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 In the last year and a half, St. Mark’s has moved from being a small-but-growing church in a too-small-for-ministry building to a growing, thriving congregation poised to move into an over 7,000 square foot Church & Community Center! During this sometimes tumultuous transition time, we have maintained a nearly 100 person Average Sunday Attendance (ASA), a $200,000 total annual pledging level, and we had nearly 200 people attend Christmas services last week! We have much to celebrate!
In that same 18 months, our staff has finally settled into place. We have a solid, growing, and flourishing music program under Rob Griswell-Lowry, here since April 2017. Our office is a happy and efficient place with the management of TieKara Beams, here since August 2018, Our finances are well tracked and overseen by Roger Hercl, here since July 2016. Having been here nearly three and a half years, both Roger and I feel like old-timers!
Now, as we look forward to 2020, there is much promise and much to be done. We look forward to moving into our new space. We envision multiple book study, Bible study, and fellowship groups. We hope to start community dinners, grow our food pantry, and launch a “coffeehouse church” service to eventually be held one evening a week. In preparation for this, your Vestry is engaged in a conversation about how to update how we function as a church to accommodate and encourage growth, enhance our newcomer follow-up to connect more people more fully to our life together, and continue to respond to the needs of our neighbors.
I am quite aware that this email joins a host of others in your email box asking for a year-end contribution. Many of those others, including our own long-term tenant the Family Nurturing Center, do excellent and vital work. Family Nurturing Center has noted that it costs $8,000 for a family to move through their program. It is more difficult to value the work that we do here at St. Mark's. How much is a hospital visit worth? How much is a deeply meaningful worship experience worth? How much is a place where people can receive the food that they need worth? In many ways, all of those things are priceless.
And yet, while the value of these things is priceless, the cost of them is not. We continue to operate at a budget deficit, which we will be intentionally working towards closing through fundraisers, facility use fees, encouraging bequests to add to our endowment, and increased numbers and amounts of pledging. If you find yourself as enthusiastic as I am about St. Mark’s and are moved to join me in an end-of-year financial contribution, you are welcome and encouraged to do so. In addition, if you wish to make a pledge, or increase an existing pledge, you are more than welcome and encouraged to do so. Click a button below to give or pledge. Thank you!
Blessings,
— Tom+
The Rev. Tom Sramek, Jr.
Rector
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