The Remarks
For the week of February 9, 2010
Saint Mark United Methodist Church
Atlanta, Georgia
www.stmarkumc.org
Loving • Accepting • Serving
The Remarks
Saint Mark United Methodist Church Loving • Accepting • Serving |
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In This Issue
Quicklinks to stmarkumc.org
About The Remarks The Remarks is a weekly publication of Saint Mark United Methodist Church, Atlanta, Georgia. The email addresses used in this mailing were provided by the addressees for church use. To unsubscribe from our emails, follow the SafeUnsubscribe link at the bottom of this email. You can also update your email address for the eRemarks at the bottom of this email. To ensure that you continue to receive emails from us, add remarks@stmarkumc.org to your ISP address book & ISP safe list today. Click here to provide general updates to your church record. Please submit announcements for The Remarks to Christia Holloway, Remarks Editor, no later than the Friday prior to the week that the information should appear. Saint Mark |
A Meditation Center with activities for all ages will be available on Sunday mornings during Lent in room 112 (children’s wing on the first floor of the Education building). Saint Mark's Lenten Devotional Guide will be available at our Ash Wednesday service, February 17, 7 pm. Click here to subscribe to the Lenten Devotional Guide (or other Saint Mark mass-emailings). A reading plan for the Gospel of Luke will be included in the devotional as well. Bookmarks listing suggested daily readings from Luke will also be available on February 14. An Ash Wednesday worship service (with Josh Noblitt preaching) will be held at 7pm in the sanctuary following our weekly fellowship dinner on Wednesday, February 17. Beginning Sunday, February 21, during the Christian Growth hour, Rev. Jimmy Moor will lead this study for five Sundays in Lent, Serious Answers to Hard Questions, A Lenten Study. Topics will include Evil, Religion and Science, Other Religions, Evangelism and Tolerance, and the God of the Old Testament. There will be videos on each topic from Wesley Theological Seminary with outstanding scholars presenting. Come and join us for as many sessions as you can as each session is stand alone. Study books are available. Contact Christia Holloway by Wednesday, February 17, to register. Also beginning on Sunday, February 21, during both the 8:45 and 11:15 Morning Worship services, Jimmy Moor will offer a five part sermon series entitled God’s Heart: Our Lives. Using Heart and Head There’s an old saying that goes, “You can’t even do wrong right.” Sometimes it is also true that we don’t do right “right.” We let our hearts outrun our heads, and with the best of intentions we wind up doing more harm than good. A possible case in point is the group of missionaries in Haiti who were arrested when they attempted to leave the country with 33 Haitian children. It is very hard for me to be certain of all the facts in a case like this. The group’s mission statement lists as its goal “To share God’s love with these precious children, helping them heal and find new life in Christ” and it may be that that is what the ten people who went to Haiti intended. They correctly knew that many, many children were newly at risk after the terrible earthquake and they wanted to do something to help. Laura Silsby, the spokesperson for the group, insists that this is all they were trying to do. The Haitian government says otherwise and has arrested the missionaries and is accusing them of kidnapping and criminal association. This whole issue is a very sensitive one in Haiti because the country was already a hub for sex trafficking and of children being abducted and sold for domestic slavery. Before the earthquake thousands of children were being taken every year for these malicious purposes. At this time it is hard to know whether a trial of the missionaries will actually take place and if so what the outcome will be. What can we learn from this unfortunate incident? It is good to have hearts that care for those who are hurting, but this situation suggests that it is important to be thoughtful about how we help. When we go into a new community, we need to be as certain as we can be that we understand the situation on the ground and the values of that community. It is also good to draw on the experience and wisdom of those who deal regularly with disaster situations. This group acted independently, without any connection with Southern Baptist Relief agencies. A phone call might have avoided a lot of headaches. I hope we send mission teams to help rebuild Haiti, but we are waiting on the signal of those who are knowledgeable about when help like ours will be truly helpful. Jesus calls on his disciples at one point to be wise as serpents in their work. He might say the same thing about how we go about aiding those in need. Let our hearts be as sensitive to human suffering and need as is the heart of God. Let our heads guide us in doing the very best we can in addressing that need, whether in Haiti or around the corner. Blessings, Jimmy |
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This Sunday at Saint Mark Information about Seasons of Love, the annual cabaret benefiting Chris Kids, will be available in the Narthex this Sunday. More information ... If you are an artist or would like to participate in this fall’s Midtown Festival of the Arts, September 26 & 26, look for the representatives in the Narthex this Sunday to find out how you can get involved. More information ... An organizational meeting to discuss beginning a mentoring program for Hill Hope Elementary School will be held immediately following this Sunday’s 11:15 Morning Worship service. We will meet in the parlor to discuss some of Hill Hope’s needs, including tutoring, mentoring, and special events. All are encouraged to participate. Contact Rev. Phillip Thomason or Mary Murray for more information. Read about our new mentoring partner below (in the LUNCH article). Food for the Hungry Soul Theology on Tap resumes on Wednesday, February 10 and will meet for 7 weeks every Wednesday, 7:45 pm, at Vickery's on Crescent. We’ll read and discuss the themes featured in The Complete Stories of Flannery O’Connor. Beginning Monday, March 1, Knitting for the Hungry Soul: The Divine Knitter will be offered on alternating Monday nights and Sunday mornings. Gather with us for some basic instruction and encouragement as we build fellowship and community through creating and learning from each other. Knitters of all levels are welcome. Bring some yarn for inspiration (and the corresponding needles) to our first meeting. Contact Rev. Mandy Flemming for more information about either of these classes. Christian Growth Opportunities The Couples Class series: How deep is your love? concludes this Sunday. The second part of this series will be facilitated by Rev. Jeff Carey, founding pastor of Just As You Are, a faith community and ministry of reconciliation for those who have become disenchanted with "church." We’ll continue our discussion on how our preconceived ideas about God, ourselves and others can be an obstacle to understanding the depth of God’s love expressed in the Scriptures and in our lives. This class meets every Sunday, 10:10 am, in Room 206. For more information, contact Matthew Malok. Reflections: A New Christian Growth Community This new class meets on Sundays, 10:10 am, in Room 204. The class will discuss the Bible, current events and our identity as the Christian church, always reflecting together in our discussion on how we can grow in our own individual and group faith journeys. Anyone at Saint Mark is welcome to participate. This week Saint Mark's seminary intern Anna Tew continues her series on the Christian Year and its seasons and celebrations. Contact Katie Olliff for more information. LUNCH with Saint Mark LUNCH with Saint Mark resumes on Sunday, February 21 and will be offered after the 11:15 Morning Worship service on the 3rd Sunday of each month. You provide your lunch money and we’ll provide the fellowship! Contact Regina Robuck to learn more. Sunday Brunch at Straits Restaurant In an effort to begin a new relationship with Saint Mark, our neighbor Straits Restaurant (at the corner of 5th and Juniper) is offering a special invitation for our congregation to Sunday Brunch on February 21. Your Sunday bulletin will entitle you to enjoy an all inclusive brunch from 12:30 to 2:30 pm for just $16 per person To RSVP, call 404-877-1283. Recently, Straits has expressed an interest in working with Saint Mark on mission projects that are especially significant to our church community, such as participation in our new mentoring program with Hill Hope Elementary School and assisting with a potential new meal program for our homeless neighbors. Please show your appreciation for Straits’ support of Saint Mark! Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University: Saint Mark is pleased to offer this life-changing program that teaches you to achieve your financial goals by eliminating debt, saving for the future, and giving like never before. Classes will be held every Sunday for 13 weeks beginning February 21, 4-6 pm, in Wade Hall. Cost is $70/household. Pre-registration / pre-payment for the class is required and childcare is available. Financial assistance / partial scholarships may also be available. Register online now OR contact Christia Holloway, 404.873.2636 x16. To learn more about the program, visit Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University website. New Member Class & Lunch on February 28 If you are new to Saint Mark, join us at our upcoming New Member Class and Luncheon on Sunday, February 28, immediately following the 11:15 morning worship service, in Wade Hall. To RSVP pr for more information, contact Rev. Mandy Flemming. Haiti Relief Including the communion offering on Sunday, February 7, you have donated $ 6,611 for Haiti relief through Saint Mark. Those donations will go through the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). Support for relief efforts can also be made to Haiti Emergency, UMCOR Advance # 418325. 100% of gifts to UMCOR through the Advance support the designated project. More events are being planned to help the people of Haiti - preparation of health kits at a Wednesday Fellowship Dinner and also involvement with a mission trip to Haiti. If you are interested in participating in these or other projects for Haiti, contact Rev. Phillip Thomason. Midtown Assistance Center
Worship Attendance: Sunday, February 7
Morning Worship: Sunday, February 14
Wednesday Fellowship Dinner
More information AND reservations, 404.873.2636 x16, or complete the registration form in the pews and place in the offering plate. Financial Report
Click here to make a contribution securely online. Welcome, New Members! Luz Pinzon and Richard Rhodes joined our Saint Mark family. Luz’s son, Bruno, was baptized on Sunday, February 7. In Sympathy Lisa Paige's mother, Patsi Williamson, passed away on Wednesday, February 3. A memorial is scheduled for Wednesday, February 10, 7 pm, at the Earl Smith Strand Theatre in Marietta. Ellen Lail's step-mother, Gail Coulter Gannaway, passed away on Tuesday, February 9, in Chattanooga, after surgery and cancer.
Click here to view the February 2010 calendar.
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