All are welcome
Holy Eucharist
We do three main things during a Holy Eucharist worship service: We gather, we are transformed by Word and Sacrament, and then we are sent out into the world to be Christ’s hands and feet.
Since the early days of the Church Christians have gathered to worship God, to listen to Holy Scripture, to pray together, and to share in the Eucharist (thanksgiving) instituted by Jesus for the disciples when he broke bread and shared the cup of wine saying “do this in remembrance of me.” It is in baptism that we promise to continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers (BCP pg. 304). It is in the sharing of the Eucharist that we are strengthened and nourished before being sent out to do the work God gives us to do.
At St. Mark’s we celebrate the Eucharist two times on the weekends. At 5 pm on Saturdays, which is a service of about 40 minutes without music. And 9 am on Sundays the service is about 60 minutes with music. Every couple of weeks we also enjoy hearing our choir sing on Sunday mornings.
FAQ:
Do I need to bring anything along?
No. Come just as you are, we use our Red Book of Common Prayer (1979) and we use our Blue Hymnals. Both books are provided to you in the back of the pews. If you want to arrive early to familiarize yourself with the books you are always welcome to do so. Long time parishioners like to come early and mark their pages in the hymnal for that morning. Just bring an open heart and mind.
How will I know when to sit, stand, and kneel?
Our bulletin is very friendly for those who may be new. We try to include all the liturgical directions so if you are able to read you should be able to follow along using the printed weekly bulletin. Below is a sample bulletin.
Are kids welcome?
Kids are always welcome in our Eucharist service. We don’t yet have enough children for a Sunday School class but we hope this may change in the future. Our sanctuary is always a safe place for kids to coo, whisper, talk, and move around. We are a very welcoming group and we don’t find children to be a distraction in our worship as they are full participants in the Kingdom of God.
What if I have mobility concerns?
St. Mark’s is a bit of a challenge for those with accessibility issues. While we look toward a future where we can make some changes to the property, right now, we offer our worship service online if you find that getting into our sanctuary is too challenging. There are a number of stairs to enter our building. We do have a lift that we try to keep operational but we do have times when our lift is out of service. We do apologize to those who cannot participate with us on Sunday morning due to our lack of accessibility. For those with accessibility concerns you can Find us on Youtube here we are currently working on our audio to improve your experience on YouTube. Thank you for your patience as we work through these details in the coming weeks and months.