the Gospel love of Jesus" through worship, formation, and outreach.
Sacraments: Baptism, Marriage, and Funeral Rites
Holy Baptism, weddings, and funerals are central sacraments at St. Tim's. Baptism is normally administered within the Eucharist as the chief service on a Sunday or other feast day, but not during Lent. Adults who wish to be baptized take a course of instruction and spiritual preparation beforehand, and the bond established in baptism, the parish teaches, "is indissoluble."
Weddings at St. Tim's are joyful and sacramental. The rector meets with couples several times before the ceremony and encourages them to attend a few Sunday services beforehand so the parish can know them. Couples do not need to be Episcopalian, though the rector's meetings cover the joys and responsibilities that come with Christian marriage.
The parish also walks alongside families during times of grief, offering funeral services through its clergy and partnering with families to plan meaningful liturgies.
What Visitors Find When They Arrive
St. Tim's has worked hard to make a first visit approachable. Parking is plentiful behind the building, with guest spaces close to the entrance and handicap parking on site. Most people arrive ten to fifteen minutes early, and greeters are on hand to welcome newcomers.
The dress code is open: come as you are, whether that means ripped jeans, shorts, a polo, or more formal attire. Ushers, greeters, and lay readers take part in worship, and visitors may participate as much or as little as they like. Both Sunday services are livestreamed, and the bulletin is posted online so that those at home can follow the order of service. Those who want to take next steps can call the office at 419-874-5704 or email office@saint-timothy.net to learn about formal membership or to get involved. Sunday School, the choir, Altar Guild, Flower Guild, Fellowship's Dinners for 8, and the youth group are among the ways newcomers can begin to find their place in the parish. Online giving is available through the parish's giving portal for those who wish to support the church's ministries from home.