St. Mark Deliverance Center sits along Turnpike Road in Portsmouth, Virginia, a single-story sanctuary where members of a Hampton Roads Pentecostal family have worshipped for more than two decades. The congregation was founded by the late Chief Apostle Marion Jones, and today it is led by Bishop-Delegate Martha Provo, who was installed as Senior Pastor in August 2017 after serving for years as executive secretary to the founder. Around her stand an Associate Pastor, a Youth Pastor, and a team of zone pastors who care for members spread across Chesapeake, Hampton, Suffolk, Newport News, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach. The greeting posted above the church's front door is short and deliberate: "You are welcomed here, you are loved here."
What St. Mark Believes
The church's Affirmation of Faith lays out the convictions that shape its teaching. Members affirm belief in the sovereignty of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, and they hold the Bible to be the infallible Word of God given through holy men moved by the Spirit. They believe that Jesus shed His blood for the remission of sin, that water baptism by immersion is the outward sign of a changed life, and that divine healing is provided through the atoning work of Christ. They look for the soon return of the Son for the rapture of the Church, and they embrace the five-fold ministry described in Ephesians: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers.
The mission that flows from those convictions is plain: "to Introduce People to Christ, Heal the Oppressed, Develop Spiritual Maturity and Equip Every Believer for Ministry." The ten Culture Codes posted on the church walls put everyday shape around that mission: Integrity, Impact, Hospitality, Unity, Worship, Compassion, Service, Radical Faith, Discipline, and Excellence. Together they describe a congregation that wants its faith to show up in punctuality, in how strangers are greeted, and in hands that serve.
The Pastoral Team
Bishop-Delegate Martha Provo brings more than twenty-four years of service at St. Mark to her role as Senior Pastor. Before her installation she worked on the clerical staff and as executive secretary, spent seventeen years as personal secretary to Chief Apostle Jones, served nearly sixteen years in the U.S. Navy as a cryptology administrator and counselor, studied business management at the University of Hawaii, and later worked as a certified counselor and secretary at the Christian Broadcasting Network. She was ordained as a minister in 2002 and as an elder in 2011 before stepping into the senior pastorate.
Serving beside her is Elder Teresa Jones, affectionately known as Elder "Lady," the Associate Pastor. A graduate of the St. Mark Ministerial Training Institute and a professionally certified pastoral and temperament counselor with the National Christian Counselors Association, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Christian Counseling and brings more than twenty-five years of administrative experience from Hampton University and Sentara College of Health Sciences. She leads the Women of Excellence Ministry, the Music and Arts Ministry, the Evangelistic Outreach Team, and the Education Department.
Minister Joy A. Massenburg, a native of Petersburg, Virginia, and Old Dominion University alumna, has been part of St. Mark for twenty-four years and serves as Youth Pastor and President of the St. Mark Ministries Youth Council. A graduate of the St. Mark Ministerial Training Institute, she also sits on the boards of the Singles Ministry, the Drama Guild, the Movement Ministry, the Hospitality Committee, the Public Relations Department, and the Executive Planning Council, and serves on the board of The Outlet Avenue Youth Organization.
Around them, a bench of ministers and overseers care for the broader membership: Overseer Wigfall, Overseer Paul Ratcliff, Overseer Dorothy Chapman, Overseer Willie Myers, Minister David Powell, Minister Jonalaya Powell, and Minister Alfreada Brown.
A Week at St. Mark
The rhythm of the week gathers around five regular touchpoints. On Saturday mornings the phone lines open at 9:00 a.m. for Morning Prayer, when members across the region dial in together for an extended season of intercession. Many Saturdays also find a Soul Winning team heading out into the streets of Portsmouth to share the gospel and invite people into the life of the church.
Sunday is the heart of the week. Worship Service begins at 11:00 a.m. in the sanctuary on Turnpike Road, with livestream available for those joining from home. The service carries the energy of a Pentecostal deliverance tradition: expressive worship, biblical preaching, and a tone the congregation describes as "world class."
Tuesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. the church gathers online for Bible Study via Zoom, opening the scriptures together across the Hampton Roads region. Wednesday evenings at 6:00 p.m. the dial-in returns for Evening Prayer, a focused hour of corporate intercession.
For seasons of concentrated seeking, the church sets aside Prayer and Consecration periods: ten days of fasting and prayer with corporate prayer held each night on Zoom and on-site prayer in the sanctuary on designated Saturdays. The most recent such season, themed "Position Me Lord," ran January 8 through January 18 with fasting from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. each day, ending with a Saturday-night-to-Sunday-morning lock-in at the church.
Zone Pastors Across Hampton Roads
St. Mark's members are not all in Portsmouth, and the church's structure reflects that. A team of Zone Pastors carries pastoral responsibility for members in the cities and counties of Hampton Roads. Overseer Wigfall and Minister Jonalaya Powell cover Chesapeake. Overseer Paul Ratcliff and Overseer Dorothy Chapman oversee the Hampton, Suffolk, and Newport News zone, while Overseer Chapman also serves as the Norfolk/Virginia Beach Zone Pastor. Portsmouth is shepherded by Overseer Willie Myers, Minister David Powell, and Minister Alfreada Brown. The arrangement keeps regional disciples connected to a pastor who knows their city and can respond when prayer is needed.
Eagles Nest Learning Academy
Sharing the same address is Eagles Nest Learning Academy, the church's in-house daycare, whose motto is "Where a Child gets their wings." The academy serves children from eight months through five years old and offers registration online. Minister Sherita Turner serves as director, and the teaching staff includes Marion Newsome, Cythina Branch, Loretta Thompson, Ella Hall, and Carlisa Kegler. For families in the church and the surrounding neighborhood, it is the daily mission of St. Mark in its youngest form.
Convocations, Outreach, and the Women of Excellence
Each year the church hosts the Holy Convocation, a multi-day gathering now in its twenty-fifth year, with day seminars, evening services led by guest ministers, and a culminating Sunday worship. The Women of Excellence (WOE) ministry, led by Elder Teresa Jones, gathers the women of the church for teaching, fellowship, and service; Love Day Service and the annual Mother's Day observance are anchored in its calendar. St. Mark also maintains a Food Bank ministry that helps meet material needs in the community, and Soul Winning teams take the church's witness beyond the sanctuary walls.
Listening In, Giving, and Staying Connected
Sermons from St. Mark are streamed through the church's YouTube channel and archived in the Sermon Archives, where a subscription option gives members extended access to the message library. Services can be watched live through Watch Live, and giving is available through Givelify (one-time and recurring) and CashApp at $3801smdc1.
A prayer of Solomon in Proverbs 3:9-10 frames giving: "Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine." A verse from 2 Corinthians 9:7 follows: "Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."
For those who want to stay close, the church maintains an active presence on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube under the name St. Mark Deliverance Center. Contact forms and prayer requests can be sent, and visitors planning a first visit will find the sanctuary at 3801 Turnpike Road in Portsmouth, a Pentecostal house on Turnpike Road where, as the welcome above the door reminds each arrival, "You are welcomed here, you are loved here."