History of the Church : Salama Agami , a prominent Christian from the district of Giza was used to attending Mass at St Barbara's Church in Old Cairo on Sunday before heading for work. One Sunday, the service was running late and so he sent a deacon to tell the priest at the alter to hurry up so that he can get to his work in Giza on time. The priest's response was : "If he doesn't like it, let him build his own church in Giza". Agami took this to be a divine calling directed at him personally to build a church in Giza to serve the Christians living there. He sold some of his own land, and bought the property upon which the church was to be built. The Khediev Ismail issued a decree for its construction on January 3rd December 1880. On 8 November 1883 Anba Abraam the Saint and the bishop of Fayoum and Giza appointed the first ever parish priest Father Basilious to the care of St Mark's Church. After the death of its founder, Salama Agami, Father Basilious saw to the completion of the construction of the church which took place in 1887.

The Church Interior: The Church is an exact replica of St Mark's Church in Azbakeya in its design. There are two large steeples from the west. As for the church hall, it contains 6 marble columns which bear the principal dome. On the right, there is a hallway which leads to the baptism chamber named after St John. There is also a second floor which was reserved for women in the old days. The iconostasis (behind of which is the sanctuary) is made of beech wood, engraved in ivory crosses and carries icons for the apostles, the angels and the saints of the church. There are five alters in the church : - The principal alter, the largest, is that of St Mark's , there are two other alters, on the left there is the alter of St Mary, and the alter of the Angel in a chapel where all parish priests who have served in the church are buried.There are two alters on the church's second floor - St Mina's and St Tadros's

Icons, relics and manuscripts: The church contains a rare collection of icons from the last century such as the icon of the ascension of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, a magnificent icon for St Mark, an icon for St Mary, other icon for St John the Baptist, St John the Golden Mouth and St Basilious . St Mark's Church also contains some relics of Saint Tadros , a fourth century saint and martyr (320 AD). His relics are placed in a wooden tube, close to Saint Mary's alter. There are also 30 manuscripts preserved at St mark's Church. They a wide range of church rites (liturgy books, church readings, and hymns) and the prayers of Jacob El Serougi and interpretations of the Bible for St John the Golden Mouth. The oldest manuscript dates from 1840, other manuscripts date respectively from 1849, 1855, 1868, 1871. Most of the remaining manuscripts date form the time of the establishment of the church in the 80s of the last century, there were copied by hand by monks from Wadi El Natroun monastery and which were donated to the St Mark's Parish by some Copts

St Mark's On the Rise: In the late seventies, there were extensions made on the church premises, the old premises on which a charity school which was built by Father Basilious was joined to the church courtyard. In response to the proliferation of church community activities, a complex was built on Salama Agami old property. It now comprises a hall for marriages, meetings and for summer club. There is also a kindergarten, a library, a computer training center, a media room, and an audio-visual library. As for the old church community service complex, it has some space reserved for the rural aid programme, an area for the service of the urban poor, rooms for illiteracy classes, typing courses, a sewing workshop and an oven for korban baking. (korban is holy leaven bread used for communion). In 1987, a new building was erected, "The House of Hope" which was to house needy students searching for a place while completing their university education.

In the service of Christ and His People: St Mark's Reach Out Programmes : With the establishment of the church in 1887 and the appointment of Father Basilious as its priest, the Copts of Giza were no longer obliged to cross the Nile to pray at one of the churches of Old Cairo. They now had their very own parish. As the congregation grew, it became evidently clear that the church could and must offer more than the traditional weekly mass. So the parishioners set out to reach Copts in their district and community to invite them to become members of St mark. Sunday school was also set up, starting with just one evening class on Sunday, and gradually establishing many more classes. Sermons, talks and bible studies were arranged for Thursday night. As church activities expanded and diversified, so too was the increase in community needs. One night, at a bible study meeting, one youth got up and yelled: "you are sitting here, learning the Bible amongst yourselves, and people outside are suffering". He was referring to a family at a nearby village which gave up its faith. This incident catalysed a new movement in the church - one that acknowledged its responsibilities towards the people living in the countryside. In 1950, the Coptic Educational Society for the Proliferation of Religious Culture was formed to serve the needs of the Copts in the villages. St Mark's Church sent out servants to preach the word of God to villagers. This was no easy task at a time when there was no regular transport and the roads were hazardous, journeys often taking up to three and four hours to reach the villages on the outskirts. Today, St Mark's Church offers Copts in the countryside spiritual, financial and medical assistance. As St Mark's rural services, one can witness the same growth in its services directed at its own community. For a start, there were students who were flogging to Giza from the villages to study at the first university, King Fouad's University. They were estranged and separated from their families for the first time and the parish tried to offer them support and warmth through regular visits, activities and spiritual direction. This did not just extend to University students, a group of servants at the church were committed to reaching out to Copts in their district who have distanced themselves from the church, whatever their reason may be. Every Coptic family in every street was known to this group of servants who ensured that a spirit of unity bound them all to St Mark's. In 1951, the church published the first book of hymns for children, its principal targets were the countryside children. The church publishing house has played an outstanding role in the proliferation of Christian material. The Sunday School Library has also been integral to the service of the church. Its comprehensive collection of books on church rites, rituals, traditions, writings of the fathers is invaluable particularly to the servants who made use of the collection in their teachings and preachings.

St Mark's Church - At the heart of the consecration movement: With no knowledge of what the future held for them, but with a clear conviction that they had to leave everything to follow Christ and with boundless faith in God's Will, many youth from St mark's Coptic Orthodox Church have abandoned all to follow the path Christ called them for. Some became priests, others monks and nuns and others chose to become consecrated deacons and deaconesses to serve their community. "We did not know what awaited us tomorrow, we put our lives in the care of "the God of tomorrow", and we did not set a plan for ourselves for the future. We had no desires, dreams or ambitions but to giveo urselves wholly for him, with all our hearts in the way he wanted us and in the place he wanted us. We had the heart of a child who left everything to his father arrangement", said one consecrated servant. Above all, they dedicated their lives to supporting the poor, "the brothers of Christ" as well as the labourers and the destitute women for whom they provided technical and material assistance.

A Final Word About St Mark's Church: Above all, St Mark's Church tries to recapture as much as possible the spirit of the first apostolic church in its missionary, in its work with the marginalised, and in its attendance to the needs of the Christian person as a whole. St Mark's Church's doors are open to everyone as its services and activities continue to expand. Throughout all the years of Christian service, it has never been crippled by material need. Truly, the Lord is abundant in his gifts, more than we ever ask or wish for.