Our History | St. Paul's Episcopal Church

We acknowledge that we are on the traditional lands of the Coast Salish peoples who have reserve treaty rights to this land, especially the Skagit Tribe who has stewarded this land throughout the generations. We thank these caretakers of this land, who have lived, and continue to live, here since time immemorial.

The first Episcopal service in Mount Vernon was conducted in 1891 by The Rev. L.W. Applegate at the Methodist church. Following this service the Women’s Guild of St. Paul’s Mission was formed to raise money for church needs. St. Paul’s was selected as the name for the mission because one of the founders, Mrs. A.M. Moore, had been a member of St. Paul’s in Camden, New Jersey.

After occupying several temporary sites, the mission opened its first church building on 2nd Street. The chancel furniture, communion plate and altar linen were presented to the new mission by St. Paul’s, Camden New Jersey. In 1896, the building was moved to a large lot on the southeast corner of 3rd and Kincaid and later, the son of The Rev. F.C. Eldred built a large parish hall.

During the 35-year tenure of The Rev. William Forbes (1946-80), money was raised to purchase the land on 18th St. where the current church sits today. On June 17, 1960, the new church was consecrated by Bishop William F. Lewis.

Music has always been an integral part of worship at St. Paul’s and in 1966 a search for a new organ led to the purchase of a Durner tracker organ found in a barn in Pennsylvania. Fr. Forbes and Charles Easton traveled there to dismantle it and bring it back in a U-Haul truck.

In 1977, after many years as a mission, St. Paul’s achieved parish status.

Under the leadership of The Rev. Don L. Smith (1981-95), an education wing was added to the church in 1986.

In 1999, St. Paul’s became part of the Komo Kulshan Cluster, a collaboration among Episcopal and Lutheran churches in Skagit Valley. The Cluster members partnered to provide staff, to collaborate with and learn from each other, and to do joint ministries. Five congregations made up the Cluster: Celebration Lutheran, Anacortes; Christ Episcopal Church, Anacortes; St. James Episcopal Church, Sedro Woolley; St. Paul’s and its partner congregation La Iglesia de la Resurrección in Mount Vernon. The Cluster was dissolved at the end of 2015.

St. Paul’s partner congregation, La Iglesia de la Resurrección, began in 1998 as a ministry in migrant farm worker camps. Later, it opened a storefront ministry in Mount Vernon next to the Food Bank in an area with low-income farm worker housing. The congregation was invited to meet at St. Paul’s and at Pentecost 2003, held its first Eucharist there with The Rev. Josefina Beecher. The following year, they moved their office to St. Paul’s. La Iglesia de la Resurrección currently holds weekly Sunday services in Spanish at 11:30 am.

Over the years, a special relationship has been developed between the two congregations, where each has a chance to learn from and be enriched by the other. We are like two stars orbiting one another, interdependently sharing heat and light. We meet together in bilingual services on the 5th Sunday of a month and on high feast days like Christmas and during Holy Week.