St Marks Episcopal Church

Information may not be reliable

Welcome to Our Community!

Whether you have already visited us or are researching the internet for a church to attend, we welcome you to this exciting and growing community of faith.

Most of us are searching for something beyond ourselves, for meaningful connections, a place where our children receive a sense of the sacred and our teenagers feel comfortable, safe and supported, for the freedom to ask our questions and discover awe, for a sense of belonging. Whatever your reasons, we invite you to explore St. Marks, a place where we come as we are, accept each other for who we are, strive to grow and open to change along the way.

St. Mark's Episcopal Church is an extended family of loving people bound by faith in Christ. We seek to deepen our relationship with God, strengthen our faith community, support each other, and serve our neighbors. We do this by celebrating our faith through meaningful liturgy and prayer, sharing our stories and traditions, and participating in ministries of fellowship, compassion and justice.

“So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” — 2 Corinthians 5:17 [NRSV]

in Six DVDS and Discussion!
Join us on Sunday mornings from 11.30 am to 1pm to watch the acclaimed BBC Series A History of Christianity: The first three thousand years. Filmed on location in Jerusalem, Damascus, Beijing, Nairobi, New York and everywhere in between, this series was created and narrated by the Oxford historian, Diarmaid MacCulloch. We will gather in the Kennedy Room to watch each episode, and then have a discussion of the contemporary issues. Come for all six or whenever your schedule permits!

October 31: The First Christianity: Jerusalem to China (Louise Gulda)
November 14: Catholicism: The Unpredictable Rise of Rome (Rev. Dr. Rebecca Lyman)
November 21: Orthodoxy: From Empire to Empire (Rev. Bob Gregg)
December 5: Reformation: The Individual before God (Helen Brooks)
December 12: Protestantism: The Evangelical Explosion (Dan Clendinen)
December 19: God in the Dark: Secularism (Rev. Dr. Rebecca Lyman)

Current & Upcoming Newcomer Events!
Please read on below about our current and upcoming events for newcomers or new members. For more information on any of these events, please see our New to St. Marks page, or call the church office at (650) 326-3800. We hope to see you at one of these events!

Twice a year we offer a course for those interested in learning more about the Anglican Communion, the Episcopal Church, and St. Marks. This course explores the history of our church, our unique identity as Anglicans, and the background and meaning of our worship.

Each spring and fall, visitors and new members of Saint Marks are invited to an informal gathering at a parishioners home. These events give people an opportunity to meet other people new to Saint Marks as well as an opportunity to meet established members and clergy.
New Member Welcome Sunday
Two Sundays a year are set aside for welcoming new members to Saint Marks. During both the 8:00 and 10:00 services, those who have become members are recognized by name and with prayer.

We Can Do Better For Our Youth
A public meeting was held Sunday, May 2nd at St Marks* with Barb Mitchell and Barbara Klausner from the PAUSD School Board. See the links below for a partial recap.
Its time to for us to be proactive, not just reactive. Its time to create and sustain more programmatic ways of knowing and supporting each other, ways that in both good times and bad serve to strengthen us all as a unified, caring community.
* Planning Congregations: All Saints Episcopal Church, Congregation Beth Am, First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto, Iglesia Fuente de Vidaa, St. Bedes Episcopal Church, St. Marks Episcopal Church, St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, and the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto.
Click on the links below for a partial recap.
Research Powerpoint illlustrating the need and advantages of "connecting"