14
Jul 2023
At Annual Conference this year, I took photos with several former Associate Pastors from here at St. Mark’s. You’ll see in the photo above Jonathan Arnpriester (1992-1996), Jennifer Hageman (2006-2011), Tom Jelinek (2005-2006) and DeeDee Azhikakath (2002-2005). Of course, these aren’t all of our Associate Pastors, but these do send their greetings to St. Mark’s! Pastors are appointed to ministries of Word, Order, and Sacrament. We share the Word through teaching, preaching, and other avenues. We Order the life of the church by providing leadership to committees and volunteers and staff. We......
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Skipping the Messiness and Giving the Highlights
On May 30, my Covid test came back positive. We had flown the day before from Paris to Manchester, preparing for the Wesley Tour portion of our trip. With a positive test in hand,...
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On Inclusivity and Becoming One Church
Our family just returned from an epic three-week trip to Paris and England. One of the things we noticed was how inclusive everyone was. It wasn’t some political statement; it just was. Vegetarian? Got...
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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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On Decisions and Voting
This past week, the Covenant Council met at St. Mark’s for its regular meeting. As you know, this is the committee in the church tasked with keeping us on target with our ministries and...
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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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Denominational Update
What’s happening with the United Methodist Church? If you watch mainstream media, you might have seen articles about the church splintering or splitting. This isn’t entirely true, but it has some truth in its...
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Making a Difference
This month in worship we have focused on those small things that can make a big difference in our world. Gratitude. Perseverance. Humility. Prayer. Faith. These seemingly small things, in the hands of...
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