St. Mark’s United Methodist Church Celebrates 100 Years of Service

Celebrating its centenary this year, St. Mark’s has provided a number of ground-breaking missions to the New Orleans community. In 1909, the Methodist Women in New Orleans assumed the leadership of a mission that had been based in the city’s Irish Channel, and opened St. Mark’s Hall at 619-21 Esplanade Avenue. Following the settlement house model, Methodist women moved into a neighborhood to live with and assist people in need. They selected the name, St. Mark, the patron saint of Venice, Italy, as a gesture of outreach to Italian Catholics who dominated the area at the time. An emphasis on outreach, empathy and cutting-edge ministry has characterized St. Mark’s ever since. The current church at 1130 North Rampart, at the edge of the historic French Quarter, opened in 1923.

In its hundred-year history, St. Mark’s has experienced many “firsts.” In the early twentieth century, people from over twenty-five different nationalities participated in St. Mark’s programs. In the 1930s, St. Mark’s offered health and dental services that were open to people of all races and ethnicities. The Community Center operated the first indoor pool in the city, also integrated. The church and community center fully integrated in the 1960s. Its pastor, the Reverend Andy Foreman, was featured in international newspapers as he walked with his daughter Pamela to one of the first integrated elementary schools in New Orleans. In 1973, a horrible fire resulted in the deaths of twenty-five people in a gay bar, the Upstairs Lounge; no church in New Orleans would hold a memorial service for the victims. St. Mark’s stepped forward, and opened its doors. It was an inspiring example of the Methodist principles of “Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors.” Post-Katrina, St. Mark’s has maintained its tradition of feeding the homeless. Currently, over one hundred people are fed every Sunday, often with the assistance of Methodists from around the state. St. Mark’s mission is recognized in its official designation as a “reconciling” church. St. Mark’s recognizes and seeks to embody the truth that all people are the children of God, regardless of race, sexual orientation, life history, education, place of birth, age . . .”

St. Mark’s will celebrate its anniversary with two events, open to all. On Saturday, June 6, at 2:00 p.m., we will recognize our anniversary with a greeting from Reverend Anita Dinwiddie, St. Mark’s pastor, music, a brief illustrated historical talk, and a tour of the church and community center. A Silent Auction will begin at 2 p.m. and conclude at 9:55 p.m. At 6:30 p.m., the Community Center Gala will commence. Chaired by Sally Ann Roberts, morning anchor for Channel 4, the program will feature a sit-down picnic supper and entertainment by Betty Shirley and Juanita Brooks, Gospel and Jazz singers extraordinaire. For more information, please contact the church at (504) 523-0450.