Mystery Worshipper: Amanda B. Reckondwyth
Church:
Christ Church of the Ascension, Paradise Valley
Location: Arizona, USA
Date of visit: Sunday, 13 September 2026, 10:30am
The building
The church was consecrated in 1975 and sits on a large campus that includes a chapel, school, and parish hall, all connected via courtyards, paths and walkways. A blend of modern architecture with traditional Native American and Mexican adobe elements, it was built on land donated by the family of the late American conservative politician Barry Goldwater, who was a member of the congregation. The architect was Bennie Gonzales, who designed hundreds of public buildings and private homes in the Southwestern style throughout Arizona as well as a handful of buildings abroad, including a palace for the Saudi royal family. The interior is of white brick with clear glass windows and a tile floor. Altar, lectern and pulpit are of marble.
The church
The parish was formed in 1963 and held its first worship service on Christmas Eve of that year in an abandoned television studio, using a plywood altar, a cross fashioned from an old utility pole, and choir robes from Goodwill Industries. In 2007, approximately 40 per cent of the congregation voted to leave the Episcopal Church to form Christ Church Anglican, under the care of the Bishop of Uganda. The remaining parishioners, however, have recouped nicely and appear to be a very active congregation. Their website lists prayer groups and Bible study as well as socials. The parish school (quoting from their website) ‘dedicated to our mission to develop the whole child by providing challenging and creative academic, spiritual, and social experiences,’ includes preschool through fourth grade. There are two eucharistic celebrations each Sunday, one in the morning and another in the evening, and a Wednesday healing eucharist. Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer are said each weekday. Stations of the Cross are said on Thursdays.
The neighborhood
Paradise Valley is a small (population about 12,000) but very affluent suburb northeast of Phoenix, in a mountainous region that includes Camelback Mountain and the rock formation known as the Praying Monk. The town was intended from the start to be a secluded private upper class residential enclave, with no industry and hardly any commercial zoning. Paradise Valley boasts the most expensive real estate in the State of Arizona, with large, luxurious homes nestled in mountainside nooks and crannies. A prospective homebuyer would be hard put to find a property that lists for less than 4 or 5 million dollars. The church is located on East Lincoln Drive, the principal east-west route through the town. Motorists traveling along Lincoln Drive are plagued by photo enforcement cameras at almost every intersection. There are several other churches in the area, including the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Phoenix, Valley View Bible Church, and Palo Cristi Presbyterian Church. Nearby is Copper Sky Academy, a private school for intellectually superior youngsters who suffer from a variety of neurodiverse disorders.
The cast
The rector was the celebrant and the associate rector preached. They were assisted by a thurifer, crucifer, eucharistic ministers and lay reader.
What was the name of the service?
Sunday Eucharist, Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost.How full was the building?
I would estimate that the church can hold about 400. I’d say it was about one-quarter full. A mixed crowd of all ages, everyone dressed in their Sunday best.
Did anyone welcome you personally?
For the most part, no. I arrived to find the west doors locked, and so I sat down on a bench hoping that they would soon be unlocked. I noticed a few people arriving and disappearing around a corner, but none of them appeared to notice me. I finally gave up on the west doors and disappeared around the corner myself, where, after some snooping, I found an unlocked side door. No greeters were on duty. I helped myself to a handout and sat down. The rector breezed through and stopped to say, ‘Good morning. Welcome. Good to have you today.’ But no one else said anything to me.
Was your pew comfortable?
An uncushioned wooden pew with kneeler – basically comfortable, though.
How would you describe the pre-service atmosphere?
When the west doors were finally opened and greeters took up their posts, there was quite a bit of noisy chatter out in the narthex. Inside the church, people sat quietly for the most part. There was some quiet visiting, but not much.
What were the exact opening words of the service?
‘Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.’ The entrance procession consisted of thurifer, crucifer, choir, eucharistic ministers, and clergy. The celebrant wore full eucharistic vestiture, the preacher cassock, surplice and stole. The eucharistic ministers wore albs. The thurifer, crucifer, and choir wore cassock and surplice – I’ll have more to say about the crucifer later.
What books did the congregation use during the service?
Prayer Book 1979, Hymnal 1982, and The Holy Bible, New International Version were in the pews. A handout contained all the prayers and the propers for the day, as well as some announcements.
What musical instruments were played?
Organ accompanying a mixed choir of about a dozen singers. The organ is a small but nicely voiced instrument, opus 10950 of MP Möller, Inc. of Hagerstown, Maryland. Möller was in its heyday reputed to be the largest organ company in the world and the builder of more pipe organs than any other firm in history.
Did anything distract you?
A strikingly handsome young man entered and sat down several rows in front of me. He was soon joined by a strikingly beautiful young women who couldn’t keep her hands off him. She stroked his back, neck, and hair almost continuously. Sweetie, I don’t blame you, but there’s a time and place for everything.
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or what?
A fairly straightforward by-the-book Rite II eucharist. Incense and bells. Traditional hymns from the hymnal. Gloria and Sanctus sung. Sursum corda and preface chanted.
Exactly how long was the sermon?
15 minutes.
On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher?
1 — I’m sorry, I can’t rate the associate rector any higher than that. He read his sermon from sheets in front of him, which to me is not preaching. Oh, it can be done well, if the sermon is written in conversational style and delivered with good eye contact with the congregation. But the associate rector’s sermon was written as a scholarly thesis – and sounded like it. He kept his eyes on the text for the most part. I really had trouble understanding him and following along.
In a nutshell, what was the sermon about?
He spoke on the Gospel reading for the day, Matthew 18:21-35 (Jesus instructs Peter on forgiveness). As nearly as I could figure out, he spoke of Matthew’s credentials as an evangelist and Peter’s wanting better to understand how the faithful should live in those troubled times.
Which part of the service was like being in heaven?
It’s been quite a while since I’ve been to an Episcopal service, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I remembered most of the prayers by heart and almost all of the chanting.
And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
But let’s talk about the crucifer, shall we? To start with, if his cotta were any shorter, he could have used it for a bib. And although he was wearing black trousers and black socks, he ruined his appearance with white sneakers. He was the only member of the altar party who was not appropriately shod. And I thought he missed his cue at the lavabo, as the celebrant had to fetch the lavabo bowl, towel, and cruet of water by himself. But then I realized that it was the celebrant himself who got it wrong. He had not yet done the second censing. I may be mistaken, and I may be confusing Episcopalian practice with that of other churches, but I believe that the celebrant should have received the gifts, performed the second censing, and then washed his hands, in that order.
What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
Coffee had been announced, but I wasn’t in the mood to hang around.
How would you describe the after-service coffee?
I didn’t stay for it.
How would you feel about making another visit (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
4 — I couldn’t afford to live in Paradise Valley if I won the lottery twice in a row! But it’s a lovely church, and it wasn’t a bad service, and I might stop by again if I should find myself over that way. But I would continue to shop around before I decided on a regular.
Did the service make you feel glad to be a Christian?
I think I felt neutral.
What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time ?
Sorry to say it, but the young lady who couldn’t keep her hands off her young gentleman friend.