Parking:  Space in the front lot is very limited and intended for those with some difficulty in walking or handling stairs, but there’s plenty of room in the lot down the driveway, behind the church and school buildings.

Childcare: It’s especially good to park behind the church and school buildings if you have nursery-age children.  The Nursery is in Room 1, at the bottom of the stairs. All young children are welcome. (We have professional, screened childcare personnel.)

The Entry Hall (also called the Narthex): On the east side, you’ll see our beautifully restored stained glass windows and our Name Tag Cabinet.  Maybe you’ll find your first name there or you can choose to wear a tag with the name of a person in our church history.  If not, on the table to the west are stick-on nametags.  We encourage you to sign the Visitors’ Book so we can respond to your presence. 

You will find friendly people, too: Greeters to make you welcome and Ushers to hand you a Bulletin.  Any of them will happy to answer questions and introduce you to other people. Through the door to the east are the Parish Hall, the restrooms, and the room where the Children’s Sunday School meets. All children in grades 1-6 are welcome. The teachers are screened  professionals.

The Worship Area (also called the Sanctuary): Recent renovations have included air conditioning/heating and new pews, so we’re much more comfortable!  There are spaces for wheelchairs, kneelers, and a bookrack on the back of each pew. The blue book is the Hymnal and the red book is the Book of Common Prayer. Your children are welcome to sit with you, if you prefer not to leave them in the Nursery or the Children’s Sunday School. Our order of service with its Liturgy, lessons, prayers, and hymns comes from the Prayer Book, but it’s always printed in the Bulletin to make it easier to follow along.  (The Bulletin also has a colored section of announcements to help everyone know what’s happening during the week.)  Generally, we stand to sing, sit to listen (except that we stand for the Gospel, which is read from the center aisle), and either kneel or stand to pray. 

Communion (also called The Eucharist): This is the center of our worship.  All are welcome to receive the Bread and the Wine, which represent the body and blood of Christ. If you prefer not to receive, you are still welcome to come forward for a blessing.  Just cross your arms across your chest to indicate your wish. The 8:00 service is a spoken service, with a hymn only at the end. At the 10:00 service you will notice that St. Mark’s is a very musical church.  We are especially proud of our music program, led by Bill Carrington, Director of Music, and Natalie Dunlap, Bell Choir conductor. Our historic organ has an incredibly beautiful sound.

Coffee Hour:  All are welcome to light refreshments in the Parish Hall. Father Keith invites all newcomers to talk to him for a few minutes, after getting coffee. Please feel free, also, to take any pamphlets or leaflets from the table in the Entry Hall and to request a nametag for the next time you are here.

If you are new to the Episcopal Church, or would like more information, you might want to visit the official website for the Episcopal Church.  Their webpage for Visitors is especially helpful.

We hope you’ll be blessed by the service and warmed by the fellowship and join us again…and again.