Anglican Diocese of Barbados
Henry's Lane, Collymore Rk, St. Michael, Bridgetown, Barbados, BB11156Phone: (246) 426-2762. Fax: (246) 426-0871. E-mail: diocesansec@anglican.bb
http://anglican.bb
St. Bartholomew
St Bartholomew’s Church
Rector: The Rev Ian Claridge
Telephone: Rectory: (246) 428-1616 Church: (246) 420-7129 Mobile: (246) 238-8237
Email: jcil30@hotmail.com
 St. Bartholomew's Church was established in 1830 on lands given by Mr. John Newton Lane of Seawell Plantation, Christ Church. The cornerstone stone was laid on August 24, 1830, and among those present were Sir James Lyon, Governor and Commander -in-Chief, Bishop William Hart Coleridge and the Reverend Pinder, Principal of Codrington College. The Church was destroyed by the hurricane of August 11, 1831. It was rebuilt and consecrated by Bishop William Hart Coleridge in the presence of Governor, Sir Lionel Smith and several clergymen on May 27, 1833. The Reverend Fr. John Braithwaite took up duties as curate of the St Bartholomew Chapel on June 2, 1833.
Features of the Church
In 1878, a Prayer Desk, Lectern, Pulpit, Paten and two Chalices were provided by the Vestry. In 1833, a piscina was installed in the south wall of the Sacrarium. In 1884, Bell, Brass Altar Cross and Candle sticks were added. In 1894 a Chancel Screen was erected and in 1899, a Stone Cross was erected on the east end of the Church. In 1894 a Chancel Screen was erected and in 1899, a Stone Cross was erected on the east end of the Church.
The Font, carved by Miss F. Burton and given by the Misses Burton of Staple Grove and was dedicated on June 7, 1908. In 1930 the Church roof was completely rebuilt of steel. In 1938, the wooden Pulpit was replaced by a stone structure. In 1971, a wrought iron Chancel Screen replaced the original one of 1894. In 1980, the Sacristy was removed from the South Transept and built in its present location. The Lady Altar, erected in memory of Reverend J.W. Birkby was removed, but the main commemorative stone from the Altar was fixed into the south wall behind the Rector's Stall. Between 1994 and 1995, all windows were replaced and in 2001, the Sacristy and the Chancel were totally refurbished. The Church was refurbished once again in 2016.
  CLERGY OF THE PARISH
The call of the church resides in Christ’s great commission to go and make disciples. This espouses the teaching and evangelism functions of a church. As seen in our history St. Bartholomew has withstood the test of time and we remain steadfast in our dedication to this mission. A key component of this ministry is that we have been ably led by people who have been faithful to their call by God to serve His people in several capacities.
Reverend Fr. Ian V. Claridge is the incumbent, having taken up duties on March 1, 2017 succeeding Reverend Gillian S. Crawford, and joins a list of 23 others who served this parish, several of whom have moved on to higher callings in Barbados and beyond.
In our church we have a list of these persons; on it you will find the names of Men who went on to spread the Gospel far and wide and was able to achieve prominence, most notable among them are:
Not only have we been blessed to have had excellent clerics serving this parish we were also instrumental in fostering the vocations of several men who are now serving the Church of God as priest, namely:
As one looks around the physical landscape of the Church, you would note that there are two clergymen interred in the grave yard at the North West corner near the entrance to the forecourt. They are: The Reverend Fr. Ashford Bannister Jones 1914 - 1982 and The Reverend Dr. Romney McIvor Moseley 1943–1992.
Organisations in the parish:
The mission of St Bartholomew Anglican Church is To Celebrate God's love with a quality of worship, fellowship and witness inspired by the Holy Spirit so that all may be drawn to Christ and nurtured in His name. There are a number of Church organisations which work towards the pursuit of the Church’s mission. These are:
The Ushers Guild
The fifteen (15) members of the Ushers Guild are at the frontline of the church's Hospitality Ministry and are divided between the 7:00a.m. and 9:30 a.m. services on Sunday.
Church members and visitors alike are greeted warmly on every occasion, and visitors are provided with books and escorted to the pews.
Members also distribute bulletins, collect the offering, provide a count for the Rector on the number of people attending the service and ensure the orderly movement of worshippers to and from the altar for Holy Eucharist. Chief Usher Maria George-Wooding and the efficient team also stands ready to provide whatever service is required on any given occasion.
The Flower Guild
The St. Bartholomew Flower Guild has been beautifying the sanctuary since 2004. The then budding arrangers have blossomed and grown in numbers and talent over the years, and the beautiful fruits of their labour are evidenced at worship.
Each week the eight creative members of the Flower Guild, which is headed by Maria George-Wooding, bring the beauty of God’s world to the worship space at St Bartholomew. The guild members are responsible for purchasing and arranging altar flowers for Sunday services, weddings and funerals.
Parishioners and anyone so inclined are invited to sponsor altar flowers for Sundays throughout the year. It is a beautiful way to honor and remember loved ones and to mark special life events such as birthdays, wedding anniversaries, baptism and confirmation.
Sunday School
The Sunday School meets every Sunday in the church hall from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., and then proceeds into church to join in worship. The first Sunday of every month is designated as Youth Sunday and find young members of the congregation leading the service. They read the lessons and intercession, collect the offering, usher and are responsible for the opening and closing prayers for the service.
Superintendent Corlis Weekes-Grazette and the other teachers and volunteers work faithfully with the children to teach them Christian values and virtues. In addition to the weekly class work, the children are also involved in parish concerts, programmes hosted by the Deanery and the Diocese and tours.
The fellowship takes on a fun face as well, with members engaging in events such as picnics and Christmas parties.
Church Army
The St .Bartholomew Church Army battalion started was established in1994. The first Captain was Utilene Rowe, who served from inception until 2006 and is still an active member.
Sonia Leuwaisse captains the group of close to twenty (20) active members, which meets every first and third Sunday at 5 p.m. Most of the members are elderly and the group looks forward to welcoming some new and younger members into the fold.
Members visit the housebound parishioners; attend open air services, rallies, and revival and patronal festival of other battalions.
Mother's Union
The Mother's Union has seen an injection of younger women in recent years, and membership is now close to 20. They meet in the church hall every Tuesday before the third Sunday at 6 p.m.
Enrolling member Patricia Yarde and the members are involved in several activities in the church, and they hold several fundraisers throughout the year. Some of the proceeds has helped with the recent refurbishment of the church and the group also undertook the expense of repairing the bathrooms in the church hall.
Altar Servers
More than 200 years of combined service is in focus every time members of the guild carry out their ministry. Eucharistic Minister Harriet Blackman was installed as Chief Server in 2018 and is ably assisted by a team which includes two past chiefs, four other Eucharistic Ministers and a Chalice Assistant.
The core members of the guild are all seasoned and they are complemented by a crop of young persons. That boost gave the males a slight edge over the ladies. Membership currently stands at 15, but it may increase in the near future because some others from within the Sunday School are in training.
Readers and Intercessors
The guild is made up of a cadre of excellent readers spanning the spectrum of mature and youthful members of the church. Members read Bible lessons and lead intercessions based on a monthly schedule. Monica Sealy and Edwin Weekes coordinate members for the 7 and 9:30 a.m. services respectively.
Men's Fellowship
The St Bartholomew Men's Fellowship started as a group of men who assembled at the 'stand pipe' outside of the old St Bartholomew's Boys School in 1964. A year later the then "vicar" James Springer offered the men a home in church hall and it became known as the Men's Guild. The Guild evolved into the St Bartholomew Men's Fellowship in 1972, when the Anglican Men's Association in the Diocese was established, and today the fellowship has the distinction of being the oldest formal group of men in the Diocese. They celebrated 50 years in 2014 with year-long celebrations.
The members meet every first and second Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m. in the Church hall. Programming is based on a yearly theme, which has assisted in their thrust to be men of God, fellowship in mission and in achieving their goals.
Members of the fellowship have been involved in several building projects over the years, including the painting of the interior and exterior of the facilities and they also repaired the guard wall. The chairman is Wilmont Best.
Bible Study
The seven-year-old group is headed by Collis Morris. Guided by the philosophy that God's people must Listen, Learn and Do, members meet at 7:30 every Wednesday night outside of the Lenten Season to study the Word in a friendly environment, and are always admonished to put into daily practice the principles which are pleasing to God along with daily prayer and meditation.
In addition to their weekly reflections, members interact with other Christian groups and visit the sick and shut-ins and bereaved residents in the community.
Youth
The youth development programme targets youngsters in the church aged 10 and above who have been recently confirmed or are seeking to take that journey. The main sessions are conducted in the church hall every two months on select Saturdays.
Tremelle Perch is in charge of the programme, which seeks to instil Christian values in the youngsters. The aim is to cultivate positive attitudes in them, so that they can become beacons for Christ whether they are at school, work or play.
The programme is centred around the seven virtues of faith, hope, charity, fortitude, justice, prudence and temperance and participants are taught how those virtues could help in their daily life and in their walk with God.
Other notable points of interest regarding St. Bartholomew
The Church cemetery is the final resting place of world-renowned West Indies fast bowler Malcolm Denzil Marshall (18 April 1958 – 4 November 1999). Malcolm was regarded as one of the finest and fastest pacemen ever to have played Test cricket.
Times of Services
Sunday
7.00 am and 9.30 am
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