Do Good

Every table was filled at Soul Station this past Wednesday night. Young and school-age children ate alongside their parents, grandparents and many church family members. We had food prepared by our faithful second-Wednesday cooks that was nutritious and yummy. That was followed by birthday cake, since we celebrate that month’s birthdays every second-Wednesday.

The kitchen was busy, busy, busy! That scene is repeated again and again as meals are prepared for Primavera Men’s Shelter, United Methodist Women, Pancake breakfast, spaghetti dinners and on and on. The kitchen at St. Mark’s is one of the hubs for fellowship and ministry.

Now it is time to remodel our 50-year-old kitchen so it can be safe, up-to-date, and usable for generations to come. I hope that in 25 or 50 years, or more your pastor is writing about the ways people are sharing food and offering ministry out of our kitchen. I want to encourage you to participate in Helping Hands, Nourishing Hearts, our kitchen remodel campaign, by bringing your gift or pledge to church this Sunday, Feb.16.  Thanks to those who have already given. You can give online, or mail in your gift. Beginning April 13, we’ll be able to give you updates on the actual remodel progress.

After our meal on Wednesday night, we looked at Scripture and discussed the second of John Wesley’s Three Simple Rules, which is to “do good.”  Last week in worship we talked about the first rule, “do no harm.”  What does it mean to “do good” in our daily lives? Lots of doing good happened on our All Church Work Day on Feb. 8, led by our Board of Trustees. I’m so grateful to the dozens of volunteers who helped around our campus that day moving rock, cleaning, painting, and much more.

A commitment to “doing good” can be lived out in other ways, too. How do we do good for ourselves and others by shifting a sour attitude to a joyful one? What actions make for good in our divided, contentious world?  How does Scripture guide us as we seek to do good? That will be our focus in worship this Sunday, Feb. 16?

Blessings on Valentine’s Day! One of the many legends about St. Valentine includes him befriending and corresponding with a young blind girl, doing good even as his life was threatened and ultimately lost. Here is our prayer for this Feb. 14:  God of love, give us hearts that send joy and hope into your world. Even in troubled times, help us be signs of love and hope by our words and actions.  In Christ’s love, we pray.  Amen.

Blessings, Sharon