About

We believe that the church is called to worship God and to support those who participate in its life as they grow in faith.

In this place

We greet each other with handshakes, humor, and hugs in a sanctuary of belonging and connection.
We seek truth, understanding, and authenticity in our relationships with God, ourselves, and each other.
We celebrate sacred space, music, service, creativity, play, and food prepared and shared as expressions of God’s love.
We cultivate carrots, curiosity, and healing of body and spirit.
We honor the generations by guarding spaces for ancient tradition and new expressions of faith, with plenty of room for canes and for strollers.
We extend love and grace to all people, celebrating the unique gifts of each person, knowing that you don’t have to fit in to belong.
We believe in God’s sufficiency in our hearts, our families, and our community.

What we believe

As a United Methodist Church, the heart of our theology is grace that surrounds each and every one of us before we even considered turning toward God. We celebrate God’s gift of diversity and value the wholeness made possible in a community equally shared and shepherded by all. We welcome and affirm people of every gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation, who are also of every age, race, ethnicity, physical and mental ability, level of education, and family structure, and of every economic, immigration, marital, and social status, and so much more. We acknowledge that we live in a world of profound social, economic, and political inequities. As followers of Jesus, we commit ourselves to the pursuit of justice and pledge to stand in solidarity with all who are marginalized and oppressed.We believe that our faith grows stronger in a community where we can experience belonging, acceptance and guidance. Our response to grace is to show God’s love in our words and actions.

Our vision

We imagine a life together in which each person experiences connection to one another and to God. This connection propels us to live our faith through our work and words, with our families and strangers, in our neighborhoods and across oceans.

Who we are

At St. Mark’s, we are you.
We are newborn, young and old and in between.
We grew up in the Heights and are new to Houston.
We’ve retired and we are just starting out.
Some of us have always known a church life and some are brand new.
We are people full of faith and also experiencing doubt, we are gay and straight, single, in committed relationships, with and without kids, conservative and liberal, with full and empty pockets, recovering and encouraging.
We are united by a deep dedication to our life together in Jesus Christ.

 

Our mission

We celebrate the unique gift that each person is to our community and the ways God’s grace is reflected in each of us. We honor our faith traditions that bind us to Jesus Christ, to each other and to the generations who have carried Jesus’ story through the ages. We worship a living God, so we continually look for Jesus being revealed to us through new eyes and with humble hearts, leaving behind habits that hinder our mission. We listen for God’s work in our community and seek ways to share with our neighbors. We welcome the opportunity for creativity, meaningful work and joyful time together, always with an extra place at the table for you