On 30th Anniversary of Initial Hire Date, Sue Engemann Invites Others to Join in Her Recipe for Success at St. Mark’s
“My part of kitchen ministry is no different than what I do for my own family at home.”
In August of 1996 – 30 years ago – a lot of what would come to define the times unfolded. The Summer Olympic Games were contested at Centennial Olympic Stadium in Atlanta, Princes Charles and Lady Diana formally parted ways and people everywhere hit dance floors for the No. 1 song in the country, “Macarena.”
It was also in August of 1996, the 5th to be exact, when the graceful and spirit-lifting Sue Engemann began working right here at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. Highlighting her full course of action here at the church requires a trip even further back in time.
“Around 1975, when I had little kids at home, a neighbor knocked on my door one day and stated, ‘We’re taking you to St. Mark’s for bible study’,” Sue said.
Despite her and her entire family having been long-time parishioners at Riverside Presbyterian Church, Sue agreed to give the program a try.
“After that, I never left,” she said very matter of fact. “Years went by. I sang in the St. Mark’s choir, volunteered and did all kinds of things here….all while working outside the church in retail.”
Sue’s tireless efforts for the church amid outside paying jobs eventually caught the attention of then-Rector Ham Fuller.
“While stirring cheese grits for one of the church’s Sunday morning breakfasts, Ham tapped me on the shoulder and said he wanted me to come and be his assistant,” she recalled. “I stopped what I was doing, looked at him and said, ‘Ham, I don’t even know how to type’. It turns out, that wasn’t what he was looking for.”
After giving it some thought, Sue accepted the opportunity, believing she had “found what I was meant to be doing.”
Though her past three decades with St. Mark’s weren’t exclusive, the church here is where she always returned. After about 11 unbroken years, other stints included working to help establish her husband’s construction business and then serving for five years as Parish Administrator at Grace Episcopal Church. She then took work at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Green Cove Springs.
When then-Dean of the Cathedral, Kate Moorehead, approached her about joining her staff full time, Sue accepted the position of Director of Parish Life.
Upwards of five years later, in 2016, the Bishop’s secretary and friend of Sue’s, Vickie Haskew, came calling.
“She told me the Bishop had proposed the idea of me joining his staff,” Sue said. “In 2016, I went to work for Bishop Howard, alongside Allison DeFoor and Douglas Dupree. That resulted in eight marvelous years.”
While there, Sue had developed a working relationship and friendship with Charlie Holt, who was serving in the Bishop’s office.
“He knew I wasn’t ready to retire, so he asked me to become the Membership Coordinator here. He began at St. Mark’s in the fall of 2023, and I started in early 2024. I was back!”
And, according to Sue, the return for her and her husband, Tim, was a blessing too immense for words to fully describe.
“Let me just say that St. Mark’s is a generational and neighborhood church, so it has that feel to it….like you’re moving into a new neighborhood and have all these great new neighbors to meet,” Sue explained. “St. Mark’s does an incredible job of loving on their people, being friendly and helpful. In that respect, I see St. Mark’s as a friendly neighbor.”
Sue also gave props to St. Mark’s as being an outlet for people to whet their appetite for and feed their faith. Speaking of nourishment, Sue was quick to point out that working in the church kitchen was a main course of action which got her and Tim so involved at St. Mark’s.
“Gratification comes from seeing empty plates,” Sue chuckled. “It’s just like feeding your family. In so many ways, this is my family. My part of kitchen ministry is no different than what I do for my own family at home.”
Sue also pointed out that since kitchen ministry is such a big and enjoyable team effort, there is never a burden of any kind on any one person.
“You don’t even need to know how to cook,” she said. “You just need to be willing to let someone point a finger and tell you where to go and what to do. There are always those jobs that just have to happen, like refilling glasses with water and removing empty plates from the tables.”
Forget the caution of having too many cooks in the kitchen. At St. Mark’s, the unwavering belief is that more is merrier. If you’d like to lend some time and help support the church's culinary efforts, the need is there. Tasks would include:
And, who knows….perhaps it’ll even lead to a resurrection of the hit song, “Macarena.”
For more information, contact Sue Engemann at sengemann@smjax.org.
It was also in August of 1996, the 5th to be exact, when the graceful and spirit-lifting Sue Engemann began working right here at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. Highlighting her full course of action here at the church requires a trip even further back in time.
“Around 1975, when I had little kids at home, a neighbor knocked on my door one day and stated, ‘We’re taking you to St. Mark’s for bible study’,” Sue said.
Despite her and her entire family having been long-time parishioners at Riverside Presbyterian Church, Sue agreed to give the program a try.
“After that, I never left,” she said very matter of fact. “Years went by. I sang in the St. Mark’s choir, volunteered and did all kinds of things here….all while working outside the church in retail.”
Sue’s tireless efforts for the church amid outside paying jobs eventually caught the attention of then-Rector Ham Fuller.
“While stirring cheese grits for one of the church’s Sunday morning breakfasts, Ham tapped me on the shoulder and said he wanted me to come and be his assistant,” she recalled. “I stopped what I was doing, looked at him and said, ‘Ham, I don’t even know how to type’. It turns out, that wasn’t what he was looking for.”
After giving it some thought, Sue accepted the opportunity, believing she had “found what I was meant to be doing.”
Though her past three decades with St. Mark’s weren’t exclusive, the church here is where she always returned. After about 11 unbroken years, other stints included working to help establish her husband’s construction business and then serving for five years as Parish Administrator at Grace Episcopal Church. She then took work at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Green Cove Springs.
When then-Dean of the Cathedral, Kate Moorehead, approached her about joining her staff full time, Sue accepted the position of Director of Parish Life.
Upwards of five years later, in 2016, the Bishop’s secretary and friend of Sue’s, Vickie Haskew, came calling.
“She told me the Bishop had proposed the idea of me joining his staff,” Sue said. “In 2016, I went to work for Bishop Howard, alongside Allison DeFoor and Douglas Dupree. That resulted in eight marvelous years.”
While there, Sue had developed a working relationship and friendship with Charlie Holt, who was serving in the Bishop’s office.
“He knew I wasn’t ready to retire, so he asked me to become the Membership Coordinator here. He began at St. Mark’s in the fall of 2023, and I started in early 2024. I was back!”
And, according to Sue, the return for her and her husband, Tim, was a blessing too immense for words to fully describe.
“Let me just say that St. Mark’s is a generational and neighborhood church, so it has that feel to it….like you’re moving into a new neighborhood and have all these great new neighbors to meet,” Sue explained. “St. Mark’s does an incredible job of loving on their people, being friendly and helpful. In that respect, I see St. Mark’s as a friendly neighbor.”
Sue also gave props to St. Mark’s as being an outlet for people to whet their appetite for and feed their faith. Speaking of nourishment, Sue was quick to point out that working in the church kitchen was a main course of action which got her and Tim so involved at St. Mark’s.
“Gratification comes from seeing empty plates,” Sue chuckled. “It’s just like feeding your family. In so many ways, this is my family. My part of kitchen ministry is no different than what I do for my own family at home.”
Sue also pointed out that since kitchen ministry is such a big and enjoyable team effort, there is never a burden of any kind on any one person.
“You don’t even need to know how to cook,” she said. “You just need to be willing to let someone point a finger and tell you where to go and what to do. There are always those jobs that just have to happen, like refilling glasses with water and removing empty plates from the tables.”
Forget the caution of having too many cooks in the kitchen. At St. Mark’s, the unwavering belief is that more is merrier. If you’d like to lend some time and help support the church's culinary efforts, the need is there. Tasks would include:
- Assisting in meal preparation by chopping, washing and organizing ingredients.
- Assisting the sexton staff by maintaining cleanliness by washing dishes after use.
- Helping set up and serve food during church events and gatherings.
- Following food safety guidelines to ensure safe food handling practices.
- Creating a welcoming environment for parishioners.
- Most of all, have fun!
And, who knows….perhaps it’ll even lead to a resurrection of the hit song, “Macarena.”
For more information, contact Sue Engemann at sengemann@smjax.org.
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