A Brief History of St. Mark's Lutheran Church

The St. Mark's Lutheran Church on Fieldstone Rd. had its beginning on December 13, 1908 when Pastor Jacob L. Morgan organized 24 members as a mission congregation in the ARP Church on North Main Street. Services were held in the ARP sanctuary every two weeks until the St.

Mark's sanctuary was complete. The first service was held in the new church building on January 22, 1911. On the same Sunday morning, the Sunday School was organized with 63 members.

St. Mark's and St. Luke's, Bear Poplar, became a self-supporting parish during the year of 1912.  St. Mark's became a separate parish during the pastorate of the Rev. Luther Thomas who served from April 15, 1917 to September 12, 1922.  St. Mark's grew and built a parsonage and educational building before its Fortieth Anniversary on November 29, 1948 (see the depiction of an oil painting).

Businesses grew up around the church on North Main Street and parking became a problem. Land was made available and the congregation voted to relocate on Fieldstone Rd. The groundbreaking ceremony for the Fieldstone sanctuary took place April 14, 1963. The first worship service in the new church building took place on Easter Sunday, 1964.

The Fiftieth Anniversary was celebrated Sunday, December 7, 1958. At this time there were five charter members still living.  The Seventy-fifth Anniversary was celebrated with a special service and dinner on Sunday, December 11, 1983. At this celebration, a single charter member remained living.

St. Mark's is an active congregation of hundreds of baptized members. One of its ministers completed his history of the congregation in this way: "The history of St. Mark's Congregation is written into the hearts and lives of all who have sacrificed, prayed, and labored that we might come to our eighty-fourth year as a church."  St. Mark's celebrated its One Hundredth Anniversary in December, 2008.