In 1909, the work of the Mary
Werlein Mission moved to Esplanade Ave. and was called St. Marks Hall.
Out of this project, a "Church of Nations" emerged and was called St. Marks
Methodist Church. The property on N. Rampart was purchased in 1916
and the buildings dedicated in 1924. The church and community center,
though separate, shared the facilities. The church was supported
for many years by the Board of Missions. Under Rev. Robert Jamieson,
he church became self-supporting in 1946. Rev. Jamieson's "parsonage"
was a 5 room apartment on the 3rd floor of the community center.
In 1954, St. Marks was incorporated
and a Board of Trustees appointed. After a bit of a search, a parsonage
was finally purchased in 1955 on Alvar St. The parsonage situation
created controversy in 1960, when the pastor moved his family to a rented
house elsewhere due to public school assignments. A new parsonage
was purchased at 4701 Stephen Girard. in Gentilly Woods.
Since the 1960's, membership
has been on the decline. Members were moving away from the inner
city, some due to marriage, some due to retirement, and some for other
reasons. The situation got so bad, that the congregation passed a
resolution in 1972 requesting that the congregation be dissolved.
In 1972, the church's first
black minister, Rev. Edward Kennedy, was appointed ... the first and only
(at that time) black minister to be appointed to a white church in Louisiana.
St. Marks increased its emphasis in reaching the community.
When David Billings, director of the Community Center, also became pastor
of the church, membership grew as St. Marks began to respond to the needs
of the community.
When membership declined in
the 1980's, St. Marks was put into an alliance with two other churches.
This didn't work out, so they were "separated" in 1989.
Source: “The St. Mark’s Family: A Story of Change” |
