Welcome

As a mission of St. Mark Lutheran Church, The Community Meal is provided each Sunday throughout the year to provide a meal for anyone who shows up. The meals are planned and provided by area churches, faith communities and civic organizations. 

We serve 50 - 60 people each week. Since the guests have limited opportunities to have an additional meal, another 25 - 30 meals are given to people, so they can take away a meal for later. There are also volunteers that arrive to pick up meals to bring to shut-in people and/or veterans. On a typical Sunday, an average of 80 to 90 meals is distributed to those in need. 

As guests often arrive early, especially during inclement weather, they have an opportunity to spend time in a warm, dry place to meet with friends, charge cell phones, engage with the volunteers, attend a worship service, and seek spiritual advice from the pastors who minister congregations in the building.

Most importantly, at St. Mark, The Community Meal builds relationships, feeding bodies and souls, one meal at a time.

Our St. Mark congregation regularly collects food donations for the Easterseals Norwich Veterans Rally Point.  Whether they're recovering from injuries or trying to navigate the civilian world, Easterseals walks with Veterans and servicemembers every step of the way.  

With the help of Thrivent  Action Team funding and individual donations, we are able to supply non-perishable food items to the food pantry to assist veterans who have given so much for so many. We have several food drives a year to help keep the pantry stocked.

Since we began supporting the Veterans Rally Point in 2022, members and friends of St. Mark Lutheran Church donated over 2000 items to their food pantry. How could you help?

St. Vincent dePaul Place in Norwich provides many vital services to those in need. With the support of community partners like St. Mark Lutheran Church, they maintain a food pantry that serves thousands of people each year. 

At St. Mark, we have an ongoing food ministry that collects donations and delivers them to SVDPP. 

In addition to food donations,  members of our congregation regularly volunteer time working at the SVDPP soup kitchen, food pantry, annual Thanksgiving meal distribution, building renovations, clothing collection and distribution, annual "Adopt-A- Family" holiday giving and many other initiatives throughout the year. 

All because, together, we can make a difference!

Diapers are a basic need for babies and many parents struggle to provide these essentials. St. Mark regularly collects diapers and disposible wipes for St. Vincent dePaul Place and Madonna Place in Norwich. 

Bully Busters started out as an idea among a group of parents on how to deal with the issue of bullying in their local school system.

In 2000, after a major incident in the local middle school, it all began with a conversation at a kitchen table about what could be done to help the community. Twenty-five years later, they are still going strong. 

St. Mark is a proud supporter and the home of the Norwich Bully Busters!

Learn more at Norwich BullyBusters

This is just a sample of the important contributions the congregation at St. Mark Lutheran Church makes in supporting Norwich and the surrounding communities. Come and see what you can do to make a difference - in your life and the lives of others.