Sunday, September 11, 2022

I wonder if you have ever felt, or seen the effect, of a significant earthquake. On January 12 of 2010, a catastrophic 7.0 quake rattled the small island country of Haiti, killing over one hundred thousand, and causing untold damage. In the fall of that year, I went with a team from the Greensburg United Methodist Church to this country that was deeply shaken, and has incredible economic insecurity . To see the collapsed presidential palace, the destroyed infrastructure, and to hear the stories of the noble people who lived there was overwhelming. Earthquakes reveal the fault lines in the planet, and can bring the inhabited world to its knees.

A different kind of earthquake shook the foundations of this country, and indeed, the world, on September 11, 2001. On that day, a terror attack occurred as two commercial jets toppled the twin World Trade Center towers in New York, and a third did considerable damage to the Pentagon in Washington, DC. A fourth airliner crashed into a field in Pennsylvania, unable to hit a presumed fourth target. This episode exposed a fault line of a different kind. It revealed the depths of a divide in the human community in such a way that many in this country could no longer ignore. It is a challenge we are still grappling to understand. That event shook many of us, and as we approach the anniversary this Sunday, it prompts to ask some necessary questions. And those questions have to include, “How severe is the fault line within our own country? Can we manage the shaky connection that seeks to hold us together?”

We’ll talk about this in worship on Sunday, the sermon is titled, “Shaking Foundations and Deplorable Words: How Shall We Respond?” The sermon title draws on language from C. S. Lewis, and the sermon itself flows arises from Isaiah 24: 18-23, and from Acts 16: 25-31. Patrick Conklin, accompanied by Matthew Wachtman, will offer a solo. And we should note that this is Matthew’s final Sunday with us. We’ll sing together, have a moment for children, and share in a time of prayer.

If you have been part of the St. Mark’s community for a long time, a short time, or will be joining us for the first time, we look forward to connecting with those of you here in-person or joining on the livestream. To join online, visit www.smumc.church at 10:30 AM, and click on the Live Stream banner.

Sunday, September 4, 2022

Late in his life, Henri Nouwen, the great Catholic writer on matters of spiritual life, befriended a group of South African Trapeze artists called, “The Flying Rodleighs.” Once when discussing the role between the “flyer” and the “catcher”, the troop leader said to him, “The worst thing the flyer can do is to try to catch the catcher. I am not supposed to catch Joe. It’s Joe’s task to catch me.” It is this experience of utter surrender that is the deeply necessary act of trust that made trapeze flying work.

Deep surrender is an ever present and vital part of life and faith. We give ourselves up to certain inevitabilities, such as aging. We surrender our sense that we can keep our children young, even when we wish we could. We surrender our sense that we can control the events of our lives, and lean into the flow of life as it is presented to us.

In the Gospels, we read that Jesus taught his disciples that following him would mean counting the cost of things they would need to surrender. In the Epistles, we read that the Apostle Paul urged a slaveowner named Philemon to surrender his legal right to punish a runaway slave. Rather, Paul said, he could welcome him back, and embrace the refuge as a beloved sibling. Surrender, it turns out, is not always a term describing the giving up to a higher power, but relinquishing something only to receive something more empowering.

We’ll talk about this in church on Sunday, as the sermon is titled, “Powerful Surrender: Giving What You Cannot Keep.” The sermon arises from Philemon 1: 1-21, and Luke 14: 25-33. We will have a solo by Joseph Canter, accompanied by Ilze Akerbergs, a moment for children, prayers and hymns. 

If you have been part of the St. Mark’s community for a long time, a short time, or will be joining us for the first time, we look forward to connecting with those of you here in-person or joining on the livestream.

Sunday, August 28, 2022

Can you remember a time when someone offered you a simple act of welcome, affirmation, kindness or hospitality during a difficult time? My memory went back to the 1970’s and a moment in junior high. For a variety of family reasons, I switched schools a lot, and was experienced at being the “new kid.” However, I was not prepared for one move. A small group of students would befriend “new kids” for a time, and then suddenly “unfriend” them. I was one of those and, in an instant, I found myself ostracized and alone in the lunchroom. But, then I heard a voice asking me “Would you like to sit with us?” In that simple act of kindness and welcome, I met dear friends.

In the scripture passage this Sunday (based on Matthew 10:40-42), Jesus is teaching the disciples about the mission on which he is sending them. It is one of sacred hospitality, which is often lived out in simple acts of kindness, welcome and affirmation. For them to experience this, Jesus sends them out without money or other such means of support. The disciples and those in the communities they enter rely on the hospitality of each other, even if it is for a cup of water. As Jesus says, in this scripture passage, “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.” (vs. 40).

This week, I have been looking at this photo from August 28, 2016, the day the St. Mark’s community voted to become a Reconciling Congregation. (A Reconciling Congregation is one committed to full LGBTQI justice and inclusion in the life of the United Methodist Church). I am moved by the number of wonderful people, including those who are no longer with us, who teach us still how we might offer simple acts of sacred hospitality. Each of us is a beloved child of God, and we are to live in that knowing, as individuals and as a community of faith.

We will explore this together this Sunday, in worship. We will also share a Children’s Moment, pray and reflect, and sing hymns accompanied by Matthew Wachtman. The Chancel Choir will share an anthem. Sheri Walter will offer a Moment of Sharing. Annette Lemond will help lead us in liturgy, and Eric Metzler will read our scripture passage. Please see the article below about Reaffirming our Commitment as a Reconciling Congregation. We hope you can stay after worship, for a few minutes, so we can take a new picture of those here on August 28, 2022. If you cannot be physically here, send us your picture, so we can include it. All are welcome and affirmed.

If you have been part of the St. Mark’s community for a long time, a short time, or will be joining us for the first time, we look forward to connecting with those of you here in-person or joining on the livestream.

Sunday, July 31, 2022

These are difficult days, and there is one necessary thing for Christians to understand. Unfortunately, John Robert McFarland (JRMcF) does not know what that is, but he thinks he can have it figured out by Sunday morning. Something to do with Who’s Your Daddy? and Who’s Your Savior? and Who’s Your Sib? It might be good to think about these questions yourself in case JRMcF is still working on it come Sunday. At least we know that the service will be well-led, since Craig Stewart is doing that, and we know that the Scriptures , Colossians 3: 1-11, and Luke 12: 13-21, will be well-read, since Marsha & Tom Huberty are doing that. And we know that through music with Gerry Sousa and Matthew Wachtman and the choir we will spiritually fed.We even know that the anthem is titled “You Do Not Walk Alone,” composed by Elaine Hagenberg.

So, be ye in the building or be ye on livestream, be ye ready for the service at 10:30 this Sunday morning.

If you have been part of the St. Mark’s community for a long time, a short time, or will be joining us for the first time, we look forward to connecting with those of you here in-person or joining on the livestream. To join online, visit www.smumc.church at 10:30 AM, and click on the Live Stream banner.

Sunday, July 24, 2022

When I was nine years old, I received an “award” for perfect attendance during Children’s Choir in our church. The award was a plaque that many of you have seen. The image is a pair of praying hands, presumably Jesus’, and the words on the plaque read, “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.” When I was eight, I had no idea that these words came from a poem from Alfred Lord Tennyson titled, “Morte D’Arthur. (the Passing of Arthur). But in her shrewdness, my mother placed the plaque above the head of my bed, so that every night when I went to bed, every morning when I got up, and every time I came in that room, I would read those words about the power of prayer.

I do wonder if my mother realized the irony of placing that plaque where she faced it. Just on the other side of that wall, at roughly the same time that I got that plaque, was my mother and father’s room. And for the next six years, my father struggled with cancer, a disease which ultimate took his life when I was fourteen years old. Many days, often many weeks, he was confined to that room as he sought to get better. And many nights, encouraged by the words above my bed, I asked God to bless my Dad.

Have you ever prayed for something really big? The fact is, as reasonable as we hope our faith can be, the clear teaching of Jesus is that we are to ask for what we want. We are especially encouraged to pray for things that would make the world a better place. And we are to pray for things that just don’t seem very likely of going our way.

Let’s ask ourselves what this means for us in a world turned upside down. We’ll do so in worship on Sunday morning, as the sermons is titled, “More Things Are Wrought: Daring to Ask for a Different Reality”, arising from Luke 11: 1-13. The biblical text will be read by James Thomas, who facilitated our Appalachia Service Project team this past week. We will hear a report from those who traveled there, and see pictures of some of their work. The Chancel Choir, accompanied by Matthew Wachtman, will lead us in singing. We’ll also have a moment for children.

If you have been part of the St. Mark’s community for a long time, a short time, or will be joining us for the first time, we look forward to connecting with those of you here in-person or joining on the livestream. To join online, visit www.smumc.church at 10:30 AM, and click on the Live Stream banner.

Sunday, July 17, 2022

When going on a late night walk a few days ago, I heard my phone ding, and soon realized I had received a long email from a friend. While still walking, I opened the email and began to read. As I walked and read, I almost stepped right in front of a car. Undeterred, I continued to read. About a half a block further along, with my head buried in my phone, I left the path altogether and walked right into a bush. Gathering myself, I continued on to a slightly more secluded area with a gravel path, reading all the way. All of a sudden, I sensed I should stop, and there fifteen feet ahead was a huge female deer, glaring at me. The expression on this doe’s face seemed to say, “You really do need to pay better attention.” At that, I said, “You’re right,” and put my phone in my pocket. We saluted each other and continued on our own ways.

Many of us who lose sacred focus do not actually operate from an attention deficit. It is rather that we pay the wrong kind of attention, are paying attention to the wrong things, or are paying attention to something valuable at the wrong time. In these days of multiple crises, and with our own personal anxieties, how are we to focus our attention in more redemptive ways?  In a story in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is in the home of Martha and Mary. Martha was scurrying around attending to the functions of hospitality, while her sister Mary was sitting “at the feet of Jesus”, absorbing his teaching. Martha was troubled by the apparent inequity of the situation, and told Jesus so. Jesus “suggests” to Martha that she is worried and distracted, while Mary has “chosen the good part.” This story has yielded many sermons dealing with the “tension” between contemplation and active service. I should know. I’ve preached some of them. But perhaps something else is at play here. What if this story is actually a prompt to consider what kind of attention we pay?

The sermon in worship at St. Mark’s on Sunday is titled, “Choosing the Better Part: Moving from Distraction to Reverie,”. Scripture readings are Exodus 3: 1-5 read by Sue Shiffrin, and Luke 10: 38-42 read by Bryan Mitsdarffer. The Chancel Choir will sing, accompanied by Matthew Wachtman. We will have a moment for children, pray and sing hymns.

If you have been part of the St. Mark’s community for a long time, a short time, or will bejoining us for the first time, we look forward to connecting with those of you here in-person orjoining on the livestream. To join online, visit www.smumc.church at 10:30 AM, and click on the Live Stream banner.

Sunday, July 10, 2022

This Sunday, we will reflect on a familiar parable that Jesus shared (based on Luke 10:25-37). A priest, a Levite and a Samaritan each come across a badly injured man in a ditch. The priest and Levite walk past him. The Samaritan helps the man. New Testament scholar, Amy-Jill Levine (who is Jewish), shared in an interview with U.S. Catholic Magazine*:

“The best interpretation I’ve heard about this parable was from Martin Luther King Jr. He said something like: I don’t know why they walked by the man in the ditch, but here’s what my imagination tells me. Perhaps these men were afraid. They say to themselves, “If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me? There are bandits on the road.” And the Samaritan says, “If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?”

How might this parable be speaking to us today, where we find ourselves in our community and world? As we welcome New Members this Sunday, how might questions in the Membership Vows challenge us, as a community of individuals from a rich diversity of backgrounds and faith traditions?

We will also sing hymns, pray and reflect, and share a Children’s Moment. We will offer a special prayer for Rodney Long, who has served as our Director of Youth Ministries since January of 2018, and has been a blessing to the St. Mark’s community in so many ways. The Chancel Choir, accompanied by Matthew Wachtman, will lead us in music. Randy Rogers will read our scripture passage(based on Luke 10:25-37). The sermon is titled “What Questions are We Asking?”

For those of you joining us, in person, we hope you be able to stay for Lemonade on the Lawn, after worship, to greet our New Members and to wish Rodney well as he begins his work with music educators and students in New York City.

If you have been part of the St. Mark’s community for a long time, a short time, or will be joining us for the first time, we look forward to connecting with those of you here in-person or joining on the livestream. To join online, visit www.smumc.church at 10:30 AM, and click on the Live Stream banner.

*This article appeared on the October 2012 issue of U.S. Catholic (Vol. 77, No. 10, pages 18-22).

Sunday, July 3, 2022

Who are those individuals have made a difference in your life, or in our world? What was it about them, and their way of being in the world, that was impactful? How did they carry faith, hope and love in ways that created change, sometimes even in the face of insurmountable odds?

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German theologian and pastor who lived during Hitler’s rise to power. Earlier than many, Bonhoeffer saw the Fuhrer’s autocratic leadership style, his hatred of others who were unlike him, and his willingness to use the Church to further his aims. He also saw the stranglehold on the German national psyche that only became tighter the longer he was in power. Bonhoeffer’s response to this was to lead of life of concrete Christian discipleship, and to call others in the Church to follow that path. Though his opposition to Hitler and the pursuit of this discipleship cost him his life, his influence on the Church far beyond Germany and for decades beyond his own era continues to grow.

In the midst of his ministry, Jesus sent seventy-two of his disciples out on a mission to proclaim the good news in towns in advance of his coming. He told them that there was a readiness for this mission, but also told them that their work could prove costly to them. Specifically, he said, “I send you as sheep into the midst of wolves.” But when these returned from this daunting venture, they reported their surprise, that even evil powers submitted before them. They had discovered a power to influence others they had never known before.

We ask ourselves, “Can our discipleship in this faith make a difference in our conflicted world?” We’ll work with this in the worship service on Sunday, as the sermon is titled, “And To Their Great Surprise: Finding A Way to Make a Difference.” The sermon arises from Luke 10: 1-11; 16-20, which will be read by Dian Ludlow. Stephanie Conklin, accompanied by Ilze Akerbergs, will sing “American Anthem.” We will celebrate Holy Communion, have a moment for children, sing and pray together. We hope you join us.

If you have been part of the St. Mark’s community for a long time, a short time, or will be joining us for the first time, we look forward to connecting with those of you here in-person or joining on the livestream. To join online, visit www.smumc.church at 10:30 AM, and click on the Live Stream banner.

Sunday, June 26, 2022

It’s commonplace these days to say that we live in a polarized and polarizing world. Many officials we are electing on a national scale are very ideologically driven, and fewer are pragmatic problem solvers. In terms of family, a majority of Americans now flinch at the idea of their child marrying a supporter of a different political party. A 2018 study of the 2016 presidential election found that Americans spent thirty to fifty minutes less than they did in previous years at Thanksgiving dinner celebrations in politically contested areas. Many of us bear sad witness to this ongoing and worsening tension within our own families over religion, politics, public health and matters of race, sexual orientation and gender identity.

Surely, we say to ourselves, our faith can help heal this polarization. Undoubtedly, we believe, God wants our families and communities to thrive, and know deep unity. But there is an interesting hitch. In Matthew 10, Jesus said that he did not come “bring peace to the earth.” Rather, he came to bring a sword…to “set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother.” So the prophetic voice of Jesus does not bring immediate relief to this longing for enhanced connection and reconciliation.

So perhaps it is time for these two things, our longing for connection and this demanding teaching of Jesus, to have a chat. We’ll do that in sanctuary worship this week, as the sermon is titled, “Weaving Together a Torn Apart World”, arising from Matthew 10: 34-39, to be read by Eric Metzler, and Ecclesiastes 4: 9-12, to be read by Jason Peifer. We will be led musically by the Chancel Choir, accompanied by Matthew Wachtman. We will sing hymns, pray and have a moment for children.

If you have been part of the St. Mark’s community for a long time, a short time, or will be joining us for the first time, we look forward to connecting with those of you here in-person or joining on the livestream. To join online, visit www.smumc.church at 10:30 AM, and click on the Live Stream banner.

Sunday, June 19, 2022

This has been a great Vacation Bible School week, at St. Mark’s. Children, youth and adults have been teaching and learning together, connecting with Bible stories that guide us, and nurturing sacred community. Our theme has been “Who Were the People in our Neighborhood?” If you now have the theme song for Mr.Rogers’ Neighborhood running through your mind, it fits. Fred Rogers, a minister, who lived out his calling in his television show, once said,

“Whether we’re giving or receiving help, each one of us has something valuable to bring to this world. That’s one of the things that connects us as neighbors—in our own way, each one of us is a giver and a receiver.”

As we intentionally reflect on the gifts and wisdom of those whose experiences predate ours, we include all peoples, and our natural world, as well. In the Gospel reading this Sunday, 12-year-old Jesus does not join his parents, after the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. While Mary and Joseph are frantically looking for him, Jesus is in the temple, sitting amongst the teachers, asking questions, and sharing his wisdom and understanding of the scriptures. They were amazed.

What might we learn from those who came before us, and those who share our journey now. Plan to be part of worship this Sunday, as we are led by our children, youth, and the young-at-heart of all ages. There will be great music, led by Rodney Long, our Chancel Choir, with accompaniment by Matthew Wachtman. We will return to having our young ones gather us into worship with a ringing of the bells and shakers.

We will also pray and reflect, and sing hymns. Greta Stephenson will join us in a Children’s Moment. Jack Starr, and family, will read our scripture passage (based on Luke 2:41-52). The sermon is titled “Who Were the People in our Neighborhood?”

If you have been part of the St. Mark’s community for a long time, a short time, or will be joining us for the first time, we look forward to connecting with those of you here in-person or joining on the livestream. To join online, visit www.smumc.church at 10:30 AM, and click on the Live Stream banner.

Sunday, June 12, 2022

Do you remember a time when you came into the presence of something true, something beautiful, something good, or for that matter, something difficult, and you just were unable to take it in? Caitlin Trussell is a pastor and blogger, and she recalls learning to dance ballet as a child. In many ways, she said, it helped her survive some of the chaos in her family. But when she was nearly thirteen, he dance instructor began to talk about “point shoes”. Even if you know little about ballet, you’ve likely seen the pictures of the dancer moving around solely on their toes. It is a classic image of ballet dancing. But being able to dance like that requires a great deal of preparation and strengthening. It is an aspect of dance that indicates a readiness…an ability to, in effect, be on one’s toes.

In Jesus’ last night with his disciples, he said to them, “I still have many things to say to you, but you are not able to bear them.” In the immediate sense, they were still in denial about the depth of the danger Jesus faced, and the reality of his absence from them. In a larger sense, being a disciple means that we become part of a community of faith where truth finds a home, and where the Holy Spirit helps us, and we help each other, embrace the things that are difficult to bear.

We’ll talk about this in the sermon on Sunday, which is titled, “When We Come to It: A Trinity Sunday Reflection on the True”, arising from John 16: 12-15. The sermon title comes from a poem by Maya Angelou, titled, “A Brave and Startling Truth.” The Chancel Choir, accompanied by Matthew Wachtman, will lead us in Music. We’ll sing hymns, have a moment for children, pray, and celebrate Holy Communion.

If you have been part of the St. Mark’s community for a long time, a short time, or will be joining us for the first time, we look forward to connecting with those of you here in-person or joining on the livestream. To join online, visit www.smumc.church at 10:30 AM, and click on the Live Stream banner.

Sunday, June 5, 2022

In this graduation season, I asked myself if any of the commencement speeches I had heard were memorable? I’m guessing that the graduates of Tennessee in 2009 remember that Dolly Parton delivered the address on their graduation day. She said to them, “Now people are always asking me, ‘what do you want people to say about you a hundred years from now?’ I respond I want them to say, ‘Dang, don’t she still look good for her age.’”

I have always enjoyed the student speeches during graduation ceremonies. These speakers don’t come from the outside world. These are a part of that graduating class, and so many there will have shared similar experiences as the speaker. And often, the speakers have been commendable examples of the richness of the life of their school.

Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, the day we remember the descent of the Holy Spirit on Jesus’ gathered disciples. In the biblical story, this occurred during a sermon preached by Simon Peter. In a way, Peter seems to have been an unlikely “commencement” speaker for this class of disciples. He tended to be more than a little argumentative with Jesus, and toward the end of the semester, completely botched the final exam. On the night of Jesus’ arrest, when asked three times to confirm that he was indeed a follower of Jesus, he vigorously denied that he was. Why was Peter, then, the one who was given the task of proclaiming the Good News on the day the Spirit descended on the Church? What does the mean for our own discipleship?

We’ll talk about this in church on Sunday. The sermon is titled, “A Different Kind of Valedictorian.” It arises from the story of the first Christian Pentecost, as found in Acts 2: 1-21, which will be read by Dan Hughes. We will be led musically by the Chancel Choir, accompanied by Matthew Wachtman. We’ll also have a time for recognizing graduates, and pronounce a blessing on those who will be representing our church at Annual Conference. We’ll have hymns, prayers and a time for children.

If you have been part of the St. Mark’s community for a long time, a short time, or will be joining us for the first time, we look forward to connecting with those of you here in-person or joining on the livestream. To join online, visit www.smumc.church at 10:30 AM, and click on the Live Stream banner.

Sunday, May 29, 2022

What are some things you have witnessed this past week? Perhaps a beautiful sunset or a strong storm; a celebration of a graduation, marriage or birthday- or a celebration of life for a loved one deeply missed; a story in the news of those opening their hearts and homes to families fleeing war- or the heart wrenching news of the horrific shooting in the Texas school. In-person, or through media, we may have been witnesses to all of these in some way.

In the Gospel reading this Sunday, Jesus says to his disciples, right before he ascends into heaven, “You are witnesses of these things.” What did that mean for the first disciples? And, what might it mean for us to live as God’s witnesses in the world today? We will explore this and other things together this Sunday. We will also pray and reflect, share in a Children’s Moment, sing hymns and have an anthem led by our Chancel Choir, accompanied by Matthew Wachtman. Tom Shafer will read our scripture passage (based on Luke 24:44-53). The sermon is titled “You are Witnesses of these Things”.

If you have been part of the St. Mark’s community for a long time, a short time, or will be joining us for the first time, we look forward to connecting with those of you here in-person or joining on the livestream. To join online, visit www.smumc.church at 10:30 AM, and click on the Live Stream banner.

Sunday, May 22, 2022

Christians are under a mandate from Christ to forgive, to accept forgiveness for our trespasses, and to extend forgiveness for those who trespass against us. It is a joyful mandate, for it is through forgiveness that we are made whole. We pray about forgiveness every time we worship together.

But how do you forgive when you’re not even sure who to forgive? Does the forgiveness mandate extend to someone like Putin, or is there an international exemption? Does it count as forgiveness if you just outlive all the trespassers you’re supposed to forgive?

These are questions that this Sunday’s preacher will raise so that our real pastors can answer them when they get back, refreshed from watching an almost reasonable facsimile of baseball.

In this service, Rev. John McFarland will preach the sermon titled, “The Chaos of Forgiveness.” The sermon arises from I John 1: 5-10 and Matthew 6: 5-14, which will be read by Mark Cox. The Chancel Choir, accompanied by Ilze Akerbergs, will lead us in worship. We’ll have hymns, prayers and a moment for children.

If you have been part of the St. Mark’s community for a long time, a short time, or will be joining us for the first time, we look forward to connecting with those of you here in-person or joining on the livestream. To join online, visit www.smumc.church at 10:30 AM, and click on the Live Stream banner.

Sunday, May 15, 2022

Writer and pastor Ferrell Mason tells of attending a book signing with Barbara Brown Taylor at the publication of her book, Home by Another Way. As Ferrell tells it, Barbara is one of her faith heroes, and during the question and answer time, she summoned the courage to ask Barbara a question. Ferrell asked, “What is your definition of hope?” Barbara gave it back to Ferrell, saying, “Yes. Tell me, what is hope?” Ferrell said she froze for a moment, being in a sudden limelight, and with three of her seminary professors sitting in the front row. Finally she said, “God has me, whatever happens. Ultimately, all will be well. God is making all things new.” Barbara smiled and said quietly, “Yes. Thank you.”

“God is making all things new.” That may not be received as unqualified good news by those who like the way things are. But these words speak the truth that faith is always a dance between the old and familiar, on the one hand, and the new and emerging, on the other. They help us understand that creation is not a one-time event, but that the God who created is still creating. They also point to the reality that the God who redeems is always looking for ways to nudge us to deeper and more broad transformation.

We’ll talk about this in worship on Sunday, as the sermon is titled, “Making All Things New: Easter Hope for this Day.” The sermon arises from Revelation 20: 1-6, which will be read by Kathy Scheid, and John 13: 31-35, read by Laura Baich. Dan Hughes will also present a Mission Moment about Stephen Ministers, a group that serves through the spiritual practice of deep, prayerful listening and caring. The Sanctuary Choir, accompanied by Matthew Wachtman, will share the anthem. We’ll have a moment for children, hymns and prayers.

If you have been part of the St. Mark’s community for a long time, a short time, or will be joining us for the first time, we look forward to connecting with those of you here in-person or joining on the livestream. To join online, visit www.smumc.church at 10:30 AM, and click on the Live Stream banner.