Building Community in a Church Without Walls

Volunteers Transform a Cafeteria into a Sacred Space

"Our situation is about as nontraditional as you can get," says MSP admin Dave LaPlante. "But every Sunday it comes together beautifully because people are committed, and MSP keeps us organized."

Most churches gather in a familiar sanctuary. Not St. Mark the Evangelist Mission in St. Augustine, Florida. With no permanent church building yet, St. Mark celebrates two Sunday Masses each week in a local middle school cafeteria.

This is only possible thanks to dozens of dedicated volunteers. They arrive at dawn to take down the tables, set up the altar, and test the sound system. They roll in the piano and prepare vessels for Communion. Set up happens quickly. And when they are done, it's hard to recognize the building's primary use as an eating hall. Then, like clockwork, around 12:30 pm, the volunteers begin packing away items and transforming the space back to a school cafeteria.

Beyond the Usual Ministries

In a mission parish like St. Mark, logistics are as important as liturgy. Every week requires setup, teardown, and a community of volunteers to make it possible. Organization isn't just helpful, it's essential! That's where Ministry Scheduler Pro makes the difference.

St. Mark uses MSP not only for common volunteer ministries — Lectors, Ushers, and EMHCs — but also for the behind-the-scenes tasks unique to their setting:

• Setup and teardown crews who transform the cafeteria each week
• Sacristan assistants who prepare supplies between Masses
• Transportation ministers who safely deliver the offertory collection after services

Simple for Volunteers. Seamless for Leaders.

Even with nearly 100 volunteers to coordinate, Dave says MSP makes scheduling easy for everyone:

• New volunteers get an email with MSP app instructions and can start serving right away.
• Automated Friday reminder emails and Saturday texts keep everyone on time.
• Built-in reports help balance assignments, so no one is over- or under-scheduled.

"Everybody loves MSP," Dave says. "It's extremely rare that we have someone missing in action because they forgot. MSP makes sure they can't forget!"

Growing a Culture of Service

Founded in 2018, St. Mark continues to grow week by week, even without a permanent building. Each Sunday, nearly 300 parishioners now gather to pray, sing, and serve together. And new volunteers are stepping forward all the time.

"Our heart and soul are the Church — not the building," Dave explains. "That's us. And MSP helps us live that out."

By adopting MSP early, St. Mark has encouraged a spirit of involvement from the very beginning — proving that any community can flourish, no matter where they gather.

Replicating St. Mark's Success

To any parish wondering if MSP would work in their own environment, Dave has an encouraging message: if it works here, it can work anywhere.

"I'm not a tech guy. But MSP is simple for me to use, and we get good compliments from folks in our parish on how easy it is. For us, it's a 10 out of 10."

Ready to see how MSP could support your community's unique needs? Start a free trial today.