08
Dec 2023
We gather, connect, and serve so all may experience the love of Christ. By Rev. Lynn Bartlow, Lead Pastor Dear Church Family, The holiday season at our church is a bustling and beautiful time, filled with events, services, and opportunities to bring joy to our community. It’s a time when we all can make a meaningful difference in the lives of others, spreading love and goodwill as we share the Christmas story with our friends and neighbors. Can you help out? There are numerous ways you can lend a hand! Show up......
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Planning for When Advent Should Begin
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...
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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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Pastor Stuart’s Last Sunday With Us
Greetings Friends, Have you ever had so many wonderful choices that you had trouble making a decision? This is the situation I have been in for the last several months. I knew this upcoming...
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Liminal Space
Greetings Church Family, This is Pastor Stuart writing to you, from the “liminal space” Pastor Lynn spoke about several weeks ago in her sermon. In case you missed this message, liminal space is that...
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Guest Post from Rich Howell
On April 30 both the congregations of St. Mark’s and Sanctuary UMCs will vote on whether to merge. I have served as part of a task force team made up of Pastor Lynn, Marsha...
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The Hard Work of Change
Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! This isn’t just a mantra we share on Easter Sunday, but it’s the reality that we live each day. Christians believe that Jesus was crucified, died,...
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‘All in,’ But Which Way?
At last Sunday’s Town Hall meeting about the potential merger with Sanctuary UMC, we were asked why a merger and why not just a shared ministry, a partnering, a cooperative model. This is an...
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Happy Anniversary!
What were you doing 20 years ago? 20 years ago, I was appointed to my second churches, a two-point charge just south of Marshall, Illinois. Ron and I had been married almost two years,...
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Christ the King Sunday
In the church year, this week is Christ the King Sunday. It’s the last Sunday before the new year starts, with Advent next week. On this Sunday, we are reminded that the crucified God...
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