St. Michael's Episcopal Church
LaMarque TX

Welcome to St. Michael's, La Marque

We would consider it a privilege to have you worship at St. Michael’s and sincerely hope you will get a blessing from the service. We hope that you will feel at home with us during your visit. If the church members or Fr. Bob Moore can serve you in any way, we will welcome the opportunity. If you are making your home in this area we extend to you a hearty invitation to make this your church home.

The Episcopal community in La Marque adopted St. Michael as their patron saint when they first started meeting in a La Marque fire station in 1948. The Archangel Michael is the captain of God’s angel armies, who threw the rebellious Satan out of heaven (Revelation 12:7-9). St. Michael is considered the protector of soldiers and police and is often depicted as an angel with armor and weapons.

St. Michael’s is a family size church. Our Sunday attendance at the 10a.m. Communion service is usually in the 50’s and 60’s. Our congregation is racially diverse and folks come from many communities besides La Marque. We have active church participants from Bay Cliff, Friendswood, Dickinson, Galveston, Hitchcock, League City, Santa Fe, and Texas City. All baptized Christians are invited to receive Communion at St Michael’s

St. Michael’s congregation is weighted on the older side, but we have teenagers and elementary age folks as well. Our multiage Sunday School Class, based on the appointed scripture lessons for Sunday, actively engages our young folks. The youth group (EYC) has activities scheduled throughout the year. 1n 2014 the nursery for infants was refurbished, rededicated and is ready for those who have infants or toddlers.

St. Michael’s actively reaches out beyond the walls of the church to support NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), La Marque Aid and Guidance, AIDA House (a shelter for battered women including those trying to recover from substance abuse), The Gulf Coast Blood Bank, and the Seafarer’s Center in Galveston.

We are a Christ-centered community of Word and Sacrament enlivened by the Holy Spirit through..

- Praying, Worshiping, Studying and Outreach

- Being good stewards of our gifts

- Responding to peoples needs

- Providing a loving and forgiving place for all people

 

https://episcopalchurch.org/parish/st-michaels-episcopal-church-la-marque-tx  

 

St. Michael's Church Beginning...

St. Michael’s Episcopal Church of La Marque beginning goes back to a hot Sunday evening in the middle of July 1947. The Rt. Rev. Bishop John Himes and the Rev. Fred Buchanan met with a group of La Marque Episcopalians who had been gathered together by the Rev. Buchanan (a Deacon who was serving at Holy Trinity, Dickinson, TX), and Dr. Dea Bailey Calvin a leading layman of the area. The meeting was held in the library of the old La Marque School building. Fifteen people attended in addition to Bishop Hines, Mr. Buchanan and Dr. & Mrs. Calvin to discuss the establishment of an Episcopal Mission in La Marque. By December 23, 1947, sixty seven children and fifteen adults attended a Christmas Party at the Calvin’s home with readings and prayer and news that the new mission church was indeed ready to go!

The lounge room of the fire station was obtained as a regular meeting place with Mr. Buchanan presiding when he could. The Bishop licensed Dr. Calvin and Mr. Bill Sullender as Lay Readers to fill in. The first Sunday School was organized with Ethel Wakefield Ward as teacher, and at the Jan. 4, 1948 meeting the following first Vestry was elected: The Rev. Fred Buchanan; the Wardens Dr. Calvin & Mr. Earl Wakefield; Clerk Jack Sherred, Treasurer William Sullender.

On Sunday January ll, 1948, in the Fire Station of La Marque, the first Worship Service was held by the Rev. Buchanan and the Rt. Rev. Bishop Clinton Simon Quin. The Bishop wrote in his Diary: “ Jan. 11 at 4 p.m. in the fire station at La Marque, the Rev. Buchanan read Evening Prayer and Bishop Quin gave the sermon. This is our newest baby church.”

Total collection for that Sunday service was $23.70. A business meeting followed that service, at which time Dr. Calvin told of a small church building in Hitchcock available to us which the Diocese had received as a gift. Subsequently a Galveston businessman Fred F. Hunter gave us an acre of ground on Lake Road and Magnolia in La Marque where the small building would be relocated. Suggestions for a name of the new mission were given: St. Mark, Calvary, St. Andrew, St. John’s, St. Stephens, St. James, and St. Michael’s ---at which the Bishop said “I like that one! I have a son Michael.” Sure enough, later at the Jan. 23 meeting the voting result for the name of the La Marque new mission was for ST. MICHAEL’S. After the meeting, several members went to Hitchcock to look at the proposed church building to assess what repairs it may need.

A week after the name had been chosen, a written Petition for Mission Status of St. Michael’s Church was drawn up, and signed by 26 members to be presented by Mr. Buchanan and Dr. Calvin at Diocesan Council held at St. David’s Church in Austin on JANUARY 26, 1948. It was duly accepted and we were admitted as a mission---St. Michael’s Church officially now had begun! For a short time church services continued in the La Marque Fire Station until our little building was ready. Three part time Vicars served until the zealous Malcolm Riker, Vicar and later Rector, became our first full time priest. In 1951, a parish hall was added to the little church, a photo of which is shown here. The growth of the membership was phenomenal as was the growth of the town of La Marque….from 1,500 in 1940 to 7,359 by 1950 and to 9,000 by 1952.