Dear Saint Mark Family,
I have in my office a children's book entitled "What Can I Give Him." The front of the book is a beautiful Christmas scene complete with three stain glass windows, a dog wearing a wreath, candles, and child looking into the windows of this imaginary church. In the upper right hand corner there's a button you can push (which long ago quit working) that plays Christina Rossetti"s "In the Bleak Midwinter'. I have carried this book around with me for nearly thirty years of ministry ... for what reason I don't know but every time I would search my bookcase for a specific book that I needed for something it seemed that I always had to look at again. I was absolutely heart broken when that day came that I pushed the button and nothing happened. But time went on and I still found myself looking through the book and thinking about what the words still meant to me after all these years. I'm going to share with you a little piece of the nudging of the Holy Spirit on my life. Just stay with me and hear these words ...
In the bleak mid-winter
Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
In the bleak mid-winter,
Long ago.
The next time we gather to worship why don't you look at page 221 in our hymnal and read the last verse of stanza four ... what can I give him: give my heart ...
Now before you get worried about me, I do know the difference between the Christmas and Easter season, but have always felt that the act of caring about others transcends any season of the church. As you are reading this we are in Lent preparing our hearts for the greatest day in the Christian year. With that comes an understanding that we are called as brothers and sisters in Christ to look beyond the walls of this church and into the lives of those around us who thirst, who are hungry, and are alone. It is that time that we are called upon to offer our gifts and our hearts to those in our community and beyond who for whatever reason believe they have no hope. For many years Saint Mark has received a special Easter offering that allows us to care for others in a special way. We have been able to reach out to women in domestic abuse, to children who need a safe place to live and be loved, to communities in Honduras that need medical care and churches they can call their own. We, of course, continue our ministries at Saint Mark as we feed hungry people and help provide care through our red door ministry on Fifth Street. Beyond that, this year we will be supporting Senior Citizens Services of Metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia Tech Wesley Foundation, John Hope Elementary School, and mission teams to Honduras, Appalachia, and Hinton Rural life Center. In late April we will begin our annual Habitat build that will ultimately provide a home for a deserving family in Atlanta. I can see God deep in your eyes as you continue to love all God's people ... thank you for your generosity to these and other ministries as we as a church family hear these words ... What can I give him: give my heart.
Blessings dear friends,
Phillip G. Thomason
Minister of Outreach and Pastoral Care
