WORSHIP | St. Mark's Episcopal Church

altar flowers

Altar flowers are given to the glory of God in thanksgiving for, in honor of, and in loving memory of family members and friends. Dedications and donations are being collected. A recommended donation for two arrangements is $100. In the message box below, please note the Sunday you are requesting, your dedication, and your method of payment. You may mail your donation to the church offices, pay online, or place it in the offering plate. Please note 'altar flowers' on your check.

Life Events

Baptism

The Episcopal Church teaches that Holy Baptism is the sacrament by which God adopts us as His children and makes us members of Christ’s body, the church, and inheritors of the Kingdom of God. Baptism is a public statement of an intention to follow the way of Jesus.

At St. Mark’s we offer baptism on High Feast days of the church and other designated days: January at the Feast of the Epiphany, late March or April at the Great Easter Vigil, late May early June at the Feast of Pentecost, and November’s celebration of All Saints’ Day.

Baptism Instruction is the Saturday prior to the service at 10:30 a.m. in the church. For more information please contact the Rev. Samantha Smith.

Confirmation

Confirmation is the traditional way to become a member of the Episcopal Church. It is the rite in which we express a mature commitment to Christ and receive strength from the Holy Spirit through prayer and the laying on of hands by a Bishop.

If you have been baptized and confirmed in a church that has this tradition, then you need only to be received by the Bishop to be recognized as a member of the Episcopal Church.

If you were confirmed as a young person in the Episcopal Church and would like to renew your Confirmation vows, you may renew those in the presence of the Bishop during a visit, typically in late April or early May.

We offer a class for 8th graders preparing for Confirmation all year following the 9 a.m. service. Classes for adults who seek to be Confirmed or Received or to Renew Confirmation are offered in the fall and spring.

Please contact Alex Hillis, Youth Minister, for information about 8th grade Confirmation, and the Rev. Samantha Smith for more information about adult Confirmation, Reception, and Renewal.

Weddings

Holy Matrimony is Christian Marriage, in which a couple enters into a life-long union, make their vows before God and the Church, and receive the grace and blessing of God to help them fulfill their vows. St. Mark’s is committed to the health and well-being of families, and we value our role in the nurturing of new unions.

St. Mark’s is available for weddings, except during the season of Lent. All inquiries about marriage, requirements for weddings, and our customary at St. Mark’s should be directed to church@stmarks-houston.org.

Funerals & Memorial Services

When someone dies, we feel that loss from deep within our souls all the way to the throne of God. Funerals and memorial services at St. Mark’s are both solemn and celebratory. We celebrate the gift of the life God gave us as we work through the process of grief and grief recovery.

To discuss funeral arrangements, please call the church office at 713.664.3466. We will work to arrange an appropriate service in a timely manner. St. Mark’s has a beautiful memorial garden for those who wish to have their ashes interred here.

Lay Ministries

Acolytes

Acolytes are youth and adult members of the parish who serve as torchbearers, crucifers, thurifers, and banner-bearers. They assist the clergy in Sunday worship leading the procession, presenting the Gospel Book for reading, and preparing for Holy Communion. Acolytes also serve at funerals and other services as needed. Please contact the Rev. Samantha Smith to join and be trained for this ministry.

Candle Ministry

A group of volunteers rotate through a schedule to replenish the oil in our sanctuary candles. Thus, as per their motto, this group is "Keepin' God's Home Fires Burnin".

Readers

Readers are parishioners who serve as lectors to read the appoint Scripture lessons for the day, lead the congregation in the Psalm, and Prayers of the People. Occasionally, they may read for services such as mid-week Eucharists, weddings, funerals, Morning and Evening Prayer. Lectors are not required to be licensed by the Bishop.

Altar Guild

Altar Guild is a volunteer group of women and men whose ministry is to care for the altar, vestments, vessels, and altar linens of the parish. Altar work requires a number of special qualities: love and respect, humility, and the ability to work as a team quietly and efficiently when members of the congregation are present.

The members of St. Mark’s Altar Guild currently work in teams of five or six members on a four week rotation. During the week an Altar Guild team is on duty, the team is responsible for the preparation and clean-up of Sunday services and any weddings or funerals that are scheduled during the week.

The Altar Guild team washes and prepares the silver for service and changes the linens and altar hangings, depending on the church calendar. We also polish the silver and brass, launder and iron the linens and maintain the wine and wafer supplies. Our members meet periodically for fellowship and to discuss any Altar Guild projects.

If you would like to join the Altar Guild or have any questions, please contact Directors Dorrie Pearson and/or Vickie Loftis. All new Altar Guild members are assigned to a team, whose members will teach you the ins and outs of altar work.

Eucharistic Ministers & Visitors

Eucharistic Ministers are licensed by the Bishop to assist the Celebrant in administering the consecrated wine at any celebration of the Holy Eucharist.

Eucharistic Visitors are licensed to go from a Sunday Eucharist or other principal celebrations of the Eucharist to share the sacrament with members of the congregation who are unable to be present at the celebration because of illness or infirmity.

Ushers & Greeters

Ushers and Greeters welcome people as they enter the church to worship. Ushers provide direction and assist members and visitors before and during each service. They distribute service leaflets as people enter the Narthex, pass offering plates during the Offertory, and guide the flow of congregants to and from the altar for Communion. Ushers work in teams of two to four during Sunday services. Please contact the Rev. Samantha Smith if you would like to participate in this ministry.

Music

Adult Choir

St. Mark’s choir is a community of singers whose purpose is to serve God through song. The choir, consisting of church members and professional singers, sings at the 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. liturgies. Choral Director Renee Rybolt leads our adult choir. The choir enhances the worship service with sung anthems, service music, and hymns in the Anglican tradition. We rehearse Thursday nights from 7:15 to 8:45 p.m. (September through May) and welcome new voices at any time.

The choir enjoys fellowship with one another through outreach projects, such as caroling at retirement communities at Christmas time.

Choristers

St. Mark's Choristers is a choir of boys and girls ages 6-12. Through the leadership of Joseph Rawley, the kids learn how to sing and have lots of fun in the process! Singing builds community, promotes growth in self-confidence, and helps children understand and love God's Word. They rehearse every Sunday 10:15-10:55 a.m. in the Youth Room. The Choristers are a central part of worship on average of once a month at a church service.

St. Mark's Youth Chorale

New to St. Mark's and designed for students in grades 7 through 12, the Youth Chorale will sing once a month at morning service, and for special holidays. Rehearsals begin September 8, 2019 and will be Sundays from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in the Youth Room. Please see Joseph Rawley for further details.

MEET our organist, heeyeon cha

Heeyeon Cha is currently a candidate for the Certificate in Organ Performance at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music where she studies with Daryl Robinson (organ) and Matthew Dirst (harpsichord). She holds organ performances degrees from the University of Washington (M.M.) and Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary (B.M.) in Seoul, Korea; her previous teachers include Carole Terry, Douglas Cleveland, Robert Bates. She was born in Korea, and resides in Pearland with her husband Sang Kim, and their most adorable girls, Irene and Isabella.

Daughters of the King

The Daughters of the King is an order for women, with chapters in the Episcopal, Anglican, Roman Catholic, and Evangelical Lutheran Churches in America. The Daughters of the King are dedicated to prayer and service for Christ’s sake. The group meets the second Saturday of each month beginning with communion in Enderle Chapel at 9:30 a.m., and continuing in Margaret’s Parlor at 10 a.m. For more information, please contact Carolee Koonce, President of the Martha Ceil Lozo Chapter.

Worship Services

Sundays