Our journey began in the fall of 2003 following the General Convention of The Episcopal Church.  Several couples met for Holy Eucharist in the living room of Roger and Headley Smith, Roger being a retired rector of St. Helena’s Parish, Beaufort.  

By the fall of 2003, it had become quite clear that there was need for a more inclusive worship option for those who chose to continue in the path of The Episcopal Church, as distinct from other parishes in the Beaufort/Port Royal area. Following that initial meeting at the Smiths’, we became a Sunday evening house church, meeting twice a month in members’ homes for Bible Study, discussion and Evening Prayer or Eucharist (if a celebrant was available).

In November 2009, we moved to the historic Union Church in Port Royal where we continued to meet on Sundays with additional services on special days. The Union Church was administered by the Historic Port Royal Foundation which rented the building to St. Mark’s for services while it maintained a museum on site.

At that same time, we began to rent the St. Mark’s Center, ½ block from the Union Church, as administrative office space for our part-time parish administrator and our part-time programs associate, as well as space for Christian Education and fellowship activities.

During our evolution, we attempted to maintain and improve ties with the Diocese of South Carolina, hoping to be recognized someday as an official Episcopal entity.  We were unsuccessful. However, in 2012, the bishop and many of the congregations and clergy of the Diocese of South Carolina separated from The Episcopal Church. Reorganization of the Diocese began immediately, and The Rt. Reverend Charles vonRosenberg was soon elected Provisional Bishop of The Episcopal Church in South Carolina.

At the March 9, 2013 Diocesan Convention, St. Mark’s was recognized and admitted with full mission status into the Diocese.

On November 14, 2015, St. Mark's Episcopal Church became a parish of the Diocese of The Episcopal Church in South Carolina (now the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina).  On March 1, 2017, the Rev. Roy Tripp became the first full-time rector of St. Mark's, and in 2018, St. Mark’s purchased Union Church and subsequently completed major renovations.

Click here to review the milestones in St. Mark's history.

St. Mark's Articles of Association can be found here - St. Mark's Articles of Association