A Parish on Clayton Road
St. Martin's Episcopal Church gathers on Clayton Road in Ellisville, a West County community west of St. Louis where the parish is known for its warm liturgy, its full music program, and a neighborliness that runs through everything from a toddler's story time to a hands-on repair project in North City. The congregation follows the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement, working from a stated mission to be "a beacon of Christ's love, spirit-fed, serving others."
The Sunday Gathering
At 10:30 each Sunday morning the parish family gathers for the principal service, a Holy Eucharist drawn from the Book of Common Prayer. The service moves through readings, prayers, holy communion, and music led by the choir. Children and their families either sit together in the pews or step over to the Soft Space at the front right of the sanctuary - a corner outfitted with rocking chairs, board books, and a clear view of the altar for parents who would rather stay close.
For those whose Sunday mornings have already passed into Sunday evenings, Compline is offered live at 8:30 p.m. on the church's Facebook page. Lay leaders from the congregation lead the brief service of psalms, scripture readings, and prayers that ask for God's protection through the night.
A Rhythm of Prayer Through the Week
St. Martin's worship does not stop on Sunday morning. On Mondays at 11:45 a.m., a simplified Holy Eucharist is celebrated in the chapel - brief and without a homily, an invitation for anyone who finds a mid-morning weekday service more workable. On Saturdays at 5:05 p.m., the parish gathers again in the chapel for Evening Prayer. Together with Sunday's principal Eucharist and online Compline, the week is bracketed by prayer.
Music at the Center of Worship
Music is woven into nearly everything that happens at St. Martin's. The St. Martin's Choir rehearses on Wednesday evenings and sings at the Sunday Eucharist, drawing in both adults and teenagers. A handbell choir rings monthly for the same service - a group that, as the parish likes to say, asks only that members be able to count to eight. The repertoire runs from traditional organ hymns to folk and contemporary songs accompanied by guitar and other instruments, and at Christmas Eve and Easter the congregation joins the orchestra for the Hallelujah Chorus. A separate Youth Music Ensemble, assembled by the Music Director, sings and plays for special services through the year, with a particular focus on Holy Week and Christmas.
Children and Youth
Children are taken seriously as members of the worshiping community. A children's message is given at the start of each Sunday service before the readings, after which children ages three through eleven may process out to Children's Chapel on the lower level during the program year. There, trained volunteers lead them through Bible stories, crafts, a music lesson, and snacks, and they return to their families at the passing of the peace, midway through the service.
Parishioners of all ages find a second home in the church's Everybody's Story Children's Library, a checkout collection of board and picture books chosen to reflect the diversity of God's people. Youth in sixth through twelfth grade are invited to take part in Diocesan events, including Camp Firebird, the official summer camp of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri. Confirmation is offered every other winter and spring for seventh and eighth graders using a program called Confirm Not Conform. Acolytes - youth age eight and up who have been baptized - carry the processional crosses, torches, and banners into the liturgy, training offered several times each year.
Adult Formation and Connection
A series of weekday gatherings invites adults deeper into the Christian life. An Adult Bible Study meets Monday mornings at 10:30, opening to newcomers at any point, and ends with the celebration of Holy Eucharist at 11:45. On Thursday evenings at 7 p.m., parishioners gather on Zoom for Adult Forum, an hour of formation and fellowship from the comfort of home. For newcomers who want to learn more about the Episcopal Church itself, an Inquirers Class is offered by the clergy.
Outside the formal programs, the parish hosts a Saturday Breakfast Group on the second Saturday of the month at 9:30 a.m., a Lunch Bunch for retirees that plans field trips around the St. Louis area, and First Thursdays - a casual gathering at Wildwood Pub and Grill in Wildwood. Chair Exercises, a free movement class open to anyone in the community, runs in Park Hall on Thursday mornings from 10 to 11 a.m.
Welcome, Inclusion, and the Behavioral Covenant
St. Martin's stands in the Episcopal Church's tradition of welcome. The parish believes "God loves you - no exceptions," and that all people are searching for who God made them to be. As Episcopalians, members and clergy work together in leadership and governance, and people of all genders and sexual orientations serve as bishops, priests, and deacons throughout the wider church. The church is a member province of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
That openness is paired with a clear Behavioral Covenant that members are asked to live into. Eight promises - to practice honest and gentle communication, to accept others as they are, to seek forgiveness and reconciliation, to keep confidences confidential, and to demonstrate openness and flexibility in the face of change - give the congregation a shared language for the difficult work of community.
A Church That Reaches Out
Outreach at St. Martin's is a parish-wide effort, and the list of ongoing projects is unusually broad. Food collections are held on the second Sunday of each month for Circle of Concern, the local West County food pantry, and St. Martin's also supports the pantry's annual school supply drive and funds a scholarship for an area student headed to college.
On the front western corner of the parish building, near the exit ramp to Clayton Road, two small community pantries stand beside one another. The Blessing Box - built by a member of the parish as a scout's culminating project in 2022 - holds shelf-stable food, water, snacks, personal care items, and seasonal necessities. Next to it is the Life Box, stocked with doses of Narcan and fentanyl test strips donated by partners at UMSL and The T, a holistic harm reduction program in St. Louis.
On the second Tuesday of each month, members of the parish meet at Winchester Cleaners on Manchester Road for Laundry Love, a nation-wide movement that supplies quarters, soap, and conversation to anyone who comes through the door. Many of the parish's gardeners find their outreach outlet in the Food Garden, planted for the first time in 2016 and now contributing hundreds of pounds of produce to Circle of Concern each year. The parish also takes part in the Red Cross Blood Drive, Neighborhood Recycling, and the Cathedral Breakfast Program in St. Louis. Most recently, St. Martin's launched STORM, a Tornado Recovery Ministry helping to restore a North St. Louis home damaged by a 2025 tornado - new roofing, new windows, and mold remediation to bring a family safely home.
Pastoral Care and Life Events
A small and steady pastoral network surrounds the worshiping life of the parish. Eucharistic Visitors carry Holy Communion to members who cannot be present at the Sunday service because of illness or infirmity. A confidential Prayer Chain responds to urgent prayer requests, and the Intercessory Prayer list lifts up names during Sunday worship - requests remain on the list for thirty days and may be renewed.
The parish celebrates the full arc of Christian life events. Baptisms welcome children and adults into the Body of Christ. Confirmation, typically in seventh or eighth grade, asks young people to take on the vows their parents made for them at baptism. Christian marriage is treated as a solemn and public covenant, open to parishioners, family members of parishioners, and others with special affiliations after conversation with the clergy. Funerals are offered in the same spirit - a way of mourning the dead while celebrating their risen life with Christ.
Joining Online or in Person
For those who cannot be present in Ellisville, the Sunday Eucharist and the Sunday evening Compline are livestreamed on the church's Facebook page, and the parish keeps a YouTube channel with recordings of recent services. Worship bulletins are posted online in PDF form for those who want to follow along at home or prepare before arriving.
Visitors in person will find a large parking lot accessible directly from Clayton Road, with handicap spaces up close and additional reserved spots for expecting and new moms. After worship, coffee and conversation gather in the parish hall, and on one Sunday each month a free brunch prepared by the parish caterer extends the time together. Annual traditions include the parish's Auto Show and Festival, a community-wide fundraiser that benefits Circle of Concern and draws car clubs from around the St. Louis area.
St. Martin's is pastored by The Rev. Sally Weaver, who has spent her ministry within the Diocese of Missouri and arrived at St. Martin's through a call she accepted for service through 2026. Music at the parish is led by Hedy Rothfuss, who joined as Music Director in October 2026.