Our Name

Virtually the entire Arkansas Diocese participated in the naming of St. Margaret's. When Canon Keller solicited nominations for a name, he listed three criteria. The name should be "beautiful, meaningful, and make the church more, rather than less, accessible to non-Episcopalians." More than fifty nominations were received, ranging from St. Anskar's to the Church of the Heavenly Rest. Bishop Donovan narrowed the field to three: All Saints, All Souls, and St. Margaret's. The 119th Convention of the Diocese of Arkansas, meeting March 1, 1991, named the church St. Margaret's on the first ballot. Afterward, the diocesan historiographer, the Rev. Joseph B. Tucker, produced the fact that there was an earlier Episcopal Mission in the city of Little Rock named St. Margaret's Church.

We are honored to carry the name of Saint Margaret, whose life story is a perpetual source of encouragement and inspiration to our congregation. Queen Margaret and King Malcolm III ruled Scotland for 23 years. Margaret was one of the principal agents of the reform of the Church of Scotland, which was, at the time, at a low point in its history. She also founded schools, hospitals, and orphanages, as well as churches, monasteries and pilgrimage hostels. In her private life, Margaret was much given to prayer, reading and ecclesiastical needlework. She also gave alms lavishly and liberated a number of Anglo-Saxon captives.

Several excellent biographies of St. Margaret of Scotland are available online. One of the best is the 1912 children's story of St. Margaret from the book Our Island Saints by Amy Steedman. Also see the sermon preached on Sunday 19th November, 2000 by the Rev. Prof. R G Sommerville at St Margaret of Scotland Episcopal Church, Tayport, and an excellent historical essay by David McRoberts.