About Us
Showing up for a Sunday takes courage but we welcome all gently, knowing that most visitors are simply searching and not sure what to do next. You can come in any of our front doors and we will greet you and tell you where to go next!
We are a diverse parish committed to restoring all people to unity with God and each other in Christ Jesus.
We strive to embody the ways of Jesus with one another and the world.
The Episcopal Church is a member of the Worldwide Anglican Communion within the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta.
Storytelling is a way to portray the human conditions of joy and struggle alike. Bronwyn Fryer of the Harvard Business Review reminds us that good storytelling allows us to dig deeper and ultimately discover truth. This is the way of the Holy Scriptures. Story after story, we see a redeeming and faithful Creator bestowing love and justice on creation.
Here is some of our story....
St. Mary and St. Martha began in 1992 at Tapp Funeral Home with a small group of people, adults and children alike, who were seeking ancient worship and loved the liturgy in the Episcopal Church and the Book of Common Prayer. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta appointed a vicar to help guide the vision of these prayerful followers in growing their Sunday attendance so that one day they could have their own worship space. With prayer and all hands on deck it happened!
In 1998, we moved into a church building that fit us “just right” on Braselton Hwy. in Dacula. An emphasis on helping the community drew more members as the children would bring up the “Chuck wagon” each Sunday during the offertory. There was very soon more to the place than just attending on Easter, Christmas, and Sunday mornings.
Moving into the new building on Ridge Road in 2011 meant that we had use of more land, more classrooms for fruitful programs such as Godly Play and Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, and our youth had a large space to gather on Sundays and during the week. Wait until you hear about the ministry we are endeavoring in on the land that God has allowed for us to use rightly. Garden gloves provided!
Our groups who live out our baptismal covenant to seek and serve Christ in all persons have strong roots, plentiful materials and space, and an openness to always build and begin anew on Christ’s sure foundation. We realize that as we grow, new voices and gifts build on our faith and thus, our community is strengthened to live out the good news. Who we are is defined not only by what we believe, but how we live.
Who is a Member?
Every single person is welcome at St. Mary and St. Martha. Everyone who seeks a church home and thinks of Mary and Martha as their church has found their home!
To be a member of St. Mary and St. Martha:
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Regularly attend worship. Our worship takes places a few times a week and in a few different formats. Pick one that suits your needs!
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Be involved. Our ministries are our units of small groups who engage in community together. Tell us what you love!
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We go out, listen, share our stories, and invite others into a safe space where they can feel spiritually home and alive in Christ.
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Participate in a group or class where you can study, connect with others, and grow.
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Pledge a percentage of your income to support God’s work in the world through St. Mary and St. Martha. Scripture says that all of life is a gift from God. Everything that flows from our life is a gift. God calls us to give back a percentage of what flows from our work as a way to: enable God's mission of peace and unity for the world to come to fruition, to remember that we are dependent on God, and to live lives of gratitude and generosity.
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We believe in one Christian baptism. If you were baptized in another Christian denomination, that is all that is required. If you have not been baptized, please let us know if you would like to be baptized. There is no “right” age to be baptized. We regularly baptize people of all ages, from babies, to youth, to adults.
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Confirmation is the rite in which we express a mature commitment to Christ, and receive strength from the Holy Spirit through prayer and the laying on of hands by a bishop. If you have made a mature affirmation of Christian faith in another denomination, then you would be “received” into the Episcopal Church. St. Mary and St. Martha has a study which culminates with confirmation or reception.
If you would like to transfer your membership to St. Mary and St. Martha click the link below and download the Transfer Request Form.
Send completed forms or questions to our admin at comms@smmbuford.org or call 770-271-4067.
Get to Know Us Here
Ancient Words.
Modern Lives.
“Liturgy” is just a church word that means the work of the people. It’s the shared rhythm of prayer, Scripture, music, silence, and Communion that shapes our worship every Sunday.
At St. Mary & St. Martha, that rhythm is ancient. Christians have been gathering this way for nearly 2,000 years — listening to Scripture, praying together, confessing, singing, and coming to the table.
But ancient doesn’t mean stiff. And it definitely doesn’t mean irrelevant.
In a culture that constantly tells us to perform, achieve, scroll, and react, liturgy slows us down. It gives us words when we’re overwhelmed. It steadies us when the world feels chaotic. It reminds us we belong to something bigger than the latest headline or algorithm.
You don’t have to know what to say.
You don’t have to get everything “right.”
You don’t even have to be sure what you believe.
The pattern of worship holds you while you figure it out.
This isn’t nostalgia.
It’s rooted faith for real life.
Roots are the source of growth.