Although people have probably seen a picture of the church hundreds of times on the front of the local phone directory that the church publishes, you can't see the actual building very well as you're driving along Commerce Street. Even if you do, you can't turn from Commerce Street onto Union Street because Union is a one-way street. The church might even be missed as you drive by on Mt. Vernon Street (also one-way), because the parking lot, not the church, borders that street. As you're driving west on Mt. Vernon, houses block the view of the church until you're almost at Union Street.

So, St. Peter's is tucked away; however, "Once people have found it, they find a tremendous amount of warmth and fellowship," said Rev. Sullivan, whose first day in his new job was April 18.

"I've been getting to know the people and the community," he said. "This first year is really time to listen to people as they tell me their story, their history, their hopes and dreams."

At his installation ceremony June 17, the congregation presented him with a plaque that reads, " The Rev. Mark C. Sullivan, Our Shepherd," and the new pastor presented a walking stick to the senior warden.

"The walking stick is symbolic of my walk with these people," he said. "This is not my church; it's the church of God and these people. I'm not focusing on what I want to accomplish, but what God wants us to accomplish and what these people want to accomplish."

The mission statement of the church is to promote the spiritual well being of the parish and the community.

"We're in the process of talking about what that means specifically in regards to service to the community," said Rev. Sullivan. "We're looking at what the congregation is already doing as far as service and education, and what we can do to encourage the congregation to use their talents to help the community."

St. Peter's Church has a membership of about 250 with a total of about 100 people attending the two services each Sunday. Services are at 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., with Sunday school for kids at 10:30 a.m. Kids begin Sunday school with the rest of the congregation in the sanctuary, and then after the children's sermon, they go to their Sunday school classrooms.

"In the fall, we hope to offer an adult education class between the two services, maybe at 9:15," said Rev. Sullivan.

Originally from Springfield, Massachusetts, Rev. Sullivan has lived on the Delmarva Peninsula for 15 years, coming to Smyrna after serving a church in Salisbury, Maryland. He was also a pastor in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and Easton, Maryland.

He's married and has two stepsons, Peter, 26, who's attending law school in Vermont, and David, 24, a cellular biologist in New York. Rev. Sullivan's wife, Jane, is the Activities Director at Corsica Hills Nursing Home in Centerville, Maryland.

Rev. Sullivan, who is 50, said he felt a strong calling to become a priest when he was attending Kenyon College in Ohio.

"I had narrowed my choices to teaching or going into the ministry. I decided to enter the seminary for a year to try it, and when I was there I just had the feeling, this fits. It feels right. It's what I was meant to do."

He graduated from Virginia Seminary in Alexandria, near Washington, D.C., and then his first assignment as a pastor was back in his home state of Massachusetts in 1974.

Two of the Episcopal priests from his home church were instrumental in his thoughts of becoming a minister.

"One of the priests had a tremendous sense of compassion, and he was very effective in presenting the Gospel, showing that Jesus was very much alive and real. That priest is actually an alcoholic in the recovery process. His own story is so honest and so powerful - the need for forgiveness and reconciliation," said Rev. Sullivan. "I think that made it easier for people to relate to him."

"We have the Narcotics Anonymous group that meets here on Fridays, and the Heroin Hurts support group is now meeting here too," said Rev. Sullivan. "Those groups area a really good witness that people can change. They can recover from addiction, and forgiveness is a big part of that."

The other priest who was a strong influence was "very involved in correcting social injustice," Rev. Sullivan said. "He would ask, 'What are areas of the community that need help and what are the obstacles to that change?' He made me see that the congregation can really have an impact and make a difference in the community."

Rev. Sullivan said he is also considering what local organizations to join. "I usually get involved in three activities in the community," he said. "I’ve volunteered with Hospice programs in several different states, and Habitat for Humanity is another.
"I’m interested in what’s going on at the St. Joseph’s property in Clayton," he said. "That’s a great opportunity to have programs there that benefit the community."
He also knows about the Smyrna-Clayton Heritage Association, which has an office in St. Peter’s Church, and the Main Street Program.
"It’s exciting that the community is involved in revitalizing the downtown area. I was glad to see that,"" he said.
"People in our congregation have done a lot for different parts of the community, but we’ve never really done a lot to get the word out about those opportunities," he said. "I think we need to start with publicity about where our church is, where St. Peter’s Cemetery is located. We need to increase our visibility in the community in terms of our ministry.

"We host meetings of the Episcopal Diocese of Delaware because Smyrna is just about the center of the diocese, so people in the diocese know where we are," he said. "We want to continue to be the a place of hospitality for the community groups that meet here, but we really need to increase our visibility so that more people will be able to find out what we have to offer."

This article appeared in the Sun-Times, August 11, 1999

Thanks Ben Mace editor.