Wednesday, October 29, 2014

St. Mark's Anglican Church Bucks Trend by Growing

While many churches throughout the province are shutting their doors, one church in St. John's is looking to expand.

St. Mark's Anglican Church on Logy Bay Road has been growing steadily since it opened in 1984.

Reverend Robert Cooke says its growth has much to do with how it recruits new members to its congregation..

"We've really tried to focus on social media in recent years, and that's where people are right now," said Cooke.

"We've realized that we can't just sit back and wait for people to come to us, we have to be a church that goes out into the community."

Expansion plans

The church launched a campaign on Saturday to raise money for its proposed renovation, which includes new office space and a larger parish hall.

Reverend Robert Cooke says the two-phase plan to expand will accommodate the influx of new parents and their kids who attend services at the church.

"We have a lot of young families, and we need adequate space for them," said Cooke. "So we're trying to meet our own needs, but consider the needs of the community around us."

In order to meet those needs, the church will need to raise considerable funds, according to Reverend Cooke.

"For the first phase, we're looking at $300,000," said Cooke.

"We're already well on our way, and have received over $50,000 already."

As ambitious as the plan is, Cooke said St. Mark's may have even bigger intentions.

"The bigger project, if we go ahead with everything we've planned, could be as much as $2 million," he said.

Cooke said it could take up to five or six years before the first phase of renovations are finally complete.

Source: CBC

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