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Sep 2023

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 adults see is not half as great as what the little artists see in their minds – usually. That is unless you’re the lucky adult who receives a large manila envelope full of hand-made get-well cards from our St. Mark’s Sunday School classes. (Thank you to our teachers, Julie, Kathy, Barb, Cathy, Pam and others who help.) Many......
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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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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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Join Us for Service Sunday!
We have 175 people signed up for our first Service Sunday. That’s fantastic news! We are addressing Priority No. 4 in our church’s stated priorities: “St. Mark’s United Methodist Church will become physically involved...
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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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Welcome to Lent!
This is our first Sunday in Lent. Lent began with Ash Wednesday this week and continues until Easter Sunday. It’s 40 days, plus Sundays. This season, we invite you to read through the Gospel...
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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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Grace / Sacraments
On Sunday as we join around the communion table, the pastors will pray, “Make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world until Christ comes in...
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The Sounds of Christmas
What’s your favorite Christmas song? You shared a number of favorites in worship when I asked last Sunday. It seems we like everything from “O Holy Night” to “Rudolph” to “O Come All Ye...
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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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