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By 1923 an Anglican vicar gained enough support to build an Anglican church in Swanson and at the beginning of 1923, £300 was borrowed to pay for Mr Erickson’s ground (next to the school).
The trustees who saw the project through were: Messrs T.M. Kay, G.H. Mills, E.S. Green, A. Christian, and the Rev A. Venables. Money was raised to pay for the church by a concert and donations. The 12 pews cost £22. Messrs F. Hills, F. Farley and A.C. Stansell were authorised to build the church but due to insufficient funds it remained unlined (but worshipped in) for many years.
A picnic was held in Mr Knox’s paddock in March 1924 and a subscription list circulated. The church was completed and dedicated by the Right Rev Bishop of Auckland on 25 April 1924.
In 1956 the St Mark’s Ladies Guild raised money to line the church, paint it inside and out, and organised the contribution of church furnishings. Parishioners decided to build a hall behind the church in the early 1970s. Edwyn Roberts drew up the plans, ably assisted by builder Ian Robertson and the late Peter Johnson, and with the help of many willing hands, built the extension. As a fundraiser, Edwyn Roberts provided land for the congregation to grow courgettes. Early every morning people picked, polished and packed courgettes for the city markets.
The hall was used by Sunday School and also for community groups. Annual church fairs in the local hall were greatly favoured events. Descendants of the first early settlers who built St Marks still attend services today.
