St. Philip’s/St. Mark’s

By Bob Bettson

Two Calgary parishes have voted to join together to form a new combined parish. St. Philip the Evangelist and St. Mark’s voted in separate parish decisions in early May to form the partnership at the St. Mark’s site in Calgary’s Marda Loop area in the southwest.

Both church buildings date back to the 50’s but St. Mark’s was chosen as the site for the partnership because of a better location on a major thoroughfare (33rd Ave SW) as well as a building with more facilities and in better condition.

The St. Philip’s parishioners agreed unanimously to ask the Diocese to sell their property on 49 Ave SW near Elbow Drive, and form the partnership with St. Mark’s.

The decision is the culmination of three years of discernment and negotiations for St. Philip’s, and a year for St. Mark’s.

St. Philip’s invited other nearby parishes to join in some form of partnership in early 2005. St. Mark’s responded, and negotiation started in ernest in the fall of 2005 when the combined vestries of the two parishes met and agreed to form a joint steering committee to formulate a partnership plan.

The plan finally approved calls for a team ministry during the transition by the Rev. Graham Goode, from St. Philip’s, and the Rev. Bob Bettson, from St.Mark’s.

The transition will be managed by a joint parish council including the two clergy, two wardens, two vestry representatives and a treasurer from each church (ex-officio).

The first joint service was scheduled for Pentecost, Sunday June 4. St Philip’s planned to hold its last service in the old church property on Sunday May 28.

The St. Philip’s property will. be sold by the Diocese, preferably to another church. There are already some potential offers.

Under the Diocesan policy for the sale of church buildings half the proceeds will go into the Diocese’s development fund, and the joint St. Philip’s-St. Mark’s parish will be able to apply for up to half the proceeds for ministry and other needs.

Both parishes have experienced a loss in membership and attendance during the past decade. St. Mark’s had been stable for a while until 2003 when former rector the Rev. Michael Birch retired and took a position with Christ the King, a parish in the Anglican Catholic Church. Other members of St. Mark’s left to join Christ the King, and more left during the uncertain period following Birch’s departure.

St. Mark’s is one of Calgary’s historic parishes, with the first wooden church built in 1912. It is no stranger to partnership having shared a rector with St. Martin’s until the 50’s.

The 50’s were St. Mark’s golden years with 500 families on the parish rolls, a Sunday school of 300 with 40 teachers, and 200 involved in youth programs.

St. Philip’s was a mission to the Elboya area started in the 50’s. The parish was to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary this year, but instead found itself looking for a new path for the future.

Both parishes have averaged about 50 to 60 in attendance for two Sunday services in recent years.

Both St. Mark’s and St.Philip’s primarily use the Book of Common Prayer. St. Philip’s developed blended worship which includes a contemporary praise group “Wing and a Prayer” which has also played at Cursillo events.

The worship plan approved calls for a said Eucharist at 8 am (BCP), followed by a contemporary Eucharist at 9 am and a traditional Eucharist (BCP) at 11 am..

One of the important parts of the transition plan will be a transportation ministry, which will focus on car pooling to ensure all members of both parishes can get to church

St. Mark’s will also now become home to the THING worship services for the Teens Encounter Christ (TEC) community on the second and fourth Saturdays. TEC had been meeting at St. Philip’s.