St. Mark's Episcopal Church

	St. Mark’s Episcopal Church formed in 1953 as a mission church when a small group of people attending Christ Church Cathedral in Indianapolis became interested in forming a new church in Plainfield. St. Mark’s Church was named to honor Dean John Craine (later Bishop Craine) who supported and encouraged the initiative. The Feast of St. Mark was his ordination date.
	In the early years, our church volunteered at the homeless shelter and daily feeding program at All Saints Episcopal Church, Indianapolis. Later St. Mark’s started a Plainfield food pantry and small homeless shelter at our South Center Street location. The church’s move to our current location at 710 E. Buchanan Street in 1995 allowed for the expansion of the food pantry and health ministry and new ministries were added including a thrift shop and a hot lunch program that serves a meal once a week to senior citizens and needy persons. We operated a homeless shelter on-site from 1995-2001. In 2009 a new ministry called The Lion Cubs, began providing weekend meals for children.
	The Plainfield Carnegie Library was our first place of worship in 1953. Each week the worship space and chairs were set up and taken down. In 1955, St. Mark’s purchased the Plainfield Christian Church building, a historic 1865 building of hand-fired brick located on North Center Street. We shared space with that congregation until the completion of their new building (710 E. Buchanan). We added the first pipe organ in Plainfield to this building. In 1987, we purchased the Baptist Church located on South Center Street. That building offered us more room, and was soon paid for by a generous bequest.
	The 1995 move to our present Buchanan Street location involved once again purchasing a building previously owned by the Plainfield Christian Church. After renovations, the nave reflects our Episcopal traditions. The historic pipe organ was moved and re-installed in this new building; it is still a wonderful part of our worship services today. This large building accommodates a growing congregation and space for outreach ministries.