Saint Marks offers many ministry groups for all ages!
Sunday School
Welcome to St. Mark’s Sunday School for children in preschool through grade 5. All parish children and visiting children and friends are welcome to join the Sunday School class at the 10am service. The children participate in their own kid-friendly chapel time and then learn more about God’s kingdom through lessons, stories, and hands-on crafts and projects guided by a warm, caring, creative, and enthusiastic group of adult volunteers. At the start of the Communion liturgy, the children rejoin their parents to share “the breaking of the bread” with the rest of the church community.
We are using “Weaving God’s Promises” curriculum which follows a three year cycle covering the basic themes of Weaving our Faith, Weaving Together the Family of God, and Weaving God’s Beloved Community. In order to help build this foundation of education, worship, and service, the students study Holy Scripture, the Church including church history, seasons, practices, sacraments, etc. and the application of Christian living to our lives through prayer, outreach, and service. One Sunday each month is set aside for Hands-On-Worship (HOW) where the children get their creative juices flowing with special art projects and opportunities for service.
Young people in grades 6 and above are invited to participate in our St. Mark’s Puppet Gang which performs periodically throughout the year. All the Sunday School children participate in the puppet performance during Christmas by singing along and dressing up as their favorite Nativity people and animals.
We welcome you and your child to share with us in many other seasonal and fun activities throughout the year. Look for family friendly special events announced in the bulletin and weekly newsletter.
Growth Committee
The Growth Committee focuses on providing a welcoming environment for visitors and newcomers, as well as supporting current members.
Initiatives have included:
• arranging for Greeters for the 10 o’clock service
• providing Visitor/Newcomer Bags
• accompanying visitors to coffee hour
• developing printed helpful information in the pews about the service
• creating a parish directory
• regularly sending notecards to parishioners unable to attend Sunday services
• suggesting changes to our Sunday bulletin to make it more informative and easy to follow for both visitors and current members
The committee consists of 7-8 parishioners who meet between the 8 and 10 o’clock services about once every two months to explore new ideas.
Prayer Chain
All are welcome to participate in the St. Mark's Prayer Chain. It is a private group who are notified by e-mail of those who are in need of prayers. This list is not published in the church bulletin's Prayer Concerns, unless specified. Names are added & deleted as needed, and updates are encouraged & shared. Please contact Bobbi Gordon @ ggordon24@sbcglobal.net with requests. Join us and experience the Power of Prayer.
MOD Squad
At 6:30 PM the third Wednesday of every month, St. Marks men gather at a local restaurant for dinner and fellowship. We have named the group The MOD Squad (men out dining). There are no presentations or agenda, just an opportunity for fellowship outside the time constraints and formality of the Sunday service. Locations change monthly and are selected by the group , with the guidance that we try for non-chain local restaurants. Average meeting attendance for the past year was 12.
Because we book reservations, we have requested that attendees advise if they plan to attend by Monday, the week of the dinner. All St. Mark's church men and their guests are welcome. All active MOD Squad members and those who have expressed an interest are added to an e-mailing list and are advised and reminded by email of the dinner location dinner several times prior to the dinner. A "reply" as to your intent to attend to this email is all that is required to confirm your reservation.
MOD Squad dinner dates and locations are published in the Church Bulletin and on the Facebook page the week prior to the meeting.
Wednesday Bible Study
OUR GROUP MEETS WEDNESDAY AT 9:30 A.M. ENDING AT NOON. WE STUDY THE BIBLE AND ALSO BOOKS RELATING TO THE BIBLE. EVERYONE IS WELCOME!
Cluster Dinners
Cluster Dinners are a relaxed, social opportunity for fellowship and dining. Adults, singles or couples, sign up and are assigned to groups of 6-9. A beginning host is assigned for each group who arranges the first date and potluck menu. The groups meet once a month for 3 months; then the group members are reshuffled into new groups. Most gatherings are in homes for dinner, but a few times a group has met in local restaurants. Brunch after church is a good time to get together, too. Participants have become well acquainted with each other, and therefore, are able to care about and for each other. The opening of one’s home is an act of giving/hospitality; and those who visit in homes practice the art of receiving. The Cluster Dinners have been a means of parish building through fellowship.
MaryAnn Kiesling, contact person. Email the church office for more information.
Women's Lunch Bunch
Lectors and Eucharistic Ministers
Reading aloud the Word of God to the faithful during worship is a ministry of the church with roots firmly established in the Old Testament. It is second only to the priesthood in its importance. Some would say that hearing the Word is the sole point and purpose of our church services; that all our rites are meant to glorify God's word and not be an end in themselves, but simply an embellishment of the promises made to us in the Holy Scriptures.
Types of Liturgical Ministers
The cannons of The Episcopal Church specify three types of Liturgical Ministers: Eucharistic Minister, Worship Leader and Eucharistic Visitor. In addition, laypersons may serve as Lectors.
Lectors are appointed by the Rector. Their duties are to read from Holy Scripture and selected portions of the Book of Common Prayer as applicable.
Qualifications
The qualifications for being a Liturgical Minister at St. Mark's are these: The applicant must be a confirmed or received member of the parish. (Exceptions can be made for the office of Lector at the discretion of the Rector.) The applicant must be regular in participating in the worship of the Church and in receiving Holy Communion. The applicant must be active in support of the needs of the parish, both financially and /or with the gift of talents. The applicant must be approved by the Rector. In the absence of a Rector, the applicant must be approved by the Senior Warden and the Vestry. Most importantly, the applicant must feel that in participating in Liturgical Ministry, he or she is making a sincere commitment to God and to the Church. Liturgical Ministers are not permanently licensed. Licenses are renewed on a three year cycle by the Diocese. You will be notified when licenses are to be renewed, and asked if you wish to continue as a Liturgical Minister.
BrewMeisters
The BrewMeisters Group is a loosely organized and loosely run group of folks who enjoy beer. We brew it, we talk about it, and most organizational decisions are made while tipping a pint or two of it. On those occasions when we brew beer at the church, the air in the sanctuary on the following Sunday is filled with the sweet fragrance of fermenting hops.
In addition to brewing beer, the BrewMeisters also hosts a lecture series on craft beers, an event we call Summer Brews, Blues, and Barbeque, St. Mark’s Oktoberfest, and micro-brewery tours.
We currently have four brew “teams” comprised of men and women of all ages, and our membership is always open to more. We welcome anyone who enjoys the company of fun-loving people.
Code Warm
Helping those in need get through the cold Northeast Ohio winters, especially our area homeless people, is the primary goal of CODE WARM. Blankets, winter coats, hats, and scarves are collected to provide warmth to those who are facing cold temperatures. St. Mark’s parishioners oversee the effort and act as the collection point, while donations come from members, friends, organizations, and area businesses. The items collected are delivered directly to several inner city missions who then distribute them to those who need them the most. Missions we have supported in the past include Hope Outreach Ministries (primary), Turnaround Community Outreach, Canton Calvary Mission, the YWCA Women’s Shelter, and outreach programs at area schools. This program was conceived by one of our younger parishioners and is embraced by the entire St. Mark’s community.
Lazarus Committee
Saint Mark’s Resurrection Chapel/Columbarium
Throughout history it has been the function of the church to baptize us when we are born and to bury us when we die, but as the cemeteries of churches filled up and as land everywhere became more expensive churches largely abandoned the accustomed role of providing a place for burial. Commercial cemeteries began to fill this void and soon even the sacrament of burial began to be conducted in funeral parlors, totally removed from the context of the church. As burial of the dead became more and more commercialized, it also became more and more expensive until it was in danger of losing all religious meanings.
Concerned with its ministry to our community, and wishing to provide dignified Christian burial at a reasonable cost, St. Mark’s decided to offer the privilege of a burial within a parish chapel/columbarium for members of the parish family and members of their families who qualify.
The practice of cremation is totally consistent with our understanding of the Christian faith, and the beauty of this facility will be a proclamation of our faith in the resurrection of the dead.
The columbarium itself is harmonious within its setting among, the buildings of St. Mark’s Church and is comprised of niches set into masonry walls. Simple and dignified in concept, the structure expresses the ideal of Christian burial that the church has always upheld.
The structure was dedicated and consecrated by Suffragan Bishop Arthur Williams, on Sunday, June 25, 1989. This set this structure aside as a holy and consecrated part of the church and thus requires us to make due consideration of this special aspect of the chapel/columbarium use.
For information regarding St. Mark’s Columbarium contact the rector of church office.
Episcopal Church Women (ECW)
Knitting Club
United Thank Offering (UTO)
One Stop Service Shop
St. Mark's "OneStopServiceShop" offers a list of services to share with our parishioners needing a helping hand. Whether it be in or around your home or traveling the community, our St. Mark's "ServiceEngineers" can place your order and arrange for a "ServiceTechnician" (St. Mark's volunteer) to attend to your need.
The "OneStopServiceShop" is for all parishioners. We all have times when we could use a helping hand or two or three. "Help Us, Help You" and strengthen the bonds of faith and service which bring us together as the Body of Christ.
Cooking with Care
Community Harvest
Serving the area hungry has long been a concern of St. Mark’s parishioners. Recent statistics show that over 20% of our area residents are “food insecure”, meaning they are not getting nutritious food on a regular basis. The percentage is even higher among children. One of the local food charities we support is Community Harvest through our Souper Bowl Sunday project. On the first Sunday in February, instead of having a parish Super Bowl party with food and frivolity, we instead collect funds that day to help rescue prepared and perishable foods that would otherwise be discarded. Our efforts helped Community Harvest rescue $1.7 million of food on its way to the dumpster. Instead, it went to 32 area hot meal sites to feed hungry people. Community Harvest is just one of the ways we address food insecurity. Members also help serve at St. Paul’s hot lunch downtown and assist with the Downtown Thanksgiving Basket program.
Altar Guild
Choir/Handbells
Our choir sings for the 10:00 o'clock service each Sunday from September to May. We usually have one anthem and one solo in each service. We rehearse before the service at 9:00 but several times a year we meet in the Kathleen Morrison Choir room downstairs for more intensive preparation. We have a set of 25 Schulmerich Handbells, the gift of June Lockhart in memory of her husband, and 37 ChoirChimes in memory of Bob Morrison's parents. Bells/Chimes play for all major festivals and other occasions as announced. We use mallets, the gift of Marilyn Croasdaile and have started experimenting with the "singing bell" technique in which a continuous sound is drawn from the bells by rotating a dowel rod around the bell's rim. Our resident timpanist John Gregory plays most Sundays and our resident pianist, Ron Hill, is a frequent participant.
Health and Wellness Ministry
The heath and wellness ministry offers fitness and meditation classes, as well as motivational talks and speakers. We currently offer beginner yoga the third Thursday of every month for $10.00, as well as chair yoga once a month as announced.
Welcome to St. Mark’s Sunday School for children in preschool through grade 5. All parish children and visiting children and friends are welcome to join the Sunday School class at the 10am service. The children participate in their own kid-friendly chapel time and then learn more about God’s kingdom through lessons, stories, and hands-on crafts and projects guided by a warm, caring, creative, and enthusiastic group of adult volunteers. At the start of the Communion liturgy, the children rejoin their parents to share “the breaking of the bread” with the rest of the church community.
We are using “Weaving God’s Promises” curriculum which follows a three year cycle covering the basic themes of Weaving our Faith, Weaving Together the Family of God, and Weaving God’s Beloved Community. In order to help build this foundation of education, worship, and service, the students study Holy Scripture, the Church including church history, seasons, practices, sacraments, etc. and the application of Christian living to our lives through prayer, outreach, and service. One Sunday each month is set aside for Hands-On-Worship (HOW) where the children get their creative juices flowing with special art projects and opportunities for service.
Young people in grades 6 and above are invited to participate in our St. Mark’s Puppet Gang which performs periodically throughout the year. All the Sunday School children participate in the puppet performance during Christmas by singing along and dressing up as their favorite Nativity people and animals.
We welcome you and your child to share with us in many other seasonal and fun activities throughout the year. Look for family friendly special events announced in the bulletin and weekly newsletter.
Growth Committee
The Growth Committee focuses on providing a welcoming environment for visitors and newcomers, as well as supporting current members.
Initiatives have included:
• arranging for Greeters for the 10 o’clock service
• providing Visitor/Newcomer Bags
• accompanying visitors to coffee hour
• developing printed helpful information in the pews about the service
• creating a parish directory
• regularly sending notecards to parishioners unable to attend Sunday services
• suggesting changes to our Sunday bulletin to make it more informative and easy to follow for both visitors and current members
The committee consists of 7-8 parishioners who meet between the 8 and 10 o’clock services about once every two months to explore new ideas.
Prayer Chain
All are welcome to participate in the St. Mark's Prayer Chain. It is a private group who are notified by e-mail of those who are in need of prayers. This list is not published in the church bulletin's Prayer Concerns, unless specified. Names are added & deleted as needed, and updates are encouraged & shared. Please contact Bobbi Gordon @ ggordon24@sbcglobal.net with requests. Join us and experience the Power of Prayer.
MOD Squad
At 6:30 PM the third Wednesday of every month, St. Marks men gather at a local restaurant for dinner and fellowship. We have named the group The MOD Squad (men out dining). There are no presentations or agenda, just an opportunity for fellowship outside the time constraints and formality of the Sunday service. Locations change monthly and are selected by the group , with the guidance that we try for non-chain local restaurants. Average meeting attendance for the past year was 12.
Because we book reservations, we have requested that attendees advise if they plan to attend by Monday, the week of the dinner. All St. Mark's church men and their guests are welcome. All active MOD Squad members and those who have expressed an interest are added to an e-mailing list and are advised and reminded by email of the dinner location dinner several times prior to the dinner. A "reply" as to your intent to attend to this email is all that is required to confirm your reservation.
MOD Squad dinner dates and locations are published in the Church Bulletin and on the Facebook page the week prior to the meeting.
Wednesday Bible Study
OUR GROUP MEETS WEDNESDAY AT 9:30 A.M. ENDING AT NOON. WE STUDY THE BIBLE AND ALSO BOOKS RELATING TO THE BIBLE. EVERYONE IS WELCOME!
Cluster Dinners
Cluster Dinners are a relaxed, social opportunity for fellowship and dining. Adults, singles or couples, sign up and are assigned to groups of 6-9. A beginning host is assigned for each group who arranges the first date and potluck menu. The groups meet once a month for 3 months; then the group members are reshuffled into new groups. Most gatherings are in homes for dinner, but a few times a group has met in local restaurants. Brunch after church is a good time to get together, too. Participants have become well acquainted with each other, and therefore, are able to care about and for each other. The opening of one’s home is an act of giving/hospitality; and those who visit in homes practice the art of receiving. The Cluster Dinners have been a means of parish building through fellowship.
MaryAnn Kiesling, contact person. Email the church office for more information.
Women's Lunch Bunch
Lectors and Eucharistic Ministers
Reading aloud the Word of God to the faithful during worship is a ministry of the church with roots firmly established in the Old Testament. It is second only to the priesthood in its importance. Some would say that hearing the Word is the sole point and purpose of our church services; that all our rites are meant to glorify God's word and not be an end in themselves, but simply an embellishment of the promises made to us in the Holy Scriptures.
Types of Liturgical Ministers
The cannons of The Episcopal Church specify three types of Liturgical Ministers: Eucharistic Minister, Worship Leader and Eucharistic Visitor. In addition, laypersons may serve as Lectors.
Lectors are appointed by the Rector. Their duties are to read from Holy Scripture and selected portions of the Book of Common Prayer as applicable.
Qualifications
The qualifications for being a Liturgical Minister at St. Mark's are these: The applicant must be a confirmed or received member of the parish. (Exceptions can be made for the office of Lector at the discretion of the Rector.) The applicant must be regular in participating in the worship of the Church and in receiving Holy Communion. The applicant must be active in support of the needs of the parish, both financially and /or with the gift of talents. The applicant must be approved by the Rector. In the absence of a Rector, the applicant must be approved by the Senior Warden and the Vestry. Most importantly, the applicant must feel that in participating in Liturgical Ministry, he or she is making a sincere commitment to God and to the Church. Liturgical Ministers are not permanently licensed. Licenses are renewed on a three year cycle by the Diocese. You will be notified when licenses are to be renewed, and asked if you wish to continue as a Liturgical Minister.
BrewMeisters
The BrewMeisters Group is a loosely organized and loosely run group of folks who enjoy beer. We brew it, we talk about it, and most organizational decisions are made while tipping a pint or two of it. On those occasions when we brew beer at the church, the air in the sanctuary on the following Sunday is filled with the sweet fragrance of fermenting hops.
In addition to brewing beer, the BrewMeisters also hosts a lecture series on craft beers, an event we call Summer Brews, Blues, and Barbeque, St. Mark’s Oktoberfest, and micro-brewery tours.
We currently have four brew “teams” comprised of men and women of all ages, and our membership is always open to more. We welcome anyone who enjoys the company of fun-loving people.
Code Warm
Helping those in need get through the cold Northeast Ohio winters, especially our area homeless people, is the primary goal of CODE WARM. Blankets, winter coats, hats, and scarves are collected to provide warmth to those who are facing cold temperatures. St. Mark’s parishioners oversee the effort and act as the collection point, while donations come from members, friends, organizations, and area businesses. The items collected are delivered directly to several inner city missions who then distribute them to those who need them the most. Missions we have supported in the past include Hope Outreach Ministries (primary), Turnaround Community Outreach, Canton Calvary Mission, the YWCA Women’s Shelter, and outreach programs at area schools. This program was conceived by one of our younger parishioners and is embraced by the entire St. Mark’s community.
Lazarus Committee
Saint Mark’s Resurrection Chapel/Columbarium
Throughout history it has been the function of the church to baptize us when we are born and to bury us when we die, but as the cemeteries of churches filled up and as land everywhere became more expensive churches largely abandoned the accustomed role of providing a place for burial. Commercial cemeteries began to fill this void and soon even the sacrament of burial began to be conducted in funeral parlors, totally removed from the context of the church. As burial of the dead became more and more commercialized, it also became more and more expensive until it was in danger of losing all religious meanings.
Concerned with its ministry to our community, and wishing to provide dignified Christian burial at a reasonable cost, St. Mark’s decided to offer the privilege of a burial within a parish chapel/columbarium for members of the parish family and members of their families who qualify.
The practice of cremation is totally consistent with our understanding of the Christian faith, and the beauty of this facility will be a proclamation of our faith in the resurrection of the dead.
The columbarium itself is harmonious within its setting among, the buildings of St. Mark’s Church and is comprised of niches set into masonry walls. Simple and dignified in concept, the structure expresses the ideal of Christian burial that the church has always upheld.
The structure was dedicated and consecrated by Suffragan Bishop Arthur Williams, on Sunday, June 25, 1989. This set this structure aside as a holy and consecrated part of the church and thus requires us to make due consideration of this special aspect of the chapel/columbarium use.
For information regarding St. Mark’s Columbarium contact the rector of church office.
Episcopal Church Women (ECW)
Knitting Club
United Thank Offering (UTO)
One Stop Service Shop
St. Mark's "OneStopServiceShop" offers a list of services to share with our parishioners needing a helping hand. Whether it be in or around your home or traveling the community, our St. Mark's "ServiceEngineers" can place your order and arrange for a "ServiceTechnician" (St. Mark's volunteer) to attend to your need.
The "OneStopServiceShop" is for all parishioners. We all have times when we could use a helping hand or two or three. "Help Us, Help You" and strengthen the bonds of faith and service which bring us together as the Body of Christ.
Cooking with Care
Community Harvest
Serving the area hungry has long been a concern of St. Mark’s parishioners. Recent statistics show that over 20% of our area residents are “food insecure”, meaning they are not getting nutritious food on a regular basis. The percentage is even higher among children. One of the local food charities we support is Community Harvest through our Souper Bowl Sunday project. On the first Sunday in February, instead of having a parish Super Bowl party with food and frivolity, we instead collect funds that day to help rescue prepared and perishable foods that would otherwise be discarded. Our efforts helped Community Harvest rescue $1.7 million of food on its way to the dumpster. Instead, it went to 32 area hot meal sites to feed hungry people. Community Harvest is just one of the ways we address food insecurity. Members also help serve at St. Paul’s hot lunch downtown and assist with the Downtown Thanksgiving Basket program.
Altar Guild
Choir/Handbells
Our choir sings for the 10:00 o'clock service each Sunday from September to May. We usually have one anthem and one solo in each service. We rehearse before the service at 9:00 but several times a year we meet in the Kathleen Morrison Choir room downstairs for more intensive preparation. We have a set of 25 Schulmerich Handbells, the gift of June Lockhart in memory of her husband, and 37 ChoirChimes in memory of Bob Morrison's parents. Bells/Chimes play for all major festivals and other occasions as announced. We use mallets, the gift of Marilyn Croasdaile and have started experimenting with the "singing bell" technique in which a continuous sound is drawn from the bells by rotating a dowel rod around the bell's rim. Our resident timpanist John Gregory plays most Sundays and our resident pianist, Ron Hill, is a frequent participant.
Health and Wellness Ministry
The heath and wellness ministry offers fitness and meditation classes, as well as motivational talks and speakers. We currently offer beginner yoga the third Thursday of every month for $10.00, as well as chair yoga once a month as announced.