Our Story
It’s impossible to tell one story about St. Mark’s. Since the very beginning, St. Mark’s has been made up of many stories–our history and founding, the neighborhood and communities that share our space, poetry and the arts, social justice, liturgy and music, and all the people and events that have found home here.
And yet–through fires, floods, conflicts, and changes in our neighborhood, St. Mark’s has remained a symbol of welcome, hospitality, creativity, justice, and peace. In 1965, a major event in the life of our parish community set the stage for decades to come. In worship one Sunday, members of the Brown and Black Caucus staged a walkout in collaboration with the associate priest at the time in order to demand racial equity in the liturgy and finances of the parish, as well as a deeper commitment to racial justice beyond the parish walls.
The walkout led to a major rupture in the church community, but those who stayed spent the next several years reweaving the theological, liturgical, and communal fabric. The walkout (and subsequent years of reckoning and repair) continues to define how St. Mark’s sees itself today.
We are a community that strives to embody the world we know is possible.
Welcome, Worship, Witness
At our vestry 2024 retreat, we used the 5 signs of vital congregations (clarity, witness, abundance, kinship, and joy) to evaluate how things are going at St. Mark’s.
We said we are a community defined by our Welcome, our Worship, and our Witness.
We find our roots in the life-giving/life-transforming Gospel of Jesus Christ and in our unique history as a parish. Since the walkout initiated by the Brown and Black Caucus in the 1960s, we have been a community that strives to embody the world we know is possible.
Welcome: We strive to be a community of radical welcome and hospitality. We are a place where people can find home and belonging, even when they’ve struggled to feel comfortable in other places.
Over generations, we’ve always sought to expand our welcome, especially to those who are not currently being centered in our community, or in the wider world. Our commitment to welcome means that we keep drawing our circle wider. We believe diversity is a reflection of God’s Kingdom.
Worship: Our faith is incarnational. Every Sunday we participate in the love and hospitality of Jesus through our worship. Worship is praying, singing, breaking bread, passing peace, sharing our lives, welcoming strangers, asking questions, expressing feelings, and finding hope. When we worship together, we experience of God’s presence among us. Although there are roles within the service (priest, choir, reader, etc.), everyone is a minister of both prayer and sacrament.
Witness: We carry our faith with us. Christian faith is not just for Sunday mornings. Whenever we go out, and whenever people come to St. Mark’s, we have an opportunity to bear witness to the truth, love, justice, peace, and healing power of Jesus Christ. We are called to care for each other and for the world, and to stand up for those whom society pushes aside. We do this as individuals, and as a community; through arts, advocacy, and activism.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
We believe in a God whose love brought the whole world into being–in all of its beauty and diversity. We believe that God lived among us in the person of Jesus Christ; and that through Jesus, God modeled a new way of being in relationship with one another and the world.
Jesus showed us that we could be one people despite our differences; that we have the capacity to help each other heal and find peace. Jesus sought to draw in those who had been pushed out; to put the weakest and smallest first; to draw power not from wealth or status or physical might, but through generosity, kindness, and inviting others in.
Most importantly, Jesus showed us that while we may at times experience the horrors and injustices of the world, death and despair will never have the final word.
And, we believe in a God whose spirit is rooted in us–and by whose spirit we have infinite capacity for love. The Holy Spirit animates our lives and spurs us to holy action–to care for ourselves, to care for each other, and to care for the world.
God is the source of goodness and power in this world and in our lives.
In this season, we are a community that is called to rise. At a time of national upheaval, global conflict, and growing isolation we are called to be a place of relentless hope and infinite possibility. We are called to embrace abundance and generosity; to grow and share God’s love; to offer care and connection; to approach others with care and curiosity; and to act with courage. We are called to stand up, to speak out, to lift each other up, and to grow together toward God’s promised future.