Mary Oiler joined St. Mark Lutheran Church in 1982 along with her husband, Dave, and their three children Judy, David, and John, and she gradually became active beginning with Women of the ELCA. As the years went by, Mary was a member of Church Council, served on a call committee, assisted with Vacation Bible School, served as a nursery volunteer, and rang in the bell choir. After working in the Hamilton School system for 23 years, Mary is now retired.

Currently, Mary is very busy at St. Mark. She is more of a “behind the scenes” person. If she sees something out of place, she fixes it. On any given Sunday, you will see Mary helping the altar guild teams or ushering (even if she wasn’t scheduled to), but there is a lot more to Mary’s service than that. She is the coordinator of Altar Guild – the poinsettias, lilies and geraniums don’t just appear neatly arranged, nor do the sharpened pens in the pews. She washes the altar linens as well as the lay assistants’ albs. Mary has been a member of the Worship & Music Team for 20 years - WOW! She also coordinates the counting teams and is a counter herself. Mary is an active member of St. Mark Women of the ELCA, 40 Plus, and the Wednesday evening Bible Study group. Outside of St. Mark, Mary volunteers at Tender Hearts.

When asked why she gives so much of her time and energy to St. Mark, she simply replies with "it's something that is very meaningful to me". Coming from different religious backgrounds, Mary and Dave wanted a church were they both felt a connection and it was Mary's intention from the beginning to be an active member. After visiting other churches, Mary and Dave felt St. Mark was the place for them.

Thank you, Mary, for all that you do!