St. Mark's Mission Statement

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church is an open community, welcoming people wherever they are on their faith journey. We celebrate the gifts of God that empower us to engage boldly in the struggles of life and care for others with love, justice, and compassion.

An Introduction to the St. Mark’s Community

Our 134-year-old parish is home to more than 700 active members. About 30% live on Capitol Hill, another 30% come from Northern Virginia, and the rest come from elsewhere in Washington and the Maryland suburbs.

One glance at the weekly calendars posted outside the church reveals something of the array of activities that bring us together. As a way of conceptualizing our common interests and vocations, we say that the St. Mark’s community rests on “Five Pillars”:

Worship

We welcome all those present at services to participate fully with us. Our nave is set up for worship in the round, allowing us to face one another across the Communion table. From September through May, we offer two Sunday services, during which sermons are presented in distinct ways: The format of the 9:00 AM. “Sermon Seminar” moves the sermon from the middle of the Eucharistic ritual to the end—and once the preacher is done, listeners are invited to share their comments and questions about the message. The 11:15 AM. service is conducted in traditional form, with the sermon integrated within the ritual. St. Mark’s approach to worship is reflected in the invitation to the table offered every Sunday morning: “Wherever you have come from, wherever you are going to; whatever you believe, whatever you do not believe, you are welcome at this table. For though we celebrate according to the rituals of the Episcopal Church, this is God’s meal, not our own.”

Co-directors of Worship, Linda Chandlee and Jim Steed, would be happy to talk to you about St. Mark’s in general and our services in particular. Contact Linda at lchandlee@jhu.edu.

Christian Education

We value a discipline of Christian education called “functional education.” A system that allows us to make sense of our lives and religion, it begins by drawing us into an examination of personal, real-life situations and moves us increasingly toward broader theological questions. Recent classes in the adult program included “The Sting of Death” and “The Gospel According to the Simpsons.” In addition, we offer classes that explore challenging texts, beginning with the Bible and including recent works such as Jack Miles’ Christ, A Crisis in the Life of God. The Sunday School program for youngsters serves children from pre-kindergarten age through high school. Classes for the younger children are modeled on the Montessori approach. Teens come together for Sunday classes and also for camp-outs, lock-ins, worship participation and outreach activities.

Our Co-Chairs of Christian Education, Martha Connor-Donnelly (macd46@hotmail.com), David Evelyn (artdave@cox.net), Bill Jordan (jordans4@verizon.net), and Marilu Sherer (marilu20002@yahoo.com) would be delighted to speak with you about our education program and other aspects of our parish.

Outreach

In response to the Christian message, we seek to serve others in our neighborhood, in our city, and in the world beyond. Opportunities range from a commitment of just a few hours to more extensive efforts. For example, the St. Mark’s community works regularly with the Capitol Hill Group Ministry to provide shelter to the homeless; with the Church of the Brethren to feed those who are hungry; with Samaritan Ministries to renovate and furnish apartments for people in transition; and with the Episcopal Diocese of Honduras to help rebuild an impoverished community devastated by Hurricane Mitch.

The Chair of the Outreach Board, Christine Farrell, would enjoy the opportunity to discuss our outreach efforts and other activities in the church with you. Contact Christine at christine.farrell@verizon.net.

The Arts

Dance, theater, music and visual arts have been integral to the life of the parish for more than 40 years. Like Christians for centuries before them, the people of St. Mark’s express their faith and values through all the art forms—thereby bringing together adults and children both inside and outside the church. Today our artistic expressions flow through The St. Mark’s Players, our resident theater group; the St. Mark’s Dance Studio; the Arts Council, which brings together visual artists, writers, architects and needleworkers; our extensive music program, which includes adult and youth choirs as well as a professional concert series; and the St. Mark’s Yoga Center.

The Chair of the Arts Council, Rick Hayes, would be happy to answer your questions about our artistic endeavors, put you in touch with a particular group, and talk about St. Mark’s generally. Contact Rick at rick.hayes@yahoo.com.

Parish Life

As with most things in life, not everything we do falls neatly into a defined category—and yet these aspects of our community are no less important to many of us. Our newest Pillar, dubbed Parish Life, recognizes that there is a religious dimension to the social, support, and communications activities that bring us together. We encourage the many small groups and social activities that interested parishioners have initiated over the years. Some groups focus on the shared experiences among men, women, gay people, or those coping with cancer. Others meet to discuss books, watch movies, or organize fun events—such as our annual summer Crab Feast, where a notable kvetching parishioner is teasingly honored as “Crab of the Year” and joins past winners in the venerable “College of Crustaceans.” This Pillar also encompasses our organized efforts to care for children and seniors in the parish, as well as the many outlets we use (such as our newsletter, e-group and website) to spread the good news about how our community is striving to live into our faith.

The Co-Chairs of the Parish Life Pillar, Doris Burton and Terry Adlhock, would be happy to talk with you about the groups who come together under the Parish Life banner, as well as answer questions about the many services, events and groups that do not. Contact Terry Adlhock at tadlhock@aol.com.

“Whatever you believe, whatever you do not believe,
you are welcome at this table.”

Caring for Children—and for Those Who Raise Them

St. Mark’s youth ministry program is an active collaboration that brings together our clergy, teachers in our Christian Education program, and parents and other members of our community. The growing number of families with young children, both within our parish community and our immediately surrounding Capitol Hill community, call us to a continued and deepened commitment to youth ministry. Moreover, youth ministry for us means more than the careful design and faithful implementation of youth programming. Yes, we are called to nurture our children—but we also are called to care for families, especially parents who grapple with a never ending array of complex circumstances and difficult choices in bringing up children in our 21st century world. We of St. Mark’s want to lend more than a helping hand. We want to be a firm foundation, provide stable support, be attentive to the concerns and needs of our families, and offer opportunities for their growth and development within a loving community of faith.

“We follow the paradoxical path: by looking squarely into the dimness of uncertainty, we can discover truth.”

Make a Connection

• Contact the Hospitality Committee by contacting Co-Chairs Jane Michael (Jmich@aol.com) and Michelle Strange (michelle64@aol.com).
  
  
• Visit us at the church, which is located at 301 A St., SE., directly behind the Adams Building of the Library Congress. The nearest Metro stop is Capitol South.
  
  
• Call the church offices (Baxter House) at 202/543-0053.
  
  
• Check our website at www.stmarks.net. You’ll see a number of timely messages posted to our home page, but don’t stop there—other useful, important or just intriguing information is available under the five major subsections of the site, which correspond to our Five Pillars. For example, you’ll find recent sermons posted in the “Worship” section.