St. Martin’s is more than a church building: it is a family of faith. It is a small, friendly parish that exists to worship God, minister to the needs of the community, and help all people grow in faith and fellowship as a family of believers.
Vital ministries include the Outreach committee, which supports a wide range of charitable organizations; the Social Justice committee, which seeks to combat the causes of poverty; and the Helping Hands and Prayer Shawl groups, which craft items of comfort for those in need.
St. Martin’s is part of Trent-Durham, an area in the Anglican Diocese of Toronto.
Our HistoRY
People come to St. Martin’s from across Durham and beyond. The congregation first met in a restaurant (“The TeePee,” 1964), then a prefab building (“the Pan-Abode,” 1964-1979), and finally a school (Holy Redeemer, 1979-1980), before moving into its current building on Frenchman’s Bay in 1980. In the early 2000s, many parishioners from Holy Trinity Ajax joined St. Martin’s when their church building closed. Worshipping in more than one location has taught St. Martin’s that people are the Church’s true bricks and mortar.
In the 1970s, St. Martin’s church helped found the St. Martin’s Seniors’ Centre, a non-profit apartment complex located next to the church building. Since its foundation, the Centre has included priests and parishioners from St. Martin’s on its board of directors.