St. John’s Episcopal Church brought some firsts to Cache Valley

Steve Sturgeon has been the vicar at St John’s Episcopal Church located in Logan, about five years. He holds a PHD in History and came to the Valley to work at Utah State University.

Pastor Steve Sturgeon became vicar at St John’s Episcopal Church, located at 85 E. 100 N. in Logan, about five years ago. He holds a Ph.D. in History and came to Logan to work at Utah State University. He’s been a member of the congregation since he came here 20 years ago.

St John’s Episcopal Church was the first non-Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints church in Cache Valley. The building was built in 1908 and an addition was dedicated in 2004.

He said St. John’s Episcopal Church has quite a history as the first non-Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints church in Cache Valley.

Sturgeon said the first vicar, Episcopal Bishop Daniel S. Tuttle, came to the valley in 1873 on the first passenger train to Logan. He established his congregation as the northernmost Utah outpost. Tuttle arrived 21 years after Latter-day Saint pioneers started to settle in the valley.

“They met in various rented spaces in Logan until they built their first building on 300 W. Center Street, around 1880,” Sturgeon said. “We moved to our current site in 1909. At that time the church and parish house was connected.”

The parish brought many firsts into Cache Valley, including a school that was open to students from any faith. There was no publicly-funded school system until Utah realized statehood in 1896.

“Mormon pioneer children attended the school,” the reverend said. “They also brought the first public book lending library, tennis courts, indoor shower and the first smokers lounge to Logan.”

There are eight stained glass windows in the sanctuary; one, “The Angel Window,” dates back to 1916.

The congregation began to outgrow the space, so in 2003 they broke ground for the addition.

The baptismal font, located at the back of the sanctuary was made from the same granite used in the Manti Temple.

“We knew the church and home next to it had a significant historic value,” he said. “Logan City has a Historic Preservation Advisory Board and they had to sign off on the project.”

In order to preserve the house to the west of the addition, they put it on rails and moved it 30 feet to the west,” Surgeon said. “Global Village Gifts uses the house as a non-profit retail outlet.”

“In 2004, we dedicated the modern addition with a new social hall and a classroom wing. There is also a choir loft used for overflow.

The baptismal font, located at the back of the sanctuary, was made from the same granite used in the baptistery in the Manti Temple, he explained.

It is a small parish. Attendance fluctuated over the years to an average of 30 people until recently.

The Reverend said there are probably 140 people in various degrees of activity that are a part of the congregation at St John’s Episcopal Church.

The cornerstone of St. John’s Episcopal Church signifies when the religion came to Logan (1873) and when the building was built (1908).

Sturgeon said there were times when the church may have closed in the 1950s for one reason or another.

Three times a year, St. John’s Episcopal Church holds a joint activity with First Presbyterian and Prince of Peace Lutheran faiths to celebrate certain religious events.

“We have a variety of groups that meet at the church, including a few 12 step programs and even a Girl Scout troop,” he said. “We welcome groups who need a place to meet. We consider some groups to be a part of our ministry.”

The church is open to the public. Their doors are open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. The worship meeting times are posted on the front doors.

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!

2 Comments

  • Warren s Pugh March 26, 2019 at 8:37 pm Reply

    Thanks. Gettin’ smarter every day. It is a very nice building with a good choir.

    WASP

  • Claire English May 22, 2020 at 12:40 am Reply

    I’m wondering when your services are? And are you doing video services due to Covid 19?

Leave a Reply to Warren s Pugh Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

For security, use of Google's reCAPTCHA service is required which is subject to the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

I agree to these terms.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.