St. Mary's Waynesville

You are welcome at St. Mary’s

Whether you are older or younger or somewhere in between; whether you are a ‘church person’ looking for a spiritual home or have come only to observe; whether your skin is darker or lighter; whether you are native-born or immigrant, a citizen or not; whether you are straight, gay, male, female or transgendered; whether you are single, married or partnered; whether you are a conservative, liberal or somewhere along the continuum; whether you wear tatoos or prefer not to; whether you are financially comfortable, living paycheck to paycheck or struggling; whether you know what you believe, have many questions or just don’t know; whether you know of Jesus or not; whether you have come to pray, meditate or just to stare at the ceiling,

you are welcome here.

We are a community of Jesus’ followers celebrating God’s self-sacrificing love freely given to all who welcome it. We are people striving to put God’s love into action in our lives and in the world. With Jesus as our example, support and Savior, we are working to feed, clothe, and share God’s mercy as well as His justice and peace as an alternative to the hatred, divisiveness and injustice around us. We are working to be the change we desire.

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU VISIT

Services are about an hour in length. We listen to 3 readings from the Bible (Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel Readings); read a Psalm together,; hear a message from one of our three priests; and sing a few hymns with an organ. The focus of our worship is, however, the celebration of the Eucharist ( the Lord’s Supper) to which all are invited to participate. There’s a bulletin at the entrance to the church which lays it all out so you can follow along.

We’ve been doing this every Sunday,for the last 2,000 years ; and for the last 155+ years in Waynesville, so come anytime. We start at 10:30, but there’s plenty of space in the back if you want to be alone with God, or are shy, or late, or can just stay a time. And yes, kids and babies are both welcome.

We are pretty informal in dress. All we ask is clothes.

And after the service there is a fellowship time in the church hall, which can range from full meals to just coffee and cookies. You are most welcome to join in ; or not. Your choice. We are a pretty friendly, but diverse, group of people though.

And sorry, we don’t post services or sermons on the internet. We want to see you, hear you and share the love of Christ with you in person. Call us old-fashioned in that regard. ​As Jesus said: ” Come and See”.

And please remember, no matter who you are, you are loved by God and welcome in this church dedicated to the memory of His loving Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. If you have any question, or want to speak to someone, feel free to contact :

seniorwarden@stmaryswaynesville.org

(Our thanks to our friends at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Dayton for use of their statement in the creation of our opening affirmation.)