There’s something exciting taking place at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church – and it’s happening almost every waking hour of every day. It’s called community service. Father Christopher Gray has been the rector at St. Mark’s since 1991. “Our mission as a Christian community united in God’s call is to serve others by proclaiming, celebrating and sharing Christ’s love,” he says. “To that end we provide six chief ministries: Service, Worship, Evangelism, Education, Stewardship, Parish Life and . Under each category are many individual outreach programs that contribute to the needs of people from preschool age to the octogenarian.”
 

“Our preschool is considered one of the best in the area,”  Father Gray says. “We  have  an  excellent  staff and curriculum, with 100 students enrolled. Many of our children’s parents work across the street  at  the  Venice  Regional Medical Center, so we open at 7 a.m. to be available for them. Our after-school elementary program is open until 5:30 p.m.”

The church also offers an after-school ministry at Grove Terrace. “We tutor the elementary-aged students with reading, math and homework assignments,” says Father Gray. “We also encourage them in the areas of music, art and theatre.”

Food usually draws people together, and that’s certainly true at St. Mark’s. Between services on the first Sunday of every month, a former gourmet chef cooks a delicious breakfast for the parish. Once a month, the All-Faiths Food Bank arrives at St. Mark’s to distribute food to those in need. Every month a ministry team heads to Immokalee, a community east of Ft. Myers, with clothing and household items for the migrant workers. While there, the team sets up a soup kitchen and serves the workers hot meals.

Father Christopher Gray
 

Each week St. Mark’s serves Wednesday dinner that is accompanied by an educational program.  It all begins with a  5 p.m.  prayer  service,  followed  by dinner at 5:30,  and classes at 6:15. “A $5 dinner donation is requested, but not required, and we ask people to make their reservations by Monday morning,” Father Gray says.

Just a few of the 100-plus ministries offered at St. Mark’s have been highlighted here. This church truly lives up to Matthew 5:15, “No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all in the house.”


Printed 2006

Father Gray with Vicki Mahon and Jim Gietek