Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields

Parish Groups

“It’s the people who make the church, and here it feels like family.” The people of St. Martin’s have many varied interests and come together here to pursue them. Although there are numerous groups meeting within the parish, we also like to gather all together in celebration with good food, camaraderie, and now and then music. We have scrumptious feasts including the traditional party following the Easter Vigil, the Fat Tuesday pancake supper, the occasional Make a Joyful Noise party, and dinners held in conjunction with parish activities. A multiplicity of groups helps foster individual interests and reflects initiatives taken by parishioners to act out their faith.

Worship services incorporate participation of a number of groups. The Altar Guild and Flower Guild prepare for the smooth running and visual beauty of services. Ushers and greeters welcome and help direct people with information about the service and the church. Acolytes, both children and adults, assist the clergy and help in the liturgy. The largest group that assists in worship is the lectors. About 70 adults and a handful of children take part in reading the lessons throughout the year. Intercessions are prepared by parishioners who write their own prayers and petitions and read them in the Sunday services. Laypeople work with the clergy on wording and prayer forms for the liturgical seasons and guide the intercessors in their writing. All of the participants in services, except for the choirs, are overseen by liturgists. This is a group of laypeople trained in liturgics who assist the clergy and are a visual presence of laity at the altar in the worship service.

Closely related to the groups that minister at corporate worship gatherings are the pastoral care groups. Eucharistic visitors, licensed by the bishop, provide a bridge between the services and those parishioners who are unable to attend. Four visitors take Communion from the Sunday Eucharist to one or more parishioners, visit with them, and keep the clergy informed about how they are doing. The eight members who work with the flower ministry deliver flowers from the altar and visit those in need under the guidance of the clergy. The most far-reaching pastoral care committee is the Stephen Ministry. This group has now grown to 20 people, each of whom is paired with an individual parishioner and accompanies this person through a difficult time in life. After receiving 50 hours of basic training with additional ongoing supervision and education, these ministers enter into a compassionate relationship with individuals, providing a deeply spiritual presence in the midst of suffering.

“… the people are eclectic and intellectually stimulating, and I have learned extraordinary things from listening to and sharing with other parishioners.”

Every week parishioners facilitate two classes of biblical studies. Thursday and Saturday morning classes bring people together to study and talk. These text-centered discussions focus on parallel Gospel stories and on other books in the Bible. Sometimes a class will even dip into the Quran. For nearly 12 years an Education for Ministry class has met weekly, pursuing in-depth study of the Scriptures, church history, and theological writings. Another group, “Books and Banter,” brings together book-lovers to discuss stimulating books they choose and might not otherwise read. Periodically a group gathers for a letter writing campaign around issues of concern. We also have an occasional audio magazine, The Cloak, that appears in electronic form on the website and contains stirring oral narratives from parishioners.

Recently formed groups include Companions in Christ, a spiritual discernment group, and a sustainability group that is studying and reporting on ways of making our buildings and our habits more environmentally friendly. A Beijing Circle has completed a year of study, learning about and discussing the issues named in the Beijing Platform for Action. They are moving on to actions, which they have discerned through their exploration.