The Rev. Barbara Elizabeth Nixon (left) and lay minister Mark McMillen inside St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Galt, California. Nixon led the church as priest from 2005 to 2024. Photo by Amanda Jackson

GALT, CA (MPG) - Members of one of the city’s first four churches are celebrating more than 100 years since Episcopalians started worshiping there.

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church at 200 Third St. was built in 1884 as a Congregationalist Church. But it has now been 125 years since Episcopalians had their first service there May 26, 1901.

“So, we trace our origin as a congregation to 1901 to that first documented worship service,” said Mark McMillen, senior warden at the church.

McMillen has been serving as parish administrator for the past two years following the retirement of the previous priest. McMillen is expecting a new priest to start in January.

The celebration will start at 10 a.m. Oct. 18 at the church. Bishop Megan Traquair of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California will lead a special eucharistic celebration.

Then the church will open from noon to 5 p.m. when the public can see historical photographs, documents and exhibits as well as church artifacts, McMillen said by email.

The celebration is “going to feature historical exhibitions, artifacts, a lot of things that haven't been displayed in probably at least 25 years, maybe 40 years, maybe longer,” he said. “Or ever.”

The front of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Galt, California, on Sept. 30. Photo by Keith Burbank

Those things excite St. Luke’s Clerk Amanda Jackson, but she is more excited about doing good works and loving her neighbor, she said.

“I know our history is really cool and we're going to exhibit a lot of that at the anniversary celebration,” she said, “but I'm more interested in being able to share with Galt basically our most longstanding tradition, which is helping our community.”

St. Luke’s has done just that, said Galt Mayor Bonnie Rodriguez, who is planning to attend the celebration.

“They have done so much for this community over the last 125 years,” Rodriguez said. “That's why it's very important to recognize.”

St. Luke’s has provided disaster relief, she said, supported students and helped people in need of food and access to food.

Jackson said St. Luke’s provided scholarships in the 1960s to women going to nursing school.

“That has in the past few decades become high school scholarships for students going into the (medical) field,” she said.