Everyone has one
Everybody has one
Our Story
Welcome to St. Bart's!
We're so glad you found us! Here is a snapshot of what makes our community unique. We hope you'll plan to visit us soon and share some of your story with us; we look forward to meeting you!
Our Mission:
We are called to be disciples of Christ, revealing his life, love, and light to the world.
Our Vision:
St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church is a radically welcoming, inclusive faith family, sharing and teaching the love of Jesus Christ through our worship, actions, and outreach: transforming ourselves and the world.
PROGRESSIVE & TRADITIONAL
Preaching for today, timeless traditions
St. Bart's is a vibrant, progressive Christian community rooted in the Episcopal tradition. Here all are welcome, wherever you are on your spiritual and life journey. Our joyful and diverse worship and music nourish the soul. We create opportunities for dialogue and celebrate diversity as a way to better know, love, and serve God and our neighbors.
COMMUNITY GATHERING CENTER
A 24/7 Campus
St. Bart's campus is busy and alive seven days a week with our weekend and weekday worship services, parish events, concerts, and year-round Preschool. In addition, St. Bart's is a safe and welcoming meeting and worship space for two additional church congregations as well as community partners, recovery groups, and our all-gender Scout troop.
COMMITTED TO COMMUNITY
Action for Service, Justice, and Peace
We feed, serve, support, and love our neighbors experiencing homelessness and food insecurity, those who are refugees, veterans, orphans and migrants at the border, and children in Haiti.
We stand in unity with the LGBTQ+ community and our neighbor synagogues. St. Bart's is a beacon of hope, standing up for justice and peace for all people in San Diego County and the world.
A brief St. Bart's
HISTORY
On May 24, 1959, a small group met in a Poway home to discuss forming a church, and St. Bartholomew’s was established as an Episcopal mission church in 1960. The first service on February 28, 1960 was Evening Prayer with 30 people gathering in the old Poway News building (now the Hamburger Factory) with Rev. Charles Condor officiating. In 1961, the church called its first vicar and rented two storefronts in Old Poway in 1962 where the sign out front read “Liquor, Antiques, The Episcopal Church Welcomes You.”
In 1968 St. Bart's received the donation of five acres in north Poway, and soon the first service was held in the old Parish Hall with 222 members. A major milestone was achieved when St. Bart’s became a parish church on March 17, 1975, and the present sanctuary was dedicated five years later with 601 church members.
St. Bartholomew’s Thrift Shop grew from a church rummage sale to a 5,000-square-foot retail store on Poway Road serving Poway and surrounding communities. For 53 years, our Thrift Shop served as a ministry of outreach to the hundreds of lives touched every day – those who shopped as well as those who were shop volunteers. Thrift Shop proceeds fully funded St. Bart’s many Outreach programs.
Artifacts on our beautiful campus came from the old storefront church. The original baptismal font was rescued from use as a planter and is decorated with eight tiles that depict the history of the church. The altar area is framed by stained glass windows created by the Judson Studios of Los Angeles, renowned artists of ecclesiastical stained glass since 1897. These windows depict the sacraments and saints of the church, including Elizabeth of Hungary, Augustine of Hippo, St. Bartholomew, and even C.S. Lewis. The Christus Rex crucifix, which hangs over the altar, was made in Switzerland.
The bell in our campanile was given by the villagers of Alberto Olviata Mota, Mexico, in gratitude to the youth group and advisers from St. Bart’s who drove down every month during the 1970s to deliver food and clothing. In 1993, the Susan S. Cashmore Columbarium, located on the hill above the Parish Hall, was dedicated.
At the Great Easter Vigil service in 2000, St. Bart's offered open baptisms for the first time, and 33 men, women, and children were baptized that evening. In June of the same year, we broke ground on an education building to house the newly formed St. Bart's Preschool, as well as the music department, the music academy, and conference rooms.
In August 2019, our chapel was dedicated as part of Phase One of a multi-year campus redevelopment project. During the COVID-19 pandemic campus shutdown, Phase Two construction completed a redesigned patio area, expanded upper parking lot area, new access walkway to the columbarium, and a reimagined sanctuary design.
St. Bartholomew's Church has always been known for service in the community, innovative and dynamic music, joy-filled worship, and warm welcome to all.
