St. Mark's in Rockville Centre church celebrates 140 years

St. Mark’s United Methodist Church hosted its 140th anniversary celebration last Sunday — Sept. 12 — to commemorate its long link with the Rockville Centre community.

The celebration opened with a 10 a.m. morning worship service at the Hempstead Avenue church, led by Pastor Dr. Roger D. Johns who told the congregation and the many community members at the event that he was very pleased to see them.

“We are thankful for so many hardworking people who put this event together,” Johns told the attendees. “This is a wonderful day.”

The two-hour long worship service was eventful. Rev. Jeannette Bassinger-Ishii, a former pastor of St. Mark’s and the current superintendent of the New York/Connecticut district of the Methodist Church, delivered the sermon and described the day’s occasion as a joy and a blessing.

“This church is filled with stories of faith and dedication,” said Bassinger-Ishii. “They fill my heart and mind. It’s important that St. Mark’s remembers its stories today and moves forward.”

Mayor Mary Bossart attended the morning service as well, along with Rockville Centre village trustees Edward Oppenheimer, David Krasula and Kevin Glynn. Sen. Dean Skelos also stopped by. Golden members — St. Mark’s parishioners for more than 50 years — were also at the ceremony, and Pastor Johns honored them with a roll call of their names.

Guest musicians The Royal Brass, Shepherd Singers and Emma Rose Siegel punctuated the anniversary celebration during and after the service with their distinct sounds. Following the service, the church held a celebratory picnic luncheon underneath the gazebo on its extensive grounds, which were renovated two years ago. All attendees were welcomed.

To honor the church’s storied history, Pastor Johns reminded the congregation to look at the historical archives display of poster boards in its parlor. The poster boards contained information and pictures of the long-standing involvement of St. Mark’s Church with the Rockville Centre community and featured displays of its ministers, contributors, stained glass windows and its rebuilding project in the 1940s and 50s.

“It’s truly beautiful,” remarked Johns about the archives display. “I think it’s a wonderful record of our history and we are very pleased to have it.”

The story of St. Mark's involvement in the Rockville Centre and surrounding communities dates back to the 19th century—long before the Village of Rockville Centre was incorporated. In 1870, a new church society was established and named St. Mark's in Rockville Centre. A year later, it built its first church on the corner of Merrick Road and Village Avenue.

In the year that the village was founded – 1893 – a second church was built at the same site, and it was eventually destroyed by fire on Nov. 5, 1938.

Eventually, the congregation decided to move the church to its present Hempstead Avenue location, where they broke ground in 1940. Construction on the stately stone structure continued through the 1950s, and in 1952 Bishop G. Bromley Oxnam led the consecration of the current St. Mark’s United Methodist Church.

Comments about this story? TSteinert@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 282.