Do you know the difference between a well and a stream?  A stream has "living water", while well-water stays in place and become stagnate.  St. Mark recently made a decision in our Voters' Assembly to be a Stream of Blessing in 2010.  Supporting mission work has been a priority of St. Mark for many years.  Through our Eastern District we support the training of professional church workers, missionaries and social welfare organizations that respond to human need in natural disasters.  Locally, we support Community Lutheran Ministry (Deaconess Maggie Harris), Alpha Lutheran Church of the Deaf, Lutheran Campus Ministry at RIT, and Benincasa Hospice in Mendon.  In supporting mission work in 2010, our members voted to apply any income beyond our budget into mission work.  This means we are not storing up reserves like stagnate water in a well, but allowing the blessings of God to flow to us and through us to others:  "Blessed to be a Blessing".  This past year, our mission support increased by nearly 20% over 2008.  Let's see how God plans to use us this year in the task of Kingdom Building!