Saint Mark Presbyterian Church sits on a rise above Old Georgetown Road in North Bethesda, Maryland, just steps from the interchange with I-270. From that high ground - once a lookout for travelers on one of the oldest trails in Eastern America - the congregation has reached outward for more than six decades, joining a national network of Presbyterian churches while serving the neighborhoods that grew up around it.
Founded in 1960 and organized a year later with ninety charter members, Saint Mark belongs to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the National Capital Presbytery. The congregation describes itself as a community where spirit and service come together, and the rhythm of every week - Sunday worship, Sunday school, youth fellowship, Bible study, book club - is shaped by that pairing.
Worship at the Heart of the Week
Each Sunday at 11:00 AM, the people of Saint Mark gather in the sanctuary for a service that pairs meaningful liturgy with thoughtful preaching and music led by Director of Music Jeffrey J. Doenges. Worship is offered in person, livestreamed on Facebook Live, and shared through Zoom for those joining from home.
On the first Sunday of each month and on festival days, the table is set for Communion. The pastor, the Reverend Dr. Jay L. Moses, writes a weekly reflection called "Leaning Toward Sunday" to prepare the congregation for the scripture and sermon ahead. A nursery is staffed for infants and toddlers during the school year, so families can worship without worry about the youngest members of the household.
Christian Formation for Every Age
Saint Mark treats Christian education as a lifelong practice, and the church's classrooms are full on Sunday mornings. Sunday school begins at 9:30 AM, running during the academic year. Children ages three through grade five explore the stories of scripture through art, drama, music, games, and storytelling, following a lectionary-based curriculum that mirrors what their families will hear in worship.
Middle school and high school students use the Feasting on the Word curriculum, meeting in age-specific classes guided by adult volunteers. Director of Christian Education Briana Stewart oversees the program and connects families with the wider calendar of youth activities.
Adults have their own gathering hour. Recent Sunday morning classes have included studies titled "The Gospel According to Ted Lasso, U2 and Harry Potter," "The Universal Christ," and a series called "I've been meaning to ask" built around curiosity, courage, and connection.
Youth Fellowship and Mission Trips
On Sunday evenings from 5:00 to 7:00 PM, middle and high school youth meet for a shared meal provided by parents, games, and a program that balances fellowship, worship, study, and service. The group travels each summer for a mission trip, recent destinations including the Appalachian Service Project, where crews repair homes to make them warmer, safer, and drier, and Rise Against Hunger events that package meals for global distribution.
Saint Mark's youth have attended the Montreat Youth Conference in the mountains of western North Carolina every year since 2009 and have also traveled to Massanetta Springs for middle school and mission conferences. Closer to home, youth and adults collect and stock shelves at Manna Food Center each month.
Mission Far and Near
The mission committee at Saint Mark organizes the church's outreach into two streams: local and global. Locally, members partner with Interfaith Works (formerly Community Ministries of Montgomery County) on shelter programs for neighbors experiencing homelessness. The church has long-standing ties to Habitat for Humanity and supports seventeen community organizations through its budget, including Action in Montgomery County (AIM).
Individual members have served organizations such as Meals on Wheels, Bethesda Help, and the Interfaith Clothing Center. In the wider world, Saint Mark sends work teams abroad and currently provides financial support to mission projects in Haiti, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Mexico, Togo, and Mozambique, with special relationships in Tchekhos, Cameroon, and Cité Soleil, Haiti.
Bible Study and the Book Club
Mid-week, the people of Saint Mark keep studying. A Bible study series meets regularly in person and on Zoom, working through recent topics such as "Apocalyptic Advent: Embracing Hope in the Second Coming of Christ" and a meditation series using Kate Bowler's "Have a Beautiful, Terrible, Day!"
On the second Monday of each month at 7:00 PM, the Saint Mark Book Club gathers on Zoom to talk about a shared novel. The current reading list ranges from Kate Quinn's "The Briar Club" and Elizabeth Strout's "Tell Me Everything" to John Grisham's "The Reckoning." In December, the group swaps books instead of discussing one, and each June it meets in person after worship for a potluck lunch and final discussion.
Six Core Values
The congregation has named six core values that shape its life together: Commitment, offering time, gifts, and resources to God's service; Community, honoring the gifts of all people; Compassion, caring for those in pain and nurturing one another in love; Hospitality, welcoming everyone into the community of Christ; Mission, listening and responding to needs near and far; and Spiritual Growth, drawing closer to God through prayer, study, service, and worship.
Saint Mark's welcome is broad and clearly stated. The congregation invites people of every race and class, ability or sexual orientation, including children and adults with disabilities and their families, who seek to grow deeper in their relationship with God and serve others in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Programs and facilities are designed to be accessible, and the church welcomes accommodations for special needs.
A History Written on the Land
Saint Mark's property carries its own history. A tumbledown building on the site in 1960 had once been a station on the Underground Railroad, sheltering people escaping slavery through the borderlands of Maryland. The church's founding pastor, the Reverend Dr. James G. Macdonell, began organizing the new congregation in July 1960, canvassing the neighborhood with three Princeton University interns. Elders from four other Presbyterian churches in Montgomery County formed an advisory committee, and some members of National Presbyterian Church already lived nearby.
The first worship service was held on September 11, 1960 in the cafeteria of Walter Johnson High School. A year later, on September 24, 1961, Saint Mark was officially organized with ninety charter members at Ashburton School. Jim Macdonell was installed as pastor on December 2, 1962. The current property on Old Georgetown Road was purchased on April 15, 1964, and a groundbreaking for the sanctuary and a small education building took place that October. The present Christian Education and Fellowship Hall was dedicated in 2001.
From the beginning, Saint Markers stepped into the moral struggles of their time. Jim Macdonell and four other area ministers traveled to Canton, Mississippi to provide spiritual leadership in a Black voter registration drive. Jim was later one of twenty-five Washington-area religious leaders who chartered a plane to join the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the march in Selma, Alabama. Locally, the church joined other congregations to upgrade homes in the Scotland community on Seven Locks Road, and when Macdonell retired in December 1997, the congregation established a scholarship that still helps a Scotland community youth each year.
The Reverend Dr. Roy W. Howard was installed as the second permanent pastor on April 1, 2001, and the Reverend Dr. Jay L. Moses now leads the congregation. On World Wide Communion Sunday, the first Sunday in October, the sanctuary displays the flags of countries of origin of members born outside the United States - recent years have included Argentina, Australia, Austria, Cameroon, Canada, El Salvador, France, Ghana, Ireland, India, Madagascar, Togo, and the United Kingdom - a small sign of how widely Saint Mark has drawn its family.
Leadership and Stewardship
Elders and deacons guide the work of the church between Sundays. The current Elder classes include members serving in Mission and Finance, Worship and Music, Stewardship, and Property. Deacons lead areas such as Christian Formation, Mission Connections, Personnel, Property, Stewardship, Finance, Worship and Music, and Nominating.
Saint Mark supports its ministry through annual pledges to the general fund, with options for non-pledge gifts and special appeals for youth mission, Presbyterian Church (USA) causes, and capital projects. Gifts may be made online, by mail, or by placing a contribution in the offering plate during worship. The Session has set up an Endowment Trust with four funds - Worship, Education and Church Programs; Church Missions; Building and Grounds; and Unrestricted - to sustain the work of the church for the long term. Gifts of stock, qualified charitable distributions from an IRA, and planned estate gifts are all welcomed.
Getting to Saint Mark
The church stands just off Exit 36 of I-495, where Route 187 (Old Georgetown Road) crosses I-270 in North Bethesda. From Virginia, drivers take Exit 36 north on Old Georgetown Road and turn right at the first light past the highway. From the north, the church is the first driveway on the right after turning back over I-270. Ride On Bus 26 serves the area on Sundays, and detailed driving directions for every approach are posted online.