St. Mary’s has a long tradition of being kept open  (Mondays to Saturdays) from 9.00am until early evening for private prayer or simply as a place for a few minutes of peace and quiet. On Sundays it is open at 7.45am. In a recent report of the Church of England’s Doctrine Commission (Being Human, A Christian understanding of personhood…2003) the authors that state that their “first and most basic practical teaching is: join in a regular worshipping community. There will be found the wisest way of shaping life in the world, by praising and thanking God, confessing sin, receiving forgiveness, learning from Scripture, praying for others, participating in Jesus Christ, and being sent to take part in fulfilling God’s purposes in the world.”  We strive to do all this and more, particularly in terms of building a sense of community, recognising that ‘belonging’ is a pre-requisite for ‘believing’, which is one of St. Mary’s strengths. According to the latest Census figures (2001) 3529 people out of 4006 in Boston Spa indicated that they were Christian.  We would dearly love to attract and welcome many more “fellow  travellers in the faith” to join us regularly in our worship and life. A sense of welcome is at the heart of how we see ourselves and we attempt to extend a warm welcome to newcomers, visitors, Christians of all traditions and those of other faiths or none.

Sunday Morning Services
8.00am is a traditional, said Prayer Book Service of Holy Communion. Our Holy Communion at 9.30am is a modern sung Eucharist (Common Worship Order One) at which we provide a creche for small children and a Sunday School for older children; however, children are always welcome to stay with their parents.  Our children’s corner which is at the west end of St. Mary’s (on the right in the south aisle) has been improved and is particularly useful for safeguarding small children. Our All-Age Service is held on the first Sunday of every month at 9.30am and is especially geared to families with children and young people.  Although a member of the clergy usually presides at these services they are organised and primarily led by a lay group. This is usually a lively service which lasts about three quarters of an hour. Give it a try, you may be surprised! On important feast days this service is combined with a short service of Holy Communion.

Sunday Evening Services
On Sunday evenings at 6.00pm we have a simple said Night Prayer lasting just fifteen minutes. Sometimes during the year other service formats are used instead of Night Prayer (for example Taize and Iona/Celtic services) details can be found in the Group weekly newsletter and in the Parish Magazine, which are always available in St. Mary’s Church.

Mid-week Worship
If you are unfamiliar with a particular form of worship we will always assist if this is requested. On Tuesday mornings at 9.00am there is a Celtic form of Morning Prayer held at St. Mary’s School.  On Monday and Wednesday mornings at 9.15am said Morning Prayer is celebrated in the church. This is followed on Wednesdays at 10.15am by a service of Holy Communion in the modern format (Order One). On Thursdays at 8.00am there is a Prayer Book service of Holy Communion. On Saturday mornings at 10.00am we hold a service of Holy Communion in the modern format. These weekday services of Holy Communion  which usually include a short sermon or thought for the day are quite popular and are especially helpful to those who cannot attend on a Sunday. We have also recently introduced an occasional Healing Service, the details of which are advertised in our weekly Group newsletter and Magazine.

Coffee Mornings
On Wednesday  and Saturday mornings (from 10.30am to 12 noon) we serve coffee in St. Mary’s Parish Room which is open to all. On the last Saturday of each month village organisations can host the coffee morning and may use the occasion for their own fundraising purposes. It is a lovely point of contact between village organisations, the Parish, and the visitors who frequently call in for coffee.  If any organisation would like to make a last Saturday in the month booking please contact our Group Administrator, (details below).

Outreach
St. Mary’s has many extensive networks, formal and informal, in Boston Spa and always tries to respond to genuine need.  Lay Ministers of Holy Communion regularly take Holy Communion to those who are sick or housebound and the clergy take considerable care to provide pastoral support for the seriously ill and dying.  The clergy attempt to respond quickly to any request for a visit and are always willing to conduct a house blessing.

Courses are held annually for those who would like to be Baptised and Confirmed.  It is important to note that it is NEVER too late to be Baptised and Confirmed and for a number of years we have run a course for adult candidates, some of whom have come   to  Confirmation through our Baptism Preparation, which usually takes place on the first Wednesday of the month in St. Mary’s Parish Room. Arrangements for Baptism or Marriage should always be made through the Group Office. Those children who are regularly practising can now make their first Holy Communion before Confirmation and first receive at the age of ten.  Confirmation for our younger members is now administered around the age thirteen.  We occasionally organise house groups, sometimes ecumenical, for scripture study and reflection.  Two adult faith reflection courses (Alpha and the York courses) are run occasionally and open to all. Other faith reflection courses are also held, usually associated with the seasons of Lent and Advent.  A Christian Meditation Group usually meets weekly as advertised.

Information on all our church groups and details of forthcoming special services and social events can be found on this site, in the weekly group newsletter (available in Church or downloadable elsewhere on this site) and in the monthly Church Magazine, which can be ordered by contacting Mrs. Anne Wivell on 01937 843727.

The Deanery of New Ainsty, which consists of twenty five parishes and thirty two parish churches is currently developing deanery wide training programmes for lay led ministry and in preparation for Confirmation and Marriage.

Churches Together:
St. Mary’s enjoys good relationships with the Methodist and Catholic Churches and there is a regular programme of worship and social events advertised on this site, in the newsletter and magazine.  Twice a year St. Mary’s joins with our Methodist friends in the village when our entire congregations share in each other’s worship.

Staffing: The Rev. Stanley Menzies, is a non-stipendary member of the clergy (which means he is not paid by the church) and is the assistant priest in all five parishes of the Group. Both Fr. Peter and Fr. Stanley are available for counselling and other support. If we cannot be contacted directly we can always be accessed through the Group Office.  The Parish has two Readers, Mr. Don Clarke and Mrs. Tricia Anslow, who assist with teaching, preaching and the leading of worship.

A Group of Parishes
St. Mary’s works closely with the four neighbouring Anglican parishes of Walton, Thorp Arch, Clifford and Bramham with which it shares a common administration. A Group Council was formed some years ago and the parishes are collectively known as the Lower Wharfe Group of Parishes.

The Group Office
This is based at St. Mary’s Church in Boston Spa. The office is open 11.00am - 1.00pm, Monday to Friday. Personal callers are welcome or telephone: 01937 844402,  email: stmarysbostonspa@hotmail.com