We keep that fire going by faithfully following the teachings of Jesus Christ and living out our mission to bring others to Christ “through worship, witness and love, for one another, and our neighbor.”

How It All Began: Knock and It Shall Be Opened to You

St. Anne’s was not built by the diocese or by another church. We were built by our community. In the late 1950s, Herbert Cain approached the bishop about starting an Episcopal church in Damascus and was told to first find out how many Episcopalians there were in Damascus. There was only one way to do that. Herb started ringing doorbells.

On February 21, 1960, the first Episcopal worship service was held in the music room of the local high school. At first, the fledgling congregation had to provide for themselves. Most services were led by members. Holy Communion was celebrated once a month by different priests who were invited to come to Damascus.

The small church kept its focus on God and committed to including and helping others. Attention was focused on giving rather than getting, and living out our Episcopal and Anglican ideals. The result was an atmosphere that inspired those who came in contact with the mission.

Building a Church: Things Started to Happen

A solid walnut altar was given to us by Holy Trinity, Collington. It was the first of an extraordinary series of coincidences so numerous that we were convinced the Holy Spirit was leading us. No sooner did we realize a need but an offer of something to meet it would come from somewhere. 

Our first building was erected in 1961-1962 with the financial assistance of All Saints, Chevy Chase and the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. In recognition of its assistance and leadership, the rector of All Saints, Dr. Edward Berger, was asked to name the new church. Since his birthday was on St. Anne's Day, he suggested the name St. Anne's.

St. Anne's followed God's calling, even when we were unsure or uncertain about the future. As the world around us began to grow and change, we grew and changed as well. We called the first woman priest in our diocese, and one of the first openly gay priests in our county. 

We continued to act in faith, building an addition to the original building to welcome even more people to our community of faith. The new addition, dedicated in 2003, includes a worship space, classrooms, a daycare center, library, and choir rehearsal room.

How We Serve

St. Anne's serves the community by responding to the spiritual, emotional and physical needs of those around us. We are an active, engaged and caring church. Some examples of our service include:

• In 1968, St. Anne's members started Damascus HELP to help the needy, especially with emergency food assistance, but also with transportation and energy assistance.  Damascus HELP continues to this day, actively serving as an ecumenical, community-wide and thriving organization. 

• Widening Horizons was initiated in 1972 to provide fellowship, recreation and informational programs for senior citizens. Widening Horizons became part of the Damascus Senior Center.

• In 1986, St. Anne's participated in the Bridges for Peace program, hosting two Russian priests in April and sending two adults and two youths to Russia in June for an exchange visit.

• Since its inception in February 1990, the Bishop John Thomas Walker House, a transitional housing facility we founded, has been home to several families and has been supported primarily by the efforts of St. Anne's and the larger community.

• The Women of St. Anne's (WOSA) have supported an orphan in Honduras since 1998.

• Since 2005, St. Anne's youth have often participated in week-long summer work camps in other parts of the country to assist needy home owners with basic repairs and painting.

• We offer free concerts featuring nationally-recognized performers, fostering a sense of community and belonging among those who attend, many of whom are not church members.

• Every Thanksgiving and Christmas, we provide holiday meals and gifts to families in Clarksburg, Damascus and the surrounding areas.

• We take our church out into the community, having offered Ashes to Go in Damascus, healing services at Relay for Life in Clarksburg, and hosting a pet blessing event in a local park.

• At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, we started a food pantry to serve more than 65 people. That ministry continues today.

• We have shown that we can adapt to change. We continue to learn, grow and be transformed by God, and to be engaged in the world around us. We are ready for the future.