Welcome to
Saint Margaret’s Episcopal Church
Saint Margaret’s Episcopal Church is an exciting, vibrant, growing, and sacramentally centered parish in the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina and a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion! Located in Waxhaw, North Carolina, we are located just south of Charlotte in one of the fastest growing counties of the state. We believe that this church is a special church; a church in which you will feel the presence of Jesus in a real and dynamic way.
About Us
Worship with us!
- Wednesday morning Eucharist at 11:00 am
- Sunday worship services: 8:15 am & 10:30 am
- Sunday School for all ages: 9:30 am-10:15 am (September – early May)
Newsletters
There is so much for us to be thankful for at Saint Margaret’s. Last Saturday we were able to come together and celebrate the wonderful new reality that our mortgage for the church is paid off. Worship in this holy place is reverent, sacred, and participation in our services is growing. We are blessed with an extraordinary staff, and our parish is busy in active ministry almost every day.
What do you think of when you hear the word stewardship? We use the term every year as the fall approaches and discussions commence about our parish budget. But, do we really understand what stewardship means and how it applies to us? There is so much in Holy Scripture that talks about money and how we should manage our wealth; it’s a spiritual topic that seems to be really important to God. So what is stewardship and what is a disciple of Jesus to do about it?
EYC had our Fall 2024 Kick Off on August 25th.
We had 71 students attend our kick off and we were thrilled to see so many students: those we know well and those new to our group that we will get to know!
At our gathering, we introduced our 6th graders and new members to EYC and our love of silly games, icebreakers, God, candy, and a decent amount of laughter and a fair amount of noise. If your youth was not able to make it to our first meeting, we hope they will join us at one of our next gatherings.
In addition to our field games and get-to-know you icebreakers, EYC will spend our first few meetings discussing how we are God’s beautiful and varied creations! Our guiding verse this fall is from Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus and his statement that “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10).
As you plan your schedule for the coming months, make sure you set aside time to join us at Saint Margaret’s for worship on Sundays. There is no more important gathering that you will have during the week. Jesus offers His Word, His teaching, and His very self to us in the Blessed Sacrament. It is vital to our spiritual health, and nothing is as important. Plan some time for prayer. Listening for the voice of Jesus will provide with guidance and comfort. Pray together, because when two or three are gathered together in His name, God has promised that He will be with you in a deep and profound way. And plan for time to study God’s Word. Being washed with the truth of His Word is an important way that God teaches us and directs us. Plan time to read Scripture so that through God’s Holy Word your heart might be transformed and your life in Christ might be renewed.
The beloved people of Saint Margaret’s have always been generous and have always stepped up when called. I ask that we all collectively do our prayers, listen for the small, still voice of Jesus, and offer back to him His offerings for His purposes.
These are exciting times, and I am so thankful for each one of you. What a blessing it is for us to be allowed the privilege of serving together in this beautiful parish. It is a blessing, and it comes with a challenge. Let us endeavor to be faithful to Him who is always faithful to us.
We are gracious with others because Jesus is gracious with us. We are called to compassion because Jesus is so compassionate with us. We are called to grace, forgiveness, and love, because Jesus knows us, knows our faults, and yet still chooses to love us so completely.
As disciples of Jesus, let us be gracious, kind, compassionate and patient, because we don’t know everyone’s whole story, and we might be the very people Jesus calls to love them in their distress. Life is hard. Perhaps by our love, we can bear with each other a bit more and by doing so, lighten the burden of someone who is struggling.
Rest is essential for our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. In our contemporary world, it seems like our lives get busier and more frantic, and our ability to slow down and say no to the demands of the world on our time is becoming more and more difficult. Rest is something that God wants for us because it is good for us, and I fear too many of us have given up on the pursuit of a more balanced life.
Happy Eastertide! As I write this article it is officially day three of the fifty days of Easter. It is the most glorious season of the year, and it gives the beloved followers of Jesus the chance to give thanks for the resurrection of our Lord, and for the new life He offers to us and to His entire Church. Let me encourage us all to be bold, be public, and be unafraid to take the message of Jesus into the world so that all may know His loving presence.
A day often seems like such an insignificant amount of time, but how wonderful is it that God, today, gives us each one more day. One more day to be faithful, one more day to love, one more day to follow His Son Jesus. It strikes me that this season of Lent is in part about recognizing this extraordinary truth. We are called to confront our own mortality, finiteness, and brokenness, not in fear, but with grateful hearts acknowledging that each day is a gift, and each breath we are given is an offering of love from our Creator. It is so easy to take the gift of each day for granted, to just assume we have more time to live in this world. But, what would our lives look like if we truly did treasure each moment for the gift that it is and offer back to God our best to honor His amazing favor for us?
If you were able to attend our
most recent annual meeting, Saint
Margaret’s is at a very crucial
juncture. We have survived the
pandemic lockdowns, have a very
committed group of followers of
Jesus, and our church is on stable
ground. But Saint Margaret’s is not
called to survive, we are called to go
and build the Kingdom of God. The
task before us is to look forward and
discern what Jesus is calling us to do
now, in this place, to follow Jesus and
to do His will.With that in mind, I ask
your prayers as the Body of Christ, so
that, as a church family, we might
position ourselves to hear the voice of
God and to follow him.
The St. Margaret’s youth program had a truly fantastic calendar year full of fun programs and retreats, small group discussions, and a fair amount of silliness. Our students have taken Jesus’ call to make disciples seriously and have been inviting friends, and friends of friends, to our Sunday evening meetings. We appreciate the youth and parents who worked very hard to juggle what life throws at them while still managing to read all of Elizabeth’s weekly news and respond to texts.
The holy season of Advent is upon us. It is a time of year that brings joy, anticipation, family, craziness, and all sorts of varied activities. Theologically, it is a time in which the Church looks back in remembrance to the great gift of our Savior’s birth, while at the same time looking forward to the promised second Coming of Jesus to reign as Lord of His re-created cosmos. The word Advent comes from the Latin word adventus, which means coming, which is where this season gets its name and meaning.
One of the things I love most about our parish is its faithfulness in attendance at worship. In the fifteen years I have been rector, it warms my heart to see families together, week after week, coming together in community to worship the Risen Lord. Our worship is reverent, intentional, and centered on God, and I am so thankful that so many prioritize our Sunday gatherings of thanksgiving. There is nothing more important than centering our lives on Jesus, and the primary way that Christians do this is through meaningful and regular Sunday worship.
“…we should always recognize the generosity of our parishioners and the attentive management of previous Vestry teams. With these contributions, St. Margaret’s can confidently move forward and grow, starting from a good financial position. Thank you to all who have given and served to bring us to where we are today.”
Let’s not miss this moment!
Every so often, one gets a moment of clarity when you are reminded of how blessed your life is. It can be a simple blessing; the sound of a healthy child laughing in delight, the wag of the tail of a dog, or perhaps the smell of a cup of coffee in the morning as you awake and give thanks for the beginning of a new day. At other times, it’s a revelation of something bigger, something amazing, that can make you stop and realize what wonderful gifts God has blessed you with.
This past Sunday, I experienced one of these epiphanies. At the 10:30 service, when I asked the children and youth to join me up front in the worship space for the blessing of the backpacks, I could not imagine the throng of young people that was to come forward. As I turned and watched everyone rise from their pews, I was overcome with pure joy as our young people approached the altar. Later that night, at the first fall gathering of our youth group, I walked in and saw 77 young people gathered. Elizabeth and our faithful volunteers were beginning a new academic year with these students, and the excitement in the room was incredible to see. As I went home that night and said my evening prayers, I gave thanks to our Lord for all the moments of the day. From the smell of my morning coffee to the grand excitement and reverence of the liturgy, to the sight of our youth group, I was reminded how blessed life is at Saint Margaret’s.
Jesus calls us together so that you and I will go into the world, proclaim Him as risen from the dead, and baptize all people while we obey His commands. That’s it. That’s the thing. That’s what you and I are to spend our time and energy trying to faithfully do. It seems so simple, yet if we are being honest with ourselves, how much effort do we really give? I’ve noticed that within our own denomination, we spend so much time, energy, and resources on a variety of issues, but very little effort on proclaiming Christ in our culture. Those individual issues might be all wonderful causes, but they’re not the thing! If the church is not primarily about spreading the good news; if it does not bring new people to the faith, then we have lost our way.
The sun is shining bright, and glory be to God for his wonderful blessings!
This past month was eventful for Saint Margaret’s Children’s Ministry as we held our Stellar Vacation Bible School June 19th-June 22nd!
We kicked off this amazing filled week of fun and fellowship with our “stellar” themed VBS with games, activities, crafts, and music as we explored what it means to shine Jesus’ light in everyday life. Even though the outdoor weather was rainy, you would never have known it because the hallways of Saint Margaret’s were filled with the smiles and laughter of children enjoying all the activities we had to offer.
One of the many things I am thankful for at our parish are the good people who have come before us, who have sacrificed so much and given us this beautiful setting in order that we might gather and worship the Risen Lord. All of us, and all our shared ministry, is built upon those who have come before us, from apostolic times to now, and I am so grateful for the faithful people who have laid the actual physical foundation and the spiritual bedrock that allows us to witness together in this time and in this place. Saint Margaret’s was founded 40 years ago this month, and from the very first prayers offered that day, Saint Margaret’s has served not only as a physical haven for worship, but as a spiritual sanctuary of prayer, service, and transformation for its people and the wider community around us. Not only can this building not be hidden, but the witness that springs forth from its walls cannot be stopped as we strive together to follow Jesus and help build His Kingdom on Earth as it is in Heaven.
God’s beauty is all around us, and if we take time to look, we will see it everywhere. I have always been so grateful for the people of Saint Margaret’s who have come before us, and that through their toil and sacrificial efforts, provided the beautiful worship space that we enjoy today. During my recent walks, I have chosen not to listen to podcasts or news updates, but the beauty of Brahms, Bach, and yes, Mahler. Yesterday, with ever-improving vision, I saw the stunning brilliance of a perfect blue sky, and listened to the sounds of young birds singing as the spring season begins to blossom. There is so much to see and hear, and I am making the intentional effort to take more of my time and focus on experiencing God’s wonders in the world, and to be grateful that He reveals Himself through the beauty that abounds and surrounds us. What an awesome and amazing gift this is!
Lent is a season gifted to us by the Church that allows us to focus on those things that burden our souls and keep us from a full and transformed relationship with Jesus. People think I’m crazy when I say this, but Lent is my favorite season of the Church year. I love the intentional, quiet time that I spend in deep contemplation, naming those struggles in my life that weigh me down and keep me from the new life that our Lord has offered me. Through worship, prayer, self-denial and the contemplation of Holy Scripture, it is a season that allows me to get real with myself and with God about those things I do that I shouldn’t, and about those things I don’t do that I should.
People think I’m crazy when I say this, but Lent is my favorite time of the year. I encourage you over the next few weeks, to make plans for a full Lenten journey. Set aside time for the liturgies and take on meaningful spiritual practices that will bring you closer to our Lord. Please, don’t let the pace of the culture drown out the voice of your Father calling to you. He loves you and wants to be close to you. Now is the time to ready prepare yourself for the season ahead. If you do your prayers, journey through the liturgies, and listen for God every day, I believe Easter will feel different for you, and the Passion of our Lord will be revealed to you in new and powerful ways.
This section of the Gospel of Matthew contains a central teaching of our Lord. We are called to love our neighbor, will the good of the other, and work for that good to become a reality. I highlight this section of the Gospel because I would like to invite everyone to a three-week course that will be offered this January during the Adult Formation hour on Sunday mornings (9:30-10:15) that will help us to live out our Christian love of others. Keith Adams, a parishioner and Co-founder and Executive Director of Common Heart, will present the Bridges out of Poverty Workshop for our parish. A fuller description is contained within this newsletter, and I commend it to you for your reflection and consideration. I believe that Saint Margaret’s is uniquely situated to have a positive impact in our community and can powerfully live out our Gospel calling to love our neighbors, and to use our abundant resources for the good of our wider community.