A Thin Place on Old York-Hampton Highway
St Mark Lutheran Church sits along Old York-Hampton Highway in Yorktown, Virginia, on a campus that includes a sanctuary, classrooms, and the busy rooms of St Mark Preschool. For more than sixty years, this congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has called this stretch of the Virginia Peninsula home. The parish is part of the Virginia Synod and traces its spiritual ancestry to the Reformation that began in sixteenth-century Germany. Members describe the church as a place where they hope visitors will sense what the Irish call a thin place, a place where the distance between God and the world feels very small.
The parish's vision, to embrace all in response to God, runs through every part of its life. People of every age, race, ability, background, and identity are welcomed as full members of a church without walls. The mission statement, Uniting in Worship; Growing in Wisdom; Serving in Love, guides everything from Sunday services to mission partnerships. From two Sunday gatherings to a year-long self-study on Christian hospitality, the congregation moves with the conviction that the Gospel has work to do beyond the sanctuary walls and out into the world.
Two Sunday Gatherings of Holy Communion
Worship is the heart of St Mark. Two Sunday services, a Divine Service of Holy Communion at 9:00 AM and at 11:00 AM, gather the congregation around a historic liturgy. The pattern of Scripture readings, hymns, Eucharistic prayer, and preaching connects worshipers with Christians across centuries. Each week through the liturgy, through the hymns, through the reading of the Scriptures, through the Eucharist and the preaching, members hope that the church becomes one of those thin places where the distance between the worshiper and God is made small.
All baptized Christians who believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the sacrament are invited to receive Holy Communion. The church teaches that the Eucharist draws believers into the life of God and sends them back into the world strengthened to be God's people in daily life. After worship, members are sent out to display the glory of God in their work and relationships.
Beliefs Rooted in Luther's Witness
St Mark is rooted in the Lutheran tradition that traces back nearly five centuries to the Reformation. Lutherans at St Mark affirm that Jesus Christ is the fullness of God's revelation and that salvation comes through his death, burial, and resurrection. They hold to the priesthood of all believers, the direct relationship of the Christian with God, and the gift of grace in Christ Jesus. Scripture bears witness to Christ, the living Word of God, and provides the believer with insight into a relationship with God.
The parish lifts up six values drawn from Micah 6:8: worship that gives glory to God and seeks the will of the Father, music that speaks of divine beauty, the sacraments that draw believers close to the life of God, hospitality that creates fellowship with strangers and includes all people within the life of the church, service to neighbors made in the divine image, and preaching the Gospel to others around the world in word and deed. As Lutherans and disciples of Christ, members are called to spread the good news of this vital relationship with God through preaching the message of salvation and performing works of Christ-like service.
Music That Lifts the Heart
Music at St Mark is cherished, glorified, and held close by many worshipers. The parish pours hours of rehearsal into offering choirs and instruments for worship. The adult choir sings anthems, a variety of hymn enhancements, psalm settings, support for service music across the church year, and larger works and special music for Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter. Seung-Hye Kim serves as Minister of Music and leads a program that is open to anyone who would like to sing or ring.
Handbell ringing has its own long history. Tradition holds that English handbells began in Great Britain as a way for the ringers of cathedral tower bells to rehearse without annoying the whole town. As handbells improved and additional notes were added, they became recognized for their own beautiful tunes. At St Mark, the Handbell Choir rehearses on Thursday evenings from 6:00 to 7:00 PM and rings about once a month during Sunday worship. Rehearsals take place on Thursday evenings, with handbells at 6:00 PM and choir at 7:00 PM. Anyone interested in joining may reach out to the music office at music@smlconline.org.
A Preschool in the Heart of the Campus
St Mark Lutheran Church Preschool has been a fixture on the campus for years, serving children ages two and a half through five with a Christian-values curriculum at an affordable price. The program emphasizes social and emotional growth, fine and gross motor skills, early readiness skills, and weekly chapel time with the pastor. The philosophy of the program is rooted in the conviction that each child is a unique individual created by God, and the staff seeks to encourage positive development in social, emotional, intellectual, physical, and spiritual needs.
Classes meet throughout the week. Two-and-a-half-year-olds gather on Wednesday and Friday mornings from 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM. Three-year-olds may attend Tuesday and Thursday or Tuesday through Thursday, all from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM. Four-year-olds have a four-day option (Monday through Thursday) or a five-day option (Monday through Friday), each running 9:15 AM to 12:15 PM. An optional extended day runs Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons for older preschoolers. The preschool is directed by Mandy Hunt, with classroom teachers and assistants for each age group, and is governed by a St Mark Foundation Board that includes the pastor and lay representatives.
St Mark Preschool is filed as a religiously exempt preschool with the Virginia Department of Social Services and is inspected and approved by the Health Department, Fire Department, and Community Development Building Inspector. Admission is open to all children without regard to race or religion, and the program welcomes children with handicaps subject to the director's approval.
Christian Education for All Ages
Sunday School gathers between the two services during the school year. The opening time runs from 10:00 to 10:15 AM and includes the appointed theme of the week, a song of joy, announcements, birthdays, accomplishments and concerns, and the prayers of the children and youth. After the opening time, class groups meet by age from 10:15 to 10:45 AM for lessons and activities. Sunday School takes a summer break.
Adults find their own opportunities for study. The Dorcas Circle, a women's fellowship and Bible study group, meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 9:30 AM for discussion and study of Gather Magazine, the publication of Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The group has met through Zoom and in person and welcomes women of all ages to participate. Pastor Joel's weekly sermons also invite the congregation into slow, wondering reflection on faith and daily life. The Dorcas Circle has placed a memorial bench overlooking the Labyrinth on the campus grounds, a quiet space for prayer and reflection.
The Wider World: Ecuador, China, and Ukraine
The world is woven into the life of St Mark. For decades, members have partnered with Refugio de los Sueños in Quito, Ecuador, a haven serving children of alcoholics, drug addicts, the abused, and the extremely poor. The Adopt-A-Child program allows sponsors to become Padrinos and Ahijados, god parents and god children, with annual gifts between $120 and $360 providing school uniforms, shoes, supplies, medical care, and a daily healthy meal. The Special Needs program covers unique costs such as catechism books, eyeglasses, dental care, and roof repairs for the Refugio itself. The congregation sponsors many children and young adults and their families, and the joy of the mission lies in the relationships between St Mark members and the children they support.
In China, the congregation has funded life-altering cleft palate surgeries through Love Without Boundaries and supports orphan care facilities. The prayer shawl knitters group, which meets Monday mornings from 10:30 AM to noon in the church library, knits hats and sweaters for the children, with donations welcomed toward shipping costs.
Closer to the conflict, St Mark partners with Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Virginia Beach and the Tidewater Ukrainian School to gather supplies and funds for Ukrainian relief. Members contribute through Lutheran World Relief and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. The LIRS connection is especially active; the parish has explored ways to help resettle Afghan allies in the Hampton Roads area, gathering volunteers to assess interest and begin an action plan.
PORT: People Offering Resources Together
The PORT Ministry is one of the largest local outreaches of the parish. PORT stands for People Offering Resources Together, a network of more than 130 interfaith groups that host an emergency winter shelter moving from church to church across the Peninsula. The shelter serves up to 106 individuals per night for twenty weeks during the cold season and provides community referrals, case management, medical and dental evaluations, showers, transportation, flu shots, information for affordable housing, job referrals, and daytime life skills training.
St Mark volunteers cook and serve a hot dinner meal, hand out bagged breakfasts, and welcome guests each night the shelter is hosted at a partner church in Newport News. Volunteers serve in three shifts: a 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM check-in team, a 4:30 PM to 9:00 PM dinner team, and a 4:45 AM to 7:00 AM checkout team. Young adults ages 14 to 17 are welcome to assist, and the parish raises about $900 per event through Pink Envelope offerings and other fundraisers to cover meal costs. Each year, more than 8,500 volunteers across the network contribute to the shelter's work.
Hands at Work: Knitters, Quilters, and Walkers
Two crafting groups meet through the week at St Mark. The Knitters and Crocheters work on prayer shawls, baby blankets, chemo hats, and lap blankets and have gifted handmade scarves in school colors to graduating high school seniors. The Quilters Guild meets on Wednesdays at 1:00 PM to stitch Quilts of Honor and other gifts for veterans, the homeless, and newly baptized infants. Both groups welcome beginners and will teach the craft.
The SMLC Spirit Walkers meet every Wednesday morning at 8:30 AM at the Yorktown Battlefield Visitor Center. The group begins with prayer or a short devotion, then walks about three miles from the Information Center to the American Revolution Museum and back. The Spirit Walkers occasionally take walking tours at other local parks and historical sites. All ages and paces are welcome to join the fellowship of walking and prayer.
Scouts, Singers, and the Challenger Diamond
St Mark sponsors Cub Scout Pack 0595 and Scouts BSA Troop 0306, providing a charter home for character development, leadership, and service projects. The parish also sponsors the Virginia District 7 Little League Challenger program, a baseball division for mentally and physically challenged youth ages four through sixteen. Each player bats each inning with the help of dedicated buddies who assist on the field while encouraging the players to make plays themselves. The Challenger division has been part of Little League since 1989.
The Sine Nomine Presents concert series brings music and cultural events to the wider community. Concerts are open to the public and have featured organ and piano performances as well as other musical evenings. The series is supported by volunteers who help with everything from hospitality to staging. Sine Nomine Presents is one of the ways the parish hosts music educators, dancers, recitals, and concerts on the campus. The church building also opens for American Red Cross Blood Drives, the annual ball for the York High School NJROTC, and a local branch of the Virginia Children's Chorus.
An Intentional Year of Welcome
The congregation has set aside a full year for an unhurried congregational self-study on Christian hospitality. The twelve-month study explores monthly themes drawn from scripture and shared conversation, including foundations of biblical hospitality, the gift of God's boundless diversity, moving from friendly to intentional welcome, language and public welcome, racial equity and justice, celebrating gifts in leadership, blessings and family life, walking with the wider church, symbols of care and sanctuary, the sacred art of listening, discernment and visioning, and an open table for the future.
The study invites questions over certainty, prayer over rush, and listening over quick answers. Resources from the Building an Inclusive Church educational program and from ReconcilingWorks guide the conversation. Pastor Joel and council members are available to sit with anyone who wants to share thoughts over a cup of coffee. The year concludes with informal fellowship, shared meals, and continuing open dialogue.
Becoming Part of St Mark
Anyone interested in joining St Mark may contact the church office to begin the conversation. Baptisms are arranged with the pastor and include a time of instruction for parents by appointment. Weddings are celebrated at the parish as well; couples schedule a time to speak with Pastor Joel to plan the day.
Members worship together on Sunday mornings, serve in the preschool and music ministries, walk the Yorktown Battlefield on Wednesdays, knit Monday mornings, and reach across the world to Quito, China, and Ukraine. Giving is available online, and prayer requests may be submitted to be held in the hearts of the congregation or printed in The Mark, the weekly announcements publication. In every corner of its life, St Mark asks the same question: how do we love God and our neighbor, today and in this place.