OUR PARISHES AND MISSIONS are as varied in outlook and activity as are their locations spread across the four geographical regions that comprise the Utah Episcopal Diocese. Each reflects a unique history and relationship to the diocese and the vision of its 10 bishops.

The Nominating Committee asked clergy and laity of each parish to prepare a short paragraph describing their work. Here are their responses:

NORTHERN REGION

There are six parishes and a Latino mission located primarily along the Interstate 15 corridor north of Salt Lake City in the Northern Region. These ministries probably would be defined by their location in "bedroom" communities if they were located in other parts of the United States. However, most of these communities have identities rooted in the 19th century and early Mormon colonization. Our parishes share that sense of the past as well as a commitment to serve the needs of the present.

SALT LAKE REGION

Utah’s cosmopolitan hub is home to the Episcopal Diocese of Utah and about 1.5 million people. The state’s Capitol, a world-renowned university, and the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints lie within walking distance of the diocese. Arbitrary boundaries drawn under the auspices of Mormon theocracy in the 19th century separate the most conservative county in the United States (and possibly its most famous, and famously liberal, resident, Robert Redford) from one of the most liberal counties and another county easily characterized as a posh mountain playground.

Our parishioners reflect a metropolitan kaleidoscope: They’re businessmen and women, teachers, homemakers, journalists, nurse, ballet dancers, retirees, graphic designers, students, roofers, electricians, and plumbers. The Salt Lake Region is a place where Episcopalians are engaged spiritually, civically, and progressively.

EASTERN REGION

Against the backdrop of majestic red-rock cliffs and the state’s tallest mountains, five ministries – Ascension St. Matthew’s, Church of the Holy Spirit, St. Francis, St. Paul’s (Vernal), and St. Elizabeth’s – serve communities that embrace the lifestyle of the rural West. Despite limited economic opportunities, many residents of eastern Utah would live nowhere else. It’s a place where Episcopalians over the years have adapted to relative isolation and boom and bust economies.

SOUTHERN REGION

Imagine "awakening … to the quiet rhythms of grace" in God’s most majestic temple. That’s what the congregations of southern Utah and northern Arizona – Grace Church, Spirit of the Desert, St. David’s, and St. Jude’s – have committed themselves to. They are among the most spiritually blessed in the diocese.