We offer this brief introduction to St. Michael's and its faith in the hope that it will help you become a member of our faith community.

St. Michael's is part of Diocese of Lexington, an administrative body within The Episcopal Church.  The Diocese of Lexington covers roughly the eastern half of the state and was created from the Diocese of Kentucky in 1895.  The Rt. Rev. Stacy F. Sauls was consecrated as the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Lexington on September 30th, 2000.

St. Michael’s began as a mission in the rapidly growing then southern suburbs of Lexington and held its first service in a dance studio on November 6th, 1955.

Welcome to St. Michael's Website!

Feel free to browse and get a feel of our site. 

Getting around our site

Clicking the page heading graphic will always bring you to the Welcome page.

Each Channel page contain article abstracts.

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Value Statement

Our highest value is unconditional love embodied in the person of Jesus Christ.

Mission Statement

We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to bring God to people and people to God through Jesus Christ:

• to be a people of worship, song and celebration, offering hospitality and healing;
• to learn and grow in our love for God and one another;
• to reach out to the world, sharing freely from our blessings.

Vision Statement

St. Michael’s sustains us in our faith, lifts up the community of Christ, and aspires to build up the city of God on earth.  We are a community where we gather, pray, serve God and one another, and grow in faith and love.  All our ministries grow from the central focus of worship.  We are an inclusive community for all people who desire spiritual formation in Christ.

Our patron Michael is an angel, which means that he is one who delivers a message.  Angels who proclaim messages of supreme importance are called Archangels.  St. Michael the Archangel is one of the principal angels in Judeo-Christian and Islamic tradition.

In art, St Michael is represented as a warrior and protector of the vulnerable, fully armed with helmet, sword, and shield standing over the dragon, whom he sometimes pierces with a lance.  His feast (September 29) in the Middle Ages was celebrated as a holy day of obligation.

Who is Michael?
What is Michael?
Why is our church named St. Michael?
What else is named after St. Michael?
What place does Michael hold in Christian life?
Find the answers and other tidbits about our patron.

Our church building and grounds are located at 2025 Bellefonte Drive, Lexington, Kentucky 40503–2601.

The “Star” symbol on the map shows the exact location of our church building.  Click the map.  Supply your address for detailed driving instructions from your location.

(Rev. Kalom wrote this history in 1994.  It presents an account of the development of our congregation.  Knowing our history helps us to understand who we are.  Understanding who we are helps us chart our future.)

St. Michael’s Church was begun and has grown out of a desire to serve God as a family unit working and praying together to build and further the sense of family and also to reach out to the larger community. This sense of family and deep spiritual commitment to outreach have been constants over the 38-year history of the parish: although members have come and gone, the spirit that is uniquely St. Michael’s remains.

Historically, the parish has been long on the time and talent part of stewardship and short on treasure, the willingness to work and weather the financial storms together has added immeasurably to the closeness of the parish family. Since the parish is, a relatively new one by many Episcopal Church Standards, there has been no old money to fund large endowments, so the brunt of financial support has come from its young middle class families struggling to raise families and maintain homes. This fact and good spiritual leadership over the years has brought parishioners together in working for a common goal of spreading God’s Kingdom from this holy hill in southeast Lexington.

At St. Michael’s we are blessed with extensive, nicely contoured grounds which have given rise to some serious landscaping.  The church is situated on high ground at the center of a residential city block.  On two sides our property borders residential gardens and on the other two sides the borders are formed by streets (Bellafonte Road and Libby Lane).  Hedges keep the streets invisible from the building and despite the high location our property feels secluded.

The Episcopal Church is part of that Church founded by Jesus Christ when He commissioned His disciples to go into all the world with the Gospel.  Episcopal is a Greek word meaning bishop, or overseer.  The Episcopal Church today is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion whose mother is the Church of England.  The Anglican Communion is the largest Christian body in the English-speaking countries of the world.  It is a multi-national, multi-lingual, multi-racial church.  In this diversity are common essential characteristics.  We promise to follow Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  We believe in One God:  the Father who creates us and all things, the Son who redeems us from sin and death, and the Holy Spirit who renews us as Children of God.  Episcopalians affirm that salvation is the end of our separation from God and the beginning of a new relationship with God and with one another.

Marguerite Casparian sketched the outline of the kneeling figure of St Michael on the cross-stitch canvass using the logo/figure that Fr. Peter Casparian had started using on publications around and for the church.  Charles Coulston did the cross-stitching for the banner, and we believe that Billie Malicote (the former Mrs. Carl Malicote) put the banner together with the red cloth border and backing.  Thanks to Charles Coulston for this information.

The sacrament of baptism is the way in which all Christians become part of the Body of Christ.  If you have already been baptized with water in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, you are a member of the Christian Church and may be registered as such on the rolls of any Episcopal congregation.  Contact our Office Manager, Carrie Watson, to request a transfer of your membership from your current church.

All baptized Christians may receive Holy Communion in an Episcopal Church.  If you have not been baptized, Episcopal practice allows both infant baptism (to affirm the primacy of God’s action) and baptism of believers (to affirm the necessity of Christian faith and commitment).  Baptism is usually by pouring though baptism by immersion may be requested.  Membership in St. Michael’s or any Episcopal Church is attained by regular attendance and participation.

Many adults (persons 16 years of age or older) seeking entry into church membership take the formal path of instruction and baptism for those not previously baptized and for those previously baptized.  It is normal for them to be presented to our bishop for reception into the church using the Rite of Confirmation.  If you have further questions regarding membership please contact our Office Manager, Carrie Watson.

We feel newcomers and new members are very important.  We offer several opportunities to welcome you into the larger life of the parish.