Worship at St. Mark's
Blessing of Guide dogs on feast of
St. Francis of Assisi
Worship is at the core of St. Mark's. We offer two services ofCommunion (or Eucharist) each Sunday, at 8 a.m. and at 10 a.m. Our services follow a prescribed liturgy, which is found in the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer (available online). The first part of the service includes readings from the Old Testament, the New Testament (usually an epistle), and a Gospel reading. The Sunday sermon is about 15 minutes long and based on the scripture readings. After the sermon, an offertory and Eucharist celebration, with communion, follows.
There are also Eucharists on Wednesdays and Fridays at 12:10 p.m. unless otherwise noted in our calendar.
Throughout the year, there are also special services, such as the Feast of St. Francis, where parishioners bring their dogs to church for a blessing.
The 8 a.m. Sunday Eucharist is offered in our chapel. This service is a simple spoken liturgy with a sermon and Eucharist, but no music. It is generally about 45-50 minutes in duration.
The 10 a.m. Sunday Eucharist service is our primary liturgy and is offered in the nave (main church). With organ music, resounding hymns and special anthems or motets, (September through June, when the choir is present), a sermon, Eucharist, and announcements, this Eucharistic celebration brings together the St. Mark's community.
During this service, we offer childcare for infants and very young children, and Sunday school for children of school age (See our family page). Children frequently join the service after Sunday School to receive communion with their parents and the congregation.
This liturgy generally runs about 75 minutes, depending on the music and/or other special observances. A coffee hour follows the service, and many of us continue to the weekly forum discussions held in the church library.
Our services are normally offered according to Rite II of the Book of Common Prayer. For five weeks each year, often during Lent, we use Rite I. For five additional weeks at a different time each year, we use an approved alternative liturgy. For congregational singing, we make use of the Hymnal 1982 as well as the supplementary collections Wonder, Love, and Praise and Voices Found.