The seed of St. Paul's Church was planted in 1956 when Mrs. Florence "Mother" Thatcher gathered several other local Episcopalians together to organize a mission church in Cambria. The small group met in one another's homes, and their altar was a white cloth draped over a couple of whiskey boxes. By November 1957, they had a membership of 13 confirmed persons and were duly instituted as St. Paul's Mission of Cambria by Bishop Shires of the Diocese of California.

By 1959 St. Paul's had grown to 27 members and had begun a Sunday School. Soon the congregation was too large to meet in a home, so they moved their services into community buildings. Eventually Sunday services were held in the Masonic Hall using a portable, folding altar that was constructed by Air Force men who were attending the services. The altar was made from redwood plywood, with a small white pine cross in front.

Right from the beginning a group was determined to find land upon which they could build their church. In July 1959 they were offered one acre of property on a beautiful hillside on the southern end of town. They obtained the financing to purchase the property and began making plans for church buildings. They were determined to be as financially self-sufficient as possible right from the start, so it is not surprising that they were able to pay off the loan before the first payment was made. When the Board of Missions of the Diocese of California was notified that St. Paul's had a possible set of church plans, a date was set to meet them. The plans were accepted with a few minor changes. The Bishop requested Mission style, and to build by hand wherever possible. Most items were memorials given by friends and relatives, numerous pieces of furniture were built by hand and memorial funds were used to purchase other needed items.

The women of the church did not want to sit around idle, so they organized "St. Catherine's Guild" in November 1957. They did their part by raising funds for the mission through table-setting contests, teas, fashion shows and food sales. They were also vocal about what they wanted within the building and readily served lunch to workers.

Groundbreaking ceremonies were held on July 1, 1962, just five years after becoming a recognized mission and three years after purchasing the land. The building was built entirely by volunteers working mainly on Saturdays. On Easter 1963, St. Paul's held its first service in the new church building. On May 9, 1964, Bishop James Pike of the Diocese of California held a service dedicating the building to the glory of God and in honor of St. Paul, and blessed various furnishings and memorials given by members of the congregation. By June 1971, the mortgage on the church building and land had been paid for, and a celebration was held with Bishop Millard consecrating the property and conducting a "mortgage burning" ceremony.

The members of St. Paul's were community-oriented and maintained an active profile within the town of Cambria. Women members of the church joined forces with Cambria Anonymous Neighbors and in April 1983, Meals on Wheels began serving the homebound. Groundbreaking for the Parish Hall took place on June 24, 1983. The new building was blessed in April 1984 by the Rt. Rev. Shannon Mallory, Bishop of the new Diocese of El Camino Real. In 1986, the Cambria Co-op Preschool helped St. Paul's finish the first floor, in return for use of the church school rooms during the week. The Senior Nutrition Program had come to Cambria soon after Meals on Wheels, and now needed to relocate. By the end of 1987 they had moved their program to St. Paul's new Parish Hall, and to this day Senior Nutrition continues to serve daily hot meals.

Once again, the determination and commitment of the faithful helped the congregation pay off the mortgage on the Parish Hall by 1987. In 1988 they remodeled the rear of the nave, increasing the seating capacity to 83. Hoping to expand the church building by the year 2000, Thurman Hartman established the "Twenty-First Century Fund."

It is now the twenty-first century, and the "Twenty-First Century Fund" is now called the Building Fund. Gifts in memory of Thurman Hartman, Bob Carter, Carroll Thomsen and others have made the fund grow. While neither the church nor the Parish Hall has been expanded, a Long-Range Planning Committee has worked with an architect, and a design has been presented to the congregation. The first part of the design to be executed will be a meditation garden and labyrinth, providing a place for parishioners and members of the community to come in future years for prayer, meditation and recreation.