As our 75th anniversary approaches, and most of us haven’t been part of the community that long, some review of the historical timeline seems appropriate.

The land had been used to herd goats in 1950 before the two and half acres were purchased for $18,000 to build the church. A survey was done to determine the needs. Rev. Dave MacMurdo was appointed as pastor by Bishop Donald Tippett. There were 79 charter members, most between the ages of 25 and 34; none over 65! A cross was constructed at the corner of Lusk and St. Mark’s Way.

The first services were held October 21, 1951 in the open-air lathe house as well as other available space including Wonder Bakery, Del Paso Manor school and Carmichael Community Presbyterian Church. Ground breaking took place September 7, 1952 for the Social Hall (now Wesley Hall). Greetings were read from Governor Earl Warren, Bishop Tippett, and Rev. Titus of the Sacramento Council of Churches. A pot-luck supper was scheduled for September 19. Volunteer labor, with union approval, helped with wiring, painting, and installing the heating system, saving thousands of dollars in labor costs. The first Sunday school class met earlier, on August 6, at the parsonage, taught by Dorothy MacMurdo. An adult group met in the parsonage’s one-car garage, which also served as the pastor’s study and the family’s laundry room. Three Sunday school classrooms were added in 1953. By 1957 membership had grown to 439 and Sunday school attendance topped 500. The pastor’s salary that year was $5700.

By 1959, when ground was broken for the sanctuary, membership had grown to 600 and there were 1200 children in Sunday school…
1960 – Bill and Esther Finster began their missionary work in Rhodesia.
1965 –Fellowship hall and choir room were completed.
1966 – Rev. Bob Moon was appointed senior pastor.
1968 – the Methodist Church and the United Brethren Church joined nationally to become the United Methodist Church.
1968 – ADVENTure began.
1972 – Summer Brunches were initiated.
1974 – Rev. Dave Wolf appointed senior pastor.
1975 – Sierra Service project launched.
1984 – Norman Calloway appointed senior pastor.
1987 – Donald Fado appointed senior pastor
2001 – Faith Whitmore appointed senior pastor
2011 – Alan Jones appointed senior pastor
2022 – Quentisha Davis-Wiles appointed senior pastor

These are only the tidbits, there are stories behind each of these events. More to come!

Barbara Eychaner, Historian

Tidbits from the Archive. . .

The 1972 General Conference of the United Methodist church adopted language stating “the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching” while recognizing that all people are persons of sacred worth.

In 1984, the General Conference restricted ordination for self-avowed homosexuals. The same year a movement to fully include lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transexuals, and queer Christians in the United Methodist church took the name Reconciling Congregations.

In 1988, the General Conference initiated a study on homosexuality. The study results were to be reported at the 1992 General Conference and were directed to use “consultants as it deems appropriate, including persons representative of the major existing points of view on homosexuality within the church and person well-versed in scientific and theological method. The council shall: Study homosexuality as a subject for theological and ethical analysis…Seek the best biological, psychological, and sociological information…Explore the implications of its study for the Social Principles.” The committee consisted of 27 members from across the country, including two with St. Mark’s connections — Jeanne Barnett and Dr. Bruce Hilton.

“The reconciling process first took place at St. Mark’s between October 1990 and May 29, 1991. The final vote was 141-108 [against], with several factors directly involved leading to the defeat: Despite the high number of votes cast at the church conference, a number of supporters did not vote because they thought the vote would pass without any problem… In June 2005, the St. Mark’s Reconciling Task Force met with …the Outreach Coordinator for the Reconciling Ministries Network. She talked about the continuing need for reconciling congregations given the ongoing discrimination within the United Methodist church…” (Reconciling Congregation Committee Proposal, April 2006)

The second attempt to become a reconciling congregation took a more deliberate approach, starting with a survey to church council members, before the survey was presented to the entire congregation. In the spring of 2006, The Shower of Stoles, a recognition of those who had lost their status as clergy, was displayed in the narthex. The Task Force made presentations to Family Ministries in April. A special church conference was called for May 7, 2006. It was attended by 183 members of the congregation; including absentees, the final vote was 269 approve, 43 disapprove, and 4 abstentions.

And so we celebrate Pride this year as a Reconciling Congregation, honoring one another, listening to each other’s truths and being as kind and as considerate as possible.

Barbara Eychaner, Historian

Tidbits from the Archive. . .

In 2017 Saint Mark’s did a deep dive into the question of becoming a sanctuary congregation.

Historically, the United Methodist Church has a legacy of being spiritual and social sanctuary to the early Dutch refugees from Indonesia who faced discrimination and segregation, to Central American refugees seeking asylum. Church ministries have offered a safe place to vulnerable communities including, LGBTQ, the unhoused, those seeking racial justice, healing and transformation, and to immigrants and refugees.

In 1975, church council explored the issue of assisting in resettlement of refugees from Vietnam. Concerns were expressed but most could not ignore that these are children of God who need food, shelter and clothing. It was decided that the congregation would sponsor two families, estimating their needs, and, with finance committee, deciding how to raise the necessary funds.

In the early 1980s, the Refugee Task Force sponsored two refugees from Eritrea. The congregation increased pledges so the refugees would not have to be on welfare. Berhane Tecleab remains a valued member of the congregation.

Mary Kasai joined Saint Mark’s in 1990 — the only person of Japanese ancestry in the congregation. Her oral history relates the family experience during the second World War being interned in Arkansas. Her father was separated from the rest of the family and sent to New Mexico. She attended school, got good medical care and was allowed to worship.

In 2017, the Sacramento Immigration Coalition trained about 60 volunteers to serve as legal observers during Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions. There was a 24-hour hotline to report ICE activity. Observers were to wear yellow hats featuring a black logo “Migra Observer” when responding to calls. “The coalition said fears of deportation have increased since Donald Trump became president. In Trump’s first 100 days in office, more than 30,000 convicted criminals across the nation were arrested, a 16% increase from the year before. . .” (The Sacramento Bee, 2 August 2017).

At Saint Mark’s, town halls were held to seek congregational consensus on becoming a Sanctuary Congregation. Questions of those attending related to: What is sanctuary? Who is seeking sanctuary? How do we declare Sanctuary? Are we jeopardizing our nonprofit status? Can we be fined? What would sanctuary at Saint Mark’s look like? If I don’t want to be involved, could I still be legally liable?

Ultimately the debate did not reach a conclusion on becoming a Sanctuary congregation. There were strong feelings on both sides of the issue. Our awareness, however, continues with the most recent protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Post Script: As historian, I fairly frequently got inquiries from members of the congregation who share the discovery of some random piece of church history and wonder if the archive might like their find. I always say, “yes!” The information for this tidbit arrived from my own discovery in a room normally reserved for weaving. It is an entire binder full of documents, minutes, and notes that will have made their way to the Saint Mark’s Archive by the time you read this . . .

Tidbits from the Archive. . .

Tidbits from the Archive. . .

Tidbits from the Archive. . .