ABOUT
We’ve Come This Far By Faith.
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St. Mark yearns to grow in Christian discipleship as we live in the diversity of our city in our worship, our education, and our mission.
St. Mark was founded in September 1942, as a response to the need for a Methodist church in the Earlewood neighborhood. The first service was held in the white wooded church on Oconee Street, on March 19, 1943. As the size of the congregation grew, dreams for a larger church soon began. Land was purchased at the end of Oconee on Lyles Street and by October 9, 1955, the first service was held in the present church building.
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St. Mark began as a community church, and she is striving to become a community church again. We strive to continue to be an active, family-oriented, and friendly church where anyone can feel they have found a home. Earlewood boasts of an ethnically, socially, and economically diverse population and we embrace the diversity. We are looking forward to continuing our much-needed ministries to this community for many years to come.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
United Methodists share a common heritage with all Christians. According to our foundational statement of beliefs in The Book of Discipline, we share the following basic affirmations in common with all Christian communities:
God
God, who is one, is revealed in three distinct persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus
We believe in the mystery of salvation through Jesus Christ. God became human in Jesus whose life, death and resurrection demonstrate God's redeeming love.
Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is God's present activity in our midst. When we sense God's leading, God's challenge, or God's support or comfort, it's the Holy Spirit at work.
Human Beings
Genesis 1:27 asserts that we've been made in the image of the Creator. Like God we have the capacity to love and care, to communicate, and to create.
The Church
The church is the body of Christ, an extension of Christ's life and ministry in the world today.
The Bible
We believe that the Bible is the primary authority for our faith and practice.
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God’s Reign
The kingdom or reign of God is both a present reality and future hope.
We believe that God loves all people, and that we share in expressing that love. So, the United Methodist tradition emphasizes God's grace in serving others. We believe that Jesus Christ is the fullest expression of God's love--showing us the fullness of God's care through Jesus' teachings, death and resurrection.
OUR CORE VALUES
Grace
God’s unearned love is always at work in our lives, going before us, redeeming us, and continually shaping us in Christ’s likeness. We seek to embrace grace and impart it to one another.
Compassion
As God suffers with us, we, too, are called to deeply engage and even suffer with one another and our broken world.
Generosity
All of life is a gracious outpouring from our God who invites us to live reflectively of this divine love, pouring ourselves generously into each other and our world.
Authenticity
Aligning our words and actions with God’s perfect love.
Inclusivity
We welcome all who seek to know Christ and provide a place to belong, serve, grow, and encounter our living God