The Remarks
For the week of February 23, 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 |
“Do What You Have the Power to Do” March 19-21 Join us for a Women’s Retreat at Simpsonwood Retreat Center, March 19-21. The theme for the weekend will be Do What You Have the Power to Do: Studies of Six New Testament Women, based on the book of the same title by Helen Bruch Pearson. This Bible study, based on New Testament encounters between Jesus and six women, invites Christian women to develop and invent their gifts and talents to move church and society closer to the community envisioned by Jesus. We will focus our study both on these women in the Bible and those women in our own lives who have shaped our spiritual lives. Author Helen Bruch Pearson served on the faculty of Emory University’s Candler School of Theology from 1981-1999 and is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. Facilitator Carol Rawlinson is a United Methodist minister and a member of the South Carolina Annual Conference. She holds a Doctor of Minister degree in pastoral counseling and her special interests include grief therapy, women’s issues, grief associated with pet death and post-traumatic stress syndrome. We will arrive at Simpsonwood on Friday, March 19, between 4-6:30 pm, and depart on Sunday, March 21, 11 am. Cost is $125 per person, including accommodations, meals, and a copy of Helen Pearson’s book. Register online now OR pick up a registration form in the narthex on Sunday morning OR contact Christia Holloway in the church office. Tough Times We started our Financial Peace University class last night, and it looks like it is going to be an interesting and helpful course for those involved. One of the themes Dave Ramsey drove home in yesterday’s DVD was the idea that at some point all of us are going to have a financial emergency of some kind. It is inevitable. He said at one point, "People say, 'Dave, you need to be positive'. And I say, 'I am positive you are going to have a financial emergency some day.'" His counsel, of course, is to put money in an emergency fund so that you are prepared financially for that day when it comes. One of the things I discuss with couples in pre-marital counseling is the fact that there will be hard times in their marriage somewhere down the road. At times I feel like the Grinch who stole Christmas when we get in to this discussion, but I feel it is important. No one can say what the difficult time will look like. It might be sickness. It could be a job loss. Or difficulty with children. Or all kinds of other things. But I can promise them that there will be difficulty somewhere in their future life together. And we talk about ways of being together that will prepare them to deal with such times. Lent has as part of its focus practices that help to strengthen our relationship with God and with one another. The church across the centuries has been wise to invite us to participate in these practices. (And Wesleyans and most other Christians would say they’re not just for Lent!) For one thing they add depth and richness to our lives day by day. For another, they give us resources to draw on when life gets difficult. And life will get difficult. I am positive. But if we have grown in our relationship with God and have strengthened our bonds with the community, we have a foundation to rely on and steady us in the hard times. When I read the Psalms of lament I am struck first by their brutal honesty. The psalmist doesn’t hesitate to pour out his feelings to God. But I am struck secondly by the way the psalmist usually returns to a statement of hope for the future because of what has been experienced with god in the past. There is a relationship that can be counted on when the tough times come. For me and for you I pray this Lent will be a time when we grow in developing that kind of relationship with God. Blessings, Jimmy |
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The Lenten Season at Saint Mark The Lenten devotional guide, written by members of the Saint Mark congregation and staff will be available in the narthex Sunday morning. A suggested reading plan for the Gospel of Luke will also be included in the devotional. Lenten Sermon Series: God’s Heart: Our Lives. Rev. Jimmy Moor will begin his 5 part sermon series. This week’s sermon: Turn Your Life Around. During Lent, a Meditation Center with activities for all ages will be available on Sunday mornings in room 112 (first floor of the Education building). Serious Answers to Hard Questions: A Lenten Study: This 5 week study led by Jimmy Moor began last Sunday at 10:10am in the Chapel. Topics will include evil, religion and science, other religions, evangelism and tolerance, and the God of the Old Testament. Join us for as many sessions as you can (each session is an independent lesson). Contact Christia Holloway to reserve your copy of a study book. Click here for a complete listing of Lenten events, resources, and opportunities at Saint Mark. Faith Seekers Class Book Study: Have a Little Faith The Faith Seekers Class is offering a study this month on Mitch Albom’s book, Have a Little Faith. This class meets Sunday mornings, 10:10 am, in Room 209. All are welcome! 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 or for more information, contact Rev. Mandy Flemming. Special Musical Guests During Morning Worship This Sunday, February 28, we are pleased to host The Montgomery Academy’s Upper School Chorus. Under the direction of Damion Womack (the Director of Music Ministries at Memorial Presbyterian Church in Montgomery), the chorus performs a wide variety of repertoire from renaissance to contemporary. They have performed with the New England Symphonic Orchestra at Carnegie Hall and have also toured in South Carolina, Louisiana, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, New York, and California. They have also been the featured guest honor choir at The University of Alabama and The University of Southern Mississippi. Hospitality Appreciation Luncheon on March 7 Attention, all ushers and greeters! A Hospitality Appreciation luncheon will be held in your honor on Sunday, March 7, in Wade Hall, immediately following the 11:15 service. Contact Christia Holloway to RSVP. Activities and Recreation Committee Events Several upcoming events and activities are being organized or have been confirmed.
For more information about any of these ARC events, contact Larry Lucas. Knitting Class Begins Soon! Beginning Monday, March 1, Knitting for the Hungry Soul: The Divine Knitter will be offered on alternating Monday nights and Sunday mornings. The first session will be at the home of Rev. Mandy Flemming. 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. Midtown Tour of Homes Organizers of the Midtown Tour of Homes are looking for homes to showcase during this year’s tour, to be held on April 17-18. If you live in Midtown and would be interested in having your home featured in this year’s tour, contact Marcus Jackson. Worship Attendance: Sunday, February 14
Morning Worship: Sunday, February 21
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 Year-to-Date Actual Operating Income/Expense Report: Through January 31, 2010: Capital Campaign IV Pledged to Date 1 237 011 Click here to make a contribution securely online. Gift Acknowledgements
Click here to view the February 2010 calendar.
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