by The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta
St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church buzzed with song, splashing, hugs, and conversations as parishioners welcomed returning families and friends for the parish’s first homecoming in 73 years. The Aug. 22 celebration, on the eve of its feast day, marked the northeast Atlanta parish’s full year without a permanent priest.
Homecoming represented a year of resilience and dedication across the parish, as members continued showing up with hope, prayer, and care for each other. As the parish prepares for its upcoming priest search, members hold uncertainty and loss alongside the grace quietly at work.
Event co-chair Dave Curl, whose family arrived at St. Bart's in 1972 and has anchored the community for generations, envisioned the homecoming as a spark to renew vitality.
"The church had become in some ways a sad place," Curl shared. "And just to get our mojo back, this was a way to say, ‘Hey, this is who we are. We have fun. We enjoy each other's company. We can put on an event and get it done, and it can be successful.’ "
In a mini flashback to the days when the church hosted the Olde English Festival, about 200 people poured through the four-hour event that ended with compline. A giant water slide dominated the labyrinth, around the corner from The Uncle Stormy, a band with parishioner Nathan Suhr-Sytsma on violin.
The aroma of grilling wafted over the snowcone station. When the initial supply of 100 burgers, 100 hot dogs, and 30 veggie burgers ran out, volunteers went and got more provisions.
Co-chair Stephanie Linz-Gould managed the event logistics and attended with many family members including her mom Fran Linz, a spry 97-year-old and parishioner since 1970.
Curl and Linz-Gould led a diverse planning committee and kept tight spreadsheet budgets to source food and supplies.
For Curl, seeing a full table of his family members—spanning generations of siblings, nieces, nephews, and grandchildren—reaffirmed the parish as an enduring spiritual hearth.
"Fan that spark!" he said.
Roots of Hospitality: Ben and Arthur
At homecoming, Rev. Ben R. Wells and his husband Rev. Arthur W. Villarreal celebrated their personal and spiritual roots.
The parish is where the couple first met in April 1991 on Villareal’s initial visit to the parish. St. Bart’s is where their life together was affirmed, and where both launched their journey toward ordination. This culminated in Wells's ordination at St. Bart's 15 years ago by Bishop J. Neil Alexander. Villareal was ordained a deacon the same year.
Villarreal and Wells made the drive back to reconnect with the community that shaped their lives.
"There is a sweet place in my heart and life of experiences that is St. Bartholomew's,” said Villarreal, now serving as Deacon and Chaplain for Common Ground at Mercer University in Macon. “I couldn't pass up the chance to slice a moment from our new busy life in Macon to drive up for at least a day to hug as many folks as I could who were part of that journey."
Wells, the rector of St. Francis Episcopal Church in Macon, said homecoming gave him a chance to show St. Bart’s his “love for it, for how it formed me, and for its people. The community of St. Bart’s changed the whole direction of my life in many ways, and I thank God for having been immersed in that community.”
He also shared this longer reflection:
Read Rev. Ben R. Wells reflection on St. Bartholomew’s homecoming
Why did I attend the Homecoming of St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta?
To make a long story even longer-here it is.
When I was 18, I left to go to college and said that I didn't need church anymore. I was a science nerd, and it was all about science and, given enough time and resources, science could answer every question.
But what I failed to understand at that age were the questions themselves, and asking the right questions is important. So around 28 I decided to go back to church and of course I went back to the same denomination but it had turned sharply to the right and I didn't feel welcomed as my authentic self, but I tried and I remember praying, maybe it was more like an imperative to God, “I'm not going do this, I don't want to be where I can't be myself.”
So, an acquaintance of mine, a few days later, told me about a little church upon a hill off of LaVista Road. So I went, by myself, which was highly unusual for me. By the time I found the correct door to enter the building (most Episcopalians know what I am talking about), the service had already started. I'm sure I looked like a deer in the headlights not ever having attended an Episcopal service. The only things I knew about The Episcopal Church were a few jokes.
I had attended some Roman Catholic churches with friends in college, but now I was alone in a strange environment. That first day, a woman came up to me, took me by the hand and seated me with her family and opened the prayer book for me to the appropriate pages and pointed to where we were in the service.
That same day from the pulpit I heard that lesbians and gays were not only welcomed at the table but are expected to be at the table to take up the responsibilities for the church. I had never heard or experienced anything like it.
From that day forward, I rarely missed a Sunday or any event that the church was having on any day of the week. I met my husband Arthur there. I was formed by St. Bartholomew’s where I actually saw people trying to live the ministry of Jesus the Christ instead of just talking about it, and I couldn’t wait to become an Episcopalian and a member of St. Bart’s.
I saw people there stand up to power structures not for themselves, but for those living and suffering with AIDS, when it was still taboo for the “big church” to even talk about, unless it was in a negative connotation. I saw the people of St. Bart’s feed and clothe those in need.
I was invited to work with children and youth, something I never ever thought I could do or would do and not sure I wanted to do. Now 36 years later, I have learned so much from the youth over the years that I don’t even like to think about what a void I would have had in my life without that experience. And the youth do have things to teach their mentors. They can smell hypocrisy and obfuscation a mile away.
I met people there in all walks of life and we shared our stories and it was life-giving and life changing for me. They gave us a baby shower for an open adoption that fell through the morning the baby was born, and they were there to help pick up the pieces, and to mourn with us. They gave us a committal ceremony when it was not…well, we won’t go there. They were there for us when each of our two dogs died. I was hesitant to cry at church about the death of our dogs, since they weren’t people, but the people of St. Bart’s cried for us and cried with us and showed their humanity towards us, having lost something we loved dearly.
I fell in love with the ministries and mission of St. Bart’s and The Episcopal Church, and I fell in love with the liturgy, a structure that allowed one to flesh out the gospel if one so desired.
Seventeen years later, I decided to become an aspirant for the priesthood with St. Bart’s sponsoring me; and with Arthur fully supporting my decision that required me to resign from my job as a forensic toxicologist. And I supported Arthur’s decision to leave his job, and become a Deacon, as we both headed to Church Divinity School Of The Pacific in Berkeley, CA to attend seminary, an adventure tied to an adventure. Saying goodbye to St. Bart’s was an extremely difficult day.
Why did I attend the homecoming of St Bartholomew's? I desired to attend out of love for it, for how it formed me, and for its people. The community of St. Bart’s changed the whole direction of my life in many ways, and I thank God for having been immersed in that community.
If I remember correctly, it is during the Jewish Seder, that the Dayenu, a song of radical gratitude, speaks its message that each individual step of redemption and care from God was a “complete gift in itself,” for which God would have owed nothing more. That’s how I feel about being part of St. Bart’s. What a gift!
Ben+
Rooted in Sacrificial Witness
St. Bart’s began in late 1953 when thirteen Episcopalians met with the Rev. Harry Tisdale, rector of Holy Trinity Parish in Decatur, to explore establishing a new mission in the Toco Hill neighborhood. The men formed the first vestry while the women created the altar guild, and its first service was held on Jan. 31, 1954.
One of the 12 apostles, St. Bartholomew is believed to have carried the Gospel across the ancient world before suffering martyrdom. Because his feast day is observed on or near Aug. 24, the Aug. 22 homecoming became a fitting celebration of faith, identity, and perseverance.
This past year, the St. Bart's vestry reminded the parish that faithful movement forward requires honoring past blessings and grief, staying humble, and listening deeply as God brings new life and healing to the community.
"Our Homecoming celebration felt especially fitting for a parish named for St. Bartholomew, a disciple whose story begins with questions, but leads toward encounter, faith, and commitment,” said junior warden Mark Flanagan. “It was a joyful reminder that God is always at work among us, even in seasons of uncertainty, calling us to gather with openness, faith, and hope, and to ‘come and see’ what new life is taking shape.”
A Cloud of Witnesses and Path Forward
When asked about the significance of St. Bart’s homecoming, parish lay leaders and clergy echoed the commitment to carrying forward the gifts of the past.
Senior Warden John Carter: "Interim periods can cause a parish to lose its footing; miss a step maybe. Our recent Homecoming celebration provided a joyous event that brought our community together to remind itself of its past and to shine a light on our path forward.”
The Rev. Canon Hazel Smith Glover (interim priest in charge and also Canon Chaplain for Clergy for the Diocese): "The Holy Spirit was palpable as friends caught up and laughed, while giggling children, damp from the water slide, wove in and out. Great music and scrumptious food provided the perfect backdrop for a glorious time of fellowship, joy, and community.”
Associate Priest in Charge Mark S. Johnson: "It was really fun and a reminder that even in a season of change, there is continuity. Generations of people connected to St. Bart's showed up. It was a homecoming but felt more like a family reunion."
