Our Community
St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church is an inviting and inclusive community. We celebrate our connections with one another and all of God’s creation. We strive to be leaders in the stewardship of the earth and social justice. Through creative liturgy, life-long education and spiritual inquiry, we seek to gain depth and energy for ourselves and for our service in the wider world.
St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church is an inviting and inclusive community. We celebrate our connections with one another and all of God’s creation. We strive to be leaders in the stewardship of the earth and social justice. Through creative liturgy, life-long education and spiritual inquiry, we seek to gain depth and energy for ourselves and for our service in the wider world.
Who is St. Bartholomew’s?
We come from a variety of faith backgrounds, some very traditional, some not nearly as traditional, and several of us are completely new to church when we arrive at St. Bart’s. Our diversity is part of what makes us who we are as a community, and we welcome you to join us. Our community is welcoming, inclusive, eclectic and compassionate.
Worship at St. Bartholomew’s, which is primarily the Eucharist, falls broadly within the Prayer Book tradition of the Episcopal Church. Our worship life together has an overall informal quality, first detected in the post and beam structure with clear glass windows that frames us. We sit in chairs: there are no pews, there is no pulpit.
Yet there are traditional qualities present too, an intentional blending that helps us meet the God within: Holy Eucharist every Sunday (with homemade bread), liturgically-based preaching with support from the choir that regularly sings anthems and service music. A healing service is held on the fifth Sunday of a month.
We are open to experimentation and change, making full use of our outstanding music program, and we encourage the participation of all ages in worship. We believe it is important for our younger congregants to understand the various parts of the Episcopalian service and so our children are welcome to participate in the Eucharist and various portions of the service.
Worship at St. Bartholomew’s, which is primarily the Eucharist, falls broadly within the Prayer Book tradition of the Episcopal Church. Our worship life together has an overall informal quality, first detected in the post and beam structure with clear glass windows that frames us. We sit in chairs: there are no pews, there is no pulpit.
Yet there are traditional qualities present too, an intentional blending that helps us meet the God within: Holy Eucharist every Sunday (with homemade bread), liturgically-based preaching with support from the choir that regularly sings anthems and service music. A healing service is held on the fifth Sunday of a month.
We are open to experimentation and change, making full use of our outstanding music program, and we encourage the participation of all ages in worship. We believe it is important for our younger congregants to understand the various parts of the Episcopalian service and so our children are welcome to participate in the Eucharist and various portions of the service.
Our goal is that our experience of community worship may renew us for service in the wider world. Many of our ministries extend us to families and children in need: we support a local food pantry, provide Thanksgiving meals and Christmas stockings to local families, and distribute non-food essentials to asylum seekers and people in need in Portland. We stand out in our ministry to God’s earth and creatures.
Gratitude for St. Bart's - reflections from our parishioners
For Stewardship Season, we invite several parishioners to share what St. Bart's means to them:
"You are all generous people, all altruistic people."--Phil C. (click here for full reflection)
"I am inspired by the countless hours people volunteer. I am thankful to be a part of a community that is making the world a better place." --Arthur W. (click here for full reflection)
"The simplicity of St. Bart’s makes us joyful. And that seems to be what God wants for all of us. The congregation exhibits the kind of courage that is warm and true." --Chrys H. (click here for full reflection)
"Each person we talked to spoke of faith in God as the source of wisdom and guidance, rather than themselves alone."
--Steve H. (click here for full reflection)
We are indeed blessed with spirit, with each other, and with our simple, beautiful church: our prayer is to grow in wisdom, perception and peace within our sanctuary, and to carry that back out again into God’s world.
Attending St. Bart's
People visiting St. Bart’s for the first time will be greeted by the ushers as well as congregants after the service. Newcomers are invited to sign the guest book and mingle at our informal coffee hour, which follows the 9:30 am Sunday service. We also have many families whose children join us during our Sunday service. We also offer daycare from September to mid-June.
An active congregation
St. Bart’s has a number of active committees, ranging from worship to outreach service in the community to planning for our many events to the upkeep of our beautiful building and grounds. Many find these groups to be a great way to get to know people. All members are encouraged to find their niche. Click here to find out more about our committees.
Gratitude for St. Bart's - reflections from our parishioners
For Stewardship Season, we invite several parishioners to share what St. Bart's means to them:
"You are all generous people, all altruistic people."--Phil C. (click here for full reflection)
"I am inspired by the countless hours people volunteer. I am thankful to be a part of a community that is making the world a better place." --Arthur W. (click here for full reflection)
"The simplicity of St. Bart’s makes us joyful. And that seems to be what God wants for all of us. The congregation exhibits the kind of courage that is warm and true." --Chrys H. (click here for full reflection)
"Each person we talked to spoke of faith in God as the source of wisdom and guidance, rather than themselves alone."
--Steve H. (click here for full reflection)
We are indeed blessed with spirit, with each other, and with our simple, beautiful church: our prayer is to grow in wisdom, perception and peace within our sanctuary, and to carry that back out again into God’s world.
Attending St. Bart's
People visiting St. Bart’s for the first time will be greeted by the ushers as well as congregants after the service. Newcomers are invited to sign the guest book and mingle at our informal coffee hour, which follows the 9:30 am Sunday service. We also have many families whose children join us during our Sunday service. We also offer daycare from September to mid-June.
An active congregation
St. Bart’s has a number of active committees, ranging from worship to outreach service in the community to planning for our many events to the upkeep of our beautiful building and grounds. Many find these groups to be a great way to get to know people. All members are encouraged to find their niche. Click here to find out more about our committees.
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396 Gilman Road, Yarmouth, Maine, 04096
Church Office Phone: (207) 846-9244 Office email: [email protected] St Bart’s is a parish of the Diocese of Maine, of the Episcopal Church, a province of the Anglican Communion. |
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