During the 1984 Annual Conference, Bishop John Hurst Adams assigned Reverend Henry D. Harper (pictured on the right) to the Temple Hills area on a Mission to find a suitable location for a new church. Rev. Harper worked very closely with Rev. George A. Manning of Hunter Memorial A.M.E. Church and Rev. Leon G. Lipscombe of Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church to find the best possible location for the new church.
The first service was held at Glassmanor Elementary School in Forest Heights, Maryland, on May 27, 1984. Many members of Hunter Memorial A.M.E. Church, Rev. Harper’s former church, attended the service. Two ministers, Robbie Morton and Michael Bethea, assisted Rev. Harper diligently in the development of the Sunday Church Services, and other aspects of the Church.
On the third Sunday of July 1984, Presiding Elder Walter Hildebrand approved Saint Mark African Methodist Episcopal Church as the name of the new church; and on December 15, 1989, Pastor Harper and the Saint Mark Church Family entered into a lease with the option to buy the property located in Oxon Hill, Maryland at 5427 Indian Head Highway – formerly home to a Geno’s Restaurant and later to a video store. It was on February 11, 1990, that Saint Mark opened the doors of this facility for what was its first service in it’s new home. On April 16, 1993, Saint Mark exercised its lease option and purchased the property for $100,000 below the appraised value. In the Year 2000, Saint Mark purchased the two-story office building next door to the church. It has since been renovated and is now the Henry D. Harper Family Life Center, which is used for offices, meetings and classrooms.
The founding Pastor of Saint Mark, the Rev. Harper, served the Saint Mark family for nearly 25 years, with an increase in the congregation of more than 300 members. On August 30, 2008, Pastor Harper was called home to be with the LORD. Presiding Elder Goodwin Douglas served as interim Pastor until Reverend Sterlin Powell was appointed to Saint Mark as Pastor.
Under the leadership of Rev. Powell, Saint Mark continues to be a community church participating in community projects that focus on bringing souls to Christ. Saint Mark’s motto, “A Church of Love, Serving the God of Love” continues to guide the church. This motto is the foundation for more than 22 ministries, which focus on praying, witnessing, helping, and serving God’s people.
