01
Dec 2023
We gather, connect, and serve so all may experience the love of Christ. By Rev. Lynn Bartlow, Lead Pastor The cat is out of the bag. You figured out our secret. Yes, we started Advent early. Do a quick google search and you will find Advent has been observed in some way or another since the 480s or so. It’s looked like different things over the years as traditions evolved and morphed. Our current traditions more or less started around the 13th century, although fasting and wearing black was much more prominent......
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Living Into Our New Mission Statement
We gather, connect, and serve so all may experience the love of Christ. By Rev. Lynn Bartlow, Lead Pastor These next seven days offer each of us multiple chances to live out our church’s...
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Celebrating Those Who Have Gone Before Us
By Rev. Lynn Bartlow, Lead Pastor This week our staff was visited by superheroes, extinct reptiles, community helpers, and more. We had a visit from multiple Batmans, Ninja turtles, wizards, and even a few...
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Generosity is so Much More Than a Campaign
By Rev. Lynn Bartlow, Lead Pastor This is a big week of the life of St. Mark’s! We are down to the LAST few days of the pumpkin patch! It’s Rummage to the Rescues!...
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Lend an Ear to Become Part of the Body
By Kim Ogle, Associate Pastor In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul talks about each of us being part of the body of Christ. He’s talking about the parts of the church—apostles, prophets, teachers, miracle workers,...
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Vacation Planning and a Vision Summit
By Rev. Lynn Bartlow A good friend of mine in Illinois used to make fun of me and my travels. “Do you ever stay home and work?” Apparently he thought my husband and I...
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Love and Concern Come in All Sizes
By Pastor Kim Ogle Is there anything sweeter than kids’ art? Little kids don’t know whether their drawings are good or not-so-good. They just choose colors and create something. I’m pretty sure that what...
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Being the Church
By Rev. Lynn Bartlow St. Mark’s has shown once more what an amazing community you are. You have lived out our mission to care for all people as you stepped in after Pastor Kim’s...
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God and Fire
What did the fireman say when the church caught on fire? Holy smoke! (Is it too early to joke?) As you know, we had a fire at the Wesley House early Wednesday morning. The...
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Holding Space for Conflicting Emotions
My daughter turns 14 this week. She’s my youngest, the one who thinks and acts a lot like her father but who looks so much like me. We have photos of each of us...
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