New here?

We gather for worship at 1149 Weston Road on Wednesday at noon and Sunday morning at 10:30am. There is limited parking available in front of the Church as well as in a parking lot at the rear of the building, off Brownville Avenue. There is a municipal lot nearby and parking on Weston Road is usually available on Sunday morning.

Presently we are not wheelchair accessible but that is a priority that we are working on and hope to have resolved soon. 

When you arrive our welcome team will give you a bulletin to guide you through the service, with the relevant page numbers and hymn numbers for the books in the pews. Feel free to ask for instructions or participate in the service in whatever way feels comfortable.  Below is a quick reply to some questions you might have concerning Anglican worship customs:

St. Mary and St. Martha’s Church is one of over 200 congregations in the Anglican Diocese of Toronto, and part of the Anglican Church of Canada. Over 85 million Christians around the world belong to the Anglican Communion and so we represent wonderful diversity while united in our common faith.

Like all Christians, we are a community of people seeking to know, love, and follow Jesus in our place and time. That means faithfully sharing God’s love in the world around us and inviting everyone to join in … it is the journey of a lifetime! Our faith is anchored in confessing God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit and striving to live according to the promises we make at baptism. With God’s help, we promise:

• To continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers.
• To persevere in resisting evil and, whenever we fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord.
• To proclaim by word and example the good news of God in Christ.
• To seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbour as ourself.
• To strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.
• To safeguard the integrity of God’s creation and respect, sustain, and renew the life of the earth.

Children are an important part of our community and we know babies cry and wiggle and children need to move around – because that is how God made them! The comfortable gathering space at the back of the church is especially for active toddlers to play or colour and for nursing mothers. There is also a fully equipped nursery with trained and screened volunteers to care for children ages 3 and under, available every Sunday from 10am – 1pm. Parents are welcome to stay with their children in the nursery, or to leave them in the care of our volunteers. Of course, children may stay with their parents in the service if that is preferred.

When your little one is ready, there is a full children’s program during the 10.30 am Sunday service. Our volunteers and staff are all police checked and follow the Diocese of Toronto child safety protocols, so you can rest assured your children are well looked after and having fun as they grow their faith through age appropriate activities and music. The children rejoin us upstairs for communion.

If you are interested in baptism for your child or an adult, you may want to explore our baptism page.

Whatever you like! You will find that many people in our congregation still prefer to “dress up” for services, but there is variety and some come in casual clothes as well.

Our chief weekly worship service is the Eucharist, also called The Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion. Eucharist derives from the Greek word for thanksgiving. Gathered around God’s Word and the signs of our Lord’s presence with us in bread and wine, we give thanks for God’s boundless love made known to us in the life, death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Everyone is welcome to come forward to the Altar and if you have been baptized in any Christian church, you are invited to receive the bread and wine. You will be offered a wafer of bread first, and then a sip of wine from a common cup. For hygiene reasons, please do not dip the wafer into the cup. If you are not comfortable sipping from the common cup, just cross your arms over your chest and the cup will pass you by or touch the base of the cup (the chalice). If you require a gluten-free wafer, please let the priest or welcome team know.

If you have limited mobility please let a member of the Welcome Team know and we will bring the sacrament to you in your pew. If you are not baptized, or do not wish to receive the bread or the wine, you are invited come forward with everyone else and simply receive a blessing – just cross your arms over your chest to signal your intention at the altar rail.

Sometimes it is unclear when to stand, sit or kneel during the service. For the most part this is a matter of personal preference and physical comfort. You will notice that generally people stand to sing, sit to listen to scripture readings, and kneel or sit to pray. We stand to hear the Gospel, generally the third reading, of the day. If in doubt, we recommend following your neighbour!

During the service a brass plate will be passed for a monetary collection. If you wish to make a financial contribution to support our ministry you may use the envelope in the pew. Just place your contribution in the envelope and place it in the plate. Tax receipts will be issued for donations of $10 or more. Tax receipts are issued in January for the previous year. Many of our members give by pre-authorized giving, so that’s why you will see the plate passing them by. 

At a moment during most services, following the Confession and Absolution, the priest will say “The Peace of the Lord be always with you.” The people respond with “and also with you,” and then exchange a handshake and a word of peace with those around them. Rather than a mere greeting, the handshake is an outward sign of the peace we experience in reconciliation with God and therefore with one another.

After the service we gather for refreshments in our Parish Hall. This is a great way to meet new friends and get connected. We hope you will join us if your schedule allows. Please complete a Connection Card (located in the pew) and one of us will contact you. We look forward to meeting you soon!