A History of
St. Mark’s United Methodist Church

Our congregation began meeting in a series of religious services in the year of our Lord, 1877.  These services were being held in a loft over the tavern of B. F. Dickey on Main Street in Stanton.  Approximately 20 persons formed the early members of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Newport under the leadership of Reverend H. S. Thompson.  The church was later renamed Stanton Methodist Episcopal Church.  The cornerstone for the first church was laid on April 12, 1877.  The Golden Jubilee (1927) was celebrated by special musical services and preaching by guest ministers from Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania.

In 1949 the church building was destroyed by fire. The congregation accepted an offer from the Wilmington Friends to use the White Clay Creek Meeting House (built in 1873) located in Stanton. The pulpit furniture and hymnals rescued from the fire were moved into the meeting house. The children’s division of the Sunday School continued to meet in the Stanton School prior to the morning worship service. Through the labor and effort of dedicated Christians the church building was rebuilt and, using borrowed chairs and a temporary organ, the first worship service was held on December 3, 1950.

During the late 1950s, Methodist churches were being encouraged to use biblically significant names; therefore, Stanton Methodist Church was renamed to St. Mark’s Methodist Church in 1960. The groundbreaking for the present building (on the corner of Limestone Road and Main Street, Stanton) was held May 7, 1961 and the first service was held April 15, 1962, Palm Sunday. A few items recovered after the fire in 1949 were moved into the current building, namely, the portrait of Jesus hanging in the adult lounge and the three chairs behind the chancel rail in the sanctuary. The building was improved in 1970 with the addition of the Hughes Fellowship Hall, air conditioning for the sanctuary and a new kitchen. New pews and inside lighting were successfully sought as memorials. 

The Methodist Church reorganized when it merged with the Evangelical United Brethren Church (1968) and became the United Methodist Church, changing our name to St. Mark’s United Methodist Church.

A stained-glass window (a gift) was installed above the entrance to the sanctuary and donations from the congregation supplied more stained glass for either side commemorating the 1968 merger of the Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren congregations. The plain glass on the side wall of the sanctuary was replaced with stained glass depicting the Apostle’s Creed and various other symbols of the Christian faith. The dedication of these beautiful windows was held in January 1973.

The Centennial Celebration in 1977 was marked with many varied events including burying a time capsule beneath the floor in the Hughes Fellowship Hall under the organ chamber. This capsule will be exhumed on the occasion of St. Mark’s Bicentennial Celebration in 2077.

Heritage Sunday was held November 1985 with a 1780s type worship service. Many members wore costumes of that period. New pew Bibles, which matched the new hymnals, were provided by the congregation in May 1990. In September 1994 the church’s lighting project was completed with over 80% of the cost covered by donations.St. Mark’s became a Global Mission Partner Church in 1998. This commitment to missions must be renewed each year and is celebrated with a banner that hangs in the narthex.

A number of community outreach projects were started in 2001. In July, 1,600 bottles of ice-cold water were handed out to the occupants of cars passing at the busy corner of Limestone Road and Route 4 in Stanton. To top off the summer, members of the congregation washed cars for “Totally Free”!  The congregation donated approximately 500 light bulbs that were distributed to the residents of neighboring apartment complexes and the trailer park during the winter. Continuing the outreach program, another 2,300 bottles of water were distributed in August 2002 and a free Thanksgiving dinner was offered to the community on Thanksgiving Day.

To honor members who have been with St. Mark’s United Methodist Church for 50 years or more, a Golden Members dinner was held in Hughes Fellowship Hall in September 2002. “Roasting and reminiscing” with these long-term faithful members gave a real glow to the evening.

On October 13, 2002, Bishop Peter D. Weaver conducted the church services marking St. Mark’s United Methodist Church’s 125th Anniversary celebration.