About Saint Paul’s Anglican Church

Saint Paul’s Anglican Church is a Reformed Episcopal parish located in Los Altos, California, committed to proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ through reverent worship, biblical preaching, and sacramental life. We joyfully affirm the historic faith as expressed in the Holy Scriptures, the Creeds, and the tradition of the undivided Church.

Our Identity

Saint Paul’s is a congregation of the Reformed Episcopal Church (REC), a founding jurisdiction of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). We uphold the classical Anglican doctrine and worship as set forth in the 1662 and 1928 Books of Common Prayer and the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion.

We gather weekly around the Lord’s Table to be renewed by Word and Sacrament, presenting our lives as a living sacrifice in response to the mercies of God (Romans 12:1). In doing so, we are formed as disciples and sent to love God and serve our neighbor.

What We Believe

We believe:

  • In the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the Word of God and the sole rule of faith and practice
  • In the Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds as faithful summaries of the Christian faith
  • In the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper as instituted by Christ
  • In the doctrine of grace as expressed in the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion

These beliefs unite us with the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church and anchor us in the truth of the Gospel across time and cultures.

Our History

Saint Paul’s Anglican Church was founded in Los Altos in the mid-20th century and was incorporated in the State of California as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization on January 17, 1967 (Corporation No. C0520749).

Over the decades, Saint Paul’s has remained a faithful witness to orthodox Anglican worship and life, serving the greater Bay Area with pastoral care, Christian education, and community ministry.

Our Leadership

The parish is under the spiritual and pastoral leadership of the Rector, who is a presbyter in good standing with the Reformed Episcopal Church and canonically resident in the Diocese of Mid-America.

Our lay leadership is comprised of a Vestry—a body of confirmed communicant members who assist in the stewardship, governance, and spiritual direction of the parish in partnership with the Rector.

Saint Paul’s is also the founding home of Canterbury Christian School, an institution committed to classical Christian education rooted in Scripture and tradition.

The Story of Saint Paul’s

Saint Paul’s Anglican Church was founded in 1967 as a community committed to the same doctrines universally embraced by the early Church and revived in the sixteenth century by the English Reformers. The Very Reverend Norman Milbank became the parish’s first rector when he was ordained at nearly fifty years of age. He credits his personal friend and parishioner, Dr. Rousas John Rushdoony, as the inspiration for launching Canterbury Christian School on the church campus.

By God’s providence, we found a permanent home when the property at 101 North El Monte Avenue, Los Altos, became available in 1970. A small Baptist congregation had built two beautiful buildings on two acres of land. Saint Paul’s acquired the property, and the first service in our new home was held on October 25, 1970.