Welcome to St. Mark's!

Called to be Christ Centered

Touching Lives + Transforming Hearts + Teaching God's Word

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Our Church

Membership

"For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body- Jews or Greeks, slaves or free- and all were made to drink of one Spirit."
1 Cor 12:12-13

There are several ways to join our parish and our staff is ready and willing to help you through the process. We want to answer any questions you may have.

Baptism

Baptism is one of the two great sacraments of the Christian faith. The second great sacrament is Holy Communion.

"Holy Baptism is the sacrament by which God adopts us as his children and makes us members of Christ's Body, the Church, and inheritors of the kingdom of God." (Book of Common Prayer). Our baptism is our initiation into the Body of Christ, it is a sacrament celebrated when the other members are present, usually on Sunday mornings.

At St. Mark's baptisms are held on the traditional days for baptism in the liturgical calendar (Feast of the Baptism of our Lord, Easter Eve, The Day of Pentecost, All Saints' Sunday) as well as other Sundays.

Anyone can request and receive the sacrament of Holy Baptism. Part of our tradition is that we baptize infants and so many new parents come to our parish seeking to find a place to raise their children in Christian faith and love. We ask families to show a history of attendance in the parish and to participate in an instructional class. The class is offered for parents and God-parents of infants and for youth seeking baptism. Adults seeking Baptism are requested to participate in our Adult Inquirers and Confirmation Classes.

Those whose baptisms have been registered in the Episcopal Church are considered baptized members. Upon reaching 16 years of age, baptized members are considered to be adult members. It is expected that all adult members of the Episcopal Church will be confirmed or received at some point.

Confirmation

Confirmation is a pastoral rite in The Episcopal Church, which means it is not a rite that notes some fuller initiation into the Church, the Body of Christ. A person is a full member of the Church through Baptism. Confirmation, as defined in the Book of Common Prayer, is "a mature public affirmation of faith and commitment to the responsibilities of Baptism." At Confirmation, an individual receives the laying on of hands by the bishop, thereby affirming their own faith and visibly connecting to the broader Body of Christ.

It is our practice that all dult members of this Church, after appropriate instruction, made a mature public affirmation of their faith and commitment to the responsibilities of their Baptism and will be confirmed or received by a Bishop of this Church or by a Bishop of a Church in communion with this Church. Those who have previously made a mature public commitment in another Church may be received, but not confirmed.

Received

Baptized persons who have received the laying-on of hands at Confirmation by a Bishop in apostolic succession should be considered baptized and confirmed and may therefore be received by a Bishop in this church.

A person seeking to join the Episcopal Church from another Christian church, if that person has been baptized with water and in the name of the Trinity, may become a baptized member of the Episcopal Church by having their baptism duly recorded in this church.

Transfer

The Episcopal Church recognizes all persons baptized with water and in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as members of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. A letter is submitted to your previous parish and your membership is transferred upon the return of that information. If you are unsure of when and where your letter of member is located, please contact our office for assistance.