Serve the Parish
The Goal
Why Serving the Parish Matters
While it is easy to think of the work of the church as only being on Sunday or during mass, the parish is a vibrant spiritual home in the community all of the time. St. Mark has a variety of ministries that serve the church and the parish members, and that offer opportunities to to serve and love God and one another throughout the week.
Church Cleaning
How does the church stay looking new? A group of dedicated Church Cleaning Volunteers ensure that our sanctuary and adjoining areas are kept in pristine condition. If you enjoy being active, are detail-oriented, hate dust and love streak- free windows, then this ministry is for you! Every Friday a team meets to dust, shine windows, straighten pew boxes, touch-up vacuuming and care for the interior plants and flowers.
For more information, please contact Pricilla Gooding (816) 373-8745.
Prayer Garden
Nestled behind the church awaits a beautiful, prayerful surprise. The Prayer Garden, featuring sculptures and scriptures from the Gospel of Mark, benches and beautifully tended landscaping is a space for prayer and reflection. This peaceful outdoor setting is a reminder of the beauty in God's creations.
St. Mark's Garden Volunteers plant hundreds of annuals and perennials and maintain the flowerbeds. Keeping the flowerbeds beautifully maintained is a huge job requiring the assistance of many volunteers! There are ongoing opportunities to help - Spring planting, Fall Cleanup, and maintenance throughout the seasons.
Contact the parish office at 373-2600 if you are interested in helping out!
Funeral Dinner
The funeral dinner ministry works to provide a luncheon to the family and friends attending funerals at St. Mark, in order to give the grieving a time of comfort and hospitality together during a difficult time. Multiple teams are working to provide this ministry to the parish.
If you are interested in learning more or helping out, please call Chris at the parish office, or email her.
Prayer Chain
PRAYER CHAIN is a way for people to gain God's assistance through prayer by permitting the Intercessor to pray as Jesus prayed. It is interceding or praying on behalf of one another.
INTERCESSION is a prayer of petition for the interests and needs of others. Just as the Holy Spirit intercedes for us according to the will of God so we also intercede. (See Romans 8:26-27) The commitment to pray for others is a sacred privilege and is an example of faith in action.
HOW TO BECOME A PRAYER CHAIN WARRIOR. This ministry is open to anyone who has a willingness to pray for others in their time of need and has daily access to a computer. A listing of prayer needs whether health concerns or personal concerns is emailed to you every Monday with updates throughout the week.
When placing someone on the prayer chain, please obtain their permission when giving full names. All prayers are kept confidential to our prayer warriors.
If you have prayer request you can call Betsy Ward-Gales at 816-373-2600 X 357 or email at Betsy, or fill out the prayer request form below.
Arts and Environment
The main mission of this ministry is to prepare for the community's creative and unique environments for liturgical celebrations of the sacraments, providing and enhancing the context for prayer and reflections. Members meet several times a year to plan, prepare, and execute all the activities associated with the rotating liturgical seasons.
To learn more, contact the parish office at 816-373-2600.
Ambassadors of Christ
Our Mission Statement is: To serve the poor, elderly, homebound, sick, and grieving by providing Corporal Works of Mercy to reveal God’s unconditional love for His people.
Some of our activities, meant to be provided on a short-term basis, have included:
· Bringing flowers to the home-bound, recuperating, or grieving
· Sending cards of appreciation, sympathy, get well, or thinking of you
· Making short home visits
· Providing a meal
Always looking for more volunteers.
Please contact Mary Meyer (816) 591-8395 for more information
