Table of Contents
Celebrations of Life
April Birthdays
4 - Sean Adams
5 - Mary Ann Gollin
5 - Carole Pluta
5 - Heinz Rueckmann
9 - Norm Gollin
11 - Marvin Years
12 - Eve Smith
14 - Emily Haag
18 - Marlene Hampson
21 - Lydia Berrong
22 - Kristen Waterstram-Rich
23 - Ron Coyle
23 - Eleanor Wisnieff
26 - Gail Maffett
28 - Edward Blythe
29 - Margaret Heiss
Anniversaries
7 - Sean and Jennifer Adams
10 - Luther and Madelyn Bauch
11 - Dennis and Annette Lovejoy
17 - Dale and Beverly Lovejoy
28 - Stan and Evey Wright
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Worship at St. Mark
Elder: Dave Hampson
Ushers: Mike and Chris Monnat
Acolytes:
April
1 James Briggs
8 Peter Lovejoy
15 TJ Eilinger
22 Eddie Lovejoy
29 Kyle Fleig
Lectors:
April
1 Monica Smith
8 Kathy Stranford
15 Scott Stranford
22 Evey Wright
29 Roger Lehman
Communion Helpers:
April
1 Norma Helm
8 Marilyn Ryan
15 Ruth Davis
22 Linn Griffo
29 (No Communion)
Greeters:
April
1 Paxton Maffett
8 June Schneider
15 Kathy Stranford
22 Effie Steingasser
29 Corby Broadwell
Special Services:
April
1 - 9am Palm Sunday @ Community Center
5 - 7pm Maundy Thursday @ Community Center
6 - 12:30pm and 7pm Good Friday @ Community Center
8 - 7am Early Easter Service
8:15am Easter Breakfast
10am Late Easter Service
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Pastor
Is It Finished?
If you are puzzled by these words above, it is rightly so! They stand in stark contrast to the words of our Lord Jesus from the cross: It is finished!
To be sure, our Lord’s words are true. Salvation is accomplished and there is not a single person on earth for whom the cross has not made a difference. By nature, we are enemies of God and can nothing to justify ourselves before Him. (Ephesians 2) We stand condemned with no hope of restoring the relationship broken by sin. Yet, our God is merciful – not giving us what we deserve. In our place, Jesus suffered and died to re-claim us when we were lost. (2 Corinthians 5) Through faith, we now have access to God’s grace (Romans 5) and participate in Christ’s victory. The glory of Easter is the result of the pain of Good Friday. Our loss led to His cross and His pain was for our gain.
Now, back to the question above. These words may well have been uttered many times prior to our first worship service in our newly remodeled facility. But, this is the wrong context for my question! I ask the question after we have returned. One member recently asked: “Pastor, when we return to the church, what’s going to be different about worship? About us?” It’s a legitimate question. Scripture teaches that any person who is in Christ is a new creation, the old has passed, the new has come. We have no better response than to take what God has made new (albeit ourselves or our facility) and use it in ways to give glory to God as we welcome and equip people to follow Jesus Christ.
Your worship of God, not only Sundays but in your daily walk with the Lord…is it finished? Your growth as a Christian – I mean intentional time in the word, privately, in small group or adult education: your maturity as a follower of Christ – is it finished? Your tithe & offering to the God who has made you new and calls you to a new life-will it change this year as you change or … is it finished? Your sin, your guilt, your shame for the things you have felt and done and have neglected to do, does your sin still bother you or …is it finished? Yes, in Christ, it is finished! Alleluia!
Pastor Smith
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Vice President
Update On the Phase 1 Renovation Project (By R. Haag, Project Manager for St. Mark):
Guenther and I attended the Contractor’s Review Meeting today with the JC Pilato and Labella representatives, where we went over the final activities to complete the project in the next two weeks. Everything is coming together and really looking great. JC Pilato (General Contractor) will complete the major activities by mid next week with follow up on punch list items completed by the beginning of the following week. There will be small items that JC Pilato’s crew will be coming back on after the church is open for Easter Sunday, but it will be minimal. We are still planning to have the move back in of the church stuff on Saturday March 31, 2007. Right now, the Organ re-installation and the new Audio Visual and Sound equipment are scheduled to be installed the week of April 2 to April 6, 2007. In addition to this, that same week, the new flexible wall partitions and the new table and chairs will also be installed, for the grand opening on Easter morning for Church and the Easter breakfast. It has been a long haul, but it has been worth it. It is a new facility for St. Mark, and it will be wonderful to start worshiping and having fellowship in.
The Strategic Planning Committee is meeting on Saturday March 24, 2007 at 9:00 AM in the Parish House, to continue its efforts in laying the ground work for the next phase of activities for St. Mark.
The Finance Committee met on Thursday March 8, 2007 to review the financial information that was presented at the March Church Council meeting on March 12, 2007 and for the 1st Quarterly Congregational meeting to be held on Sunday March 25, 2007.
The Trustee’s Committee meeting for March was re-scheduled for Thursday March 22, 2007 at 7:00 AM in the Parish House, due to poor weather conditions earlier in the month. The main item on the agenda for that meeting will be a walk-thru of the renovated church and what impact that will have for the Trustee’s in the future.
The newly formed Nominating Committee for 2007, met for the first time on Monday March 19, 2007 to discuss the responsibilities of what was expected from them, the lists of positions open for this coming election. The nominating Committee will make their recommendations to the Church Council at the June 11, 2007 meeting, with the anticipated elections by the end of June 2007. The list of positions and offices open for election this year are as follows:
- 2 Elders (with the Pastors Approval)
- 2 Trustees
- Treasurer (Current Treasurer is eligible to run a second term)
- Financial Secretary (Current Financial Secretary is eligible to run a second term)
- Church Council Secretary
- Chairperson of Evangelism
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Elders
Have you ever moved into a new house or a new apartment? I remember way back to 1976 when we moved into our “house on the hill” in Honeoye. The excitement mounted more and more as we got closer and closer to the moving-in date! The time finally came to move in, and I remember the fun we had bringing all of our “stuff” into the house, and yet I remember the confusion of trying to answer the question “where does this go?” There was definitely an adjustment period during which we learned to live in and take care of our new dwelling. Then came the challenge of finding uses for our unfinished basement. We asked ourselves what new and interesting things we could do with that space.
Similarly, we are now ready to move in to our “new” church! As excited as we are, there will undoubtedly be some confusion as we move in. We will also have to adjust to our new surroundings. There will be things we will have to do differently in entering the church, in worshipping, and in holding fellowship, just to mention a few. Probably one of the most important things we will have to do is to come up with improved and new uses for our upgraded facility. How can we use it to better serve our Lord who has graciously allowed us to undertake this phase of our growth? It is important for all of us to pray that God will grant us wisdom and patience as we embark on our new journey and head toward “phase II”!
To help us adjust in worship by learning some necessary new procedures, there will be a training session on Saturday morning April 7th for all ushers, acolytes, greeters, and altar care workers. It will start at 8:30AM with coffee and doughnuts/bagels to be followed by a tour of the facility. The training session will begin at 9:00 AM. We are asking all of those currently serving to attend, and we would welcome anyone who would like to serve in one of those capacities to attend also.
Here is one final announcement. There will be two Good Friday services, both to be held at the community center. There will be one service at 12:30 in the afternoon, and the evening service will begin at 7:00 PM. Those of you who prefer not to drive at night will have an opportunity to attend a Good Friday service in daylight and of course, everyone is invited to attend both.
Well, in closing, the elders are very excited about moving back to our church as are all of you. There will be challenges, but working together, and with God’s help, we can meet them and take our service to the Lord to a new level.
God’s blessings to you all!
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Christian Education
About Getting Wise…
Education is very important to me. I consider myself a lifelong learner. One of my passions is history. I love it! My favorite cable network is the History Channel. If there is a subject that interests me, I’ll search the internet, go to the library, or pick my parents’ brains to learn more. I’ll also read anything I can get my hands on about the subject. I am a voracious reader, just ask my family and they’ll tell you that I can often be found with a book in my hand. Why should Christian education be any different?
As we return to our newly remodeled church home, I’m excited about the possibilities to offer new learning opportunities so we can grow to be more mature followers of Jesus Christ. What’s more, now we’ll have more room to invite others to join us. Our Sunday school students will return to their classrooms to learn new things about the God who loves them, the Lord Jesus who has saved them, and the Bible, God’s love letter to us. We have the opportunity to present workshops and classes to more people in a bigger, brighter space! For the near future, we are planning a marriage enrichment workshop. Regardless of your years together, your marriage could benefit from learning new ways to communicate and improve the health of your marriage.
Education is magical – when you engage in it, you grow! If you want to learn about something new or want to be equipped for your walk of faith, please contact me (377-5534) or a member of our Board of Christian Education: Bob & Eleanor Wisnieff, Gail Maffet, Vickie Miller, June Schneider, Margie Heiss, or Jonell Coyle. Equipping and educating God’s people is our goal.
Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
love her, and she will watch over you.
Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom.
Though it cost all you have, get understanding.
Esteem her, and she will exalt you;
embrace her, and she will honor you.
(Proverbs 4:6-8)
Jenna Smith
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President
It is more important than ever to count our blessings as we continue to observe Lent and to reflect on the events of the Church Year between now and Easter Sunday.
The spiritual blessings provided us are great, immeasurable, and forever. The temporal blessings provided us are great and immeasurable.
We have so much for which to be thankful: for family and caring friends, for health, for opportunity, for joyous homes, for freedom to worship as we wish, for being provided a home-away-from-home in the form of the Mendon Community Center, and for myriad other blessings. And above all, for Easter Sunday.The resurrection of our Lord is the focal point of our faith.
On that day we will be back in church at St. Mark, God willing. The team composed of St. Mark and J. C. Pilato and LaBella Associates has been on a “mission” to meet that target in order to make that special day even more special, unforgettable in fact! We are on track. Please help by praying for the team’s continued success.
You have and will continue to note references being made to the Next Step for St. Mark. The immediate future is not a time to sit back and say what a fine job we have done, now we can rest, but rather is the time to determine exactly where and upon what we focus our energy in the form of time, talents, and treasures. The emphasis on and should be noted because it is not an either/or kind of situation. It is a time to serve.
Cathy Hardy shared a poem with the readers of the Spring Lutheran Woman’s Quarterly, which my wife in turn shared with me. It’s words are right on track:
A Time to Serve
Lord, you have called me to minister in a way I never have before.
I feel so inadequate for this task.
My qualifications are few, and my reasons to say “no” are many.
Are you sure you have connected with the right person?
Maybe you need to talk to a more likely candidate.
…I am overwhelmed…
…How about letting me choose something else…
…You say you’ll be with me each step of the way…
…You remind me that I am the one you want in spite of all my excuses…
…Here I am, Lord. I will try. Amen.
Respectfully submitted,
Guenther Heiss
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Evangelism
"What Will It Take?"
But he (Thomas) said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in His hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe it." John 20:25
In the 1800s, Robert Ingersoll regularly spoke against the Savior and Scripture. At one of his lectures he took out his pocket watch and said, "I'll give God a chance to prove that He exists. I challenge Him to strike me dead within five minutes!" The minutes crawled by. When time was up, Ingersoll smiled and sneeringly said, "You see! There is no God! I am still very much alive!" That's when a Christian lady stood up and said, "You didn't prove there is no God. You just proved that God isn't taking orders from atheists today."
It is quite possible that you or someone you know is filled with doubt, a silent, spiritual descendant of Robert Ingersoll. You wonder, "Is Christianity only myth, mist, and mirrors?" If that is so, please don't despair. The Lord understands our frailties and shortcomings. He understands that we have our questions. Indeed, Thomas-one of His own disciples-had some serious concerns. His challenge to the message "Christ is risen," was a very human: "Unless I see Him for myself, until I actually touch Him, I'm not going to believe."
(Excerpt from The Lutheran Hour sermon of Pastor Ken Klaus preached on April 18, 2004)
We at St. Mark can be the ones to help others “touch Jesus”. We can share our worship experience, our music, and our fellowship. Mostly though, we can help others touch Jesus through the love and hope that is within us because of the saving grace possible through Christ.
Can you as a member of St. Mark intentionally identify three or more “doubting Thomas’s” in your life? Can you take them by the hand and have them touch Jesus in some way? Can you commit to pray regularly for them? What a blessing that would be for your doubting Thomas, for you and for St. Mark.
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Prayer Post
The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results.
James 5:16:22 NET *Borrowed from God Speaks
Sincerely, Your Prayer Ministry
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Annual Chicken BBQ and Garage Sale
Saturday, May 5th
Garage Sale 9am until
Chicken BBQ serving starts at 4pm.
Take outs available
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