“Community” at Saint Mark’s isn’t just the people who come to Sunday worship, or bible study. It’s also the community beyond our walls. We feed our community, clothe our community, and enrich our community, which extends from our school, throughout the Altadena/Pasadena area, all the way to a mountaintop in Haiti. It’s a big world, and we embrace it.
Haiti partnership
Our church and school are proud to partner with Ste. Marguerite, a school and church in Latournelle, Haiti. Through the Episcopal Church's Haiti Partnership Program, our communities join together to support Ste. Marguerite. We hold community-wide events regularly to support our Haitian partners as well as accepting donations throughout the year.
In times of illness, emergency, or loss people find their bodies and souls nourished by a good and easy meal. When people in our community find themselves in such a time, we gather together to make delicious meals to support them. If you’d like to participate in making meals, leave a message with the church office for Mickey Block, the Moveable Feasts coordinator.
On the 5th Sunday of the month, our community supports Union Station Homeless Services by packing hearty sack lunches of sandwiches, fruit, snacks, and a drink. These meals are then distributed the next morning at Union Station to clients who need lunch off-site. You can help by packing lunches; bringing fruit, bread, lunch meat, peanut butter & jelly, or snacks; or making a donation to help with shopping.
ACTS (Altadena Congregations Together Serving) Food Pantry is an interfaith outreach ministry. We staff the Food Pantry on the 3rd Saturday of each month, distributing bags containing canned chili with meat, corn bread mix, canned fruits and vegetables, a bag of rice, and a box of cereal. Baskets are in front of the church Monday-Thursday mornings and on Sunday to collect donations.
Once a month, we provide dinner for residents at Door of Hope, a Pasadena ministry that offers transitional housing and support services to unhoused families; contact George Rothwell through the church office to help with a dish for this meal. The school conducts a book & toy drive in December to provide Christmas gifts for the children at Door of Hope.
Putting together Union Station lunches
Friends in Deed is a Pasadena-based interfaith organization providing supportive services to unhoused and at-risk neighbors. We support them with our annual Christmas tree sale and a backpack/school supplies drive.
We are proud members of both the national Union of Black Episcopalians and our local H. Belfield Hannibal chapter. UBE unites the diverse cultures, concerns, and gifts of Black Episcopalians. The local chapter hosts prayer groups, Bible studies, and special events.
Holy Family Services is an adoption and foster care organization and part of Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. We are pleased to be a supportive part of their exceptional work, with parishioners taking active and leading roles in the organization.
Traci Cecconello, Gap Fund event coordinator
Saint Mark’s Church Gap Fund is designed to assist families at Saint Mark’s School with expenses that are beyond the usual limits of the school's financial aid. This includes costs such as uniforms, field trips, and school supplies. We have a Mother's Day flower fundraiser to encourage donations to the fund, offering an opportunity for people to honor a mother or special women in their life with flowers while helping other families participate fully in a Saint Mark’s education.
Founded by one of our parishioners, Betty Butler, My Sister’s Purse provides necessary personal care items to women living in difficult circumstances. Purses are regularly filled with donated essentials and given to women in need. You can drop off contributions of travel size toiletries, feminine supplies, combs and toothbrushes, and small packs of tissues in the church office or on Sunday morning.
Episcopal Relief & Development (ERD) is the compassionate response to human suffering in the world by the Episcopal Church. We contribute to ERD as a congregation and direct parishioners to supports its efforts around the world, especially in response to particular disasters and crises.
Saint Mark’s hosts Daisy, Brownie, and Junior Girl Scout troops, and is the chartering organization for Scout Troop 1 and Cub Scout Pack 1. Each year we celebrate Scout Sunday to give thanks for the energy, vision, and efforts of these young people and their leaders. Read more here.
We hold an alternative gift market each December. The proceeds from the market help to support our ministries that serve people in the local and global community. With a wide array of gift choices and crafts, there’s something for even the pickiest person on your list.
We join with the City of Hope and Scout Troop 1 to host the Andrew Blackwood Memorial Blood Drive each October. In 2000, Andrew Blackwood was a Troop 1 Scout at St. Mark’s when he contracted cancer. Ultimately, Andy lost his battle with cancer, but he lived long enough to achieve all 3 of his goals: graduating high school with his friends, becoming an Eagle Scout and organizing a blood drive. Each year since, we hold this event in his memory which is now City of Hope’s largest annual blood drive!
Our annual Christmas Tree Sale raises funds to help support the Pasadena Bad Weather Shelter. You can buy a tree for your family, or you may donate a tree for a family in the area that otherwise wouldn’t have one, distributed by the Pasadena Police Activities League. Trees go on sale in November and are delivered to the church in early December; for an additional fee, you can have the tree brought directly to your home. More information and an online order form here.
Saint Mark’s School is an independent, Episcopal school for students in preschool through grade 6, pairing strong academics with social-emotional learning to help students thrive and grow into intelligent, well-rounded leaders. 60+ years after church members first opened a preschool, the relationship between church and school remains strong, with collaborative efforts such as our Haiti Partnership, capital campaigns, and representatives on each other's leadership boards. Brother Galvin Brewington-Mathis serves as chaplain to the school community.
Saint Mark's School students are an integral part in the chapel services