St. Mary's Episcopal Church

Stone Harbor, New Jersey


All are welcome. Please join us!


Sunday Holy Eucharist: 10:00 AM


Staying Connected

WELCOME HOME!

Worship with us:

Sunday Service Time: 10:00 am

in person and Live on Facebook


Rector's Corner



And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8, NRSV


Dear Friends in Christ,

 

There is something beautiful about the words Jesus offers his disciples: “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places” (John 14:2). I hear in that promise the very heart of the Church: a place where people are welcomed, burdens are shared, and everyone can find room to belong.


This year, our stewardship theme at St. Mary’s is Plenty Good Room. For a parish like ours, where the seasons bring new faces and familiar friends, those words carry special meaning. We know what it is to make room at the table, in the pews, and in our hearts. We know, too, that the love of God reaches well beyond our church doors.


I am grateful for the countless ways you make that love visible. Through worship and prayer, fellowship and hospitality, care for our neighbors, and the quiet kindnesses that seldom receive recognition, you help St. Mary’s remain a living witness to Christ’s compassion. Every gift of time, talent, and financial support helps sustain this ministry and makes space for what God is calling us to become.


Stewardship invites us to consider more than what we can give. It asks us to remember what we have received, to hold it with gratitude, and to share it with generous hearts. As you prayerfully consider your commitment for the coming year, I invite you to reflect on the place St. Mary’s holds in your life and on the welcome we can extend together to others.



My prayer is that we will meet the year ahead with faith rather than fear, trusting God’s abundance and one another’s generosity. There is plenty good room here, and still so much good work for us to do.

 

With gratitude and love in Christ,

The Very Rev. Allison Burns-LaGreca

Rector, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church


The Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey

MONTHLY TOWN HALL MEETINGS


1st Thursday of each month


7:00 PM LAY LEADERS TOWN HALL - Register



Pre-convention Hearings


All members of the Diocese are invited to attend the scheduled Preconvention Hearings as we approach convention in November.


Pre-Convention Hearings will be held on Zoom as follows:


Tuesday, October 20, at 7PM. Join here.


Sunday, October 25, at 3PM. Join here.


Thursday, November 5 at 7PM.

**During regularly scheduled Lay Town Hall, use normal Zoom link.


Resolutions Hearing:

Saturday, November 7 at 10AM. Register here. This meeting will be hybrid and will also be held in person in the Small Conference Room at Diocesan House.


Email any questions to Hailey Hensley.


Notice of Diocesan Convention Schedule - November 20-21

The Diocesan Convention is a time when clergy and representatives from across our diocese gather to share in the church's polity, upholding the common mission and ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. All are welcome to join us as we worship together, conduct business, and hear presentations about the work we have been given to do.


The 243rd Diocesan Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey will be a two-day event to be held on November 20–21, 2026, at Trinity Cathedral. The Business Session will begin by casting the first ballot on Friday at 4 P.M. After the Business Session concludes, an optional fellowship event with heavy hors d'oeuvres will be available for $20.


The Business Session will resume on Saturday, November 21, 2026, at 9 A.M. with Holy Eucharist.


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Short Story

At the end of summer, when the lifeguard stands are dragged up off the sand and the island exhales, I filled a clear plastic bowl and set it on the table in our chapel.


I poured them in by the handful: small Jesus figures no bigger than a thumb, arms open, and wooden hearts with scripture burned into them. Do not be afraid. I have called you by name. Come to me, all you who are weary. More than three hundred of them. They made a sound like shells tumbling in the wash of a wave. When the bowl was full, I did what priests do with things we are about to give away. I put my hand over them and blessed them. I didn’t pray for anyone in particular. I prayed for whoever would need them. Go where you are sent.


Then the season turned, as it does, and I got busy, as I do.


Today I came into the chapel, set my keys down, and stopped.


The bowl was empty. Not low. Empty. I could see straight through the plastic to the grain of the wooden table beneath it, and the light coming through the window passed through the bowl and landed on the floor as if nothing had ever been there.


I sat down in the back of the chapel. I’ll admit, I was amazed. Who took them all? How fast? Did someone take a fistful? But the longer I sat, the quieter those questions got, and a different one rose up underneath them.


Where did you go?  

Three Hundred Pockets

An empty bowl, an unlocked chapel, and the love that leaves the room on purpose

The August, September, October 2026 edition of Forward Day by Day is available in the church narthex. Please help yourself to a copy and feel free to take one for someone who may enjoy this devotional. If you would like us to mail one to you, please contact the church office. 609.368.5922


We provide Forward Day by Day to parishioners as a simple and effective daily prayer practice. Each day features a Bible verse from the daily readings and a related reflection written by a different author each month, all in less than 200 words. It even includes the daily feast days, as well as prompts to take faithful action in your daily life..

We accept donations via Venmo!

@StMarysStoneHarbor


http://www.venmo.com/u/StMarysStoneHarbor

Some ways to support St. Mary's


  • Become a member
  • Volunteer
  • The Sunday collection plate
  • Send a check payable to St. Mary's to:


St. Mary's Episcopal Church,

9425 Third Ave., Stone Harbor, NJ 08247

(Your envelope and number is not necessary, only your name.)


  • Setting up a personal online banking "bill pay" option. The bank will mail the check for you to the church office.
  • Online giving through our website at https://www.stmarysstoneharbor.org/
    
  • We accept donations via Venmo! @StMarysStoneHarbor

http://www.venmo.com/u/StMarysStoneHarbor

Sunday Coffee Hour


Please join us for Coffee Hour on Sundays in the parish hall.

It is an opportunity to get together for relaxed conversation and fellowship over a cup of coffee.

If you would like to provide a snack for coffee hour, please pick a Sunday and sign up. Nothing elaborate, just a small snack to enjoy with coffee.

You can find the sign up sheet on the door to the kitchen.


Thank you!


CHECK OUT OUR CALENDAR on our website for all activities taking place throughout the week.


21 Pentecost: Proper 24

Isaiah 45:1-7

Psalm 96:1-9, (10-13)

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Matthew 22:15-22

Worship Services


Sunday Service Time: 10:00 AM


St. Mary's 2026 Vestry

Sr. Warden

Lillian Armstrong


Jr. Warden/Clerk of the Vestry

Dina Ziemba

 

Vestry

Cathy Johnson

Kate Rodriguez

Pat Saunders

Susan DiStefano

Larry Schmidt


Treasurer

Jack Olthuis


Services, studies, and service bulletins may be accessed on our website: www.stmarysstoneharbor.org
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