Our Congregation
St. Mark's congregation may be characterized as highly educated and diverse. But what does that mean?
An Educated Congregation
The parish is blessed by its proximity to two eminent academic institutions, the University of California at Berkeley and the Church Divinity School of the Pacific/Graduate Theological Union. Although our members are by no means all academics, we are a congregation of people who love to curl up with a good book and who take ideas seriously. That also means that we have a great many ideas—and forceful opinions. It is safe to say that the more we care about something, the more opinions we have. As is to be expected, some are more comfortable with the different opinions than are others. Thus, while the overwhelming majority rate both our music and our liturgy as among our key strengths, many ideas about how they could be improved are also expressed.
We offer intellectually challenging adult formation programs that draw upon the considerable expertise present in our own congregation as well as that of occasional invited speakers. These are well attended and generate lively discussions. The considerable reservoir of lay talent shows up, for example, in the informed "TheoCats" discussion group on theological topics; in the talented "Spoken Word" committee that trains lectors and offers readings and theatrical performances for the congregation (view our Mission and Ministry); and in the remarkable expertise apparent in our redevelopment plans. A strong pool of associated clergy also contributes to worship and intellectual forums. At this year's parish retreat, it was striking that more than half the participants had been baptized, confirmed, or received as Episcopalians at St. Mark's: we are something of a school for the faith.
A Diverse Congregation
Not notably diverse racially, the congregation evidences diversity in a number of other ways. Some members have been parishioners for five decades; several for more than seven. But alongside these old-timers, there is a significant and active population of visiting scholars, graduate students, and seminarians who pass through our university community more or less briefly. Like many Episcopal congregations, we are significantly graying, but we have a small and growing number of families with infants and young children. This year we had our first confirmation class in several years. Again like many parishes, we have trouble retaining young congregants during their teen years, although there are exceptions, some returning on college vacations to serve as acolytes or crucifers. As a parish, we worry about how to make ourselves more welcoming to children and youth. We have a significant gay and lesbian population which is active in all facets of ministry. Some parishioners are in inter-religious marriages in which they seek to honor both traditions. Some have spent significant portions of their lives in a non-Western culture. All these groups celebrate the diversity found in the parish and enjoy the interaction with a range of persons that it promotes. Our interim pastor has commented that he could characterize the parish as proclaiming: Come and be who you are; come and give what you will.
Not surprisingly, parishioners hold a broad range of theological views. Only a few are cradle Episcopalians, the rest coming from a wide range of religious backgrounds, from Quaker to Missouri Synod Lutheran, from Southern Baptist to Roman Catholic. We are each at a different place on a spectrum of familiarity with Anglican theological views. Some feel strongly about gender inclusivity in liturgical language; during the recitation of the Creed, for example, one often hears female pronouns. When acting as a lector or bidder, however, or leading worship, all use the language of the current BCP. Some parishioners have also practiced other religions seriously at some point in their lives, either alongside Christianity or instead of it. Members are comfortable with—they even celebrate—this theological diversity; various views are freely shared with no sense of enforced orthodoxy. One finds, however, enduring interest in understanding where those formally trained in Anglican/Episcopal teaching, theology and biblical studies stand on issues (or, perhaps better, how they wrestle with them).
St. Mark's long and varied history has, naturally, shaped the perceptions of those who have participated throughout the years. Some congregants seek to return to a particular high point in the past; some are still wounded by past events that for them are still unresolved. During the interim period, we are seeking to address this history and to give voice to diverse responses to its high and low points.
Coffee hour after the 10:00 am service on Memorial Day weekend.
Congregational Life
Although many cite St. Mark's inclusivity, claiming that it is one of the few places where they feel accepted as they are, some also have difficulty finding a way into the parish. The choir is a strong and welcoming community, and some turn to it as an entrée into parish life. While we welcome a rich variety of people, we have long struggled with the problem of how best to welcome and include newcomers. Ministry groups and a number of recently established social groups represent an effort to address this issue: e.g., movie goers, bridge players, a reading club, a women's support group. These are featured at the "Connections Table" at coffee hour after the main Sunday service. But we are ever re-inventing and refining our welcome for newcomers.
Commissioning of lay pastoral ministers during the Easter service.
We are a caring parish, represented significantly by the emerging pastoral care ministry [link Web site] and the choir's choral pastoral visit program. Many of us have benefited deeply, in time of need, from the support and care of fellow parishioners. Yet until recently we have not organized ourselves effectively so that everyone knows where to turn and how to ask for help. The lay pastoral care initiative and other such initiatives need support and empowerment to establish them firmly as a visible part of the congregation's culture. A vestry member recently started a women's support group. Many parishioners seek a rector who can both provide and nurture such pastoral care.
A number of parishioners seek additional opportunities for spiritual growth by way of contemplation groups, lectio divina, other Bible study, prayer groups, Taizé. A challenge for all of these is finding a time when people are able to come to church. Many parishioners have demanding schedules that juggle commutes, family life, and other commitments; some women are uncomfortable coming into the neighborhood on a week night because of the presence of street people and safety issues. Security problems may well be exacerbated in the next few years when our garage will be closed during re- development and parking will be further from the church. The vestry is planning for this and recognizes that it will be a major challenge.
Theology group meeting to discuss weighty matters with much levity mixed in.
The parish is also involved in community outreach. It participates in a program offering hot meals for the hungry; in the preparation of meals for a youth shelter; and in a convalescent homes ministry. We also provide space for (and are considering actively participating in) a "moveable clinic" for street youth. Many members are active in social justice ministries through their work and through various agencies or boards unrelated to the church. Our social justice committee seeks to hold these various individual and collective ministries before the congregation. We feel strongly that we should minister more effectively to our neighborhood (the surrounding Berkeley community, the university, students), but we struggle to find viable ways to do so in a highly secular environment.
Several of our lay members are active on diocesan, national, or international levels in the Episcopal Church and the wider Anglican Communion; the parish supports and celebrates such participation.
Congregational Challenge
We have for some years been straddling the line between a pastoral- and a program-level parish but have not succeeded in growing fully into the latter mode. We are seeking to empower various lay ministries (especially lay pastoral care and youth and family ministry) and to develop the coordination and communications that would represent a truly program level of growth. We seek a rector who can empower lay ministries and help us make the connections we need to move confidently to that next level.
Currently, we count 125 pledging units, with a mean annual pledge of $1934. Part of the challenge of developing into full program parish mode is that we need to grow the budget in order to provide the staff support for that kind of future. To this end, during the interim period we are moving towards establishing a visionary/aspirational budget, seeking input from all sectors of the parish about the ministries and programs they wish to build up, establishing a budget based largely on those aspirations, and then framing our stewardship campaign around the aspirational budget.
In the last few years, vestry members have made a strong and deliberate effort to see themselves as spiritual leaders of the parish, rather than simply as administrators. This move has significantly revived and transformed the vestry, and we want to continue this thoughtful transformation. The vestry has organized circles of caring, which divide the congregation into groups, each headed by a different vestry member. These groups, while still finding traction, are already providing a sense of intimate participation and belonging, as well as a vital link for some who have felt a bit disconnected from the parish. The vestry seeks a rector who can continue to nurture its spiritual leadership and thus help foster the parish's fellowship and spiritual vitality.
Finally, what unites this parish, with all its variety of interests and diversity of opinions, is its robust faith and its lively liturgy, incorporating beautiful music. We wish to strengthen our Episcopal identity while being appropriately open to new ideas. We also love a good party and are known for our festive receptions after many services. There can be no doubt that the Spirit is moving at St. Mark's.