St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, The Mustard Seed Church, is a small yet vibrant parish with a big heart located approximately fifty miles southwest of Houston in historic West Columbia, Texas. West Columbia has the proud honor of being the First Capital of Texas, where the 1st Congress of the Republic of Texas convened on October 3, 1836.
West Columbia is the center of Texas history. Out of the 176 historical markers in Brazoria County, West Columbia is home to 50 of them. To learn more about our city’s rich history, check out West Columbia’s official website.
We are searching for a rector who is filled with the Holy Spirit and who can shepherd a parish to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Our rector will provide the leadership our parish family needs to develop to be the church for our West Columbia neighbors. We are looking for someone to implement new programs for our children and youth, expand the Biblical knowledge of our parish family, create community outreach opportunities, grow our congregation, as well as stir up the faithful to come back to church.
Our rector should be comfortable in a small-town setting and have a heart for local outreach. St. Mary’s has recently become a member of the local Chamber of Commerce in an effort to be more connected to local events.
We have a traditional service at 9 am on Sunday mornings followed by hospitality and Sunday School for all ages. Once a month we have a Parish Dinner.
Our parish has been blessed with bountiful resources to do God’s work. Since 2020, we have been implementing capital improvements to our beautiful church campus built in 1951. We are investing in our property to be a welcoming beacon to West Columbia and our surrounding communities.
In the past two years, we have also implemented the following outreach opportunities in our community:
Ashes to Go for those unable to attend an in-person service
Joint Ash Wednesday Service with two local churches
Community Blessings of the Animals Service – complete with the local veterinarian
San Jacinto Festival – our local festival celebrating the birth of the Republic of Texas
Columbia United – West Columbia youth spend a week doing service projects for those in need in the West Columbia area (building ramps, painting homes, etc.)
In addition to our newer outreach opportunities, we also send the Columbia Brazoria 5th grade elementary student to Discovery Camp at Camp Allen each spring, as well as host a free Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper for the community.
Our parish family has a small, yet strong and faithful core group of members who are looking toward the future. Our primary goals are to grow our membership, provide community outreach and assistance to West Columbia, and to be good stewards of the many blessings God has bestowed upon St. Mary’s.