About Us
WHO WE ARE
When you ask St. Bartholomew's Parishioners why they come to this church, they will say, Family, Community, Comfort, Rest, Service, and Music. If you ask about their beliefs, they will mention, God, Faith and Jesus Christ. Then they will invite you to live with them in a Christian Community.
St. Bartholomew's is, firstly, a Christian church. This means that the focus of our spiritual life revolves around retelling and remembering the stories about Jesus Christ, a Jewish man who lived nearly two millennia ago in a small corner of the Roman Empire. Through him the church knows God.
We inherit a set of traditions through the English Reformation of the Catholic faith. We are catholic in that we believe in an earthly, unified church. But we are reformed as we believe that local communities have worthwhile ways of worshiping God. People of all different nationalities have found this way of prayer beautiful and sufficient for their spiritual needs.
We use a prayerbook, called The Book of Common Prayer. This rite is roughly a translation of the Latin Mass that was said in England for nearly a thousand years. Many of the prayers were written during the English Renaissance by some of the finest poets known in our language. The BCP, along with the King James Bible and the works of William Shakespeare, is one of the most influential pieces of literature in the English Language.
We gather every Sunday to rest, reflect and meditate upon our lives and God with storytelling, music and prayer. We celebrate God s love through a ritual called The Eucharist which represents our feasting with God and Jesus Christ at his heavenly table.
We are a diverse church. You will find people of every theological and political persuasion, families and singles, the wise and foolish, the venerable and young. We offer a place that will sustain you when times are rough and celebrate when you are joyful.
We are open to people who are searching for a way to describe their faith, and seek to deepen people s commitment to God and the world by being good examples of God s faith in us.
WHAT WE DOSt. Barts seeks to provide a sacred space to comfort and nurture all those who enter its doors. By being place of rest, service and play through music and worship, we represent God s love for His Creation.
First of all, we are a place of rest. On Sunday, during the Eucharist, you have more than an hour to recharge and connect.
We are also a place of service. St. Barts offers the hungry food through its soup kitchen, a place of rest through its shelter, and spiritual nurturing to the disabled through its ministry at Schnurmacher Nursing Home. We operate a thrift shop that finances the charitable works of many organizations.
We are also a place of play. We have regular dinners and concerts, form spontaneous music ensembles, and cook for each other.
ORGANIZATIONS
This List is only a partial list of the many lively groups that make up St. Bartholomew's.
To rest, serve, play and pray requires organization. St. Barts has several ministries that help make the church run smoothly and incorporate new members. These include: Worship parishioners often have their own ministry during the service. These are all the persons who make the weekly Eucharist run smoothly. These include the ushers, lay readers, lectors, ushers, altar guild, and acolytes. Talk to Fr. Gawain if you would like to participate.Choir is open to all who are open to learning how to carry a tune. They meet Thursday evenings at 7:30pm. Call Vera at 212-665-9051
Youth Group participates in every aspect of church life. We have monthly dinners and meetings. We try to have as much fun as we can get away with. Call Chris Powell at 684-6175 for details.
Sunday School meets after communion every Sunday. Call Valerie Hurt at 997-1015 for details.
The Episcopal Church Women organizes fellowship activities and serves the community by making crafts and clothes for the sick, and managing the Thrift Shop.
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