On a 15-acre tract at the corner of Sage Road and Woodway Drive in Houston, St. Martin's Episcopal Church has grown since 1952 into the largest parish in the Episcopal Church in North America, with more than 10,000 members. Its 293,809-square-foot campus holds a soaring Gothic-inspired church, a chapel, classrooms, gardens, a café, a preschool, the Hope and Healing Center and Institute, and a music center. Across this single site, the parish offers a full Anglican life: six Sunday services in both traditional and contemporary styles, the Daily Office said aloud every weekday, a comprehensive program of Christian formation for every age, an acclaimed music ministry, and outreach that supports more than fifty partner agencies in Houston and abroad.
The Buildings and the Grounds
The Church itself, which opened on Easter Sunday, April 4, 2004, anchors the campus. Its design by Jackson & Ryan Architects was based on the 13th-century St. Elisabeth's Church in Marburg, Germany, and was built by Tellepsen Construction Company over fifteen months. At 27,630 square feet, with spires that tower 188 feet above the street and four bells cast by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in the United Kingdom, the building was created for excellence in music and liturgy. The bells ring the notes F, A-flat, C and E-flat; the same foundry cast the bells of Big Ben and the Liberty Bell.
Inside, 133,000 pieces of stained glass fill the windows, designed by Willet Stained Glass Studies (now part of Willet Hauser Architectural Glass Company), a studio whose work appears in churches and historic buildings in all fifty states and fourteen foreign countries. The intricately crafted white oak pulpit, the soaring architecture and the magnificent Gloria Dei Organ are part of every worship service. The Music Center, opened in the Building for the Ages campaign, supports the music ministry with rehearsal and performance space.
The grounds are part of the worship experience. Eight individual gardens invite prayer, meditation and reflection, and the Crosswalk Garden is designed for children. About 60 new trees were planted across the campus during the Building for the Ages campaign, which also added the Parish Life Center, Children's Life Center, Christ Chapel, the Pastoral Care Center and the Music Center, along with essential renovations to existing areas.
Sunday Worship
St. Martin's makes Rite I, the more traditional language of the Book of Common Prayer, the regular form of its principal services. Six Sunday services offer different expressions of the same Anglican faith:
- 8 a.m. in The Church: Rite I Holy Eucharist, spoken word only.
- 9 a.m. in The Church: Rite I Morning Prayer with traditional music. On the first Sunday of the month and whenever Holy Baptism is celebrated, this service becomes Rite I Holy Eucharist. It is livestreamed on YouTube.
- 9:15 a.m. in the Parish Life Center: the Family Table service, a Rite II Holy Eucharist that pairs contemporary worship music with traditional liturgy and is designed for families with young children.
- 11:15 a.m. in The Church: Rite I Holy Eucharist with traditional music and Children's Chapel, livestreamed on YouTube.
- 11:15 a.m. in the Parish Life Center: Riverway Contemporary, a Rite II Holy Eucharist in a relaxed setting with contemporary music and Children's Chapel.
- 4 p.m. in The Church: Rite I Choral Evensong with traditional music, livestreamed on YouTube.
- 6 p.m. in The Church: Rite I Holy Eucharist, spoken word only.
The Parish Choir, professional musicians and guest soloists lead music at the traditional services, while a separate contemporary band shapes the sound of Riverway. All Christians baptized in the name of the Trinity are welcome to receive Holy Eucharist.
Weekdays in Christ Chapel
The Daily Office is said aloud every weekday in Christ Chapel, in keeping with the Anglican tradition of prayer at set times. Morning Prayer is at 8:30 a.m. and Evening Prayer is at 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, in Rite I form. The Daily Office is not offered during the Twelve Days of Christmas, from December 24 through January 5.
On Wednesdays, the chapel also hosts two spoken services of Holy Eucharist at 7 a.m. and noon. On the first Wednesday of most months at 5 p.m. in the Parish Life Center, the parish's chapter of the Order of St. Luke holds a healing prayer service for anyone in need of prayer, for themselves or for friends and family. The service is also offered on Zoom. Daily Compline, the church's end-of-day prayer, is available online each evening.
Music as a Vital Ministry
Music is described by the parish as one of its most vital ministries. The Music Department is led by Keith Lathrom, Director of Music; Eric Priest, Director of Contemporary Worship; John Meier, Principal Organist; Hannah Fox, Organist; Carole Nelson, Children's Music Coordinator; Sarah Ann Gonzalez, Director of Junior Choristers; and Patrick Perez, Cantor and Music Ministry Coordinator. The Gloria Dei Organ anchors the principal liturgies, and the Magnificat Organ supports other worship settings.
Singers of every age have a place. The Parish Choir sings at the principal Sunday services and on great feast days; there are no auditions, and experienced singers mentor newer ones. Choristers is the middle and high school ensemble that performs at the 11:15 a.m. Traditional service twice each semester. Junior Choristers welcomes children entering first grade, rehearsing and praying together during the Family Table service. The concert series brings professional chamber ensembles such as Ensemble Altera, led by countertenor Christopher Lowrey, to the parish each year.
At Riverway, musicians from across Houston lead a sound shaped by everything from classic hymns to modern worship songs. Family Table music is fun and participatory, drawing on hymns Christians have sung for centuries. The Wayside Podcast, hosted by the Rev. R. Wesley Arning and parishioner Ryan Presley, deepens the parish's teaching ministry with new episodes each Tuesday.
Christian Formation for Every Age
The Rev. Dr. Jordan Hylden serves as Associate for Christian Education and oversees a wide slate of classes. Sundays at 10:15 a.m. are a focal point. The parish offers classes for adults throughout the week: the Rector's Bible Study with the Rev. Dane Boston on Tuesdays, exploring the lectionary readings for the upcoming Sunday; Theology for Life, a study of biblical, theological and historical topics; the Family Life Class for parents and grandparents led by the Rev. Alex D. Graham III; the Contemplative Prayer Hour with the Rev. Sharron Cox; Spiritual Formation; and Anglicanism 101, an eight-week adult confirmation class.
The Deep Roots series gathers on Thursday evenings to read the old books. It draws on C. S. Lewis's advice to keep the clean sea breeze of the centuries blowing through our minds, studying figures from the Christian tradition such as Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Julian of Norwich, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Lewis himself and Flannery O'Connor. Each monthly meeting includes a presentation, discussion and prayer. The Blanket Ladies, the Prayer Shawl Ministry, the Order of St. Luke, the Prayer Shawl Ministry, Saintly Stitchers and St. Clare's Needlepoint Guild, the Global Prayer Group, the Education for Ministry program and the St. Martin's Fellows seminar are all in regular rotation through the year.
St. Martin's 20s and 30s is a young adult fellowship that meets weekly on campus for study, fellowship and shared meals, with a biweekly Monday-night book club and seasonal Saturday gatherings. The Christian Life Study, an interdenominational women's Bible study, has run for thirty years and gathers some four hundred women during the program year. Episcopal Church Women brings women together for fellowship, service and outreach and organizes the Joy of Giving Market each fall.
For men, the Men of St. Martin's meet Thursdays at 7 a.m. in Bagby Parish Hall for Bible study, outreach and fellowship, with a rotating study of books such as Exodus this year. Dads' Bible Study meets Thursdays at 8 a.m. in the Welcome Center for coffee and conversation led by the Rev. R. Wesley Arning and Ryan Presley.
Children and Students
Children are honored throughout the parish. Children's Ministry, led by Director Rozlyn Cline, runs Sunday School with a six-year scope and sequence designed to lay a foundation of biblical and theological knowledge in age-appropriate ways. Children's Chapel is offered during both 11:15 a.m. Sunday services using the Hearts Alive! Gospel lectionary curriculum; children in kindergarten through fifth grade leave right after the Scripture readings and rejoin their families at the Peace. KidCheck, an online check-in system, streamlines Sunday mornings for parents.
Childcare is available in the Children's Life Center for infants through pre-kindergarten from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every Sunday, and during certain special events. Children are welcomed at the Lord's Table; those who prefer a blessing may cross their arms across their chest at the altar rail. Activity sheets and coloring pencils are available in the Narthex of The Church to occupy little hands during the liturgy. Communion Instruction is offered for second graders and any older child who has not yet received it.
For students in grades six through twelve, the 7-1-7 Students program gathers for Sunday Get-Togethers at 10:15 a.m. in the Student Life Center Living Room, Life Groups on Wednesday evenings from 6 to 8 p.m. with dinner provided, weekend retreats, conferences, social gatherings and annual mission trips. Student Confirmation guides eighth graders and older students through a year of classes, fellowship, service and retreat.
The Parents group supports families with young children. The Moms' Group meets Wednesdays at 11 a.m. in the Student Life Center Living Room for coffee, encouragement and prayer, with two special outings each semester. Events such as the annual Dewberry Farm trip and Cocoa & Stories at Christmas draw families together.
Outreach Across Houston and the World
Helping others, the parish teaches, makes the heart happy. St. Martin's Outreach Department, led by Savanna Bowman as Director of Houston Outreach Ministries and Courtney Kearns as Director of Global Outreach Ministries, partners with more than fifty agencies and ministries in Houston and abroad. Since 2007, the parish has given more than $42 million to outreach efforts, including grants to about thirty Christian programs in the greater Houston area and beyond.
Parishioners serve in a range of hands-on settings. Kids' Meals provides lunches for hungry Houston children; Sole Hope provides shoes for children in Uganda; Church in the Field hosts a worship service and dinner for people experiencing homelessness; the Gathering offers fellowship and care for people with memory loss; and Open Door Missions, the Christian Community Service Center and World Missions initiatives are supported in their seasons. Forty recovery and support groups meet on campus each week, hosted in parish space as a ministry to the wider city.
The Giving Tree Card Program invites parishioners and friends to give to outreach in honor of a loved one on a special occasion, choosing a ministry and an amount and St. Martin's mailing a personalized card. The Joy of Giving Market, held each fall in the Parish Life Center and Bagby Parish Hall, is the parish's primary fundraiser for outreach grants. More than eighty merchants offer holiday gifts, with a Premier Shopping Party, a Silent Auction, the ECW Pantry, lunch at Café St. Martin's, raffles and on-site childcare.
Pastoral Care and the Hope and Healing Center
The Rev. Lisa R. Neilson serves as Vicar for Pastoral Care and leads a team that walks with parishioners through every stage of life. Pastoral Care Groups, the Prayer Shawl Ministry, the Blanket Ministry, the Shepherd's Guild and the prayer line at 713-830-4124 are all part of this network. Baby blessings can be offered in the hospital or at home; the Baptism Instruction Class is offered several times a year in either three Sunday sessions or a half-day Saturday class with the Rev. Alex Graham III. The Marriage Preparation Class, offered three or four times a year, is required for those marrying at St. Martin's, and the Wedding Manual guides couples through the parish's customs. Funerals and memorial services are supported by the parish's Funeral Coordinator, and funerals can be livestreamed from The Church with advance notice. Two columbariums on the grounds, the Garden of the Holy Cross and the Holy Cross-Riverway, provide places for prayer, meditation and quiet beauty.
The Hope and Healing Center and Institute is housed on campus and extends the parish's pastoral reach beyond its members. Under Chief Executive Officer Matt Stanford and Chief Clinical Officer Maddie Stiers, the center offers counseling and integrated mental health services in the Houston community. The Alzheimer's Caregivers' Support Group meets the first and third Mondays of each month in Room 103 of the Hope and Healing Center. The Gathering, a program of CarePartners hosted by St. Martin's, provides a safe and nurturing setting for people experiencing memory loss while giving caregivers a needed break.
St. Martin's Preschool
St. Martin's Preschool shares the campus and the parish's commitment to forming children in a Christian environment. The Head of School is Kellen Gray. Families enrolled in the preschool often stay connected to the parish through Family Table worship, the Choristers and Junior Choristers choirs, and the parish's wider children's ministry.
The Parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Texas
St. Martin's is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, and it is one of a small number of Windsor Parishes in the Church. It keeps the full liturgical year: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Ash Wednesday, Lent, Holy Week, Easter and Pentecost are all observed with seasonal services and music.
The parish is led by the Rev. Dane E. Boston as Rector, with the Rev. Martin J. Bastian and the Rev. Dr. Andrew T. Grosso serving as Vice-Rectors. The Vestry, the lay governing body of the parish, operates under the Rector's guidance and includes elected members, associate members and the leadership of Senior Warden Susan McConn and Junior Warden David Leonard.
Welcome Center, Tours and Visitor Support
Visitors and long-time members are welcomed at the Welcome Center, where greeters offer a cup of gourmet coffee and information about the parish. The Welcome Center is open Sundays from 8 a.m. to noon and Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Surface parking is available on the east, west and south sides of the campus, including accessible spaces, with a parking garage on the east side open on Sundays.
The Docent Guild offers free guided tours of The Church on Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to noon, year-round except July and August. Tours meet in the Narthex on the first Sunday of most months after the 11:15 a.m. service, and special tours of the stained-glass windows, Christ Chapel and Campus Gardens are available on request. Membership 101 classes, offered several times a year, walk newcomers through the parish's life and ministries.
Stewardship, Giving and the Endowment
The annual Stewardship Campaign invites every member to commit time, talent and treasure to the parish's mission. Gifts can be made online through Abundant, by text-to-give (text SMEC to 73256), by stock transfer, by qualified charitable distribution from an IRA, or by check. The Saint Martin's Endowment, incorporated in 1996, supports campus ministries and programs that fall outside the operating budget, including special funds for Music Ministry, the Choir Program and Outreach Ministries. Saint Martin's Endowment is a Type 1 supporting organization within Section 509(a)(3) of the IRS Code.
Memorial gifts and honorariums, altar flower dedications, the Capital Campaign known as Built for the Ages, Legacy of Faith planned giving, and the Joy of Giving Market are all part of the parish's wider stewardship life. The Star, the parish magazine, and the Daily Word, a weekday devotional written by clergy, staff and lay leaders, keep members in touch across the week.
A Parish of Memory and Reach
St. Martin's takes its name from Martin of Tours, the Roman soldier turned monk and Bishop of Tours whose faith, in the words of the parish, reshaped a continent and whose burial on November 11 has been honored for more than sixteen centuries. From that lineage and from its Houston founding in 1952, St. Martin's has grown into a parish whose Sunday services are said to have averaged 1,445 in attendance before the pandemic, whose Café St. Martin's served some 53,000 meals a year, and whose campus hosted more than 17,000 events in a typical pre-pandemic year. The parish continues to invest that legacy in the daily worship, formation, music and outreach that shape its common life.