Saint Bartholomew's Episcopal Church, Livermore, CA

The People of St. Bartholomew's

It takes many willing hands to make all the wheels turn at St. Bartholomew's. The many tasks that need attention in a growing church are quietly managed by groups of volunteers. All of them give cheerfully of their time and talent. Many give monetary gifts anonymously to help the church where it is most needed.

For those of you who are interested in using our new on-line donation system, our Pledging and Donations page gives further details.

Life at Saint Bartholomew's

We invite you to participate in the many activities at St Bartholomew's. Our circle has grown wider over the years and has yet to reach it's fullness.

A curious visitor on a Sunday at both our services is sure to see our Rector, Rev. Carol Cook, preaching a sermon in her inimitable style. The congregation, many of them dedicated church-goers for many years, love her interactive style and show their appreciation through laughter or pithy responses. The sermons themselves are thought-provoking, emotion-rousing and just a great way to begin the week. A number of Rev Carol's sermons are available in our sermon library.

The early morning service is normally a traditional Eucharist, whilst the mid-morning worship service has a more contemporary style with parishioners often sharing stories of God's work in their lives. A melodious choir, directed by Music Director and Organist, Velma Chan, is a graceful accompaniment. The songs of worship range from the solemn traditional hymns to more “folksy” hum-along tunes.

The warmth of sharing the Peace within the church extends to the fellowship hour between services. The gathering at the parish lounge is often noisy, fun and inviting. Parishioners strive to make each visitor feel welcome with smiles and a hot cup of coffee.

Stop by the parish office and one is quite likely to hear a volunteer respond with compassion to a disheartened voice on the phone. A prayer begins at that moment and ripples through the chain of volunteers. The need is expressed in the Sunday bulletin and the congregation adds a common prayer.

Or, the volunteer may be relaying a request from a parishioner to have Communion at home served by a Lay Eucharist Minister.

On a Saturday, one might see a wheelbarrow with mulch being trundled away by a work-day volunteer. The cheerful band of volunteers spare a day a month to paint, prune or prepare the church for special days.

On other days, one might glimpse the child acolytes in their blue garb rehearsing their role in the processional, setting up the Communion table or listening attentively to Rev. Carol as she instructs them on proper conduct throughout the liturgy.

Every Monday though, it's laughter and wisdom as members of the book club share food for body and soul. With brown bagged lunches and copies of the chosen book, the group enters onto a lively discussion of the meaning and relevance of selected chapters.

Once a month, a Tuesday night is reserved for the Vestry, as Rev. Carol and the Commissioners review the month's accomplishments and evolve future plans through a consensus. Carol Purcell, Senior Warden and Ann Butcher, Junior Warden, guide the meeting through it's agenda and observance of procedures.

The visitor may have a “sighting” of Mattie, our whimsical green-eyed tangerine tabby cat. She has made the church her home and often puts in an appearance at vestry meetings, fellowship hour or at worship services.

The rhythm of life at St. Bartholomew's flows along gathering strength and momentum from the confluence of members. We invite you to be part of our ever-widening circle of prayer, faith and fellowship.