St Mark's was our "family church" when growing up in St Helier. We lived in Roseville Street, but my mother's parents lived in St Mark's road, and that had been her church. Both she and her sister were married there.
My mother remembers Francis William Killer, Vicar from 1938 – 1950. He was one of the early adopters of the revival of Mothering Sunday in his previous parish in Nottingham, and also introduced the ancient ceremony of Clipping the Church (often linked to Mothering Sunday) which my mother recalls taking part in. He seems to have been both a traditionalist, and keen to revive ancient traditions which could speak to today's world.
(see http://tonymusings.blogspot.com/2011/04/clypping-church_04.html for its origins; it has also been revived recently under Mark Bond at St Brelade's Church)
And in the fullness of time, when I turned up, I was baptised by Maurice Godfrey who was Vicar from 1951 – 1966. I also vaguely remember Geoffrey Baker, 1966 – 1973, who later became careers teacher / advisor at Victoria College. Geoffey also served as Prison Chaplain, and you can read his account of what it was like here:
And in the fullness of time, when I turned up, I was baptised by Maurice Godfrey who was Vicar from 1951 – 1966. I also vaguely remember Geoffrey Baker, 1966 – 1973, who later became careers teacher / advisor at Victoria College. Geoffey also served as Prison Chaplain, and you can read his account of what it was like here:
http://tonymusings.blogspot.com/2013/05/geoffrey-baker-on-being-prison-chaplain.html
And with that has come more change - as the photo I took shows, the choir stalls have gone, along with the pulpit. As readers know, I usually try to take a "pulpit shot" of myself in the pulpit of churches I visit, but that was not possible. Huge screens have images, words (for hymns and services) projected on them, and there is a modern musical band area with electronic keyboard and microphones where the old choir stalls used to be. The far altar is currently blocked off with a screen.
"We want to be a place where everyone feels welcomed and accepted"
The old St Mark's Hall, beside the church, now long demolished (in the time of Christopher Buckley, 1993-2006, was where Sunday school took place. It had lots of noisy screaming kids, and although I myself was a youngster, I hated that kind of thing, so eventually my parents took me out of Sunday school, and I sat through the main service.
I have only sketchy memories of that. I liked the hymns, and of course being able to read well at a fairly early age, I could follow the service, although I didn't really understand much of what was going on. I can remember no sermons whatsoever, but then I can remember very few sermons anyway! I suspect that is not uncommon.
I remember watching the film - the original, not the remake - of "Invaders from Mars" - which is very much seen from the perspective of a small boy - camera angles are deliberately placed to look upwards much of the time, and buildings seem large. I mention this because, as a young boy, St Mark's seemed very large and grand, and yet going back, it seems so small compared to my memories of perhaps 8 or 9 years old.
It was not brightly lit - church lighting in those days was poor in most churches - and did not have a lot of colour, apart from the Victorian stained glass. The service was quite ornate, choir robed up, Vicar in his robes, and I remember the service would end with a hymn, and a solemn procession led by someone carrying the tall processional cross.
The photo below shows a much lighter and more colourful church that I remember, but it is interesting because it shows the pulpit and the choir stalls. It is not clear whether this is the change made under Christopher Buckley, 1993-2006, or his successor.
1994 saw the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the Church of St. Mark and a major re-ordering and refurbishment of the building. The principal alterations were the removal of a number of pews, the addition of a raised nave altar, the re-positioning of the font against the southwest wall of the nave and the laying of carpet to the whole of the ground floor. The anniversary was celebrated with a Sung Eucharist, Reverend Buckley being fairly high Anglican.
And with that has come more change - as the photo I took shows, the choir stalls have gone, along with the pulpit. As readers know, I usually try to take a "pulpit shot" of myself in the pulpit of churches I visit, but that was not possible. Huge screens have images, words (for hymns and services) projected on them, and there is a modern musical band area with electronic keyboard and microphones where the old choir stalls used to be. The far altar is currently blocked off with a screen.
These seem to be further changes that took place under Marytn Shea, who is the Chairman of the Jersey Evangelical Alliance, who was appointed Vicar in 2006. St Mark's Church was then taking a decisive change towards conservative evangelicalism, perhaps for the first time in its history.
As leader of the Evangelical Alliance in Jersey, Mr Shea was reported in the news last year when he led a fight to try and prevent a civil Gay Marriage law going through without special "conscience clauses". While clergy and churches are exempt, he said:
‘We have had a number of Christian photographers, professional musicians and organists who have raised with us their growing concern that if they were to turn down an invitation to play at a same-sex marriage they could face a fine or a charge of discrimination.’
‘We have had a number of Christian photographers, professional musicians and organists who have raised with us their growing concern that if they were to turn down an invitation to play at a same-sex marriage they could face a fine or a charge of discrimination.’
As I left St Mark's Church, I couldn't but note the irony of the message on the poster:
"We want to be a place where everyone feels welcomed and accepted"
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