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A Christian community of all ages
grounded in
worship, well-being, and service.
| August 1 - August 7, 2026 | |
| Christopher Barker’s great-grandmother Fannie Rebecca Lawton Barker (1861-1937) with five of her eight children. | |
For the next three weeks, the Gospels will focus on Jesus and miracles.
St. Mary’s member Chris Barker has had his own miraculous experience as he’s traced his family’s genealogy and discovered how St. Mary’s cemetery has had a role in filling out his family tree since 57 of his relatives are buried here.
Chris, Sarah, and Leo Barker came to St. Mary’s about eleven years ago, and he didn't know about the deep connection his family has had to the parish. Through the years, he, Sarah, and Leo have served in various capacities from choir member to vestry member to acolyte. They have created their own ties to the parish and will continue the legacy of his family's generational relationship to the parish.
Chris' discovery highlights that sometimes miraculous events happen in ordinary ways and the key is knowing how to pay attention.
Recently, Chris gave a talk at the Portsmouth Historical Society about his findings about his family in the St. Mary’s cemetery. You may read about his experience tracing his family’s genealogy as well as watch a video of his presentation online.
Murry Edwards
Editor
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Weekly worship is on
Saturday at 5:00 p.m. and
Sunday at 10:00 a.m.
Christian Meditation is weekly
on Saturdays, 4:00 - 4:45 p.m., Southside Classroom, Lower Level, Parish House
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Saturday, 8.1 -- Garden Party Bites and Beverages and Tunes!, following the 6:00 service, Community Garden. Beverages and food welcomed. Contact Elise LaParle Garcia for details.
Wednesday, 8.5 -- Bar Fly Concert, parking opens at 5:30 and concert begins at 6:00, Worship Shell Lawn. Details below.
Sunday, 8.9 -- Deadline to RSVP for Theo of Golden.
Wednesday, 8.12 -- Pickleball, Upper Parking Lot, 6:00 p.m.
Thursday, 8.13 --
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Theo of Golden discussion, The Rectory, 4:00 - 6:00. Details below.
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Soup Kitchen, St. Paul's UMC, Newport. Details and signup available online.
Sunday, 8.16 -- Coffee and Conversation, following 10:00 service, St. George's Chapel. Details below.
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| Click on the image above for the service bulletin for this weekend. | |
Join us in worship at 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays or 10:00 a.m. on Sundays. The liturgical ministers for our worship services are listed in the bulletin.
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Worship on Sundays at 10:00 is live-streamed on Facebook and YouTube. Use the comment section to say hello if you use Facebook.
You also can listen to the Gospel reading and sermon at your convenience on Apple Podcasts and Podbean. They are available by 6:00 p.m. on Monday.
We are trying to make better connections between those who are in person and those who are at home.If you miss worship on Sunday and just want to hear the sermon, you can listen to it online.
Prayer requests for individuals can be added to the prayers of the people for weekend worship and in the daily prayers of our prayer team by contacting Parish Administrator, Karen Laroche. We typically keep people in the prayers for one month.
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Bar Fly Returns!
Cover band Bar Fly will play again on St. Mary's lawn on Wednesday, August 5 at 6:00 p.m.
Bring your lawn chair, dinner and beverages, and friends for a good evening of classic rock performed by an Aquidneck Island institution. St. Mary's own Andrew Gustafson is drummer for the band.
Be sure to join us for this free concert.
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Coffee & Conversation: Shaping Our Next Year Together
What do you want to see more of, less of, or keep exactly the same at St. Mary’s?
Grab a cup of coffee after the 10:00 AM service on Sunday, August 16 and join our leadership team for an open, casual conversation. As we look forward to the coming year, your voice, ideas, and feedback are vital to shaping our community's path forward. We want to hear from everyone—see you there!
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Golden Hour!
Join Jennifer Pedrick and Jenny Williams for a GOLDEN evening where we will discuss the best-selling book, Theo of Golden by Allen Levi.
Theo is an older man with a big heart shows up in a small town where he spots 92 pencil portraits at a local coffee shop and buys them one by one. He gives each portrait to its rightful owner with intention and care. His random acts of kindness change the whole town. Theo illustrates someone who truly practices love for his neighbors.
We will talk about how small choices, listening, and generosity can make a big difference in the world while enjoying some "Golden Hour" refreshments and conversation.
Theo of Golden is available at your local bookstore, public library as well as Amazon.
Please RSVP by August 9th
Date: Thursday, August 13
Time: 4-6p.m.
Location: St. Mary's Rectory, 318 E Main Rd, Portsmouth, RI
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The Welcome Committee and St. Mary’s leaders are preparing to welcome new members of the church!
We will be hosting a welcome dinner on Saturday, September 12 at 6:30 p.m. for all new adult members. At both services that weekend we will recognize our new members and pray for them as they sign the baptismal register.
If you are new and are interested in becoming a member of the church, please contact Nancy Kimble for more information.
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Communication & Other Announcements | |
Have an announcement?
Please use this form to digitally share information about your ministry. This enables those who are working on the eNews, website, and Facebook (and other social media) to have the information in one place and accessible to everyone who needs it. The deadline for publication in eNews is noon on Wednesday before publication on Friday. If you have questions, please contact website@smcportsmouth.org.
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