St. Mark’s is engaged in a number of ministries to the glory of God in our congregation, our community and the world. Click the short cuts above or scroll down to read about the various ways you can join us in ministry. For more information on Youth and family ministries, click the link to the left.
Worship of God in community forms the core of our life together at St. Mark’s. We gather each week for the Eucharist, where the congregation takes an active roll. Our Choir leads us in song, a large cadre of Sunday volunteers provide a rotation of greeters to bid us welcome, ushers to help bring the offerings of bread (baked by parishioners), wine, money and food to the table, Lay Readers to proclaim scripture and lead the prayers, and lay Eucharistic Ministers and Acolytes to assist at communion. Parishioners provide a warm welcome with food and drink following the service for our time of fellowship. A faithful Altar Guild keeps our table set and decorated with well-tended linens and flowers. New parishioners are always welcome to join in these ministries as we worship God together! For more information, contact Sharon Levering about the choir; Jim Holt about Sunday Volunteers; and Verna Emery about the Altar Guild.[top of page]
We also gather for study and prayer in fulfillment of our baptismal vows to continue in the apostles’ teaching and the prayers. We have Christian Formation for all ages on Sunday mornings from 9:30 until the service begins. Sunday Study for adults and older youth and Sunday School for preschool through 5th grade, and Youth for 6th -12th grade, meet in the Parish House up the street. The Nursery for infants and toddlers runs from 10:15 – noon in the church building. Though all infants and children are welcome for all of worship, Children’s Chapel for preschool through 5th grade is usually available during the Liturgy of the Word (the first half of the service). The kids then join their families for communion.
Other opportunities for growth in our relationships with God and each other exist in small group Bible studies, and ministries such as the Daughters of the King, a women’s organization devoted to Prayer, Service and Evangelism.
For more information, contact the parish office (610-942-2365) or contact Matt Clayton reagarding the nursery, Kim Bencker about Childern's Chapel, Marnie Ohs about Sunday School, and Tom Pumphrey about Sunday Study. [top of page]
St. Mark’s pursues the Great Commission by drawing others into the life of the church and nurturing them to be disciples of Jesus Christ. Our Evangelism & Parish Life ministries include Communications such as this website, a monthly newsletter, local advertisement and press releases, Events for the community such as concerts and barbeques, a Hospitality Team to follow-up with visitors and host welcome dinners, and a Kitchen Team to support our ample Sunday refreshments. Join us in finding creative ways to share the Good News and grow in Christ together.
The Episcopal Church Women (ECW) also supports Evangelism and Parish Life by organizing periodic parish lunches such as our Advent lunch and Pancake Lunch before Lent, and raising funds fopr parish outreach. Watch the calendar for parish barbeques, Sunday lunches and other parish and community events.
For more information, contact the parish office (610-942-2365) or contact Melynda Wagner.[top of page]
Relationship with God and relationship with others in Christ is at the core of the church’s mission. St. Mark’s works to nurture our relationships in Christ through pastoral care, parish life events and through nurturing relationships in other areas of ministry. Our Priest, The Rev. Tom Pumphrey, is available for pastoral conversations, prayer, support and the sacraments of the church. St. Mark’s also involves lay people in ministry, as Eucharistic Ministers to bring the sacrament to those who cannot join us Sunday mornings, as intercessors in a prayer chain, and through a prayer shawl ministry. Parishioners knit prayer shawls which are blessed by the prayers of the community during worship and taken to those who are ill or in need in the congregation and the wider community. St. Mark’s is also engaged in that informal pastoral care known as graciousness and friendship!
For more information, contact Sally Barclay or the parish office (610-942-2365). [top of page]
St. Mark’s supports many ministries to the local and global communities. Our diocesan support helps organizations such as Episcopal Community Services reach out to the needs of people in Coatesville and other at-risk neighborhoods. Closer to home, we support Steeple-to-People ministries with regular donations of food from our Sunday offering, as well as clothing and other items for their thrift shop. STP is an ecumenical Christian organization that helps people in need in the Honey Brook area. St. Mark’s also supports Church World Service, a global missions network; ASAP, an organization that helps those suffering from the spinal cord illness, Syringomelia; House of His Creation, an organization supporting pregnant and parenting teens; Seamen’s Institute, a portside ministry to marine ship workers; Ronald McDonald House; Samaritan’s Purse, providing Christmas presents to child victims of natural disasters; Project Linus, providing blankets for the comfort of children with serious illness, and the parish Prayer Shawl ministry, knitting and blessing prayer shawls for the comfort of people facing illness or hardship (see Christian Relationships above). For more information, contact the parish office (610-942-2365), or contact Ivanna Freeman. [top of page]
Vocation is the Christian practice of listening for God's direction. Stewardship is the Christian practice that recognizes that all that we have comes from God. Christian Stewardship seeks to manage all the gifts given to us as God would have us manage them, both in how we choose what to contribute to others and how we manage what we “keep” for ourselves. Christian Stewardship examines the use of our time, talents, skills, energies, attention, financial resources and material resources. Vocation looks ahead to see where God is calling us next.
St. Mark’s engages the ministry of Stewardship & Vocation chiefly through the Vestry, the board of lay leaders charged with leading ministry and tending to church finances and property. The Buildings and Grounds Committee plans and manages the maintenance and improvement of our Church building, Parish House, Rectory and grounds. The Cemetery Superintendant manages the upkeep of our historic Cemetery. The vestry also exercises stewardship in the guiding of parish ministries and in long-term and short term planning to carry out our mission and the vision to which we believe St. Mark’s is called by God. In all we do, we seek to tend these resources as God would have us do so.
Pledging is a discipline that helps us to insure that we, as individual households, are generous to those outside our own home. Pledging also helps the vestry plan for a budget in the coming year. Various households use different strategies to insure that they are giving generously beyond themselves. The Biblical and historic standard of financial giving is 10% of one’s income—a standard that sounds challenging to many, but is a blessing to those who have adopted it. St. Mark’s is currently investing in its future by spending savings on full-time ordained leadership and other ministries that will help us stay faithful to our calling with long-term stability. Help us to reach these goals through your faithful stewardship. For more information, contact the parish office (610-942-2365), or contact Tom Knight about finances and pledging, and Sam Barclay about the Cemetery (see also our webpage on the Cemetery). [top of page]
The Daughters of the King is an international order of lay women devoted to Prayer, Service and Evangelism. The St. Mark’s “Christus Rex” Chapter of DOK meets once each month to share our journey with Christ, to pray for each other and for the parish, and to plan and support outreach and evangelism programs at St. Mark’s. DOK welcomes visitors to our meetings to learn more about our ministry and fellowship. For more information, contact the parish office (610-942-2365), or contact Holly Weaver. [top of page]
The Episcopal Church Women (ECW) is a stalwart tradition in Episcopal Churches. Any female member of St. Mark’s is automatically a member of the ECW. At St. Mark’s, the ECW generally supports parish life events such as the pancake lunch and Advent dinner. For more information, contact the parish office (610-942-2365), or contact Marnie Ohs. [top of page]