Churches

St. Mark’s

Parish Profile for St. Mark’s

About St. Mark’s

Bermuda is divided into nine parishes, each with its own Anglican Church. St. Mark’s is the parish church of Smith’s Parish and part of a group of parishes in the eastern end of the island called the East End Parishes. Although there is a priest in each parish, there is an evolving East End Ministry team where the ministers across the East End Parishes share ministry and some resources.

St. Mark’s Parish currently has an Associate Priest who, despite being appointed as Associate Priest to both St. Mark’s and Holy Trinity churches, has special oversight of St. Mark’s.

The church has a strong Vestry (church council) with two churchwardens and eleven Vestry members. In 2021 the vestry voted unanimously to be an inclusive church, and several members of the LGBTQ+ community have found there a spiritual home.

St. Mark’s has had a turbulent history but is recognised for the overwhelming welcome, friendliness, and fellowship as well as the diversity of the congregation.

Sunday Worship

St. Mark’s is a ‘low’ church in terms of style, for example, robing for clergy is optional. Typically the clergy wear a clerical shirt with shorts in the summer. There are two Sunday Worships:

The 8am worship is spoken and more traditional. This follows the seasons of the year and has one or more readings from the lectionary. The attendance is typically between 6 and 12 people.

The 9.30am worship is more contemporary and family-oriented with the use of accessible projected liturgy and a wide range of contemporary and traditional music. There is typically only one Bible reading, although the preachers often bring in other texts to their talks. Dynamic and relevant preaching is at the heart of the St. Mark’s worship. The church works hard to ensure there is something for children at every gathering and the attendance is typically between 50 and 90 people.