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 St. Mark’s Ministries/Auxiliaries/Staff |  |
| WHAT WE BELIEVE
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ST. MARK'S MINISTRIES/AUXLIARIES DESCRIPTIONS are Listed Below . . . | ||
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Pastor | The pastor should be elected by the majority of the church members present and voting. The pastor is elected for an indefinite term, which ends either upon his decision or that of the congregation. Should there be termination of a pastoral relationship, severance is generally preceded by a notice of ninety days from either the congregation or the pastor. The pastor serves as moderator of the church unless otherwise decided. However, in some few situations a say person may be elected as moderator and serve quite effectively.
The pastor shall be concerned for the religious, social, and economical nature of all member of the church, including the youth. He, the pastor, must maintain a dignified and constant Christian Ministerial Life, as long as his life does not interfere with his religious work at the church. In the administration of the church affairs, he shall seek the cooperation of its members.
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Deacons Ministry | Persons serving on the Board of Deacons at St. Mark must avow that they meet the moral and spiritual qualifications as specified in the scriptures (Acts 6:1-8, I Timothy 3:8-13). Deacons serve with/assist the pastor and staff in performing the pastoral ministry tasks such as seeking out such members of the church that need assistance, and using the alms of the church for their relief; they visit the sick; they distribute the elements of the Lord’s Supper; they take a general supervision of the temporal interest of the church; and they cooperate with and assist the pastor in the performance of his duties. They are also responsible for taking the new members under their wings for new membership orientation classes, and also in keeping the older members updated on church rules, regulations, policies and practices. Deacons assist the auxiliaries of the church as needed or requested. |
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Deaconesses Ministry | Our Deaconesses Ministry, works along with our Deacons to minister to the needs of the sick, shut-ins, bereaved and needy within the St. Mark family and the entire community. They are also in charge of preparing the Altar for Communion on the first Sunday of each month, assisting with Baptismal services, and they maintain the necessary items for those special services/rituals to be performed efficiently and effectively. |
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Trustees Ministry | The Board of Trustees shall hold in trust all properties belonging to the church and shall take all necessary measures for its protection, management, and upkeep. The Trustees Board shall obtain authorization from the church to buy, mortgage, lease or transfer any property of the church. Trustees shall designate the bank where funds of the church shall be deposited.
The Board of Trustees are responsible for the financial affairs of the church. They should hold monthly meetings. Sometimes meetings could/should be an organized learning experience. |
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Sunday School Ministry | Church School is conducted each Sunday beginning at 10:00 a.m., and will continue unless otherwise specified by the church. The Sunday School provides a program with a systematic study of the Bible in order to become familiar with its contents and to apply its techniques to life today. This teaching provides an opportunity for the building of Christian character and for the development of leaders. |
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Missionary Society | The objective of the Missionary Society is to foster good homes, advance Christian education, and support home and foreign missions. Any church member in good and regular standing may become a member by attending the meetings when possible, studying the prescribed course praying for and contributing to its causes. |
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Children’s Church | Here at St. Mark, Children's Church is organized to provide a worship experience and Christian education to Children/Youth during regular Sunday morning worhip services geared to their level of understanding and interest. Each Sunday morning they attend a worship service where they sing, pray, learn Bible verses, etc. Children's Church provides a positive experience in Christian exposure for our Children/Youth in a full worship service. |
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Brotherhood Ministry | The St. Mark Brotherhood Ministry’s a group or organized – with Jesus in the midst --men of the church whose sole purpose for functioning is to develop a comprehensive program for our young boys/men. The focus is on unity, mentoring, fellowship, and ministry, etc. The aim is to reach them, teach them, and keep them now – to ensure them a good today and a good tomorrow. |
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Ushers Ministry | Our Ushers, our minstry with the friendly smiles. There is a Senior Board of Ushers and a Junior Board of Ushers. Ushers’ duties include being on their post well ahead of the appointed time of service, to devise and set forth the specific plans and procedures of their work. Our ushers are responsible for preparing th sanctuary for worship, welcoming and seating worshippers, distributing bulletins, and to assist in the Order of Worship. They should have regular meetings could/should sometimes be organized into a learning experience. At each function when ushers are needed, there is a head usher to supervise the movements. |
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Hospitality Ministry | Realizing that the first impression one receives is the most lasting impression, the Hospitality Ministry strives to make it a point to welcome visitors/guest to St. Mark in a warm, personable, caring way; to direct them to the appropriate Sunday School class/department; to obtain complete record information on the entire family; and to invite guests to participate fully in the proceedings. The Hospitality Ministry also remembers to thank them for coming and to invite them back again. |
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Children/Youth Ministry. | Embracing the wisdom of Proverbs 22:8 to Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it,” and the old African Proverb that ”It takes a village to raise a child,” the major purpose of the St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church Youth Ministry is provide opportunities for ALL of our Children/Youth to believe that God is real, and to experience His presence in worship at their various levels of growth and understanding. We offer mentoring, love, and praise in our effort for them to believe that they are included in the knowledge that We are all special in God’s sight. |
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Pastor’s Aid Ministry | The purpose of the Pastor’s Aid Society is to assist the pastor with finance, prayers, and encouraging words and actions. The only prerequisite to become a member is a willing heart, a mind to work, and courage to face difficulties. |
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Vacation Bible School | Our Vacation Bible School session is always scheduled to begin soon after all of the children from our church, community, and surrounding communities are out of school for the summer. We view it as a way to reach people, especially our children/youth for Christ during the summer. Our very trained VBS staff use lessons that are set up in a very good way to teach our children about Christ, it also serve as a method of pointing them to/towards Him in a positive and productive way. We plan various activities for the participants as that they are educated about God’s love, compassion, and forgiveness. VBS is one outreach program of St. Mark that offers us a great opportunity touch children and families all around us. |
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Music Ministry | ”Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God . . . (Psalm 145). We use music to involve our church musically in worship, praise and petition. We use music to witness and minister to the congregation, to prepare them fro the message of the sermon. Simply put, the purpose of our music ministry is ensure that we want the music we use to worship, to praise, to witness, etc. to be both appropriate and enjoyable. |
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Young Women’s Auxiliary (YWA) | The motto of the Young Women’s Auxiliary (YWA) is 2nd Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the work of truth.” The ministry’s objective is that there be Bible study (to include reading a chapter each day), a contribution, daily prayer, and a will to aid in giving the gospel to the whole world and promotion of Christian womanhood. Any young women may become a member of this ministry by attending the meetings when possible, studying the prescribed course, praying and contributing each month to its causes. |
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Church Sexton | The church sexton is a church officer charged with the maintenance of the church buildings and/or the surrounding property. The sexton has custody of the church keys, is responsible for keeping the church clean, insuring proper lighting, and looks after the vestments and things that belong in/at the church. |
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Kitchen Committee | The Kitchen Committee’s duties include providing food for special events as deemed necessary by the church and/or upon request from different ministries/groups. The committee is responsible for the ensuring that required/needed equipment and supplies, including the securing of disposable goods (paper plates, plastic utensils, napkins, etc.), condiments, staple goods (sugar, flour, etc.) are readily on hand, and for other kitchen needs. |
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Prison Ministry |
The St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church Prison Ministry focuses on providing support to men and women incarcerated in Clarendon and surrounding counties. This support extends to the incarcerated's immediate family. The Prison Ministry’s concepts are based and built around those of The National Baptist Convention Prison Ministry and Criminal Justice Commission which “exists in order to bring persons into meaningful and right relationship with God by belief and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ through preaching, teaching and healing. It is also to work collaboratively with NBC faith-based organizations and develop partnerships with other faith based, criminal justice, business and community organizations to engage in crime prevention, victim assistance, criminal justice, and prison ministry programs for the African-American Community in particular and others in general.” |
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ST. MARK'S STAFF DESCRIPTIONS are Listed Below . . . | ||
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Church Clerk | The Clerk shall be elected each year, or as needed. The duties/responsibilities of the Clerk includes keeping a complete record of the transaction of all business meetings of the church. This record shall be read for approval at the next business meeting. The Clerk keeps a record of the names and addresses of all members, with dates and manner of admission and termination. A record of baptism and a list of those suspended shall also be kept. The Clerk shall notifies all officers, committee members, and delegates of their election and appointment. The Clerk issues letters of termination and recommendations voted on by the church, preserves on file all communications and written reports, gives legal notice of all meetings when such is required by this constitution. The clerk delivers immediately to his or her successor all books and records for which he or she has been responsible for as Clerk. All records and books are the property of the church and should be maintained at the church. |
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Assistant Church Clerk | There shall be an Assistant Clerk elected annually, or as needed, to serve in the absence of the clerk. |
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Church Treasurer | The Treasurer is elected each year, or as needed. The Treasurer has custody of the funds of the church and all deposits shall be made in the name of the church. The Treasurer receives all monies of the church except those so designated by the church. The Treasurer should within twenty-four (24) hours, deposit the monies received in the bank selected by the Trustee Board. The Treasurer keeps separate accounts of all funds raised or contributed for particular purposes. The Treasurer must be bonded. |
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Assistant Church Treasurer | There shall be an Assistant Church Treasurer elected annually, or as needed, to serve in the absence of the treasurer. |
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Financial Secretary | The Financial Secretary is elected at the church meeting, or as needed. The Financial Secretary keeps an accurate record of the financial contributions of each member of this church. He/she is responsible for making all payments as authorized by the Trustee Board. He/she presents quarterly to the church an itemized report of monies received and paid out. An annual financial statement is presented at the church meeting at the end of the fiscal year. |
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Church Secretary | There is a Church Secretary elected at the church meeting, or as needed. The Church Secretary's position is, but not limited to, correspondence, keying/typing, etc. The Church Secretary makes available a permanent roll of the Church Membership as is requested by appropriate persons/groups; and, the secretary takes accurate minutes at meetings, both regular and call/special, and report all such minutes to the Church. Such minutes are kept on file in the Church office. Typing/keyboarding is a prerequisite. |
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Assistant Church Secretary | There shall be an Assistant Church Secretary elected annually, or as needed, to serve in the absence of the Church Secretary. |
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