St Martin's Episcopal Church in New Bedford MA
Services
The many facets of our long- established Episcopal Church encompass the new and the old. Our services include the full rites (Baptisms, Confirmation, Weddings, Communion, Funerals, etc.) of the Episcopal church and we have the LGBTQ Ministry and Eucharistic Visitation to shut-ins at home, in nursing homes or at hospitals.
We welcome you to join us, to travel with us, to share the comforts of our faith.
Sunday School
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We are in the process of reestablishing our Nursery/ Sunday School and the Youth Group. You can help in this vital process if you enjoy younger children and can donate a little of your time towards getting the groups started. Once established, the time that you will need to donate will be about two hours per week. If interested please contact Nancy Gates at 508-994-8972 or email our Pastor at Scott.Ciosek@Gmail.com.
Weddings
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Christian marriage is a service of worship. The Prayer Book titles the service The Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage. The word celebration expresses the joy that characterizes the event and its public and corporate nature. The word blessing is a reminder of the solemn, religious context of this holy covenant.
In the wedding service, the two people promise in God's name to be faithful to each other for life. The congregation commits to support the couple and prays that God will strengthen and guide them in their life together. The priest proclaims God's blessing upon them. The sacred nature of the service and the solemnity of the promises made by the couple influences the decisions to be made about the wedding.
Christian marriage is a covenant that is made out of the Christian commitment of the two people within the context of the life of the congregation and the whole Church. Thus, the service of Christian marriage assumes that the Bride or Groom are active members of the congregation. That is why Christian marriage is inappropriate for couples when at least one is not an active communicant. Persons seeking God's blessing through the Church for their marriage are expected to be regular in worship, especially during the months prior to their wedding. Of course, couples requesting Christian marriage at St Martin’s are expected to continue in regular worship following their wedding. The solemn vows of Christian marriage are expressed within the context of the living community of the Church.
Many people find that civil marriage is a more suitable expression of their vows. The Church fully recognizes civil marriage, and in many countries it is the norm. A civil marriage may be blessed by the Church later whenever it seems appropriate.
Only when a couple intends to take on the exceptional obligations and responsibilities expected by the Church should their marriage be a Christian one.
The marriage ceremony will be performed according to the authorized liturgy of the Episcopal Church. The liturgy reflects the communal aspect of the Church's life and the reality that marriage reflects the union between Christ and the Church.

​To inquire about any of our services
Liturgy Course:
Gather Your People: A Two-Part Liturgy Course: Since 1979 when the new edition of the Book of Common Prayer was published there have been many updated liturgy book publications updated on how the liturgy of the church is to be celebrated.
Many of these focus on creating community (which includes worshiping in a bright and welcoming environment) and developing an atmosphere of joy and celebration where everyone is involved not as a spectator but as an active participant.
Liturgy calls for the "Full and active participation of the people" the word "liturgy" literally means work of the people and it is our work of getting glory and praise to God.
Liturgy is always changing and is always new because we are inspired by the Holy Spirit. There was a time when liturgy was focused on the presider or priest. It was something that the priest did.
This theology is very bad and is not helpful. Every time we gather on Sunday morning, the prayer we offer is a prayer of all the people. We offer the Eucharist together with everyone taking a role. Do we understand this theology? We all have our specific role to play and the role of the priest and the Eucharistiv minister is to lead the people in prayer but we all offer the prayer together as one community.
This worship course will be called "Gather Your People" and will be led by Scott, Chris Holmes and John Jannis. We will look at the historical development of Liturgy from the time of the apostles and the early church who celebrated the Eucharist as they gathered in people’s homes.
We will examine the following topics: Liturgy Space and Environment (how those liturgical spaces are laid out, in the place of assembly).
Liturgical furnishings (what belongs in a church and what doesn’t); What is the role of all of our Liturgical Furniture. We will also examine liturgical roles. What is the role of the lector, Eucharistic ministers, choir, and musicians? We will examine liturgical seasons: what do we do differently during worship in Advent vs. Lent, Easter vs Christmas?
Why does each season have a different liturgical color? Each of these liturgical seasons takes on a different "feel" and a distinct "environment" is created. We will also look at each aspect of the Liturgy in detail. The Opening Rites, The Liturgy of the Word, and the Eucharistic Prayer. Where do the readings come from? Why do we recite the Nicene Creed and what is the Sanctus?
Because the liturgy is inspired by the Holy Spirit, there is always room for new life and new ways of doing things. Liturgy can never be stagnant or routine. Liturgical action is about allowing the Holy Spirit to work in our community and to allow the Holy Spirit to permeate and fill our liturgical celebrations.