A Church on Orange Street Since 1887
St. Luke's Episcopal Church sits on the corner of Orange and Lewis streets in downtown Auburn, California, where its 1887 building has anchored this stretch of Placer County for nearly a century and a half. The parish calls itself a vibrant, Spirit-filled, liturgical community of faith and identifies with the Anglo-Catholic stream of the Episcopal Church, drawing on the revivalist vision of the Oxford Movement. From this corner a small congregation has grown into a worshipping community that shapes the wider life of Auburn and Placer County through weekly Eucharist, midweek silent prayer, a robust music program, and long-standing partnerships with organizations that feed and shelter the unhoused.
The first Episcopal community in Auburn officially gathered in 1861, more than two decades before the cornerstone was laid. In 1887 the present church building was constructed at 124 Orange Street, and the parish has maintained a continuous Christian witness on this corner ever since. In 2027 St. Luke's will mark 140 years of ministry in its 1887 church, a fact that has shaped not only the identity of the parish but also the careful, long-range stewardship of its historic campus today.
Anglo-Catholic Worship in Auburn
St. Luke's worship and teaching is rooted in what is sometimes called the High Church tradition within Anglicanism. That tradition grew out of the Oxford Movement of the 1830s and 1840s, when scholars such as John Keble, John Henry Newman, Edward Bouverie Pusey, and Richard Froude sought to recall the Church of England to the catholic heritage of the early Church. At St. Luke's, that heritage shows up in worship that uses vestments, chant, incense, flowers, and the words of the Book of Common Prayer, and in teaching that gives a central place to the seven sacraments, the creeds, and the reading of Scripture in the context of the Church's tradition.
The parish celebrates the goodness of God's creation in worship with speech, song, silence, art, flowers, and incense, and offers it back to God with grateful praise. It teaches that the Church is part of the risen Christ and is illuminated by the Holy Spirit, that sacraments are outward and physical signs of inward and spiritual grace, and that Holy Baptism and Holy Communion are the two great sacraments of the Christian life. The communion of saints is taken seriously here: the parish prays for those who have died and asks the wider fellowship of the Church, in heaven and on earth, to pray in turn. The parish also takes seriously the Oxford Movement's care for the poor and marginalized, working for justice and peace locally and internationally and seeking to include those who feel excluded from the Church and from society.
Sunday Mornings at St. Luke's
Three Sunday gatherings shape the rhythm of the week at St. Luke's, and each one has a distinct character.
At 8:00 a.m., a quiet, contemplative Eucharist is offered using Rite I, the Elizabethan English of the historic prayer book. Chanted music, instrumental accompaniment, and Holy Communion fill an unhurried hour, followed by fellowship in the Parish Hall. This service is a long-standing place for those who prefer a quieter, reflective experience of worship.
At 9:30 a.m., adults gather in the Parish Hall for the Christian Learning Series, a formation hour that has become a regular part of parish life. The classes follow the Church's calendar and the questions of the congregation, and they are designed to make space for newcomers and longtime members alike.
At 10:30 a.m., the Multi-Generational Worship service begins in the church. This is Rite II, the more contemporary English of the prayer book, and it is the place where children, parents, and grandparents most often find themselves in the same pews. Festive hymn singing, the prayers of the people, and Holy Communion are paired with Children's Chapel, a separate age-appropriate program for children ages 3 to 12 that runs during part of the service. After the service the whole congregation moves to the Parish Hall for coffee and conversation.
Wednesday Nights in Candlelight
Midweek worship at St. Luke's takes the form of a single, deeply quiet hour. At 7:00 p.m. on Wednesdays the church is lit by candles for a service of silent prayer. After the Lord's Prayer the congregation settles into a first stretch of twenty minutes of silence. A short reading of Scripture is then shared using the ancient practice of Lectio Divina, and the hour closes with a second twenty minutes of silence and an open time of prayer and reflection. The service is open to anyone, regardless of experience with prayer or church, and the rector has written publicly about the formative place of Centering Prayer in his own life and in the wider Christian contemplative tradition.
Music That Gives the Liturgy Its Voice
Music is treated as a partner in worship at St. Luke's, not as decoration. Music Director Elaine Stephenson serves as organist, choir director, and the person who plans the service music alongside the priest. She began studying organ at age twelve and has been playing in northern California churches since she was fourteen. She is a graduate of the University of La Verne with a bachelor of arts in music, a concentration in pipe organ performance, and a California life credential in primary education.
Katie O'Leary, the Assistant Choir Director, joined the parish in 2013. She holds a master of music in vocal performance from the Boston Conservatory and a bachelor of music from CSU Sacramento, and she leads the choir's training and vocal preparation. Kristen Campbell, who joined the choir in the spring of 2018, is the Lead Singer and Accompanist for the 8:00 a.m. service and prepares the soprano and alto parts for the choir. She holds dual bachelor's degrees in music performance and English and a master's in Irish literature from Sacramento State, and she performs and teaches voice across California.
The People Who Lead the Parish
The Rev. Brian L. Rebholtz is the Rector. He was called as priest-in-charge at St. Luke's in 2015 and installed as Rector in 2019. He is an avid reader and has particular interests in Scripture, preaching, liturgy, and classical metaphysics. He writes monthly for Conciliar Post, an Anglican journal of theology and spirituality. He and his wife, Dr. Catherine (Cat) Rebholtz, a small animal veterinarian, are the parents of five children: Ezra, Enoch, Evelyn, Eliana, and Edie.
Two deacons serve alongside him. The Rev. Patty Park was baptized and confirmed at St. Luke's in the early 1980s, graduated from the School for Deacons in Berkeley in 2016, and is a member of both the Association for Episcopal Deacons and the Order of the Daughters of the King. Her work centers on outreach and on connecting the parish to the wider community. The Rev. Bill Hefti was introduced to the Episcopal Church in 1968 by his wife, Linda, and was ordained a deacon in 1985. He is active in community outreach, including the Auburn Interfaith Food Closet, and brings the Eucharist to those who cannot attend church.
Melissa Lovin serves as Parish Ministry Coordinator and is often the first point of contact for the parish's day-to-day work. She grew up at St. Luke's: her family joined in 1986, she was married in the church in 1996, and both her daughters were baptized here. Phil Mulford, the parish sexton, joined the staff officially in 2023 after years of informal help around the campus.
Caring for a Campus for the Next Hundred Years
In Lent of 2024, on Rose Sunday, the Vestry launched a long-range Campus Plan to care for the parish's three historic properties: the 1887 Church, the Parish Hall, and the Victorian House on the grounds. The plan was shaped by a potluck conversation in which the whole congregation was asked to share hopes, concerns, and dreams for St. Luke's. Eight clear needs rose to the top and helped shape every stage of the plan.
Stage I, the full restoration and repainting of the 1887 Church, was completed in 2025 thanks to a generous gift. The work included a new deck, exterior repairs, oiled interior woodwork, and a new bell rope. Stage II, currently underway, reimagines the Parish Hall as a welcoming, accessible, ministry-ready space. The plans include new offices, a private office for the Rector off the entry lobby, gathering areas, a children's chapel, a dedicated deacon's office, a larger sacristy and vestment storage, and, at the heart of the design, a new elevator, a connecting bridge to the Church, and ADA parking. Stage III, originally focused on the Victorian House, was folded into Stage II after professional assessment showed restoration would be cost-prohibitive.
Practical groundwork has already been completed: the parking lot and retaining wall have been repaired with reserve funds, the aging playground equipment has been removed and donated, and a new Parish Hall roof has been installed in preparation for a solar array coming in the fall. A parish-wide feasibility study, led by consultant Leslie Pendleton, is set to begin to help the congregation discern how and when to bring Stage II to life.
Service in Auburn and Beyond
St. Luke's outreach is local, regional, and international, and the parish names it as one of the clearest marks of its Anglo-Catholic identity.
The Auburn Interfaith Food Closet, a nonprofit supported by nineteen local faith-based congregations, provides food across seventeen Placer County zip codes. Founded in 1998 and operated entirely by volunteers, it is one of the parish's longest-running community partnerships.
The Gathering Inn is the second major local partnership. Once a month, on the second Thursday, a crew of about twenty St. Luke's parishioners shops for, cooks, and serves dinner for 160 guests at the DeWitt Center in North Auburn, a shelter operated by The Gathering Inn that now serves nearly 500 individuals and families daily across multiple Placer County locations. Donna Burgess and George Hoffecker, the ministry leads, coordinate the team and welcome newcomers; no experience is required.
Beyond the county, the parish supports the Ukrainian Crisis Relief Fund through Episcopal Relief & Development; St. Luc's Elementary School in Thomassique, Haiti, which serves more than 500 students in kindergarten through eighth grade through a partnership with the Haiti Education & Development Corporation; and St. Luke's Hospital in Nablus, West Bank, a 60-bed charitable hospital established in 1900 by the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and now serving a population of about 350,000. The parish is also a sponsor of The Living Church, the oldest continuously published periodical in the Episcopal Church, and copies are available on the resource table.
Beliefs, Creeds, and Christian Formation
The parish recites both the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed in worship, the latter in the form used across Western Christianity. Its approach to formation is what the parish itself calls High Church: a spirituality rooted in the goodness of God's creation, the sacramental life of the Church, the centrality of Scripture read in the context of tradition, the communion of saints, the beauty of the Book of Common Prayer, and a faith ordered to love and service of the poor and marginalized.
St. Luke's honors the seven sacraments of the historic Church: Holy Baptism and Holy Communion (the Eucharist) as the two great ones, with Confirmation, Marriage, Reconciliation, Anointing, and Ordination completing the seven. Scripture is honored as the Word of God, read and preached in worship, prayed in the Daily Office, and studied in the Christian Learning Series on Sunday mornings. In a parish essay on the English Bible, Fr. Brian has written that nothing is more necessary or profitable for a Christian than the knowledge of Holy Scripture, and that the Bible is the story of God interwoven with the story of us all.
New Here? What to Expect
Visitors are welcomed at every service. Dress is casual; an usher will greet you, hand you a bulletin with a visitor card, and answer questions. Children are welcome to stay with their families throughout worship, and the area rug at the back of the church is reserved for them. During the 10:30 a.m. service, children ages 3 to 12 are invited to Children's Chapel, and parents are welcome to join them.
All baptized Christians are welcome to receive Communion. Those who would prefer a blessing are invited to come forward and cross their arms over their chest. Gluten-free wafers are available on request, and ushers are happy to bring Communion to anyone who would prefer to remain in the pew. Visitors and newcomers are not expected to give; the offering plate is there for those who call St. Luke's their church home.
The parish office is open Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and the Weekly Nugget newsletter keeps the wider congregation informed between Sundays. Sermons are recorded and posted as audio each week, and the parish podcast is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Rooted in Auburn, Looking Forward
At a moment when many historic downtown congregations are shrinking, St. Luke's is investing in its future. The 1887 Church has just been restored. The Parish Hall is being reimagined around accessibility, formation, and the everyday work of ministry. A solar array will go on the roof this fall. And the Anglo-Catholic inheritance that has shaped the parish since its founding is being passed along in candlelit silence on Wednesday nights and in the voices of a choir that has been singing the prayer book liturgy in Auburn for more than a century.