I’m not particularly religious, but I do consider myself a spiritual person and have a fondness for Episcopalian-ism because it was my great-grandmother’s faith. St. Mark’s is the epitome of the ideal Episcopal church, in my opinion, even if it is not the most traditional. It is welcoming to everyone: young and old, male and female, gay and straight, of all races and all religions. It even welcomes animals once a year during its traditional blessing. I don't usually attend sermons (again, not really religious) but when I have, I've felt absolutely welcome.
St. Mark’s is one of the oldest churches in New York, but it is also so much more. It is an arts and social action center. It is the home of The Poetry Project (http://www.poetryproject.com ) and The Danspace Project (http://www.danspaceproject.org ). It is also a member of United for Peace (http://www.unitedforpeace.org/ ). More than any other church I've ever seen, I can say that St. Mark's reflects and benefits all that is good in its community.
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