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Coping With Change, 1970–
Gosnell’s successor was Stanley Hauser, who had grown up at St. Mark’s. During his eleven years at St. Mark’s, Hauser found himself having to deal with an environment changed at many levels. New suburban churches were becoming an attractive alternative to St. Mark’s members as the downtown environment deteriorated, increasing numbers of homeless people began frequenting Travis Park across the street and security issues arose. Some members were alienated by changes in the traditional Book of Common Prayer. Although financial belt tightening limited maintenance of church facilities, new programs established a directorship of Urban Ministry, St. Mark’s supported development of facilities for the unemployable homeless and the church also worked in Hispanic neighborhoods through the Good Samaritan Center, the outgrowth of a social services center established by St. Mark’s in 1939. Evangelism and spiritual renewal efforts intensified. Excellence in the music ministry continued.
While the membership level bottomed out at some 1,300 by the end of the eleven-year rectorship of Sudduth Cummings in 1991, steps had already been taken to successfully reverse downward trends. The most significant came in 1988 with the start of purchase of nearby parking lots for the use of St. Mark’s members, making it more convenient to attend church services and events.
The enthusiastic two-year rectorship of James Folts was followed by the ongoing tenure of Michael D. Chalk, a onetime assistant rector at St. Mark’s. Expanded outreach included mission trips to Mexico and Central America. The Center for Faith in the Workplace was created in 2001 and developed into the semi-independent The Work+Shop, which conducts seminars and studies a broad range of issues. Innovative worship services, since known as Come As You Are Worship, were instituted in 2002 at the same time regular services were being held in the nave.
Renewed growth caught up with deferred maintenance of parish facilities when city officials refused to issue building permits for major repairs to the outdated 1920s parish house complex. The result was a $12 million renovation that began in 2006 and lasted for two years. Church offices moved to the seventh floor of a nearby office building and space for classrooms and other offices was leased in the basement, as well as in other locations nearby.
Celebration of the return to the newly renovated facilities was combined with observance of the sesquicentennial of St. Mark’s in a gala held on All Saint’s Day—November 1—2008 in the new courtyard along the north wall of the church and in the transformed space of Gosnell Hall. The sense of anticipation approached that of St. Mark’s members awaiting ultimate completion of the church building itself in 1875. Both achievements followed long periods of struggle. And in both cases the membership stood poised to move forward, rejoicing, into ever more challenging times.
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