Worship
A. Services
Sunday 10:00 am - Rite II
Rite II is our typical service. We use Rite I during the Penitential Seasons of Lent and Advent. At St. Mark’s the Eucharist is family friendly where children are welcomed with open arms. The children who attend Sunday School join the congregation after the sermon. We use the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. Hymns are chosen from the 1982 Episcopal Hymnal, Renew: Songs and Hymns for Blended Worship, and other appropriate sources. Our average Sunday attendance is 82. Our attendance has peaked as high as 170 to 210 during key holidays.
Sunday 10:00 am - Rite II
Rite II is our typical service. We use Rite I during the Penitential Seasons of Lent and Advent. At St. Mark’s the Eucharist is family friendly where children are welcomed with open arms. The children who attend Sunday School join the congregation after the sermon. We use the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. Hymns are chosen from the 1982 Episcopal Hymnal, Renew: Songs and Hymns for Blended Worship, and other appropriate sources. Our average Sunday attendance is 82. Our attendance has peaked as high as 170 to 210 during key holidays.
B. Unique Services
- Ash Wednesday
- Kids Lead Worship: The last Sunday of the month is designated as a service where children and teenagers fulfill the roles of Ushers, Oblationers, LEM, Lector/Lay Reader, and Prayers of the People. A sermon is delivered with the children in mind, often sitting on the steps leading up to the altar. A Pot Luck Luncheon is typically scheduled on Kids Lead Worship Sundays.
3. Maundy Thursday including washing of the feet
4. Good Friday
5. Christmas Eve Service
6. Christmas Day Service
4. Good Friday
5. Christmas Eve Service
6. Christmas Day Service
C. Worship Ministries
1. Acolyte Guild
St. Mark’s Acolytes are comprised of 16 youth with an adult who is in charge of their vestments. They are trained by the priest. Children as young as 6 serve as torch bearers. They serve on 5 specific teams with the ability to switch out as necessary.
1. Acolyte Guild
St. Mark’s Acolytes are comprised of 16 youth with an adult who is in charge of their vestments. They are trained by the priest. Children as young as 6 serve as torch bearers. They serve on 5 specific teams with the ability to switch out as necessary.
2. Altar Guild
Our Altar Guild members work in pairs to ensure the altar is prepared for services both with and without communion. There are 10 pairs who serve two weeks at a time. They prepare for and clean-up after each service. The Altar Guild also serve at weddings and funerals. In addition, they organize the purchase of flowers for special occasions (i.e. Easter lilies, poinsettias, and palms). There is a sign-up poster for congregation members to select the Sundays they wish to provide altar flowers which are typically given as memorials, honorariums, and in thanksgiving for specific events/persons. This information is included in the church bulletin each Sunday.
Our Altar Guild members work in pairs to ensure the altar is prepared for services both with and without communion. There are 10 pairs who serve two weeks at a time. They prepare for and clean-up after each service. The Altar Guild also serve at weddings and funerals. In addition, they organize the purchase of flowers for special occasions (i.e. Easter lilies, poinsettias, and palms). There is a sign-up poster for congregation members to select the Sundays they wish to provide altar flowers which are typically given as memorials, honorariums, and in thanksgiving for specific events/persons. This information is included in the church bulletin each Sunday.
3. Lay Eucharistic Ministers/Lay Eucharistic Visitors
We have 12 Lay Eucharistic Ministers and 3 Lay Eucharistic Visitors. There is a LEM Coordinator to assist with training of new volunteers to this ministry.
4. Lectors
We have 19 Lectors including a coordinator to assist with training of new volunteers to this ministry.
5. Prayers of the People
We have 12 readers for Prayers of the People. The Lector Coordinator assists with training of new volunteers to this ministry.
We have 12 Lay Eucharistic Ministers and 3 Lay Eucharistic Visitors. There is a LEM Coordinator to assist with training of new volunteers to this ministry.
4. Lectors
We have 19 Lectors including a coordinator to assist with training of new volunteers to this ministry.
5. Prayers of the People
We have 12 readers for Prayers of the People. The Lector Coordinator assists with training of new volunteers to this ministry.
6. Ushers
We have 23 Ushers. A couple serves as the Usher Coordinator and Trainer. Ushers also serve as Oblationers on Sundays, with the exception of Kids Lead Worship.
We have 23 Ushers. A couple serves as the Usher Coordinator and Trainer. Ushers also serve as Oblationers on Sundays, with the exception of Kids Lead Worship.
7. Choir
The choir is comprised of church members and is under the direction of our Organist/Choirmaster who is in his 3rd year at St. Mark’s. We also have a member of the congregation, Our Organist Emeritis, who served for 30 years and fills in occasionally. Music serves as a foundation of the liturgy. For many in our parish, music is the central conduit (both inward and outward) for spirituality and faith. Music at St. Mark’s forms a common bond among parishioners, while connecting us at the same time with the wider world around us. It is our "light of Christ" in the world. The choir rehearses once a week and as needed for special events. St. Mark’s original organ from 1920 was recently renovated with the proceeds from a capital campaign drive by the congregation. The children of St. Mark’s occasionally sing during the Sunday service.
The choir is comprised of church members and is under the direction of our Organist/Choirmaster who is in his 3rd year at St. Mark’s. We also have a member of the congregation, Our Organist Emeritis, who served for 30 years and fills in occasionally. Music serves as a foundation of the liturgy. For many in our parish, music is the central conduit (both inward and outward) for spirituality and faith. Music at St. Mark’s forms a common bond among parishioners, while connecting us at the same time with the wider world around us. It is our "light of Christ" in the world. The choir rehearses once a week and as needed for special events. St. Mark’s original organ from 1920 was recently renovated with the proceeds from a capital campaign drive by the congregation. The children of St. Mark’s occasionally sing during the Sunday service.
