SAN ANTONIO — St. Mark's Episcopal Church marked its 160th anniversary Sunday. The church was founded just 22 years after the Battle of the Alamo.
"There are a lot of historical associations with the church that many people find appealing," said Church historian Lewis Fisher, who told us about one of those associations, Robert E. Lee. Lee was one of the founders. "He was the temporary commander of the US Army in San Antonio in 1860, and he was an Episcopalian. Many of the army officers were Episcopalian and came to St. Mark's," Fisher said.
General Lee wasn't the only notable name to walk through the church doors. "Lyndon Johnson was married here, for instance, in 1934 I think it was," Fisher said.
But walking into the parish hall, what stands out immediately are the stained glass windows.
"The stained-glass windows came from New York City. We've actually determined that these are the oldest stained glass windows in San Antonio," said Fisher.
Meredith Rogers, the director of youth ministries told us, "I never knew they were the oldest in the city until I started doing research for the coloring book."
The church is celebrating its 160th year with the help of a coloring book, which actually began as a way to teach the children history of St. Mark's.
Rogers has been attending the church since she was a child and said they wanted kids to understand the beautiful symbols all around them. "Do they know what it means? How do they engage with it?" she said. "So how can we get in front of them in a different way so it brings the windows to life more?"
Using the coloring book is a way to learn about the past and have a little fun at the same time.
"It's got stories and Bible verses in it, because when you look at a window you don't automatically know it means, necessarily. You don't know which Bible story it is unless you do a little thinking about it and a little talking about it and research about it," Rogers said.