| St. Mark's Ministries |
| Christian Education Programs |
| Outreach Programs |
| Activity Group Programs |
| Chaplaincy to the Homeless |
| The Chaplaincy to the Homeless was established in 1988 by a group of Sather Gate churches and other community congregations to offer support for homeless persons by peer chaplains and to provide limited food and clothing. The present Chaplaincy is expanding and now has a Youth Drop-In Center, a Transitional House, provides case management and money management services, and sponsors art projects for homeless adults, youth, and interested neighbors. A weekly interfaith religious service is held in People's Park. |
| Convalescent Home Ministry |
| For twenty years, a team from St. Mark's has held Sunday worship services at Berkeley Pines Care Center. We now visit there at 1:00 p.m. on the first, third, and fourth Sundays of each month. We begin with our pianist playing familiar hymns to set a worshipful mood, as we set up a cross and candles, and gather in and greet our congregation. Our service features hymns, prayers, the Twenty-Third Psalm, a reading from the Bible, and a homily. After the service ends, our pianist again plays favorite hymns as we take time to check in with each of our congregants and pray with them if needed. We continued our tradition this year of handing out Easter baskets at Easter and Christmas stockings at Christmas. The service takes about 45 minutes. We hope with enough volunteers to expand our service to every Sunday; new volunteers are always welcome; e-mail or phone Bob Williams through the parish office. |
| Diocesan and Deanery Delegates |
| Delegates and Alternates to the Annual Diocesan Convention are elected at the Annual Meeting. These persons meet about six times a year with delegates from other churches in the Alameda Deanery to discuss information and mutual concerns; they also represent our parish at the annual convention of the Diocese. Visitors are always welcome at meetings, which rotate between member parishes. |
| East Bay Sanctuary Covenant |
| One of the five founding parishes in 1983, Saint Mark's is today one of over 30 Bay Area religious organizations that covenant to provide support, protection, and advocacy to refugees from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Haiti. For more information about immigration and refugee issues, please contact Saint Mark's representative to the East Bay Sanctuary Covenant. |
| Hot Meals for those who are hungry |
| Saint Mark's serves dinner on the third Saturday of each month throughout the year. Preparations begin at 1:30 pm when cooks begin to prepare the hot meal and 100 sack lunches and setting up the dining hall. Serving of the meal, and clean-up occurs between 4:30 and 6:30 pm. Volunteers are always needed on the meal day, and to help with food shopping, cooking, and menu planning during the month. Please contact the parish office for more information or to volunteer. |
| Sri Lanka Relief |
 St. Mark’s has initiated an association with the multi-ethnic, multi-religious parish of Christ Church, Tangalle along the southern coast of Sri Lanka. Soon after the 2004 Tsunami, St. Mark's Social Justice Committee contacted the Diocese of Colombo to establish a link with an affected parish to express solidarity with the community.
Although initial relief efforts are no longer necessary, the country has now entered a phase of slow rehabilitation. The affected population will spend the next 6-12 months rebuilding their lives and livelihoods while damaged homes and infrastructure are reconstructed. We anticipate a 3-year covenant to not only assist in this long-term process but also to build a mutually rewarding partnership by establishing personal communications with those within the parish and community. To date, St. Mark's parishioners alone have contributed over $9,500 to the Anglican Church of Ceylon (according to Diocese of Colombo). Given this very generous response, the Diocese chose to establish a link with one of the hardest hit areas in Sri Lanka. Clikc here for more information from the Church of Ceylon. One of our parishioners is currently in Sri Lanka helping the efforts of Episcopal Relief and Development. |
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