Justice & Advocacy
“Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” Matthew 25:40
This is Jesus talking about what it is to be inheritors of the kingdom of God, that it is not easy nor sometimes obvious work. It is not exaggeration to say that justice is woven into the very fiber of St. Mark's. From our founding on the ashes of Civil War to serve the working people of Richmond, to integration, to inclusion – we have been there for those some in society might deem the least, the forgotten, the shunned. At St. Mark's, we are all children of God, blessed and precious.
Some of us are activists, some of us are advocates – but we are all engaged in the kingdom work of justice. And while we might not be the biggest group out there we are loud and passionate and relentless.
In fall 2022 J&A began a two-year discernment on what it means for a church to offer sanctuary, safespace always listening for God's call to us in how we can be a positive force in a world so in need of safe space.
During the spring and early summer of 2023 the J&A Team - a group of 10-12 members of the congregation has engaged in a 7 week study using the book, Prophetic Faith. It has been an amazing conversation. We will offer a report to the congregation mid-summer, and offer a second Prophetic Faith cohort beginning January 2024.
On October 8, 2023 in concert with the ALA Banned Book Week we will host our Coffee Hour with information about banned books - and launch our congregational reading program, St. Mark's Reads.
In 2024 and going into 2025 we have been educating the church ministry teams about what justice looks like in all their work, gathering the third cohort for the Prophetic Faith curriculum, participating in the Virginia Interfaith Day for All People at the General Assembly, and considering our response as a community of faith to national events.
These are some of the organizations in which we are active as a parish and as individuals:
