St. Margaret's Episcopal Church, Belfast, Maine

Who We Are

warm, relevant, welcoming

In the last one hundred years, St. Margaret’s has evolved from the dream of a small group of friends into a year-round community of worshipers and a vital contributor to the greater Belfast community. The church participates in a variety of outreach programs, both local and international. St. Margaret’s contributes both financially and in kind to the support of St. Etienne, an Episcopal church and school in Limonade, Haiti, and members of the two congregations have exchanged visits. Locally, St. Margaret’s is a member of both the Waldo County Food Cupboard and the Interfaith Fuel Fund, ecumenical programs sponsored by a number of area churches. Additional outreach efforts include financial support for, and member involvement in, organizations such as Senior Spectrum, Waldo County Hospice, The Game Loft and the Committee for Restorative Justice. In 2007, St. Margaret’s completed an extensive renovation and expansion of its parish house. The additional space created allows for both expanded church programs and additional outreach opportunities. Free lunch for families and children has been offered several times a week during the summer and, during the school year, the church has hosted a once-a-week “Toddlers Play Date” designed to help children make new friends as well as to offer support to parents and caregivers. The parish house is also used for meetings by a variety of community groups.

Vibe
Traditional Liturgy, Friendly, Inclusive, Historic, Multigenerational

Programs
Community Service, Social Justice, Youth Group, Choir, Missions, Adult Education, Food Pantry, Disability, Children's Ministry

Music
Traditional Hymns

Denomination
Episcopal

Networks

Episcopal Diocese of Maine

Size
Small

Language
English

Founded
1935

Contact

Phone

(207) 338-2412

Website

http://www.stmargaretsbelfast.org

Our Services

Service Times

Sunday

08:00am - spoken, no music, Eucharist
10:15am - Sung, organ music, choir, Eucharist

Wednesday

09:00am - healing service with Eucharist

What to Expect

What are services like?
Sunday 8 a.m. service is all spoken with no music, while the 10:15 a.m. service is sung, with organ music and choir.

What is the community like?
Friendly, open, energetic.

What if I'm not a Christian?
Come and see!

Leadership

Martha Kirkpatrick

A born-and-bred Mainer, has been the Rector of St. Margaret’s since 2009. She received her Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School in 2007, and did her practicum while in seminary at St. Bartholomew’s Church in Yarmouth, Maine. Before she was called to be the Rector here at St. Margaret’s she served as Assistant Rector for Grace Church in Bath, Maine. Martha made a mid-life vocational change, coming to ministry from a career as a government bureaucrat in the field of environmental protection. From 1999 to 2003 she was the Commissioner of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection under Governor Angus King from 1999 – 2003, and was previously the Bureau Director for the DEP’s Bureau of Land and Water Quality. From 1984 to 1991 she was a staff attorney with U.S. EPA in Washington DC. She attended Harvard Divinity School to pursue her questions about Christian faith and the environment. She received her Juris Doctor from George Washington University, National Law Center, in 1981, and her Bachelor of Arts from Skidmore College in 1978. Here at St. Margaret’s, Martha seeks to engage her twin passions of parish ministry and faith-based environmental stewardship. She currently serves as the Missioner for Environmental Stewardship for the Episcopal Diocese of Maine, is a member of the Board of Trustees for Maine Audubon, and a Greenfaith Fellow from the class of 2009. “I love parish ministry, I love Maine, and I love being here at St. Margaret’s. It’s a joy-filled place, with genuine spiritual seekers and people who are passionate about serving the community with their many and varied gifts. I feel so blessed to be here.”