Join a Small Group Ministry
Using Your Gifts…
Participate in Our Services and Events
Join a Fellowship Group
Take a Lead Part in Worship
Help Behind the Scenes
Become a Member of an Order
"Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord."
- 1 Corinthians 12:4-5
Using Your Gifts… [top]
Among the opportunities listed here, you will surely find one or several ways in which you may share your gifts. Please speak with one of our
clergy, a member of the Vestry, or other parishioners about how you can volunteer. A list of contact names is available in the church narthex.
"Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God."
- Romans 15:7
Participate in Our Services and Events [top]
We meet often for fellowship, Christian education, and celebration.
Adult Forums are held several times each year between
Sunday services,
covering topics such as stewardship and our Haiti partnership.
Inter-Generational Activities like making Advent wreaths and home blessing kits
help families share the spiritual lessons of each season.
Baptisms, Confirmations, Weddings, and
Funerals also bring together all generations
to support one another in our community of faith.
In January, all members gather for the
Annual Parish Meeting, which follows a 9am Sunday service and includes a brunch. On
Ash Wednesday there are usually
three services held throughout the day.
Lenten Suppers and Programs guide us in our spiritual preparation for a very full schedule of
Holy Week and Easter services.
In March many of us enjoy the annual
Parish Retreat at Camp Stevens in Julian, California, and enjoy our
St. Patrick's Day celebration.
St. Mark's Day comes along
later in the spring. Several end-of-school-year events happen at St. Mark's culminating with the
Schools Graduations in June. Then in the summer we offer an
inter-generational
Vacation Bible School program.
In the fall an
Evensong service and
St. Mark's Schools' Sunday mark the beginning of the new school year. Our annual
Welcome Back Sunday is held on one Sunday in September.
And then we come together for our annual
Oktoberfest celebration.
"For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."
- Matthew 18:20
Join a Fellowship Group [top]
One of the best ways to become an integrated member of St. Mark's community of faith is to join in fellowship with others who have common interests.
One or two of several groups might be right for you
Adult Bible Study in one form or another has been held for many years. Our current
'Lectio Divina in Gratia' fills part of the time between the two Sunday
morning Holy Eucharist services. This group meets in the Guild Room at 9am-except on weeks when an Adult Forum is scheduled. They follow a specific format
for reading together the week's Gospel Lesson and inviting each person to reflect on it.
Women of St. Mark's are involved in many activities that fall under the larger Episcopal Church Women, whose origins date to the 1870s.
On the first Saturday of each month (September through June) we gather to enjoy breakfast and fellowship.
These women of faith-of all ages, ethnic origins, and socioeconomic backgrounds-are called to worship, to study, and to Christian action.
Episcopal Church Women also provides opportunities for service through affiliated organizations such as Altar Guild, Daughters of the King,
and United Thank Offering. At St. Mark's this group also includes knitters and bread bakers, and helping hands. All women are welcome.
Men of St. Mark's have met regularly for
Men's Breakfasts for more than twenty years. The men of St. Mark's parish meet
in different members' homes at 8am on the second Saturday of each month from September through June. There is no set agenda for the meetings other
than getting to know one another in order to develop and sustain friendships beyond Sunday mornings. Male guests are welcome. A reminder of time and
location will appear in the Sunday Bulletin insert.
St. Peter's Guild first met in 2005 to provide older members with some mental stimulation and friendly competition in a setting of Christian
fellowship. They gather every Thursday at 9am in the Guild Room. Named for St. Peter, the patron of many causes, this group is sometimes simply called
the Bridge Club, but it offers many diversions other than bridge. There are usually tables with games such as Rummy Tiles, SkipBo, or Pinochle.
Everyone is welcome to join them for a few hands and good coffee.
Book Club was begun in 2008 and meets monthly, usually on the third Saturday at 10am at a local café. Book selections are based on the
interests of the group and range from current fiction to spiritual memoir. New members and visitors are always welcome. Meetings provide an opportunity
for St. Mark's members to get to know one another and share ideas on a common reading experience. Watch the Sunday Bulletin and e-Good News for
more information.
Prayer Shawl Group meets every other week for about an hour-and-a-half in different members' homes to knit or crochet shawls and
lap robes which are blessed at Sunday Eucharist and then given to the sick, the homebound, or those needing an extra dose of loving care. Those who
receive the shawls need not be members of St. Mark's. All skill levels of workers meet together; help flows as freely as the fellowship, and there
is yarn to share.
"Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come before him. Worship the Lord in holy splendor."
- 1 Chronicles 16:29
Take a Lead Part in Worship [top]
At St. Mark's we are blessed with a rich and diverse worship culture. Our lay ministers-that is, all members-bring with them their own voices,
visions, and gifts. Because you are the most important representatives of the church in the world, lay ministers play key roles in our worship services
each week.
Lay Eucharistic Ministers are members who have volunteered and been trained to help the clergy administer the communion bread and wine at Sunday's
Holy Eucharist as well as at weddings and funerals.
Acolytes can be children or adults who have received training to carry the cross, the candle torches, special banners, and the Gospel book in
Sunday worship services and at other times.
Greeters welcome all worshippers as they arrive at Church. They talk to visitors and new members, answer their questions, introduce them to the
clergy and other members, and invite them to Coffee Hour following the service.
Ushers help newcomers or visitors find seats. They distribute the service Bulletins, help members and visitors find nametags, pass the offering
plates, and help as needed. The ushers also enlist volunteers to take the bread and wine forward to the altar for communion.
Lectors are those who have volunteered and come prepared to read the scripture Lessons and offer aloud the Prayers of the People each week.
Musicians lead the congregation in singing the selected hymns. They also perform special anthems, musical settings of Psalms, and instrumental music
for the 10am Choral Holy Eucharist. The Adult Choir and the Choristers (children's choir) are open to all volunteer musicians. The Handbell Choir also
welcomes new members. Individual musicians perform occasionally by invitation.
Adult Bible Study called 'Lectio Divina in Gratia' meets every Sunday at 9am in the Guild Room. Each week the group reads together and
carefully considers the Gospel Lesson for that day. All are invited to share their comments.
Sunday School meets at 10am in the classroom just off the Parish Hall. Experienced teachers and parents lead the children in activities that
correspond to that day's Gospel Lesson.
Visiting Eucharistic Ministers are volunteers who have been trained to take communion to other members who are either homebound or living in care facilities.
"Whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ."
- 1 Peter 4:11
Help Behind the Scenes [top]
While we are, of course, thankful for those members of St. Mark's who serve in public ways, we know that everyone has a different gift. Not everyone is called
to carry a banner, speak, sing, or give communion. There are also many opportunities for serving our church and parish in more quiet ways.
Altar Guild members care for the sanctuary linens and furnishings. Each week they meet before services to prepare and set out the items to be used such as
candles, chalices, the Gospel book, and holy water. Later they put these things away in the Sacristy and take the linens home to wash and iron. Members of the altar
guild also prepare the church for special services such as weddings and funerals
Flowers are chosen and arranged each week by members of the Flower Guild. Not only do they put together the large arrangements that sit near the altar, but
they also assist with plants, flowers, and other decorations for special seasons, weddings, and funerals.
Bread Bakers provide the special communion bread that is used for Sunday and Wednesday Eucharists and for weddings and funerals. A recipe is provided;
members bake bread at their homes and it is then stored in the freezer at the church.
Child Care is provided every Sunday morning and during some special services by professionals arranged for through St. Mark's Preschool. Parent volunteers
are always welcome to assist.
Coffee Hour hosts work in teams to provide the snacks for our fellowship time following the 8am and 10am Sunday services. Each team is responsible several
times a year for making coffee, supplying the food, setting it out, serving as needed, and cleaning up afterward.
Sextons help the clergy and lay leaders manage events in the church buildings. They arrive early to open doors and help set up furniture and equipment. Then
they stay late to lock up and secure the facilities.
Lending Library volunteers help organize the books that are available in the Guild Room, and we invite all members to donate volumes to the library.
Liturgical Arts volunteers design, select, and install the decorative items in the church that enhance our worship experience. With the help of those in the
Altar and Flower Guilds, these members also decorate for each season of the church year.
Gardening Guild members have chosen the name St. Fiacre's Guild after the patron saint of gardeners. Members organize monthly work parties to do planting,
trimming, weeding, and sprinkler maintenance around the St. Mark's campus. Novices and experienced gardeners are both welcome, as are "armchair" gardeners.
Anyone with sprinkler system expertise would be particularly appreciated.
Parking attendants help whenever there are special services with a large attendance. They reserve the front spaces for members who have difficulty walking and
direct drivers to overflow parking in the rear of the church.
Photographers volunteer to capture moments in the life of the church and share these pictures in publications, on the bulletin board, and on the website.
They also maintain the members' photo board that is displayed in the Parish Hall.
Folders meet at the church office every Friday morning to fold the Sunday Bulletins and add that week's inserts. They also occasionally help the church
office staff with other printed materials and mailings.
Counters take the responsibility for counting the Sunday offerings, making sure all contributions are deposited into the correct funds, recording members'
pledges, and reporting to the parish business manager.
Kitchen Witches help on an occasional basis to clean the church kitchen and straighten the cupboards and shelves. Volunteers are always needed.
Birthday Cards are prepared and mailed out to members by volunteers who do this from home. A calendar, addresses, cards, and stamps are provided.
Helping Hands are available to assist other members in special times of need-to help by providing food or transportation and making phone calls, for example.
"God saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace."
- 2 Timothy 1:9
Become a Member of an Order [top]
Those who feel a special calling may wish to join one of the two active lay ministry orders we have at St. Mark's.
Order of the Daughters of the King is a lay women's order that is open to women of the Episcopal church and other churches in communion with it. The order
promotes a spiritual sisterhood of women dedicated to lives of prayer, service, and evangelism. The Sancta Sophia chapter at St. Mark's meets on the third
Wednesday and the fourth Monday of each month at 7pm in the Guild Room. The main purpose of each meeting is to pray for each person in the parish who has requested
special prayer. The chapter at St. Mark's is one of the largest in the Diocese of Los Angeles. Newcomers are welcome to join the training program offered every
year or two.
Order of St. Luke the Physician is an international and ecumenical organization dedicated to the Christian healing ministry. Members meet together in local
chapters to study Scripture-especially the biblical stories of the healing miracles-as well as other books on Christian healing. Members also engage in
prayers for healing, often with the laying on of hands. On the first Sunday of each month, members of the order hold a healing service following Holy Eucharist at
both services. They welcome anyone with a request for healing for themselves or others to join with them in the chapel for prayers and anointing with holy oil.
