About Us
St. Mark's Episcopal Church in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was founded in 1860. The church was initially consecrated by Bishop Nicholson. For many years, services were held in the old wooden church at the front of the lot at 1314 Rawson Ave. In 1956, plans were made to replace the cold, leaky, aging building with something that would make a statement to the community. Utilizing the land at the back of the lot, a new church was set in place accented with limestone brick and a high vaulted ceiling over the sanctuary. The new church was finished in 1958 and consecrated by Bishop Gaskell. The previous location of the old church is now a park-like lawn in our front yard.
In 2009, the church was renovated. On the outside, a new roof was installed and new eaves and gutters were added to the main entrance. On the inside, the tile floor in the narthex and sanctuary was replaced with a modern yet austere-looking golden brown stained epoxy over the original concrete. New carpeting was installed in the Great Hall. ©2004 - 2012, St. Mark's Episcopal Church, South Milwaukee, WI
Today, St. Mark's has a vibrant community of about 75 families from South Milwaukee, Cudahy, Oak Creek, Milwaukee, and Racine. We are a multi-cultural church. We offer Sunday school and nursery services for children and Bible study for adults. In addition to Sunday services, weekday services are held on Monday night and Thursday morning. Please come and join us.
About Our Vicar
The Rev. Dr. John T. Allen has been the Vicar at St. Marks since March of 2003. He has been a priest in the Diocese of Milwaukee for 8 years and served in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America for 30 years.
Father John earned a B.A. in History and Biology, Masters of Divinity from Wartburg Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry Degree from the Graduate Theological Foundation. He received specialized training in Pastoral Clinical Practice at Sinai Samaritan Medical Center and is a Board Certified Chaplain by the Association of Professional Chaplains.
Father John has ministered in many diverse settings, ranging from an African American congregation in Alabama to a rural congregation in Ohio. He was a missionary in Kenya, a Senior Pastor in Iowa and Wisconsin. He has been both a Prison and a Hospital Chaplain and now also works as a hospice chaplain. In the spring of 2011, Fr. John and his wife, Marilyn, returned to Kenya for about two weeks to rekindle friendships and to see what has changed, and stayed the same, over the years.
So, how did a Lutheran Pastor become an Episcopal Priest? The Lutheran Church came into Full Communion with the Episcopal Church in 2002. This means that both Churches recognize the Clergy of the other and allow them to function in each others' Parishes. Father John was asked by Bishop White to care for St. John's Episcopal Church of Milwaukee, which was using Spanish in the Liturgical Life of the Parish. In 2004 the membership of St. John's was received into the Parish of St. Mark's Church and we still maintain a strong Hispanic following. Father John transferred from the Clergy roster of the Lutheran Church to that of the Episcopal Church in 2005.
Father John has been married to Marilyn for 37 years they have three children, all grown. They live in South Milwaukee and now share their house with an Irish wolfhound named Flynn.