St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church has stood on Hendricks Avenue in Jacksonville, Florida since 1949, but its life in the city stretches back to the summer of 1938, when fifty people first gathered to organize a new Lutheran church on the southside. Today the congregation is known across the region for its strong musical tradition, its traditional yet unstuffy Lutheran liturgy, and a deep commitment to serving neighbors through local partnerships. Members describe themselves as a community sharing a living, daring confidence in God's grace, welcoming all people - of every race, economic status, gender identity, sexual orientation, and stage of faith - to the table, the choir, the classroom, and service in the world.
Eight Decades on Hendricks Avenue
The story of St. Mark's begins with three Lutheran leaders: the Rev. William J. Ducker, Special Missionary of the Board of American Missions; the Rev. D.W.E. Pugh, President of the Florida Synod; and the Rev. C.F.H. Krueger, Chairman of the Missions Committee. Interested neighbors met with them at the J.H. Hinck home on July 6, 1938, and again at the home of Dr. and Mrs. F.W. Krueger a week later. The first worship service was held on July 17, 1938, in the Burns-Naugle Funeral Chapel. By November 13 of that year, fifty people were ready to organize.
The congregation adopted a constitution on December 4, 1938, and took possession of its first property - the former South Jacksonville Presbyterian Church building - on February 1, 1939, at the corner of Hendricks Avenue and LaSalle Street. Within a decade the young church had outgrown that home. Lots were purchased at 3976 Hendricks Avenue, construction began in 1948, and the new facilities were dedicated on February 13, 1949. Eighty-eight households and 197 people made up the membership at that dedication.
St. Mark's grew steadily through the second half of the twentieth century. Two worship services were launched in 1951 to accommodate swelling attendance, and the education building was dedicated in 1955 - a wing later named for the pastor who had guided that era of growth, the Rev. Paul Nordsiek. A vicar program began in 1975, faceted glass windows were added to the chapel in the early 1970s, and a major renovation in 1984 drew more than 600 people to the dedication of the new worship space and renovated fellowship hall. The 50th anniversary observance in 1988 included a love offering of $50,000 for community ministry through Lutheran Social Services.
The congregation's reach expanded through its people. In 1990, St. Mark's opened St. Mark's Ark Child Development Center, and in 1994 launched a capital campaign called "A Gift for God's Children." The Rev. William Trexler, who had served as pastor since 1979, was elected Bishop of the Florida-Bahamas Synod in 1995 and went on to call the Rev. Kathy Baines, who had served alongside him since 1985, as one of his assistants.
More recent decades have continued the pattern of growth and outreach. A 2013 upgrade of the pipe organ expanded the instrument from a II-manual, 12-rank organ to a III-manual, 52-rank Zimmer-Colby organ through the integration of high-quality digital augmentation alongside every existing pipe. Mission trips have carried members to Haiti (2014) and the Holy Land (2022), with a journey to Germany in 2025. Ramps were added at the north door of Fellowship Hall and into Luther Hall, and automatic door-openers were installed at Luther Hall's entrance to make the building more accessible. Today the Rev. Daniel B. Locke, who has served as pastor since 2017, leads the congregation alongside Cantor Tony Cruz, the long-tenured director of music ministries.
Sunday Liturgy and Saturday Evenings
Worship is the heart of life at St. Mark's, and the congregation offers two distinct services each week.
Every Sunday at 9:30 a.m., the community gathers in the nave for a Lutheran liturgical service. The liturgy and congregational singing are led by the Festival Choir and the Zimmer-Colby organ, and the service follows a traditional Lutheran pattern of gathering, word, meal, and sending. A first reading - usually from the Old Testament - is followed by a psalm sung in response, then a New Testament epistle and a Gospel acclamation. Preaching brings the word of God into the present moment. Holy Communion is celebrated at every service. Ushers can direct visitors to a nursery for young children or parents who need a quiet space.
On the first and third Saturday of each month at 5:30 p.m., a more relaxed, contemporary service is held in the nave. The Saturday gathering uses modern and upbeat liturgies and songs to keep the service fresh and engaging, while still observing Holy Communion and the basic shape of Lutheran worship. Members describe the Saturday evening service as lively, very family-friendly, and a good entry point for newcomers who want a smaller, less formal setting.
All baptized Christians who believe in the presence of Christ in his Supper for the forgiveness of sin are invited to receive the Lord's Supper. Children who have not yet been instructed are invited forward to receive a blessing. Worship services are livestreamed on YouTube for those who cannot attend in person.
A Sanctuary Built Around Song
Music is woven into nearly everything St. Mark's does. The congregation traces this identity back to its founding and has worked steadily over the decades to expand the program. Cantor Tony Cruz, who has served the congregation since 2006, leads congregational song, directs the choirs, and supports the worship life of the congregation through music and liturgy. A graduate of Jacksonville University and Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio, Cruz is active in the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians and has served as dean of the Jacksonville Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.
The principal ensemble is the St. Mark's Festival Singers, a choir open to high school youth and adults that leads worship each Sunday morning. Their repertoire spans Gregorian chant to Baroque, classical, and contemporary music. The Festival Singers rehearse on Wednesdays from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. in the Music Suite and on Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m.
The St. Mark's Ringers is the handbell choir, which plays four to five times per season in both spring and fall. The Ringers rehearse on Wednesdays from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the nave and take an annual spring retreat to Lutheridge, the ELCA camp in Arden, North Carolina. All levels of experience are welcome.
St. Mark's most distinctive musical offering is Bach Vespers, a tradition the congregation has sustained for more than twenty years. Held on a Sunday evening each November, Bach Vespers is a Lutheran Vespers (Evening Prayer) service built around a complete cantata by J. S. Bach, sung by a community choir and accompanied by professional instrumentalists and trained soloists. The cantata serves as the musical offering at the center of a service filled with vibrant hymns and reverent liturgy.
The San Marco Chamber Music Society makes its home at St. Mark's and performs a series of free concerts in the nave each year. Concerts are hosted by Eric and Ellen Caruso Olson, both members of St. Mark's and members of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, and feature some of the area's finest professional musicians. Several San Marco Chamber Music Society concerts are livestreamed on YouTube.
Lifelong Learning on Sunday Mornings
Faith formation at St. Mark's begins in childhood and continues throughout adult life, with Sunday School held every week after worship.
Children's Sunday School gathers following the 9:30 service each week. A team of dedicated teachers crafts lessons that complement the weekly lectionary at an age-appropriate level. All children are welcome, and the program reflects the congregation's longstanding commitment to raising up young people in the life of faith.
Adult Sunday School meets at the same time and is led by the Nourish Team. From August through May, the team develops a series of topics, each explored over several weeks. The aim is conversation and growth - everyone is welcome every week, regardless of background or familiarity with the material.
Beyond Sunday morning, St. Mark's supports a lending library that serves children, congregation members, and members of the wider community. The library's catalog is searchable online, and the congregation has partnered with San Marco Books, a local independent shop on San Marco Boulevard, as a preferred vendor for replenishing the collection.
Caring for Children and Youth
St. Mark's has a long and rich history of caring for children and young people, and the congregation names that commitment as one of its core values. Members believe in the presence and perspective of young adults and are committed to empowering the formation of faith in their lives; youth are encouraged to participate in worship.
Vacation Bible School has become a favorite part of the congregation's outreach and education ministries. After restarting VBS in the summer of 2011 - nearly 120 children and 65 volunteers turned out that first year - the program has continued to draw seventy to eighty-five children and more than sixty adults each summer.
For parents seeking a quiet space during worship, a nursery is available. Ushers can direct families to the nursery, and the FAQ invites moms who need a place for nursing or childcare to ask for assistance.
Reaching Out Across Jacksonville
St. Mark's takes seriously its identity as an urban congregation in Jacksonville and invests deeply in local partnerships. The congregation's vision statement names a commitment to "live to serve others and fulfill our relationship with Christ in service to community."
St. Mark's ongoing partners include:
- Lutheran Social Services of Northeast Florida, which operates refugee services, AIDS care and education, the Nourishment Network, and representative payee services.
- Family Promise of Jacksonville, a non-profit interfaith hospitality network that provides temporary shelter, meals, hospitality, and case management for families experiencing homelessness through local congregations, staff, and volunteers. St. Mark's is one of those congregations.
- United Community Outreach Ministry (UCOM), which has worked since 1979 to ensure that no one in Jacksonville faces hunger alone, through emergency food relief, hot meals for the home-bound, and programs to help individuals raise their earning potential.
- OneBlood, the regional blood center, which brings the Big Red Bus to St. Mark's parking lot several times each year for community blood drives.
- NovusWay Ministries, the network of ELCA retreat centers in North Carolina and Florida that hosts camps and retreats for all ages.
- Jacksonville Campus Ministry, an ecumenical ministry founded in 1972 that serves the University of North Florida and Jacksonville University. St. Mark's pastor's wife, the Rev. Sarah Locke, serves as the Jacksonville Campus Ministry campus pastor.
Members have also traveled beyond Jacksonville to extend the congregation's reach. In August 2014, seven members went on a mission trip to Haiti. During Lent 2014, the congregation contributed nearly $7,000 to the ELCA Malaria Appeal and a sizable gift to Heifer Project. The congregation has also been active in ICARE, a local association of Christians, Unitarians, Jews, and Muslims working for justice in Jacksonville.
Vision to Action and the Wider Church
St. Mark's belongs to the Florida-Bahamas Synod, one of 65 synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, a denomination of more than 9,000 congregations across the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The territory of the synod covers the state of Florida and the Bahamas, with 206 congregations grouped into three Mission Districts.
In 2023, St. Mark's received an initial grant from the Florida-Bahamas Synod's Vision to Action (V2A) program, the synod's granting entity for innovative ministries. The grant, called "Faith in Community," supported a series of events designed to invite the wider community into the church for engaging and edifying experiences. A renewed grant in 2025, "Faith in Community: Deepening Connections," continues that work with community nights, family movie nights, a mental health and faith seminar, and other gatherings open to the neighborhood.
The congregation also maintains the St. Mark's Foundation, a five-person committee elected by the congregation to administer gifts and bequests. The Foundation awards grants twice a year in categories that include capital improvements, scholarships for church-related camping and leadership conferences, community outreach, missions of the Lutheran Church at home and overseas, and internal ministry at St. Mark's.
Looking ahead, the congregation is planning Paul 2027, a 12-day educational journey to Greece and Turkey from April 4 to 15, 2027, tracing the footsteps of the Apostle Paul through Philippi, Thessaloniki, Meteora, Athens, Corinth, Ephesus, and the islands of the Aegean. The trip builds on earlier congregational journeys to the Holy Land (2022) and Germany (2025) and will be paired with several months of study on Paul's letters.
Rooted in Grace, Open to Questions
St. Mark's describes itself as a church that is deeply rooted and always being made new. Its roots reach into Scripture and a collection of writings called the Book of Concord, including the Augsburg Confession and Martin Luther's Small Catechism, and into the rich histories of its congregations. The congregation strives to be faithful to the gospel and to work toward more justice and wholeness in the world.
Lutherans at St. Mark's believe that all people are imperfect and are saved - made right with God - by God's grace alone, through Christ. There is no special prayer to pray, no special state of mind to achieve, no good deed required to receive this gift. Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God became one of us and took upon himself the sin and suffering of all the world. The gift of grace is received by faith alone on account of Christ. Christians live in the tension of still being sinful while trusting that they are forgiven and that God is at work in them.
The congregation is also deeply committed to welcome. In its own words, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America "doesn't matter what your experience with religion has been or what kind of doubts or questions you might have about faith. You are welcome as you are." All types of people and families are welcome to worship, learn, serve, and grow in faith together. The ELCA has full communion agreements with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Reformed Church in America, the United Church of Christ, the Moravian Church in America, the Episcopal Church, and the United Methodist Church, and St. Mark's participates in ecumenical life in Jacksonville through partnerships such as ICARE and Jacksonville Campus Ministry.
Pastoral Leadership and Care
The Rev. Daniel B. Locke has served as pastor of St. Mark's since 2017. A native of Conover, North Carolina, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from NC State University before following his call to ministry. He completed his Master of Divinity at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary with the support of a Fund for Leaders scholarship from the ELCA and was ordained in November 2017. Before seminary, he spent five summers working at Lutheridge Camp in Arden, North Carolina, and later served as an assisting pastor at Bangsar Lutheran Church in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. His wife, Pastor Sarah Locke, serves as the campus pastor for Jacksonville Campus Ministry and as an assisting priest at Redeemer Episcopal Church. Together they are raising two children and two dogs.
Cantor Tony Cruz has served St. Mark's since 2006 and is active in the wider church music community through the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians and the American Guild of Organists. He also performs with RareSong, a Northeast Florida ensemble specializing in early music.
St. Mark's has long maintained well-developed caring ministries for members who are sick or homebound, and pastors, deacons, and chaplains are prepared to walk with people through illness, trauma, and loss. Newcomers interested in membership are invited to introduce themselves to the pastor, who will connect them with the Welcoming Committee; new members are generally received three times a year.
St. Mark's Lutheran Church sits three blocks south of Emerson Street and about three-quarters of a mile north of University Boulevard West, on a stretch of Hendricks Avenue that has anchored its life in Jacksonville for more than eighty years. The church's address - 3976 Hendricks Avenue - has been home to traditional liturgy and contemporary praise, to choirs and handbells, to Bach cantata and Jacksonville Symphony musicians, to Vacation Bible School and Saint Mark's Fish Fry, to a lending library and a foundation that funds ministry around the world. It is, in the words of its own welcome, a place where there is room for every question, every stage of faith, and every neighbor.