Seekers
No matter who you are...
No matter where you are from...
No matter what you have done...
Jesus exhibited the irritating habit of seeking the least likely people to be his friends.
Some of his friends were not welcome in polite society. Others were not welcomed by religious institutions.
Still others had pasts about which there were ashamed. Few who met Jesus were completely certain about who Jesus was, or what he was about. And many who were certain often turned out to be mistaken.
Yet Jesus welcomed them.
St Marks invites you into our community just as Jesus invited others. We have no rules or standards
for membership. Membership is self-determined. That is, if you want to consider yourself a member of St Marks, then you are one. That's what we mean by "The Episcopal Church welcomes you." Some of our members are not Episcopalians. There are some who haven't told us they are members. Others have not yet been baptized or confirmed. There are even those who don't know yet whether or not they can believe in God at all, let alone commit themselves to following Jesus. We welcome all these members who are exploring the faith.
In saying this, we are not saying that St Marks is not a Christian church. We whole-heartedly affirm, proclaim, and celebrate the Christian faith. When you come to worship with us, you'll hear us proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God. You'll hear us sing about Jesus. We'll invite you to pray with us. And you'll hear us laugh with joy and humor. We are very serious about our faith, just as Jesus was. But, just as Jesus did, we welcome you to become part of our community, to explore worship and faith with us, and to be one of us -- whether or not you know what you believe or whether or not you're ready to become a follower of Jesus.
And the clock is not ticking on that welcome. You are welcome among us as long as you like... no matter who you are... no matter where you are from... no matter what you have done... for as long as it takes.
We believe you matter to God -- and we want you to know that you matter to us.
You may come anonymously, check us out, and explore at your own pace. But if you'd like more, please know that we'd be delighted to get to know you, and to
welcome you into our community.
If you want to connect with us, let us know: Click on the Welcome sign to send an email. Or make yourself known at any worship service. We'd be happy to get you a name tag, put you on the mailing list, and help you become part of St Marks.
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Disciples
The love of Jesus is infinitely wide...
the call of Jesus is infinitely deep.
Jesus calls us into an ocean of spiritual experience so vast and deep that no one has ever plumbed its depths. The spiritual masters and saints who have gone before us may have gone farther and deeper than we have yet imagined for ourselves, yet they only scratched the surface of all that Jesus called us to. God is easily pleased... but never satisfied.
Healthy faith communities grow spiritually:
Join us as we seek to grow in our experience of God (spirituality), our knowledge of God (theology), our worship of God (doxology), and our service to God (mission). We invite you to join us as a conscious, intentional follower of Jesus.
Healthy faith communities grow relationally:
We need one another. At the core of our hearts, human beings long for God, long to love, and long to be loved. Jesus said that his joy and our joy are made complete when we love one another. Get a name tag, participate in a Newcomers' Orientation, get on the mailing list, and get involved. We invite you to become engaged in authentic community with us.
Healthy faith communities grow in mission:
Jesus said, "As the Father has sent me, so send I you." Each week, when we thank God at the climax of our liturgy for nourishing us in our worship, we ask for strength and courage as God sends us out in peace to love and serve the Lord in service to God's world. We offer many ways for volunteers to make a difference. Choose some ministry about which you feel some passion, and use the gifts, talents and abilities that God has given you. We invite you to become engaged in service (ministry) with us, for the healing of the world.
Healthy faith communities grow numerically:
We need your help to become better disciples of Jesus, and you need the help of others. We intentionally invite others into our community, no matter who they are, where they are from, or what they have done. We invite you to reach out to others, and to invite your friends and relatives to come join our community.
You may come anonymously, check us out, and explore at your own pace. But if you'd like more, please know that we'd be delighted to get to know you, and to welcome you into our community.
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