St. Margaret's Episcopal Church sits on the east end of Chenal Mountain in west Little Rock, where Chenal Parkway rises toward the long hill that runs from Highway 10 to the I-630 and I-430 interchange. From the road, the campus is easy to miss among the oaks; what stands out is the steady stream of people who arrive on Sunday mornings for three different Eucharists, and the unusual set of ministries that share the grounds. A prayer house in the woods, a licensed preschool, a labyrinth, a podcast, a weekly food pantry, and one of the city's most popular fall cook-offs all live within a few hundred feet of the parish hall.
A Church Born from 15,000 Phone Calls
St. Margaret's began as a joint effort by the Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas and every Episcopal church in the Little Rock area. In 1990, the diocese appointed the Rev. Canon Christoph Keller, III to start a new congregation in west Little Rock. Keller set up his office at St. Michael's Episcopal Church, another mission, and from that borrowed desk he recruited twenty-seven missionary members from across the area's Episcopal churches. Together they studied and prayed, then launched a telephone campaign to reach people who did not yet have a church home. Fifteen thousand calls were made, with a hope that two hundred would attend the first service.
The first worship took place on November 3, 1991, in the Market Street Bargain Cinema, with two hundred and fifty-eight people in attendance. The 119th Convention of the Diocese of Arkansas had earlier chosen the name "St. Margaret's" because, in Canon Keller's three criteria, it was beautiful, meaningful, and made the church more, rather than less, accessible to non-Episcopalians. On February 27, 1992, with one hundred and forty-five founding members, St. Margaret's was formally admitted as a mission congregation of the diocese.
For the next several years the congregation moved from one cinema to another. On Easter Sunday 1993, the growing community moved to Cinema City Breckenridge Village, where every Sunday all the equipment for worship and church school was hauled in, set up, taken down, and hauled away. That changed on April 14, 1996, when St. Margaret's current building on Chenal Parkway was dedicated.
Several clergy have shaped the parish. The Rev. Rachelle Birnbaum was named associate priest on June 1, 1995. Keller returned to seminary in 1998, and the Rev. Bill Martin was installed as vicar on July 4, 1999. The Rev. Canon Dr. Peggy Bosmyer became vicar on June 3, 2001, and died on December 13, 2008, after an extended battle with pancreatic cancer. The grief of her loss was braided with joy on February 21, 2009, when the congregation was granted full parish status. The Rev. Mary Vano was called as rector in June 2011, moving to Little Rock from Austin, Texas, with her family. The Rev. Michaelene Miller was called in 2022 to serve as the parish's first full-time second clergy person, with the title of associate rector.
In 2017, the "Building the Good News" capital campaign raised a million dollars to expand the building and ministries. The Peggy Bosmyer Christian Formation Center opened in 2019, housing classrooms for adults and teenagers, staff offices, and a large parish hall. The original downstairs wing became dedicated to children's ministries, and the Parents' Day Out program became St. Margaret's Early Childhood Center.
The Covid-19 pandemic closed the building to in-person worship and ministries for many months in 2020 and 2021. The parish responded with worship-at-home kits, online classes, and eventually outdoor worship. During that same period, the Little Free Food Pantry was installed outside the church office to serve food-insecure households in the area.
Three Sunday Eucharists, Thursday Evening Prayer
Worship at St. Margaret's centers on the Holy Eucharist, celebrated in three different styles every Sunday morning. All baptized Christians are welcome to receive Communion.
At 8:00 a.m., a small community gathers for a contemplative service of Holy Communion without music. As the week dawns, worshippers take time to be quiet and still, to pray and reflect, and to receive the sacrament.
At 9:00 a.m., a multigenerational gathering is held that is fully inclusive of children, who are encouraged to come up close during the gospel reading, sermon, and Eucharistic prayer. The forty-five-minute service is casual, with a brief, interactive sermon that engages children as well as adults.
At 10:00 a.m., Christian formation classes for all ages meet, including the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd atriums for the youngest children, Sunday School for older elementary and middle schoolers, and the Practicing our Faith, Exploring the Bible, and Exploring Spiritual Practices classes for adults.
At 11:00 a.m., the fullest expression of the beauty, substance, and depth of worship in the Episcopal tradition takes place. Classic hymns are sung with organ and choir; a full complement of scripture readings and a sermon nourish the mind as well as the soul and spirit.
Nursery care for children up to five years of age is available on Sunday mornings during the 9 and 11 o'clock services and the Sunday School hour, and is also available year-round as needed for many evening classes and events.
On Thursdays at 6:00 p.m., the parish gathers in the Parish Hall for Evening Prayer from the Book of Common Prayer. There is no preparation, no obligation, and no commitment; participants simply come as they are to refocus the week through shared prayer.
Live broadcasts and recordings of services are available on the church's YouTube channel, and printed bulletins for the 9:00 and 11:00 services are available for download.
From the Atrium to Adulthood: Christian Formation
Christian formation is a lifelong pursuit at St. Margaret's, with pathways built around three tried-and-true practices: reading the Bible, understanding the faith, and incorporating spiritual practices in daily life.
Children's formation follows the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, an approach that focuses on the fact that the child already has a relationship with God. Trained leaders, called Catechists, present stories and manipulatives that give children language to express this relationship. The Shepherd's Atrium in Room 110 serves ages three through kindergarten; the True Vine Atrium in Room 106 serves grades one through three. Class time is child-led, based on the teaching of Holy Scripture and church tradition, and takes place in a room prepared for the children with simple yet beautiful materials they can use. Fourth through eighth graders explore the Spark Lectionary series, which extends worship into the classroom with activities, games, and creative crafts.
Ninth through twelfth graders are encouraged to "Choose Your Own Adventure," with options that include participating in the choir, attending one of the Bible Study, Spiritual Practices, or Practicing Our Faith classes, or helping in one of the younger classrooms as an assistant teacher. The parish also participates in the Episcopal Youth Collab, or EYCollab, a collaborative Episcopal youth group for all sixth through twelfth graders in Central Arkansas, sponsored by St. Margaret's, St. Michael's, and Trinity Cathedral. EYCollab meets on Sunday evenings throughout the school year from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m., rotating among the three parishes. Diocesan youth events are coordinated through Arkansas EYC, and the youth summer camp takes place at Camp Mitchell on Petit Jean Mountain.
Adults have a wide range of options. On Sunday mornings at 10:00, the parish offers three ongoing classes. Exploring the Bible reads and studies books of the Old and New Testaments, with recent series on Empire in the Revelation to St. John, the Gospel of John, and the Epistle to the Hebrews. Practicing our Faith, led by the Rev. Mary Vano and Rachel Eells, surveys the basic beliefs and practices of the Episcopal Church. Exploring Spiritual Practices is taught by a rotation of parish leaders; recent series have included Civic Duty as a Spiritual Practice with Donnal Walter, How to Think Theologically with EfM Mentor Leah Dalton, and an Easter Evangelism series with the Lay Minister for Evangelism Colby Dillion.
Bible and Breakfast meets on Tuesday mornings at 7:30 a.m. on Zoom, with a small group discussion of the Gospel for the upcoming Sunday. Education for Ministry, a small-group program developed by the School of Theology at Sewanee, meets Tuesday evenings at 6:30. Sacred Ground Outings, led by the Rev. Michaelene Miller and Dr. Catherine Crisp, take participants to sites around Little Rock to explore the racial and cultural history of the area.
The parish offers several resources to support faith at home, including introductory guides to the Anglican Rosary, Praying in Color, Creating a Sacred Space at Home, the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Tool, Praying the Daily Office, Centering Prayer, Gardening as Spiritual Practice, Lectio Divina, and Visio Divina.
The Oasis, the House of Prayer, and a Labyrinth
The Oasis at St. Margaret's offers workshops and retreats for personal and spiritual growth. Housed on the parish campus, the Oasis is a teaching arm of the parish that brings in outside speakers and writers to deepen the spiritual life of the community and the wider public. A recent highlight was the "Icons in Transformation" exhibition, a traveling show of contemporary sacred art.
Behind the church, in the woods, sits the Arkansas House of Prayer, a place dedicated to silent prayer and meditation. A joint ministry of St. Margaret's and the Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas, the House of Prayer is open to people of all faith traditions.
Visitors on Monday through Thursday are invited to stop by St. Margaret's church office to meet with Katherine Strother and receive a key. On Saturday and Sunday, noon to 4:00 p.m., visitors may go directly to the House of Prayer, which will be open. People under twenty-one years of age must have an adult present in the building to use the House of Prayer. Regular visitors may apply to receive a key fob, granting them access to the building at any time.
On Tuesday mornings at 7:30 a.m., a virtual session of "House of Prayer: Practicing Sacred Silence" gathers on Zoom for twenty minutes of shared silence after a brief introduction. On the second Tuesdays, guest teachers elaborate on themes related to contemplation, meditation, or silence.
Sixty-Six Sunday Volunteers: Music, Altar, and Welcome
St. Margaret's has a long tradition of lay leadership in worship. For every Sunday, more than sixty-six volunteers provide hospitality, prepare the altar, and lead and serve in the worship.
The choir helps lead the congregation in singing and inspires worship with the beauty of music. Though some musical ability is helpful, training is provided to those who lack experience, and practice CDs are made available so members can practice at home or in their cars. There is no audition, and all are welcome. The choir sings at the 11:00 service and on Holy Days, rehearsing Sunday mornings at 10:00 from September through May.
Acolytes vest, light the candles, and lead the procession into the church at the beginning of the service. The crucifer carries the cross and assists in preparing the bread and wine. At special services, acolytes carry banners, light extra candles, and sometimes serve as thurifer, swinging the censer. Acolytes, led by Scott Smith, serve about once a month, and training sessions are held about twice a year.
The Altar Guild prepares the Lord's Table for Holy Communion, caring for the linens, candles, and altar. Members, led by Meredith Joheim, arrive thirty minutes before each service to set up, take linens home to clean and iron, and participate in occasional deeper cleanings of the sacristy and sanctuary.
The Bread Guild bakes the communion bread for Holy Eucharist. Members, led by Annette Murray, are assigned to bake about once every six weeks, and bread must be delivered to the church by 8:45 each Sunday. When possible, the bread baker also serves as the oblationer, bringing the gifts of bread and wine to the table at the Offertory.
Lay Eucharistic Ministers serve at the altar as chalice bearers during Holy Communion, offering the sacrament to each person with the words "The blood of Christ. The cup of salvation." Lectors lead the community in the readings. Ushers distribute bulletins, collect the offering, and guide worshippers to communion. Flower Guild members arrange flowers for Sunday morning and special services. Greeters stand at the entrances to welcome all people in the Name of Christ, identify visitors, and offer hospitality.
The St. Margaret's Men's Group is a community of men who gather for friendship and service. The group meets the second Friday of each month at 7:00 p.m. for a Wildmen's steak dinner, cooks and serves breakfast for the church quarterly, and hosts fundraising events to support St. Francis House, Camp Mitchell, and the Salvation Army.
Sacraments and Pastoral Care
As a community of faith, St. Margaret's is called to be the presence of Christ to one another in times of trouble, grief, and illness. The pastoral care ministries include the Christ Child Guild, which celebrates the birth and adoption of children in the congregation; the Intercessory Prayer Team, which prays daily for those on the parish prayer list; the Lay Eucharistic Visitors, who take the reserved sacrament to those who are hospitalized, homebound, or in nursing homes, leading a brief prayer service before sharing the blessed bread and wine; and Martha's Guild, which organizes and serves receptions for funerals and memorial services.
The parish celebrates the seven sacraments of the Episcopal Church. Holy Baptism is full initiation by water and the Holy Spirit into Christ's Body, the church. Holy Eucharist, or Holy Communion, is the sacrament by which the community expresses its deep thanksgiving for the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Confirmation is offered on the Sunday of the Bishop's annual visitation. Holy Matrimony is a solemn and public covenant between two people in the presence of God. Reconciliation of a Penitent, or confession, is always available by contacting the Rev. Mary Vano. Unction, the sacrament of healing, is offered to those who are ill. Ordination to the orders of bishop, priest, and deacon is also recognized.
A Faith Built on Scripture, Tradition, and Reason
St. Margaret's is a parish of the Episcopal Church, the American province of the Anglican Communion, a worldwide body of more than seventy million Christians who trace their origins to the Church of England. Episcopalians describe the foundation of their faith as a "three-legged stool."
The first leg is Holy Scripture, "written by people...inspired by the Holy Spirit." The Old Testament chronicles the relationship between God and Israel; the New Testament chronicles the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and the faith journey of the first generation of disciples. The second leg is Tradition, especially the interpretation of God's purposes by past generations of Christians, including the early Church Fathers and the Church Councils. The First Council of Nicaea wrote the Nicene Creed, which Episcopalians recite every week. The third leg is Reason: God makes human beings in his image, which includes gifting them with complex, reasoning minds.
The Book of Common Prayer is central to Episcopal life and worship. The Prayer Book includes a wealth of prayers and liturgies for virtually every occasion, and serves as a way to center lives in Christ. The parish's name honors St. Margaret of Scotland, the eleventh-century queen who, with her husband King Malcolm, rebuilt the monastery of Iona and founded Dunfermline Abbey, and who was known for her zeal for church reform, education, and the care of the poor.
The parish's welcome is broad. Its description of the Episcopal Church's growing legacy of inclusion affirms that all people are loved by God. Women and men serve as bishops, priests, and deacons in the Episcopal Church, and leadership is a gift from God that can be expressed by all people in the church, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.
Backpacks, Period Products, and Prayer Shawls
St. Margaret's mission is to bring the Good News to their neighbors around the world that they are loved, they are not alone, and there is hope. The Outreach Council meets monthly to coordinate the parish's many ministries.
The Children's Backpack Ministry enables children at Robinson and Terry Elementary and Lisa Academy who experience food insecurity to go home on Fridays with backpacks filled with enough food for the weekend. Additional food is provided to cover Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas breaks.
The Little Free Food Pantry, installed during the pandemic, is a red box outside the church office with the simple invitation: "Take what you need; give what you can." The pantry now offers hygiene items, hand warmers, and other special items alongside non-perishable food.
Cycle of Caring responds to the often-overlooked need of menstrual hygiene equity. The ministry partners with Harmony Health Clinic, a free medical clinic serving Central Arkansas, to distribute period products to women in need.
The Angel Tree Christmas Gift Ministry, working with school counselors, identifies children in need, links parishioners to each child's wishes, and shops for and delivers gifts before Christmas.
St. Margaret's is a long-time supporter of St. Francis House, an outreach initiative of the Episcopal Church in Arkansas that provides counseling, transitional housing, meals, employment services, health care, and activities for homeless veterans. The parish has a member on the St. Francis House Board of Directors, hosts two dinners for veterans and staff each year, collects in-kind donations for the clothing store, and provides financial assistance.
The Needlework Guild is a group of knitters and crocheters who create prayer shawls and caps for those in need. Beginners are welcome, and the group meets monthly at 10:30 a.m. on the second Thursday at the church.
Adopt-A-Street gathers volunteers on Saturday mornings to clean up part of Chenal Parkway. The Arkansas Local Food Network connects parishioners with local farmers and ranchers, with pickup available every Saturday at the church. The Order of the Daughters of the King is a spiritual sisterhood dedicated to prayer, service, and evangelism. The Little Rock Daughters of Abraham Women's Interfaith Book Group brings together Muslim, Jewish, and Christian women to read and share a meal. The parish hosts blood drives several times a year through Our Blood Institute. Twice a year, in the spring and around the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the parish collects towels, sheets, shampoo, leashes, collars, toys, and food for animal rescue groups. A new Crisis Pastoral Outreach ministry is being developed to support neighbors with spiritual, pastoral, and emotional care in the aftermath of natural and man-made crises.
The parish's outreach extends globally through the United Thank Offering, which collects thank offerings during Lent to support innovative mission and ministry projects around the Anglican Communion, and through Episcopal Relief and Development, which works with locally-led organizations in dozens of countries. The annual Christmas collection for ERD and matching gifts has funded caregiver support and learning groups for children and job-skills training for women in recent years. St. Margaret's parishioners are also members of the Episcopal Public Policy Network, advocating for justice and peace.
The Interfaith Center, Love Thy Neighbor, and Beyond
The Interfaith Center was established at St. Margaret's in 2011 as part of the parish's Institute for Theological Studies, with the mission of reducing fear and prejudice among the people of the world's religions. The initiative was so successful that it became its own organization, with St. Margaret's continuing as a partner and supporter.
Two specific ministries came out of the original work. Love Thy Neighbor is an annual interfaith and intergenerational celebration of peace, with music, prayer, wisdom, and an interfaith food festival. Friendship Camp is a weeklong summer camp for third through sixth graders that fosters interfaith friendships. A newer initiative, the Interfaith Volunteer Network, offers regular community service opportunities designed to bring together people of different faith backgrounds. The Rev. Michaelene Miller represents St. Margaret's on the Friendship Camp program, and the Rev. Deacon Deb Cooper represents the parish on the Interfaith Volunteer Network Steering Committee.
The J.O.Y. Podcast, RibFest, and the Early Childhood Center
The J.O.Y. podcast, hosted by the Rev. Mary Vano with a different guest host for each episode, is a dynamic conversation between Jesus, Others, and You. Recent episodes have featured Daniel Bowman, Jr. on autism and faith, the Rev. Lisa Senuta on Brother Lawrence, Sophia Said of the Interfaith Center on building bridges across faiths, Natalie Larrison of the Syrian Emergency Task Force on the work in Syria, and conversations on caring for the LGBTQ+ soul, discernment and sobriety, falling in love with scripture, saving beauty, mindful self-compassion, and the problem of suffering. Episodes are available through the church's podcast feed, on Apple Podcasts, and on the church's YouTube channel.
Each fall, St. Margaret's hosts RibFest, a community-wide rib-cooking competition and festival. Local cooking teams compete for the title of Best Ribs in Little Rock. Live music, local craft vendors, and college football on a big screen round out the evening, and all proceeds benefit the outreach and ministries of the parish.
St. Margaret's Early Childhood Center is a licensed, faith-based neighborhood preschool serving children ages twelve months through Pre-K4. The center offers infant, toddler, and preschool classes, and is open during the school year, August through May, Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Depending on availability, families may enroll their children for two, three, or four days of care each week. The program is dedicated to providing a high-quality and loving experience to support and supplement the families in the area.
The Building, the Columbarium, and Visiting
St. Margaret's building includes a number of comfortable classrooms, two beautiful parish halls, a fully equipped kitchen, and three nurseries. The Parish Hall seats up to about eighty people; Williams Hall seats up to two hundred; the Welcome Center holds up to eighty; the Youth Suite accommodates up to thirty-five; classrooms seat up to twenty each; and the nurseries hold up to thirty infants and toddlers. Outside spaces include the lawns and parking lots. All events must be approved by the rector and adhere to parish policies. The rooms are available to individuals or groups seeking to convene a meeting, host a celebration, hold a recital, or offer a class.
St. Margaret's columbarium and memorial garden allow members of the church and their families to make important decisions about the disposition of earthly remains, removing the burden from grieving loved ones. The columbarium is in keeping with the Christian tradition of inurning the remains of loved ones in or near the church, strengthening the bond between the living and the dead.
St. Margaret's is located at 20900 Chenal Parkway in west Little Rock. From I-630, follow Chenal Parkway six miles west past Bowman Curve, Markham Street, and Kanis Road. Continue northwest past Technical Drive, Arkansas Systems Drive, and Rahling Road. The church is three-tenths of a mile past Chenal Club Boulevard, on the right-hand side of the parkway. From Highway 10, take Chenal Parkway south to the top of the long hill, turn left on Chenal Valley Drive, then turn right onto the church drive.
Visitor parking is available in the upper parking lot near the Welcome Center entrance, which is the best place to enter on Sunday mornings. The office entrance is also in the upper parking lot. When visiting the Early Childhood Center during the week, the lower parking lot and the double doors under the arch are the suggested entrance.
Children of all ages are welcome to participate in worship at St. Margaret's. Soft worship bags with engaging resources and materials are available for children in the hallway leading to the sanctuary, and baptized persons of any age are welcome to receive Communion.
Leadership, Giving, and Connection
The parish is led by the Rev. Mary Vano, rector, and the Rev. Michaelene Miller, associate rector. The Rev. Deb Cooper serves as deacon. Elizabeth Haskett is the director of music and Jamie Joheim is the parish organist. Kris Alexander is the director of children's ministries and the Early Childhood Center. Colby Dillion is the lay minister for evangelism, and Amy House is the lay minister of technology. The vestry, the governing body of the parish, has nine members, with three new members elected each year at the Annual Parish Meeting in January to serve a three-year term.
The parish is supported by the annual pledges of its members. Each November, members submit a giving estimate for the following year, and the vestry creates a budget based on combined expected contributions. Many households give regularly through their banks or through the church's Realm giving system. Occasional giving includes sponsoring altar flowers, contributing to the Clergy Discretionary Fund, or making memorial gifts. Planned giving resources are available through the Episcopal Church Foundation.
St. Margaret's uses Realm as its online community and database platform. Members and regular visitors can create a profile, manage their giving, check their serving schedule, and connect with groups and ministries. The mobile app, Connect - Our Church Community, is available for iPhone and Android.
Prayer requests may be submitted through the church, and public requests received by Wednesday of each week are published in the Sunday prayer list. Private prayer requests are prayed for within the Daughters of the King group at St. Margaret's.
The parish office is open Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The mailing address is 20900 Chenal Parkway, Little Rock, Arkansas 72223, and the office phone is 501-821-1311. The parish can be reached at admin@stmargaretschurch.org.