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St. Mark's Profile

Preamble

    St. Mark's Church in St. Albans, West Virginia, is one of the leading congregations in the Diocese of West Virginia.  It is a well established church located at 405 B Street, approximately 15 miles from the state capital, Charleston  There are typically anywhere from 80 to 120 folks gathering each Sunday for worship, depending on the time of year and liturgical season.   This congregation is a non-judgmental, all-inclusive family of faith that practices the second great commandment well and strives to better practice the first great commandment daily.  The financial guideline has grown in recent years and is approaching  in  excess of $300,000 for 2008.

   The church is challenged by the sheer size of the physical plant and the ambitious nature of her mission in this neighborhood.  In recent years St. Mark's has received several significant gifts to help support her mission to the poor,  but still the effort to maintain an operational budget for these ministries requires creativity, imagination and collaborative efforts of the community and its many churches.

 Community

    Given the size of this city and metropolitan area, St. Albans and Charleston have a great deal to offer culturally.  There is a fine Symphony Orchestra, Cultural Center, (the home of Mountain Stage, nationally broadcast public radio weekly show,)  Theatre Groups, Choral Groups, and the county-wide Public Library system  supports, in part, the local branch in downtown St. Albans.  Nearby Charleston is alive with festivals like the Vandalia Festival, Sternwheel Regatta and many more.  St. Albans is renowned for the annual July 4^th Riverfest and also the Christmas Festival of Lights at the City Park, among many others. The crime rate is low and the pace of life is pleasantly humane, compared to larger metropolitan centers in the United States.  The county run school system includes a large, newly remodeled high school that is fed by two middle schools, which in turn receive students from six elementary schools.   (see the St. Albans, WV, website.)

 Neighborhood

     The church is located in the downtown area of St. Albans next to the Post Office and across the street from the police and fire departments.   There is ample shopping in three separate areas centered in this section of town.    Several historic buildings remain in the downtown area, St. Mark's being the oldest and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Physical Plant

     There is an impressive complex of buildings that form a gracious welcoming compound. The Little Church was built in 1847 after the original church (1825) located approximately 2 miles east of downtown burned in 1845.  In 1954 a large two-story parish hall was built providing Sunday school rooms downstairs and a large auditorium/gym with kitchen upstairs.  The large new church was built in 1968-69 and was first used on Christmas Eve of 1969.   All the buildings are in good state of repair currently.  There is a dedicated group of caregivers that keep the church property in fine shape with their ministry.

    St. Mark's property is approximately eight acres in size and contains two additional buildings.  There are two apartments, a duplex, behind the parish hall that are used for those in need of transitional housing.  Single mothers, the elderly, and young people needing a helping hand getting a start in life have all been able to use these quarters, which allow a deep discount in rent for a limited period of time.   There is a two story house  on a corner next to the post office and is in use by a family in transition, thus part of the church's mission to care for those in need.

 Justice/Outreach Ministries

      St. Mark's has a long, distinguished tradition of service to people in need in our community.  Our services are comprised of Christ's Kitchen, which feeds between 50 and 100 disadvantaged person five days a week.  We ask no questions and pursue no agenda - all are welcome.   This program, though started by St. Mark's over 25 years ago and conducted in the church parish hall, is supported by the entire community with financial help, contributions of food, and worker participation.  We also house the community food pantry run in conjunction with a local Care and Share program.   The Rector's discretionary fund is available to assist with utility bills, fuel costs and other needs that must be met to maintain basic subsistence.  We also provide facilities in the church for the local AA meeting.   

   St. Mark's was also the leading protagonist in the formation and creation of a homeless shelter for St. Albans and our neighboring community Nitro.  In addition to these outreach programs we also support the Jericho House, a temporary home for battered and/or abused women and children.   There is a strong relationship between St. Mark's and the other congregations in the city, especially with St. Paul's Baptist Church which is a predominately black congregation.  St. Mark's and St. Paul's have both shared a vision of advocacy for justice and helping the poor.  

   With these community programs in place St. Mark's was named a Jubilee Center by the Diocese of West Virginia on June 10, 1996.

 Rectory

    Along with the church property in town, St. Mark's owns a pleasant four bedroom home located in a residential subdivision know as Riverlake Estates approximately three miles from the church.  The master bedroom with full bath and 2 bedrooms with another full bath are on the upper level. There is another office/bedroom and bath on the ground level along with a family room with patio, and a door that leads to the two-car garage.  Up three steps from this level are the living room, dining room, and kitchen which also has eat-in space, enough to accommodate a table and four to six chairs. The appliances are new, as well as paint, carpet and other features throughout the house.  The basement is a large area with a wall of bookshelves, storage space, and laundry hookup.  A large sliding glass door provides access to the backyard from this level. The yard is large with shade trees and is a corner lot.  The rectory is in easy walking distance to the lake.  The entire neighborhood is a relaxed setting for power walks or pleasant strolls on mostly level land.

Stewardship

     The approach to financing all of this property is somewhat different than most churches. It is called a Faith Financial Guideline, not a budget.  We do not have an every-member canvas, a pledge drive, or any other specified dollar denominated drive.  Our process is as follows:

The finance committee meets in the latter part of the year to estimate the financial needs for the following year.  This includes salaries, utilities, maintenance, outreach, and any other anticipated financial needs.  We consider any and all income that we can anticipate.  This income figure has never equaled the expense figure in the planning stage.  The difference between the two amounts we label as "Faith."   This financial guideline is presented to the Vestry for any adjustments and/or changes.  Once approved by the Vestry, it is presented to the congregation at the annual meeting for approval.  Then we ask members to submit a commitment card which states that "I will prayerfully and thoughtfully consider my financial support for St. Mark's for 200X."  We have found that anything that we are led to do will be accomplished.  This had been our method of financial operations for more that twenty-five years and has worked extraordinarily well. St. Mark's is current on all financial obligations and continues to support special projects, our missionary, our youth and other church and community projects.

     This approach to stewardship is one of the great strengths of St. Mark's, a community of faith living out its mission based on the spirituality of our relationship to God and not on a pledge card. Also of interest is the fact that prior rectors have had tenure of better than ten years service at St. Mark's.

  Worship and Music

      The Eucharist is celebrated on Sunday mornings at 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., and on Wednesday evenings at 7.p.m.  Between the Sunday morning services the Sunday school meets.  (See more below.)

    There is a relaxed formality to worship.  While the congregation enjoys her traditions and customs, we also enjoy innovation and creativity especially when we understand the theology and rationale of liturgical practice.  We have a fine cadre of Lectors, Eucharistic ministers, acolytes, altar guild members and ushers.  We enjoy the occasional use of incense, bells, and liturgical kites and other liturgical enhancements that put our young people to work and deepen our appreciation of high holy days.

   And, of course, music is an integral part of the worship.   We have an electric numatic pipe organ, built especially for St. Mark's and installed in 1997.  Additional ranks of pipes have been installed since that date to complete a sound fit for a cathedral.   We have an adult choir that numbers from 10 to 14, given the time of year and the liturgical calendar.   The children's choir sings on special Sundays and joins the adult choir for special holy days.  Our choir director/organist is professionally educated and trained for this position, and has been a member of the congregation for many years.

 Education

       Every Sunday a lay-led Bible Study based on the Lectionary takes place at 9:00 a.m.

    At the same time, several parents take care of the children's program, Godly Play, a program widely used in the Episcopal Church.  It is a time of story telling and also provides a nursery for infants.  It is a small, but effective, Sunday School offering to the parish. There is an importance placed on the recognition that Christian Education is a life long process and should start with the young children.

 Pastoral Care

      On Tuesday mornings a lay person accompanies the priest to deliver the altar flowers from the previous Sunday to the sick and the shut-in.  Communion is often administered during these visits.   Strong personal relationships can be developed between priest and members, during what is often a near-end-of-life time for the congregational member.

  The church has a strong tradition of telephonic pastoral care with the prayer chain, which is passed along over the phone, and sometimes with e-mail for those who chose to participate in that way.     The tradition of spiritual direction, wise counsel, and care are an indelible part of the complexion of this strong and growing congregation.

 Other Activities

      There are many other activities that enhance the life of the congregation through the work that is done.   Some examples are the yearly bazaar, still in continuous production for nearly seventy years, conducted by the ECW, still an active and viable group of women. 

     There are luncheons provided once a month after the 10 a.m. service, by different groups.  The menu is usually soup and sandwich, or hot dogs with salads and desserts provided by whomever signs up to donate for that  particular day. 

    There are also the annual Thanksgiving dinner in the parish hall, and the annual Fourth of July picnic in the outdoor picnic area.

      We also enjoy group ministries through social events, some with another purpose such as fund raising, and some that are just for time to talk and visit, such as pot luck dinners at church or the Adults' Night Out (ADO's).   This is a covered dish dinner that meets once a month in a member's home, purely a time of relaxation with no work to be done.  All of these activities, and many more,  add a flavor of  caring and trust  to parish life.    They provide great  opportunities  for relationship building and getting to know one another.  

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