Who we are

WE HAVE A SIMPLE FOCUS: DISCIPLESHIP
Being a Disciple of Jesus Christ means taking on a lifestyle of following Jesus. Discipleship undergirds everything we do at St. Mary’s. It’s a simple focus, yes, but it’s the one focus that powered the early church’s incredible growth and fruit in that hostile Roman world. Through Bible studies, teaching, preaching, utilizing the sacraments, and hands on ministry we do discipleship understand what God is saying in the Bible and how to apply it to real life situations.

BIBLE STUDIES
Being a Disciple of Jesus Christ, means that though you worship corporately with fellow believers on a weekly basis, you are able to maintain a vibrant personal life of prayer and Bible study on our own. 
The Daily Offices of Morning and Evening Prayer are tools which enable you to do just that.  By modeling the use of the Daily Offices, we encourage and teach you how to incorporate prayer and Bible study in your daily life with the help of the Book of Common Prayer.  By employing these tools daily in your life, you will be able to go through the entire Bible once a year or once every two years, depending on which is easier for you.
​
SACRAMENTAL MINISTRY
In sacramental ministry we deliver the Good News of Jesus Christ.  In the Baptism we proclaim death to sin and new life in Christ Jesus. In the Eucharist we proclaim the Lord's sacrifice upon the Cross until He returns.  In Confirmation we proclaim the need for every individual to confess with their mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in their heart that God has raised him from the dead.  In the Rite of Reconciliation, we proclaim that every believer must live a life of constant self examination and repentance. In Marriage we proclaim the mysterious union of Christ to His Church.  In Holy Unction we proclaim the power of God over sickness and death and acknowledge the truth of Scripture that by His stripes we are healed.  In Holy Orders we acknowledge in humility that it is God who appoints leaders over us and endues them with special gifts to serve him and holds them to account for their actions in His service.

OUTSIDE THE WALLS
At St. Mary’s we really believe that discipleship needs to involve not just listening or viewing, but doing. Because of the many ministries being conducted by para-church organizations in the community (some of which are co-located in our facility) members have many opportunities to work cooperatively with other Christians in the community taking the gospel to the streets to share the love of Christ by serving others who have yet to believe. In Olivet Discourse Jesus says that our love for other Christians shows unbelievers that we are His followers. And in Matthew 25 Jesus says He will recognize His followers because they feed the hungry, clothe the naked, welcome strangers, and visit the sick and the prisoners. Members of St. Mary’s grow by having the opportunity to minister to people in these and countless other ways.

​
​We are mission-driven

​St. Mary of the Snows is a church with a rich history dating to 1898 in Eagle River.

We are called to be a real and tangible blessing to our community. We’re not another church for the sake of ourselves or for the sake of churchgoers. We are in the service of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ to preach His Gospel to an unbelieving world.

Being mission-driven means, we reach out to the people around us instead of hoping to draw people into the church. We are missionaries sent to the greater Eagle River area in order to share the good news of what Jesus has done on the Cross and wants to do in our lives, our city, and our world.

---