Fincastle / Botetourt County, Virginia
ALTAR GUILD
Beauty to Glorify
By keeping the altar linens beautiful and clean, by caring for the sacred vessels, and by arranging the flowers to glorify God, our corporate worship is enhanced weekly by the work of our St. Mark's Altar Guild. Each communicant is touched by the weekly preparations of the servanthood duty of the guild.
Altar Guild Training
A wonderful "Altar Guild Training Manual" has been completed by the Guild to enable all those interested in becoming members of the Guild to be assured of easy-to-follow guidelines for setting up the altar and preparing for weekly worship. In addition, the Guild plans future flower arranging seminars to help prepare members to better carry out the task of keeping the sanctuary beautiful for worship.
Please contact Susan Hays for more information
Lay Eucharistic Ministers
St. Mark's has a dedicated group of lay ministers who are licensed by the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia to serve at the altar. Their duties include everything from serving as acolyte at the 10:00 Eucharist, to assisting with the distribution of communion. At each service our LEM leads "The Nicene Creed" and "The Prayers of the People", eloquently representing the voice of the laity in leading the congregation prayer.
Lay Eucharistic Visitors
Lay Eucharistic Visitors are loyal, active members of our parish who are willing to take the Sacrament from the altar directly to the homes of parishioners who are not able to be in church with the worshiping congregation at 10:00 on Sundays, such as shut-ins or people recovering from illnesses. The same consecrated bread and wine used on the altar is taken to homes, together with a short service of administration (and a short visit, if desired). The bread and wine they carry act as a symbol of the unity of Christ's Body. Anyone wishing to have the Sacrament brought to him or her should call the church office by Thursday morning prior to the Sunday service.
Lectors
The Lector schedule for St. Mark's is prepared by the Lector Chair and includes confirmed laity who are interested in reading the scriptures aloud to the congregation at the 10:00 service and at special services.
For information about Lay Eucharist Ministers and Lectors, contact Brian Wood.
Each week newcomers and old timers alike are greeted at the door by a smiling face and someone to give them a weekly bulletin. The ushers and greeters are a dedicated core of St. Mark's members who help collect the offerings, invite visitors to sign the guest book, and help newcomers understand the layout of our building.
For more information about the usher/greeter team, contact John or Danielle Alexander
Social hour is an informal time after the 10:00am service held outside on the patio or in the fellowship hall. Bring your own coffee! There is an online sign-up process for social hour on the home page where you can assist with putting the tent up and handing out water. Click on the "sign up here" button on the right hand side. You can also team up with someone else.
For more information on social hour, contact Penny Neil.
