A Sunday at the Worship Center
St. Mark's Lutheran Church sits at 1600 Union Avenue on the south side of Fairfield, set back from the street on a campus large enough to hold several buildings, parking on all four sides, and a central courtyard. Sunday worship begins at 9:30 a.m. in the Worship Center, the biggest building on the property, reached through the main entrance near that courtyard. The service follows a liturgical setting, a framework of worship elements passed down in the church for centuries, with beloved and newer hymns, readings from the Bible, prayers, and communion. The communion table is open to all who come. Greeters meet visitors at the door, and the restrooms down the hall to the left include changing tables.
Pastor Karen Stetins has served as senior pastor since August 2018, after two Ohio calls and a year of internship in West Point, Nebraska. She holds a Master of Divinity from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and is known affectionately around the congregation as "PK." Musical leadership is in the hands of Maestro Semyon Lohss, who has directed the church's music since 2003 and also serves as Music Director and Conductor of the Solano Symphony Orchestra. Worship is broadcast on the church's YouTube channel, where services can be watched live or replayed.
Children at the Back of the Sanctuary
Children are welcome in worship at every service. A play table at the back of the sanctuary holds coloring supplies and toys for the wigglier moments. After the second reading, children are invited forward for a Children's Message, a short conversation and prayer with the pastor; adults are welcome to come up with them. Children who want to keep going may then head to Children's Church in the nursery room just off the kitchen, where volunteer teachers lead crafts, games, and songs. Kids usually rejoin the sanctuary before communion, and the nursery stays available throughout the service for any parent who needs it. Ann Hefner-Gravink coordinates the children's ministry.
The Tuesday Food Pantry
St. Mark's runs one of the most active community ministries on its campus. The Food Pantry opens every Tuesday from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. and serves free food and meals to hundreds of people in the local community each week. A volunteer team staffs the pantry, and anyone interested in helping can reach the church office to sign up. The pantry is the most visible expression of the congregation's stated mission to serve the community, alongside communicating the Gospel and nurturing discipleship.
Bible Study, Books, and Quilts
Midweek formation happens in several smaller gatherings. On Wednesdays from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., Jim Hanser leads a Bible Study on Zoom, walking through scripture and applying it to daily life. On Tuesdays from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., Pastor Karen hosts a Book Study, meeting in person and online for a lively discussion of a group-selected book. On the second Thursday of each month, Diane Metz leads Seeker's Circle, a women's small group focused on growing in faith and discipleship.
On Wednesday mornings from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., the fellowship room fills with sewing machines and fabric for Quilting for LWR. Volunteers with any level of experience gather to make quilts that are donated to Lutheran World Relief, with Diane Metz coordinating. A Care and Kindness team also reaches out to members and neighbors through home visits, cards, and phone calls, while a monthly Widows' Lunch on the second Monday at 11:30 a.m. gathers the congregation's widows for a meal at a local restaurant.
Sunday Connections After Worship
Immediately after the service, the congregation gathers for Sunday Connections, a casual and interactive learning hour with a different topic most weeks. Recent and upcoming sessions have included "God's Work Our Hands," a Crash Course Religions discussion on science and religion, a quilt-top making project for Lutheran World Relief, and a Bible study on the question "Who is my neighbor?" Sessions range from hands-on crafts to social justice conversations and are open to everyone.
Two Partner Congregations Sharing the Campus
The Union Avenue campus hosts two additional worshipping communities. Iglesia Monte de Sion, a Spanish-speaking restoration church, gathers on the campus on Friday evenings at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 2:30 p.m. Pentecost C.O.G.I.C., a Pentecostal Church of God in Christ, meets for worship on Sunday mornings at 11:00 a.m. St. Mark's welcomes these partners as part of its commitment to helping all people find a community in which they can worship and belong.
The Preschool Since 1975
St. Mark's Preschool and Toddler Zone has been a ministry of the congregation since 1975. The school offers a Christian, play-based atmosphere where children build the skills they need for kindergarten and beyond, with attention to each child's unique needs and family situation. Lucille Bowers directs the program; she first came to the school as a parent before joining the staff in 2001 and becoming director in 2006. The preschool shares the campus, with its own phone line (707-422-4742) and email at preschool@stmarksfairfield.org.
Where Everyone Is Welcome and Everyone Is Loved
St. Mark's motto sits at the bottom of every page of the church's communications, and the congregation has given it teeth. In January 2020, St. Mark's became a Reconciling in Christ congregation, adopting a welcoming statement that names and includes people of every race, national origin, immigration status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, physical or mental ability, sex, marital status, faith background, and station in life. The statement also names those who are homed or homeless, struggling with addictions, or new to faith.
The congregation holds to core Lutheran convictions: that God is the Creator of the world and all that exists in it, that Jesus Christ is truly God and truly man and that by his suffering, death, and resurrection we are saved from our sins, and that the Holy Spirit calls us by the Gospel and keeps us in the faith. The response is one of praise and thanksgiving, lived out in worship and in everyday expressions of the Gospel.
St. Mark's is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and belongs to the Sierra Pacific Synod, which includes 180 ELCA churches across Northern California and Nevada. Visitors are welcome to come as they are; jeans, shorts in warm weather, and dressy outfits are all common at Sunday services. Office hours run Monday through Thursday from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.