During the "Second Great Awakening", Saint Mark's Episcopal church was established in 1835. The "Society for the Propagation of the Gospel" based in England was petitioned to send priests to this rugged new world to minister to the workers at the numerous furnaces in the area. Many of those priests either became ill or could not handle the harsh living conditions and returned home. The Rev. Dr. Levi Bull fulfilled his obligation to the community and God by establishing several churches in the area: St. John’s Compass, St. Mary’s Elverson (now worshipping in Warwick) and St. Mark’s Honey Brook. The church building for St. Mark’s was built on land donated by Vincent Trego and his wife, who, along with other Tregos, are buried in St. Mark’s cemetery. Today, the church building is much like it was when built, with a few exceptions.
In the early 1900's, the plaster ceiling caved in. Luckily it was after the service and all the parishioners were outside greeting each other, much as we do today. During the repair, it was discovered that a wooden cross had been hidden by the ceiling, unknown to all except the builder and the Builder. What a loving discovery to find after seventy-five years. If you know just where to look, you can still see the cross, placed there over one hundred and fifty years ago.
St. Mark's was served by numerous clergy over the years, typically serving in short, five year tenures, until The Rev. George McKinley served from 1929 to 1944. St. Mark’s went through struggles in the mid-twentieth century, relying on lay readers or part-time clergy between 1966 and 2001, including the Rev. Don Vandergrift who served part-time from 1967 to 1994. St. Mark’s took a risk in 2001, hiring a full-time priest using some of their savings. This priest left in 2003 and St. Mark’s then hired our present priest, also full-time, in 2004, continuing our mission-focused ministry. St. Mark’s also has been led by faithful lay leadership through all these times, including lay reader Sam Barclay, serving in that capacity for the last 53 years and still a vital part of parish leadership. These recent years have been a time of growth and renewal for St. Mark’s, welcoming families new to the area, and developing in ministry and faithfulness. Many new members have taken on leadership roles in Christian Education and our new Nursery.
Come be part of this history and help us to write new chapters of what God is doing in Honey Brook.
For more information on history of clergy and lay leadership, click here