About St. Mark's
About Us
St. Mark's Episcopal Church is an active worship community of the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of East Tennessee. All supported by dedicated volunteers, and the Priest-in-Charge, The Rev. Erik Broeren.
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church is located in Copperhill, a community of about 450 people located in the extreme southeastern corner of Tennessee in Polk county. From it’s hilltop location the church is only six blocks from McCaysville, Georgia and 12 miles from the North Carolina state line. Since St. Mark’s is the only Episcopal church in the immediate vicinity its congregation is drawn from three fairly broad geographic areas in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia. St. Mark’s sanctuary and its parish house provide a unique base for its parishioners and those seeking a place for spiritual affiliation.
All are welcome...
All are welcome at St. Mark's Episcopal Church. We are glad you have decided to visit our website and hope that you will spend some time in our church and in our community as well.
If you are new and would like more information about St. Mark's please fill out a visitor card in the pew or sign our visitor book in the narthex.
If you are interested in membership, please contact the Church Office at (423) 496-4681
We are happy to introduce you to our church and our community - you may find greeters at the entrance to the church before the service and welcoming refreshments are served after the 10:30 Sunday Eucharist at our Fellowship Hall across the street. Our members wear name tags so it will be easy for you to recognize them.
In any event, welcome, - come, taste and see - and we hope to see you soon.
Who are we...
St. Mark's Episcopal Church is a Christian congregation at 124 Hill St, Copperhill, TN 37317.
Some of our members live within walking distance of the church; others can be found in every part of the region from North Carolina to Georgia. We are bound together by our common life.
Lively worship with great music and timely preaching
Concern with meaning and integrity in coherent Christian faith
Passionate spirituality marked by a concern for justice for all people
Relationship-based ministries with local, global and international reach
Communities of mutual concern in which every person may know others and be known for who they are in Christ
An eye to the future in our stewardship of all that has been entrusted to our care.
What we offer...
As an Episcopal community centered by our communal worship, St. Mark's offers a broad range of programs - inward and outward - including generous outreach to the community, Christian Formation, a comprehensive music program, good food and fellowship (parish receptions, supper clubs, etc). We hope you will join us.
Grounded in community...
Historically St. Mark’s Church was nurtured by the mining industry but, following the closure of the copper mines in the 1980s and the economic devastation that followed, attendance fell to five members by 2009. With encouragement from the Diocese of East Tennessee, St. Mark’s rebounded the following year with a fivefold increase in attendance.
While St. Mark’s was enjoying somewhat of a resurgence in 2010, the surrounding community was still foundering with 10% unemployment rates, median family incomes below the poverty level, and 93% of school age children on free or reduced rate lunches. St. Mark’s sought to identify the specific needs of the community and how they might help. A needs assessment effort was made with the assistance of health and human services employees and local school officials. This resulted in correlations between economic disadvantages and culturally persistent attitudes and habits that impacted school attendance, lack of awareness of educational resources, and very low graduation rates. Parishioners of St. Mark’s responded to recommendations for specific actions aimed at addressing the cycle of economic and educational depression by committing to: 1) the immediate medical, food, and clothing needs of children and 2) the financial support of certain educational programs aimed at enhancing relationships between students and school. By doing so, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church revived an historic relationship with the local schools and community in which it plays an integral part.
