The Episcopal Parish of St. Bartholomew (St. Barts)
- We want you to know that we are a parish of Lay Ministry! This has been true since the beginning of the congregation and shows today in the many different ministries in which members are currently involved.
- Our liturgy is a well-crafted, music filled experience that includes ordained and lay members.
- We love to welcome newcomers and work to provide carefully crafted liturgy in the Episcopal tradition that is done well but not "fussy", healthy faith-formation, a family atmosphere, and plenty of opportunities for fellowship.
- We value spiritual growth and provide varied opportunities for each person's journey.
- We provide pastoral care to our parishioners and neighbors in need.
- We look forward to welcoming you into our community.
About St. Bartholomew
We know very little of Bartholomew. Bartholomew is a patronymic name, meaning “Son of Tolmai.” He is mentioned only in the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), but he is generally believed to be the same person as Nathanael in John’s Gospel.
He is credited by several reliable historical sources with writing a gospel, but the Gospel According to Bartholomew is lost today. Tradition holds that he traveled to India and this is certainly not inconceivable. He is regarded as the founder of the Church in Armenia and may have been martyred there. An ancient tradition maintains that he was flayed alive at Albanopolis, Armenia, by the authorities as a consequence of his evangelistic work.
- David Veal, Saints Galore, Forward Movement Publications
Beliefs
One of the strengths of the Episcopal Church is the breadth of our faith and belief. Instead of being bound by specific dogma or theology, the Episcopal Church is bound together by our common way of worship: we gather together, read scripture, sing hymns, recite prayers and share in the Eucharist. The beliefs of each individual are formed by Scripture, the person’s own reason and tradition, both ancient and modern. This leads to a diversity of meanings attached to the way that we as Episcopalians worship together.
By coming together across a broad spectrum of values and understandings of Christianity, we believe that each person’s faith is strengthened by dialogue with others, and as a community we are closer to God’s kingdom, where all peoples from all cultures and traditions come together to worship God. As such, we place particular emphasis on how and why we worship. At St. Bart’s our bulletin includes explanatory commentary at the start of each liturgical season. We also occasionally celebrate an instructed Eucharist where we pause within the service to delve deeper into the significance and origin of the tradition. We recognize that not everyone in the pews grew up in the Episcopal Church, and we do our best to explain the tradition and theology behind our rites and rituals.
For more information, please visit: https://www.episcopalchurch.org.