Honoring 140 years of St. Mark's in Rockville Centre

Congregants, local officials and village residents are all invited to St. Mark's United Methodist Church’s celebration of its 140th anniversary on Sept. 12.

The celebration will feature what the church's pastor, the Rev. Roger D. Johns, expects will be a moving worship service at 10 a.m., followed by a picnic lunch starting at noon. The St. Mark's Chancel Choir will perform during the service.

"People can expect a lot of music, much festivity and a great deal of history presented during our celebration," Johns said.

The guest speaker at the worship service will be the Rev. Jeanette Bassinger-Ishii, who was appointed pastor of St. Mark's in 1989 and is now in her seventh year as superintendent of the New York/Connecticut district of the Methodist Church.

After the service, everyone will be invited to enjoy a celebratory picnic on the church's expansive grounds, which were recently renovated. Food will be provided for a free-will offering. The Royal Brass, the Shepherd Singers and Emma Rose Siegel will perform, and a sister church — the Mosaic Church of the Nazarene — will take part in the celebration as well.

According to Johns, a highlight of the day's festivities will be the display of the church's rich historical archives. They include texts and pictures detailing the history of St. Mark's, which at one time consisted of two church buildings on Merrick Road and North Village Avenue, where a Chase bank branch now stands.

"In 1938, a fire destroyed one of our churches in the village," Johns said. "There will be records on display from the remains of that fire, along with records related to pastors who served during our church's history."

The long story of St. Mark's' involvement in Rockville Centre and the surrounding communities dates back to the 19th century, long before the village was incorporated. In 1870, a church society named St. Mark's was established, and a year later it built the first church, at the corner of Merrick Road and Village Avenue. In 1893, the year the village was founded, a second church was built on the same site, but it was destroyed in a fire on Nov. 5, 1938.

The church broke ground at its current location on Hempstead Avenue in 1940. Construction on the stately stone structure, a village landmark, continued through the 1950s, and in 1952, Bishop G. Bromley Oxnam led the consecration of the church.

"We have a great, storied history," said Johns. "And we are very much looking forward to the upcoming anniversary event in the village."

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