REACHING BEYOND CHURCH DOORS

According to Pointer, his appointment as senior pastor was “a God thing.”

Saint Mark had settled on three finalists for the position,

but when one dropped out, Pointer was asked by a mutual friend in the church to fill in as preacher one Sunday in 2012 and then asked by the elders to consider applying for the position.

Pointer, 38, was installed as senior pastor in November 2012 and has continued Saint Mark’s tradition of growth within and outside the church.

“Traditionally in the African-American community, the church has been the center of community life and essentially the passing along of our heritage as a people. … [Now] there’s just so many things vying for our attention that my generation and the generation that follow me can kind of get lost in terms of their heritage — both socially and spiritually. So it’s important for the church to continue to communicate our spiritual heritage and our social heritage to a generation that has a lot of options.

“We’re not resting on what Saint Mark has done. We’re building on what Saint Mark has done.”

Its outreach efforts have included cleanup efforts in Tulsa after a 2013 tornado and donating more than 6,000 bottles of water to residents of Flint, Mich., during the city’s water crisis in 2014.

One of the church’s initiatives since Pointer’s installation is its Care Center, which among other services offers medical screenings, assistance with employment preparation and legal counseling.

An effort focused on the Little Rock area is the church’s Reclaiming Scholars Program, which provides middle and high school students with an alternative to out-of-school suspension to decrease recidivism within the grade school disciplinary system.

The church’s latest addition to its campus is its Children and Youth Center. Pointer said it was created because of the growth of the church’s children and youth ministries, and because Saint Mark wanted to demonstrate to the community the extent of its regard for children.

Despite the size of its congregation, Bailey said Saint Mark still has a small-church feel.

“Everyone knows everyone’s children,” Bailey said. “The children feel comfortable going, and the parents feel safe [bringing their children

to the church].”