Buildings and Grounds - The members ( or volunteers) of the Building and Grounds Committee are involved  in the overall appearance, safety and maintenance of Church, Rectory and the landscape surrounding them.

Contact: Peter Scarafile

Bible Study —The Bible Study Group meets every other Tuesday at 9:30am in the St. James Room for a lively discussion of scripture. Currently the group is working its way through the Gospel of Matthew, with plans to next tackle Mark. Newcomers to the group are welcome at any time, and no prior knowledge is assumed. Please bring a bible — an NSRV study bible such as the Harper Collins Study Bible, the New International Study Bible, or the New Oxford Annotated Bible is recommended.

Contact: Jim Cranitch

Saint Mary’s Book Group - Saint Mary’s Book Group meets on the third Friday of the month at 1:00 pm in the Saint James Room.  Books are chosen by the group and have covered a wide variety of topics and genres, and discussion is always lively. 

Contact: Susan Babcock

Men’s Group - The Men’s Group meets every other Wednesday at 7:30 am in the Parish Hall for Eucharist, breakfast, and discussion centers on a variety of topics - current events, books and videos on a wide variety of subjects relating to faith and living as Christians in the world - as well as getting to know one another.  The men of Saint Mary’s have been meeting for more than 30 years, and welcome new attendees, those who can come each time and those who drop in from time to time.

BEASTS - St. Mary's BEASTS (Be Engaged - Animal Stewardship Through Service) is a group that is dedicated to improving the lives of animals and educating parishioners.

Mission Statement
 We are a group which through God's grace and our own hard work is determined to:

• help Christians recognize that animals are fellow creations of God and to respect and treat them as such
  
• act concretely in our church community to better the lives of all animals and to include them in our spiritual lives and our liturgies

• answer, to the very best of our ability, God's call to be good stewards in the lives of animals

By doing these things we hope to open minds and hearts to St. Basil's prayer and, "...realize that they live not for us alone, but for themselves and for thee, and that they too love the sweetness of life..."

Contact: Amy E. Crocker

Thursday Breakfast Group - Thursday Breakfast Group meets each Thursday morning to feed both body and soul.  The group meets at 7:30am for Eucharist in the church, followed by breakfast and conversation in the Parish Hall.  Discussions are wide ranging and may touch on the lectionary readings for the week, current events, or books on a wide variety of subjects relating to faith and the Christian life.  Members of the group take turns providing breakfast, and the group usually adjourns around 9 am. 

This group began as a Lenten study program more than 20 years ago, and is still going strong. New people are welcome to join — come regularly or drop in when you can.

Contact: Leslyn Thorne  

Environmental Stewardship
Our mission:
“As Christ’s body in the world, we are called to act as faithful stewards of the rich resources we receive from God and to engage in a ministry of environmental conservation, preservation, education, and advocacy in the parish, the local community, and the larger world.”

Environmental Stewardship efforts are an ongoing part of life at Saint Mary’s. We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint in the world as a church by lowering operating expenses for light, heat, and power. Expenses for paper products will also go down as we successfully substitute using white board instead of making paper copies for meeting agendas, use paperless communication like email, or simply copy on the back of paper headed for the recycling bin.  We use ceramic mugs and plastic glasses at our coffee hour, reducing our need to purchase and discard the hundreds of throw-away cups. In the gardens, we have begun the transition to organic lawn care and are confident that with careful timing of lawn treatments, we can have a healthy, attractive lawn at no additional cost, while safeguarding surrounding wetlands.  In 2009, we intend to install rain barrels and fund a well, two further cost-saving measures. The payback period on the well is estimated at 3-4 years.

Contact: Liz Lewis and Angela Cenzalli 

Garden Task Force - Many parishioners and members of the Garden Committee work enthusiastically seeking to keep up with the challenges presented by this remarkable and sacred space. Saint Mary’s Garden continues on the path set out by all those who have tended these gardens over the years. We continue to be grateful for the efforts and love which these men and women have manifested over time. In addition, crews from the Barnstable County Correctional Program have provided us with able crews on a number of workdays and have been instrumental in our ability to accomplish some of the “heavy lifting” projects.

Contact: Peggy Anschutz

Evangelism - Our mission is to proclaim the love of God in Jesus to visitors, potential newcomers and to our congregation and that we will be intentional in our efforts to attract new members to St. Mary’s.   
This committee would like to invite you to join us in this exciting and dynamic ministry. If you think that you might be interested in serving on the committee or would just like to know more about our work, please talk to any committee member. We are also very interested in hearing your thoughts, ideas and suggestions on how we might become a more welcoming congregation and more effective in reaching out to seekers in our community. Evangelism meets on the first Thursday of every month at 5:00 pm.

Contact: Janis Umschlag

Outreach - Our Mission is to follow Christ’s directives: “For I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you game me something to drink. I was naked and you gave me clothing. I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison and you visited me. Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” Matthew 25:27-40

Our Major Initiatives:
Miracle Kitchen Meals
NOAH Shelter Sandwich Dinners
Care for Foster Families
Days of Hospitality
Women’s and Men’s Overnights
Grocery Gift Cards
Special Donations and Events

Contact: Sharon Donegan