Welcome to St. Mark's

Dear Friends,
Welcome to St. Mark’s Episcopal Church website. As a church family, we represent a diverse cross-section of Branch County’s residents. Our members find here a home where their spiritual journeys can include asking questions as well as seeking answers, and where their personal talents and interests are appreciated in the contexts of worship, study, and fellowship.

Our biblically based educational programs for children encourage young people’s awareness of the spirit of God at work in their lives. Adults are nourished through weekly Bible study, small-group gatherings, and Sunday and seasonal programs on a variety of topics related to our spiritual life and growth. There are also many opportunities through parish groups and activities to reach out to those beyond our parish. Social events draw all together for fun and food on a number of occasions throughout the year, as do joint ventures in worship and ministry with members of other churches in the community.

We extend a sincere invitation to you to join us for Christian formation (education) sessions, and for worship and informal times together on Sunday mornings and other occasions. We would enjoy becoming better acquainted with you, and encourage you to let me or others know how we at St. Mark’s might be of assistance to you on your spiritual journey.

Faithfully,

(The Rev.) Stephen I. Bartlett

Rector

St. Mark’s Identity Statement

St. Mark’s is an open, loving family of God guided by Scripture, tradition, and reason. We encourage spiritual growth while supporting diversity and the freedom to be yourself. We offer God’s joy, hope, and healing to all.

About Us

A Brief History of St. Mark's: The formal organization of St. Mark's parish was effected February 29th, 1848, at a meeting held at the White School House. Wardens and vestry were elected: Joseph H. Moss and Richard Greenwood, senior and junior wardens; Luman Howe, Ezbon G. Fuller, Lorenzo D. Crippen, James Pierson and George A. Coe, vestrymen. This vestry elected as its first Rector the Rev. George Willard of Battle Creek, who later became a United States Congressman from the Third District.

Services were held first in homes and then in the Court House. The oldest vestry records in existence are dated March 29th, 1853, and are in the handwriting of George A. Coe, the organizer of St. Mark's first choir and later Lieutenant-Governor of Michigan. On September 22, 1857, the cornerstone of a church building was laid, although the building was never completed. 1862 saw the erection of the first building of St. Mark's which stood on North Hanchett Street on the later site of the Southern Michigan Wholesale Grocery. This building was enlarged in 1866, and in 1877 was sold to the Coldwater Light Guard, becoming the first Armory, and was destroyed by an incendiary fire in 1881.

The present church cornerstone was laid in 1880. In 1895, a twenty-rank, two-manual, tracker action pipe organ was built by William A. Johnnson and was rebuilt in 1974 with 29 ranks and 1,534 pipes. It remains one of the church's most prized and valuable possessions. The bell in the tower was purchased in 1888 and is claimed to be the second largest in the county, surpassed only by the bell from the old courthouse. In 1998, St. Mark's celebrated its 150th anniversary.

Parish Goals and Objectives

1. The Vestry and members of St. Mark’s will recognize God in all persons by sharing our faith and creating an atmosphere of welcome.

2. The Vestry and St. Mark’s members will broaden youth and adult formation opportunities in order to encourage spiritual growth of our members.

3. The leadership of St. Mark’s will recruit members of the congregation to assume greater responsibility in the life of the parish in order to encourage growth in leadership.