Many people find that one of the biggest benefits of belonging to a community of faith, such as our church, is the opportunities it provides for ministry or service. This page lists just a few of the ministries we are involved in.
Originally founded in 1885 as the Women’s Auxiliary, the name was changed in 1966 to Anglican Church Women to better reflect that women are an integral part of the Anglican Church of Canada. The purpose of the ACW is for members to practice prayer, work and stewardship in their daily lives. The motto of the organization is “The love of Jesus calls us”.
St. Mary’s ACW group meets the 3rd Monday of each month at 1.00 p.m. (except for July and August) for business and fellowship – all ladies of the parish are welcome. Fellowship lunches are held in June and December. This active group undertakes a variety of projects in support of the parish, the New Westminster community, various charitable organizations and the wider church.
The Altar Guild looks after the fabrics and fittings we use during our worship. They care for the communion vessels and linens, and make special preparations for baptisms, weddings, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Meetings are held five times a year and a dinner meeting is held in June.
We have an enthusiastic choir that leads the hymn singing at our weekly services and performs additional music on special occasions. New members are always welcome!
These groups allow parish members to become more closely involved in the life of our church through various kinds of involvement in our worship services.
This group of parishioners meets several times a year to assist with the planning of services, with emphasis on the periods of Lent/Easter and Thanksgiving through Christmas/Epiphany. In addition, the meetings provide an valuable learning vehicle for committee members. Under the guidance of our Rector, they hold interesting discussions on topics such as special services and readings, music (organ/piano, choir, choice of hymns, soloists), use of incense and candles, etc.
There are five large health care institutions within the geographical bounds of our parish. Our priest and a very active group of volunteers provide regular Hospital visits to address pastoral needs and bring Anglican services to patients.
St. Mary’s is a member of the New Westminster Tri-Parish Relationship, a partnership between the three Anglican parishes in the city of New Westminster: St. Mary the Virgin, Holy Trinity Cathedral and St. Barnabas. The three parishes co-operate closely to pursue a number of joint ministries, including the Tri-Parish Pastoral Care Team, the Worship and Music coordination group and a Food Ministry. Over the next few years we plan to grow into a number of other ministry areas. Watch this space!
St. Mary’s is involved in a number of community outreach projects, ranging from a Community Kitchen that meets regularly in our hall kitchen, through the distribution of hampers to people in need, to activities in support of programmes at our Tri-Parish partner parishes, such as St. Barnabas's Food Cupboard.
The PWRDF is the official international aid and development agency of the Anglican Church of Canada. Our parish has always been a strong supporter of the Fund with several events a year to raise money and promote awareness.