Who We Are

Two elderly women smiling and enjoying drinks together at a restaurant.

The Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist is a parish in good standing in the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona. Dating back to the late 1970s, we secured our standing as a parish in April of 1984. During those 40+ years, we have done a whole lot!

When you arrive on campus, you’ll notice our signage says, “The Church that Serves.” This is crucial to our identity! We firmly believe that, as the Body of Christ on earth, our mission is to serve the people in our community.

We do this by operating a Food Pantry, the St. John’s Closet Thrift Store, our thriving Military Veterans Ministry, our participation in a monthly food cooperative, and so much more!

We are nourished with word and sacrament on Sunday mornings, and then we go out into the world and do the work Jesus calls us to do!

Nighttime view of a church with a cross on top, stained glass window beneath the roof, and holiday lights on the wall.
Two young girls sitting at a table smiling, one reaching for a plate of cookies, with a red cup on the table, in a room with a person in the background holding a child.

Loving God, Loving Neighbor

We believe in the Bible and in the teachings of Jesus. Our theology is centered around Jesus as our Savior, and by our Baptismal Covenant, which reminds us that we commit to “strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being” (BCP page 305).

In the Summary of the Law, found in Mark’s Gospel (Mark 12:29-31), Jesus tells us the most important commandment is to love God. The second is to love our neighbor as ourselves. Everything we do ought to be done with those two Great Commandments in mind.

At St. John’s, we do our best to put these two commandments into action. We invite you to visit us! Trust us, if you want to serve, we will find a place for you! We are all called into ministry. Yes, even you!

A priest in white robes stands at a lectern in front of an altar inside a church, gesturing with his right hand while speaking. The altar is decorated with candles, flowers, and a red book with a white cross. A stained glass window with religious imagery and a crucifix can be seen in the background.

  • The Episcopal Church is a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion, consisting of 80 million Christians worldwide! We are part of the ancient catholic Church, and we have our roots in the English Reformation. We believe in the historic creeds of the Church (the Nicene Creed and the Apostles’ Creed), and we believe that the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God. We celebrate seven sacraments, the most important of which are Holy Baptism and Holy Eucharist. We believe that every human person is made in the image of a loving God (Genesis 1:27), and that Jesus is the Way and the Truth and the Life. For more information, browse the Book of Common Prayer, an online version can be found at www.bcponline.org.

  • We hope you find us to be warm and welcoming! Our liturgy (which comes from a Greek word for worship) comes from the Book of Common Prayer, and is very similar to the liturgies celebrated by other Christian denominations. We gather in the name of the Lord, we listen to readings from Sacred Scripture, we hear a sermon or a homily, we pray for the welfare of the Church and the world, we make a confession of sin, we exchange the peace of Christ, and then we share Holy Communion.

    At St. John’s, we use television monitors to project the service. You won’t have to worry about fumbling with books or papers (with the exception of our hymnals). Everyone is welcome at the Lord’s table. We believe Jesus is truly present in the sacrament of Holy Communion. And yes, you are invited to receive! Jesus didn’t turn anyone away from the table, and neither do we.

    Our 8 a.m. Sunday service is a spoken service, and our 10:15 a.m. service is sung. We have three choirs, the St. John’s Choir, the Joyful Noise Choir, and our Praise Band. Our 10:15 a.m. service is intergenerational, with people of all ages, including a Kids Zone up front! Our 8 a.m. Sunday service tends to have a more mature attendance, but people of all ages are welcome at any of our services.

    Kids Zone starts accepting kids at 10 a.m.

  • Yes! As long as you want to deepen your relationship with Jesus, you will fit right in! We know none of us is perfect. But we do worship a perfect God. We understand it can be intimidating to visit a new church, but we try to make it as easy and as comfortable for newcomers as possible. We have a fabulous team of greeters and ushers who can show you around, and we assure you that there will be plenty of people who are eager and ready to ease your mind. While we certainly have our share of “cradle Episcopalians,” many of us came from other faith traditions and found a spiritual home in the Episcopal Church. Trust us: when you come to St. John’s, you will not be a stranger for long!