History

 St. Mary’s began in the late 1940s as the “Lake District Episcopal Sunday School.”  It was started by six families and the initial enrollment was 12 children.  Sunday School was held in a rented doctor’s office above the Clover Park Drug Store.  A service of Morning Prayer was added for a small congregation under the charge of the Rev. Canon Arthur Bell, rector of St. Luke’s, Tacoma.  By 1949 the congregation had outgrown its location so they advanced a down payment of $50 on land where the present church stands, binding themselves for the remainder of the earnest money.  May 23, 1949, in response to a petition of fifteen residents of Lakewood, Bishop Stephen F. Bayne, Jr. consented to the organization of a mission under the name “St. Mary’s Church, Lakewood.”  He appointed a Bishop’s Committee and the Rev. Sidney Morgan as Priest in Charge.

 In 1950 the Rev. Newton Carroll became full-time priest and the bishop was assured that the congregation could take full responsibility for themselves.  A small house on the property was used as the church and the Rt. Rev. Stephen F. Bayne, Jr. broke ground for the parish hall on June 7, 1951.  In 1956 the house was demolished to make way for the church and classrooms.  The first service in the new building was held on Easter, 1957 and the church was dedicated by Bishop Bayne on September 19, 1957.  St. Mary’s was admitted to the diocese as a parish in 1959.

Location/Demographics/Facility

St. Mary’s is located in the City of Lakewood, within Pierce County, the heart of South Puget Sound.  Lakewood, centrally located between Tacoma and Washington’s capitol, Olympia, enjoys breathtaking views of its many lakes and the majestic Mount Rainier.  The beauty of the Northwest, its temperate climate and proximity to the mountains and the Sound, provides for a variety of outdoor activities.

Pierce County, with a population of 790,500, is the 2^nd most populous county in the state.  It includes 24 cities and towns, including Tacoma (pop. 201,700), which is the 3^rd largest city in the state.  Tacoma is currently a national pacesetter for urban redevelopment and is home to the world famous Museum of Glass, the Washington State Historical Museum, and the vibrant Tacoma Art Museum.  In 2004, the Tacoma–Pierce County region was voted one of the 10 most livable areas in the nation.  Pierce County has grown approximately 21% during each of the past two census periods.  Major employers in the county include the military (Fort Lewis Army Base, McChord Air Force Base, and Madigan Army Medical Center), government, education, (Pacific Lutheran University, University of Puget Sound, University of Washington-Tacoma, and quality community colleges), healthcare, retail and other large private employers, including Boeing, Intel Corporation, Russell Investment Management, and State Farm Insurance Companies.  Tacoma also is home to the 6^th busiest port in North America.

Lakewood was a suburb of Tacoma until 1996, when it incorporated with a population of just under 60,000 to became the 10^th largest city in Washington.  Lakewood is an ethnically and economically diverse community.  Given its proximity to the major military bases, Lakewood enjoys an ethnic diversity not found in similarly sized cities in Washington.  Economically diverse, Lakewood has million dollar homes along the shores of its lakes juxtaposed with the many modest homes of working class families within walking distance.