St. Mark's Episcopal

Olde St. Mark's

The folks at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in St. Albans, WV, have asked me to help them develop a web site to help inform people of St. Mark's and its many ministries. This page is the starting point from which I can do that as they provide me with those items they want in it.

Our new priest is Father Bill Barfield, who together with his wife, Susan arrived in September. They are cool people and we are happy to have them aboard.

Besides those normal things that all churches do, St. Mark's has a long and honorable history of ministering to those who have very little and struggle without help from others. Christ's Kitchen has been serving the down and out without question several days a week for many years. Even though it is supported by grants, endowments, and other churches in the city of St. Albans, St. Mark's is where it happens and our Director and her volunteers work many hard hours to provide these meals.

We also have a Food Pantry that provides for those in need.

We have a small choir, an active group of women in the Episcopal Christian Women group that helps with many functions in the church.

But we also know how to have fun! One of the longest running activities we have at St. Mark's is the ADO. Various stories abound as to the source of the name but the most popular is from Shakespeare's comedy, "Much ADO About Nothing." That describes quite accurately our function. To gather in someone's home, they have to volunteer, for a pot luck dinner and conversation. That's about it . . . eat and talk, and just be together away from the cares of the day. Church business is discussed only by accident and in passing, there are other times and places for business.

One of the most anticipated gatherings every year is our Christmas ADO, attended by more people than any other throughout the year, we eat with abandon and then following some rendition, never the original, of the "Night Before Christmas" we have a gag gift exchange. This format has indeed stood the test of time.

Here is a brief slide show from the 2007 Christmas ADO.

You will need a "flash" viewer on your computer to view the slide show, but they are free and harmless to your computer. After viewing, just click on your browser's back button to return to this page.

If you are a member of the St. Mark's family, please funnel input for the site through Bruce Moss until we formalize a better procedure.