About St. Mark's Episcopal Church
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We are women and men; youngsters and oldsters; teachers and students; stay-at-home-moms and stay-at-home-dads; motorcycle-riders and bicyclists; Mac users and PC people; Conservatives and Progressives; (WSU) Cougars and (UI) Vandals; we shop at WinCo, Dissmore's, and at the Moscow Food Co-op. Some of us are retired, some of us are just beginning our careers, and some of us are looking for work. Some of us have GEDs and some have PhDs. Some of us are single parents, some co-parent, and some of us have no children—still others are caring for their grandchildren, while others are looking after their parents. We are couples and we are singletons. We exist from pole to pole on the gender spectrum. We are not cut from a single pattern—thanks be to God!
No matter who we are, we are called to meet one another and encounter Christ in worship, service, and formation.
Most of us gather on Sunday mornings to worship together (although we offer other worship options). And when you come through the door, what you'll need to know to feel oriented and at ease during worship will be provided. In most services, that will be via a service leaflet one of our greeters will give you; in our Welcome Table service, you may be guided through the liturgy by words and images on a screen.
We are a liturgical church, that is, we follow an ancient, written format of Scripture, prayer, and music in which there are opportunities for silence and for spontaneous prayer. We draw our liturgies principally from the many traditions of the Anglican Communion, but all are rooted in our Book of Common Prayer, our principal liturgical resource.
Although some of our ministers who serve at the altar may wear special ceremonial garments (called vestments), and although we have a formatted worship pattern, AND although our worship space is beautifully appointed, at St. Mark's we are friendly and informal—you'll find men in ties and others in bermuda shorts; women in Birkenstocks and some in heels. Come as you are!—and if you have questions during worship, ask someone sitting nearby, or ask one of the greeters (whom you'll find by the red door through which you entered).
