On November 6, 1931, a small group of people holding a prayer meeting decided to start a church. With great vision and hope, this group called the Reverend J. S. Stokes as their Pastor, purchased land on 11th Street North, and named their humble gathering St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church.
In 1932, the Reverend James Atkinson was called as St. Mark’s second Pastor, and it was under his direction that the first Sunday School was organized, as well as the church’s first choir, and so the construction of the first sanctuary.
St. Mark’s third Pastor, the Reverend S. C. Caldwell was called in October 1939. He served ten years. In 1949, after Rev. Caldwell leaves, Reverend Clemmons serves as Supply pastor.
With the calling of the Reverend W. J. Glover in November 1949, St. Mark experienced tremendous growth in the following decades; demolishing and re-constructing a new Edifice on 11th Street North; adding a Parsonage, Fellowship Hall, and Marquee, as well as the laying of the Cornerstone. Also under his leadership many of our current ministries were implemented, and St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church became a pillar of the community. Reverend W. J. Glover served as Pastor of this great church for more 38 years.
During the illness and demise of the Rev. W. J. Glover in 1988, we were under the divine leadership of Reverend Isaac McNeal, as, St. Mark began its search for a new Pastor. The Reverend David Thompson Jr. was installed as our fifth pastor on February 16, 1989. Under his leadership four ministers were licensed and ordained, as well as 2 additional Deacons. Our new edifice was constructed at 1301 37th Street South and the Lord blessed us to march in on Sunday, March 24, 1991. Formal “Dedication” Services were held April 21-28, 1991.
Once again Rev. Isaac McNeal is called to oversee St. Mark, when Rev. Thompson leaves in September 1994. During this time St. Mark ordained two ministers, Revered Brian K. Brown and the late Reverend John Rogers on December 18, 1994. And, in 1996 Reverend Isaac McNeal is named Pastor Emeritus with the calling of our current pastor, Reverend Brian K. Brown.
Our leader, The Rev. Brian K. Brown, was installed as St. Mark’s sixth Pastor on July 30, 1995. Under his leadership, new church vans were purchased to facilitate transporting our members to services. In May of 1996 a new marquee was installed to highlight our upcoming services and church events, and on May 24, 2001, a double wide utility shed (1,600-square feet) was constructed.
On March 6, 2005, the groundbreaking ceremony took place for the New Reverend W. J. Glover Education Wing, and on May 28, 2006 our long awaited vision was realized, and dedication services for the opening of the new facilities complete with Administrative offices, conference room, an education wing with 8 classrooms and a computer lab and houses the Reverend Isaac McNeal Library was held.
Under the leadership of Pastor Brown, St. Mark has continued to grow in leaps and bounds. Four Ministers were licensed; Minister Thomas Whitlock, the late Minister Charles Williams, the late Minister Demetrius Perkins, and Minister Anthony Miffin, and eight new Trustees were added to the Board. In December 2004 Pastor Brown ordained six Deacons and added two additional Deacons. On February 10, 2013 another seven Deacons were ordained and Minister Reginald Rhett was welcomed aboard.
The idea of Reverend Brian Brown following the leading of the Holy Spirit, Vision 2017 began immediately after the 2012 Church Anniversary. All funds given towards the Anniversary were applied to the principal of the mortgage and the membership was asked to give toward Debt Reduction. On April 1, 2018, the Lord blessed us to make the final payment on our mortgage. A Mortgage burning ceremony was held in conjunction with the celebration of our 87th Church Anniversary; October 21, 2018, with Family and Friends. To God be the Glory!!!
We believe that the original manuscripts of the Old and New Testament comprise the full, word-for-word, truthful, inert Word of God which is supreme and final authority in doctrine and practice. (Is.40:8; II Tim. 3:16 &17; Heb. 4:12; II Peter 1:20 & 21)
We believe the Scripture teaches that there is one, and only one, living and true God, an infinite, intelligent Spirit, whose name is Jehovah, the Maker and Supreme Ruler of Heaven and Earth; inexpressibly glorious in holiness, and worthy of all possible honor, confidence, and love; that in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; equal in ever divine perfection, and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption. (Deut. 6:4; Is. 48:16; Jer. 10:10; Matt. 28:19; John 10:30; Acts 5:3-4; II Cor. 13:14; Heb. 1:8)
We believe that as eternal Father, He is the Father of all men in the non-salvation and Creator-creature sense, the Father of the Nation of Israel, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Father of all who believe in the Christ. He is author of salvation, the One who sent the Son, and the disciplinarian of His Children. (Ex. 4:22; Ps. 2:7-9; John 5: 37; Acts 17:29; Gal 3:26; Eph. 1:3-6; Heb. 12:9; I Peter 1:3)
We believe Jesus Christ is God incarnate, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, completely God and completely man. We believe in His pre-existence, His sinless life, His substitutionary atonement, His bodily resurrection from the grave, His ascension into heaven, and His bodily return from heaven. (John1:1,14,18; Luke 1:35; Rom. 3:24-26; 4:25; I Peter 1:3-5; Eph. 4:11-16; I Thess. 4:13-18; Heb. 1:7; 7:23-25; I John 2:1-2)
We believe that the Holy Spirit regenerates, indwells, seals, and bestows spiritual gifts upon all believers at the time of their conversion. Experientially, he fills, teaches, leads, assures, and prays for believers. (John 14:26; 16:6-15; Acts1;5; Rom. 8:14-16, 26-27; I Cor. 6:19; 12:7-11,13; Eph. 1:13-14; 5:18; II Thess. 2:1-10; Titus 3:5)
We believe man was created in the image of God; that he sinned in Adam and thereby incurred both physical and spiritual death (separation from God); is now a sinner, by nature and by choice; and is in need of salvation. (Gen. 1:1,27; 2:17; 3:1-19; Is. 14:12-14; Luke 20:36; Heb. 1: 13-14; 2:5-8; John 1:1-3; 12:31 Rom. 5:12-21; Eph. 2:1-3)
We believe in salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ’s substitutionary payment for our sins, not based on merit, works, or religious ceremony. We believe that anyone who has placed their faith in Christ is eternally secure, has everlasting life, will not come into condemnation, and shall never perish. We believe that assurances come to the believer from three primary sources: trusting the Word of God’s promises, the witness of the Holy Spirit, and a persevering walk with the Lord. ( John 1:12; 2:3, 16; 3:16, 36; 10:28-29; 11:25-26; II Cor. 5:17-21; Rom. 8:28-39; I John 4:11-13; 5: 10-13; Eph. 2:8-9; Jude 1; Rev. 20:12-15)
We believe in the church, both universally and locally, as the spiritual body of which Christ is the Head, and in the practices of water baptism of believers and the Lord’s Supper as the ordinances of the local church. (Matt. 16:18; Acts 1:5; 11:15; I Cor. 12:13; Eph. 1:22-23; 4:11-16; 5:22-33; Col. 1:18)
We believe that those whom God has saved are sent into the world by Christ as He was by the Father. Those so sent are ambassadors, commissioned to go make disciples and make Christ known to the whole world. We also believe that everyone should have an opportunity to carefully examine the facts about Christ and have a chance to make an intelligent decision about him. (Matt. 28:18-20; John 15:17-18, 20-21; Acts 1; Rom. 10:14-15; II Cor. 5:18-20; Col. 4:2-6)
We believe in the physical resurrection of human body at Christ’s Appearance; in the eternal conscious existence of all individual in either heaven or hell; and in the rewards of the saved and the punishment of the lost for eternity. (Luke 16:19-31; I Cor. 3: 11-15; II Cor. 5:8-10; Rev. 20:10-15)
We believe that the Bible is God’s inspired Word, the authoritative and trustworthy rule of faith and practice for Christians. The bible is both timeless and timely, relevant to common needs of all people at all times and to the specific problems of contemporary living. Therefore, we are committed to equipping Christians, through the preaching and teaching of God’s Word, to follow Christ in every sphere of life. (II Tim. 3:16-17; I Pet. 1:20-21)
We believe that God desires His people to pray and the He hears and answers prayer (Matt. 7:7-11; James 5:13-18). Therefore, the ministries and activities of this church will be characterized by a reliance on prayer in their conception, planning, and execution.
We believe that whole-hearted devotion to Jesus Christ is not only the biblical norm for the believer, but that anything less is sin in God’s eyes. Therefore, full devotion should be expected of and encouraged by every believer in the community. (Matt. 6:30-33 Mark 12:30)
We believe that everyone in the body of Christ has been uniquely designed to serve God. This Divine Design involves personality, spiritual, giftedness, experience, and passion. Therefore, we believe that it is the responsibility of the church corporately to equip, encourage, and actively help the individual believer find the place where God has designed him or her to serve in the body of Christ; understanding, that this place of service may or may not be within the traditional programs of the church. (Eph. 4:1-17; I Cor. 12:12-26)
We believe that the Holy Spirit regenerates, indwells, seals, and bestows spiritual gifts upon all believers at the time of their conversion. Experientially, he fills, teaches, leads, assures, and prays for believers. (John 14:26; 16:6-15; Acts1;5; Rom. 8:14-16, 26-27; I Cor. 6:19; 12:7-11,13; Eph. 1:13-14; 5:18; II Thess. 2:1-10; Titus 3:5)
We believe that Christ is ultimately the only head of the Church, but that He has chosen to function through human leaders in the local church. Therefore, we believe that these human leaders must meet the biblical qualifications of leaders; they must have Godly character, biblical vision, and influence. We believer leadership must be team leadership if it is to be biblical and effective in our culture. Realizing as with all biblical teams, this team leadership must be lead by a visionary leader of leader. Leadership must model the leadership of Christ in that it is both strong leadership and servant leadership. Hence, we believe that the church should be led by strong servant leadership team led by a strong servant leader of leaders. ( I Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-15; I Peter 5:1-4)
The vision of the St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church is to become a bible-based refuge providing hope, help and healing (wholeness) to the citizens of the Greater Tampa Bay area . There are four key action words that outline our vision. These words are:
WIt is a known fact that a person is more likely to receive when he or she is comfortable. Therefore, the best way to winning the lost is by first meeting his or her physical needs. For us, this means starting to go out where they are and discovering what their needs are. Upon discovering those needs, we must begin to develop a working program that seeks to address those concerns.
Non-churched people are nine times more likely to come to an established church. Therefore, the best way to impact our area with the transforming message of Christ is by taking the established church to them. For us this means starting a cluster home, where members open their homes to un-churched neighbors and friends and teach small group bible studies.
If we are to become a church that provides the hope, help, and healing towards the citizens of the Greater Tampa bay area, then this means the community at-large must be able to see themselves in our church. Therefore, we must strive to have greater cultural and ethnic balance within our growing refuge. This balance will be accomplished when the membership goes out and crosses the cultural and ethnic lines which divide us.
By the grace of God, the city of St. Petersburg and surrounding areas will be a changed area in the next 15 to 20 years, due to the influence of the Spirit of God through the mode of His taught and preached word. It is our vision that this message of hope, help, and healing be further expanded through the means of mass media, such as radio and television.
Placing a vision in print is somewhat like attempting to hold water in your hand. It is nearly impossible! A vision is something that is caught rather than taught. Vision has been described as a mental picture of the future that finds its realization in the hands of one who owns the vision. It is my desire that the St. Mark vision becomes your vision; something you “ own” and take great pride in seeing fulfilled. In essence, our vision is not something that you can see, but something you must be.
The mission of the church asks: What are we supposed to be doing?
“To make disciples” or “to make fully devoted disciples” (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:47; Acts 1:8).
This is the disciple-driven mission! Therefore, the mission of this church is to turn un-churched people into fully functioning disciples of Christ.
We have been closely monitoring the COVID-19 restrictions, and with all stay-at-home orders lifted in our city and county, we will begin in-person worship experiences at St. Mark soon. And we will keep you updated as we go through our re-opening process.
With your safety as our top priority, we are introducing many policies and procedures to ensure St. Mark remains a safe, socially-distanced, and spiritually vibrant environment!
“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
(Romans 3:23)
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal Life.”
(Romans 6:23)
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world through Him might be saved.”
(John 3:16-17)
“If you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you shall be saved.”
(Romans 10:9)
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
(Romans 10:13)
Call Deacon Washington at (727) 520-2274 to arrange pick up.
You can mail your donation to the address below.
1301 37th Street South
St. Petersburg, FL 33711