Our Covenant Journey

“We are sent by God, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to make of ourselves and others disciples of Christ, who love and heal, pray and forgive, teach, baptize and proclaim the Good News.” (St. Mark’s Mission Statement)

As we anticipate the day that we welcome a new Pastor, we the people of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church have mapped out our “Covenant Journey,” a shared agreement to guide our future. We are energized by the love that Christ has shown us and by His call to work for justice and joyfully embrace all people. The Covenant Journey reflects the hopes and values of the congregation as expressed through surveys and focus groups.

OUR WORSHIP: We the people of St. Mark’s are grateful to God for his love, mercy and grace to us and we treasure the opportunity to worship together and share Christ’s love. We pledge to explore expanded opportunities for joyful music and prayerful worship and adopt those that best fit our family of faith, with the goal of glorifying God and ministering to our congregation, guests and prospective members. Even as we explore new possibilities, we will honor our Lutheran legacy of “Preaching the Gospel and Administering the Sacraments.”

OUR LIFE TOGETHER: Because Christ loves the Church and counts each person as precious, we the people of St. Mark’s commit to faithfully care for each other, celebrating each person’s value, diversity and dignity, treasuring our unique gifts and backgrounds and recognizing that we are one church with many parts. We will gather in groups — large and small — to develop life-enriching relationships and work together in Christ-centered pursuits.

OUR SPIRITUAL GROWTH: With gratitude, we the people of St. Mark’s celebrate the commitment and work of those who came before us, guiding us in our faith formation. We pledge to establish and promote opportunities for learners and seekers of all ages to grow in their knowledge of and faith in Jesus Christ. We will explore a variety of ways to foster spiritual growth, including in-person and virtual contexts and opportunities for prayer. We will pay special attention to understanding and addressing the needs and desires of children and young adults.

OUR OUTREACH MINISTRY: We the people of St. Mark’s will build on our rich tradition and commitment to service throughout the community and world. We will support and collaborate with Lutheran, Christian and other agencies of mercy. We will respond to emerging needs with Christian compassion. We will promote justice and peace in the name and love of Christ.

OUR MISSION: We the people of St. Mark’s will renew our commitment to sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ, both to fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19 & 20) to go and make disciples and also to welcome those who are new in the faith or are returning to active involvement. We will empower members to effectively share their faith. We will provide classes for prospective members to explain our basic beliefs. We will encourage everyone to invest themselves in the life of the church.

OUR LEADERSHIP: We the people of St. Mark’s commit to developing and supporting Spirit-filled leadership of all ages. We will organize ourselves to fulfill the objectives of our Covenant Journey. We will identify and develop our spiritual gifts and share them generously at St. Mark’s and beyond. We dedicate ourselves to developing the next generation of servant leaders.

OUR PROPERTY: We the people of St. Mark’s recognize that our property is a public reflection of the love we have for God and the respect we have for our surrounding community. We commit to environmentally friendly stewardship of our facility and grounds, maintaining an attractive, clean and functional space for use by ourselves and our neighbors.

Scriptures that guided the Transition Team in writing our Covenant Journey: John 17:20-24; Acts 10:34-35; Romans 12:9-18; 1 Corinthians 12; Galatians 6:10; Ephesians 2:8-10, 19-22

News & People

Historic photo of Brandywine Hundred Fire Company No. 1

Celebrating the centennial of Brandywine Hundred Fire Company No. 1!

September 21, 2024

Did you know St. Mark’s has strong ties with Brandywine Hundred Fire Company No. 1, stretching back more than 80 years? Our first service was held on the second floor of the company’s fire house on Jan. 11, 1942. We moved to our current site almost a decade later, and our first service was held in our new building on Christmas Eve 1951. When a disastrous fire broke out in our building in May of 1969, our firefighting neighbors rushed to our aid. You can read more about that fire and our history on our website. This year, Brandywine Hundred Fire Company No. 1 marks its 100th anniversaryand we have plans to join their celebration and honor these first responders.

Get into something good with us this summer!

June 1, 2024

Join us as we launch our new summer schedule and get into something good together! Our summer schedule starts Sunday, June 2, with adult education at 9 a.m., fellowship at 10 and a single worship service at 10:30 a.m. Pastor Kelley will lead our first adult education class of the summer (9 a.m. on June 2), as we discuss the recent visit of Shane Claiborne, a Christian activist from Philadelphia who works for peace and non-violence in local, national and international initiatives. He demonstrated the work of the RAW Tools project during his visit on May 25, using the hammer and anvil in the photograph above to show how lethal weapons can be transformed into useful tools. God does transformative work in us, too, as we connect for study, prayer, worship and service. We also have plans to get together at community events this summer, using those opportunities to get to know each other better and get to know our neighbors better, too. We hope you’ll join us as this new summer journey begins!

Swords to Plowshares: ‘Youtherans’ host Shane Claiborne at St. Mark’s May 25

May 22, 2024

Join us Saturday afternoon, May 25 for a very special event as the “Youtherans” and Lutheran churches (ELCA) in Delaware and Maryland welcome Shane Claiborne and the “Swords to Plowshares: Forging Peace. Disarming Hearts” project to St. Mark’s. Using a forge and a hammer, Claiborne will demonstrate how weapons of violence — guns that were donated, broken down and decommissioned — can be turned into garden tools and other instruments of peace. The public event will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. at St. Mark’s parking lot. The Raw Tools project draws its inspiration from a Scripture passage in Isaiah: “They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, they will train for war no more. Everyone will sit under their own vine and fig tree. No one shall make them afraid.” Also participating Saturday will be the Rev. Raymont Anderson, a survivor of gun violence and a representative of the Newark chapter of Moms Demand Action, a grassroots movement of Americans fighting for public safety measures that can protect people from gun violence. Claiborne is the co-author of “Beating Guns: Hope for People Who are Weary of Violence.” He worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta, India, and is the founder of The Simple Way in Philadelphia and the leader of Red Letter Christians, a movement of folks committed to living “as if Jesus meant the things he said.” In 2023, he received The King Center’s Beloved Community Award for Social Justice from Dr. Bernice King, the daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. “We do more than turn guns into garden tools. We are turning violence into peace. We are turning fear into trust. Through relationship, dialogue, and resources, we are welcoming neighbors with loving arms rather than bearing arms. Join us.”

Our Covenant Journey

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