Parish history · 1963 to 2022
The history of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
From the first service at Enloe High School to the parish’s final service on 24 April 2022. Names, dates and buildings are drawn from the surviving records.
1963 to 1967
Beginning in a growing city
St. Mark’s emerged as the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina responded to Raleigh’s growth after the Second World War. In May 1963, the future congregation held its first service at Enloe High School. Its own history records 89 people in attendance. By spring 1964 there were more than 120, and the diocese recognised the community as a mission.[1]
A gift of five acres in Wilders Grove gave the mission a place on the city’s eastern fringe. Ground was broken on 23 October 1966. When the first building was dedicated in June 1967, the congregation had grown to nearly 200 people. This building later became the Education Building; it should not be confused with the worship space dedicated in 1986.[1]
1969 to 1986
Parish status and new buildings
Keith J. Reeve arrived as vicar in 1969. A dedicated worship building opened in autumn 1973, and St. Mark’s received parish status in 1975. That 1973 building was later removed. Growth was also taking place in less visible ways, through retreats, small groups, lay leadership and programmes that brought different generations together.[1]
The congregation made bread for the Eucharist, fashioned banners and vestments, and developed Family Clusters and Mini-Communities. Members took part in organisations beyond the parish, including Meals on Wheels and Passage Home.[1]
1986
The worship building dedicated in 1986
The present worship space was dedicated in spring 1986. The parish history connects its design with the theology of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer and the place of the Eucharist in the community’s life. The building was intended to serve a congregation gathered in shared worship.[1]
Richard Morris guided the transition into the new space as interim rector. His interest in the liturgical arts found expression in hangings and vestments designed for the setting.[1]
The 1990s
Gardens and education in the 1990s
During Jane Gurry’s ministry, the parish developed the Memorial Garden and Covenant Garden, strengthened Christian education and explored shared responsibility for ministry. A Lenten programme inspired Thomas Sayre’s large cross images for the Concourse.[1]
The parish’s own account places Gurry’s tenure in 1989 to 1997. A diocesan memorial gives a different range, 1985 to 1988. This site records the discrepancy rather than treating those dates as settled. Anne Hallmark served as interim rector from 1997 to 1999 according to the parish history.[1][24]
1999 to 2016
Lorraine Ljunggren’s ministry
Lorraine Ljunggren became rector in 1999. This period saw the development of the Community Life Center, a more diverse congregation and further work with nearby schools and community organisations. Jim Melnyk joined as assistant rector in 2002.[1]
The parish hosted Yavneh, a Jewish Renewal community, and its history records participation in Durham’s Pride Parade and the hosting of an alternative prom. Ljunggren retired in 2016; the sources disagree on the precise month.[1][23][27]
2017 to 2022
Online worship and closure
The 2017 diocesan journal lists Tyrone Fowlkes as rector and John Nelson Wall as priest associate. During the pandemic, the parish used online services to sustain worship. Fowlkes’s October 2020 reflection offers a contemporary voice from that difficult period.[14][7][15]
On 6 March 2022, the vestry requested closure. The final service was held on 24 April 2022. These dates come from the 2022 diocesan convention journal. The buildings subsequently entered a separate chapter of community use; the story gathered here is that of the former parish.[8]