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To be a church aglow, ignited by the fire of God's Holy Spirit, lighting the way in our community and warming the hearts of those we meet.
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Change of
Contact Information?
Click here to fill out an online form to help us update your information for our records. |
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Contact Us?
Saint Mark UMC
616 Quincy Road
Seneca, SC 29678
Call us:
9 am - 5 pm (M-Th)
(864) 882-2603
Pastoral Care
Emergencies or after regular office hours
call or text
(864) 888-7072
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Saint Mark 2017 Ministry Guidebook
Click here
to view the entire Saint Mark 2017 Ministry Guidebook with information about church structure, leadership, ministries and our 2017 budget.
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Check Out Our Entire Church Calendar of Events
Click here
to see what is going on at Saint Mark this week and the weeks to come.
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October 15, 2017
Sunday
Schedule
9:00 am
Traditional Worship in the Sanctuary
9:00 am
Celebration Worship
Saint Mark Center
9:15 am
Children's Church
Room A101
10:15 am
Sunday School
for all ages
10:15 am
Confirmation Begins
Grades 6 - 12
11:15 am
Traditional Worship in the Sanctuary
12:30 pm
Discipleship Tour Cast Party
4:00 pm
Wings 'N Things
5:30 pm
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Quick, easy and available
HERE
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Join us every day at 3:20 pm to pray for Saint Mark - our people and ministries.
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Listen to Last Week's Sermon Today
If you were not able to attend worship on any given Sunday, you can still listen to the sermon.
Click here to select and listen to sermons that you may have missed.
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Got Information to Share in Next Week's Heart Beat?
Click here
to send your Heart Beat post to us by no later than 12:00 noon next
Thursday. On the subject line, please type in "Heart Beat" so that we can easily find your article among the other emails.
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Got Good News To Share With Your Saint Mark Family?
Good news lifts our spirits. Share your good news with us. We will publish your good news in our
"People 'Neath Our Steeple" feature. Your news will be sent out as an email.
Click here to share your good news (achievements, births, awards, etc.). Include pictures if you have them.
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Got Pictures?
We are creating an archive of pictures taken at Saint Mark events and activities. If you have taken pictures and want to share them, please
Or use our hashtag
#stmarkumc and post your photos on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
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Interested in LGBTQ+ Inclusion?
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Prayer Focus for This Week
Pray for those affected by wildfires, especially in northern California. Pray for those who have lost loved ones, whose loved ones are still missing, and for those who have lost homes and belongings - who will now have to rebuild their lives.
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Submit Your Prayer R
equests
Saint Mark is pleased to receive your prayer requests . . . for yourself or for friends or loved ones.
Click here
to submit your request.
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Worship With Us This Week
Sunday, October 15
Traditional Services 9:00 am and 11:15 am
Sanctuary
Celebration Service 9:00 am
Saint Mark Center
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UMW Shortbread Cookie Fundraiser
for Local Mission
We love that you loved our cookies! Once again, the UMW will bake and sell traditional Scottish shortbread as our fall fundraiser for local missions. You may know that we sold out last year in less than two hours! Because of the unexpected demand, we are taking pre-orders for persons wishing to buy 6 or more packages only. If you want to place a bulk order, please
click here to contact Becky Hazelwood, or call her at (770) 633-2434.
Pre-orders will be accepted until THIS COMING SUNDAY, October 15.
The cookies will be $8 per package, or two for $15 and may be purchased in the atrium on Sunday, December 3.
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RENEW Schedule
Wednesday, October 18
RENEW Dinner
5:15 - 6:15 PM
Saint Mark Center
or call the church office at 882-2603
Menu
Pot Roast
Baked Pork Chop in Gravy
Creamed Potatoes
Veggies
Side Salad
Dessert
Drinks
Kids' TREK (K4 - 5th grade)
Worship Arts and Activities
6:00 - 7:15 PM
Youth Journey (6th grade - college)
6:00 - 7:15 PM
Moving Forward in the Wesleyan Way
a time of learning, conversation,
and sharing in holy Communion for Adults
(See details below)
6:00 - 7:15 PM
Commons Room
RENEW Fellowship
Feel free to just hang around in our gym to fellowship with friends - or make new ones!
6:00 - 7:15 PM
Saint Mark Center
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Next Wednesday, October 18
Topic
Holiness: Personal and Social
Discussion and Holy Communion led by
Rev. Bob Stillwell
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Click here to contact David Wilcox for more information.
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Are You 50+?
Join us for an evening packed full of fun, food and fellowship. This event starts at 5:30 pm and includes:
- "Happy Hour" with Hors D'oeuvres and Mocktails
- A Pumpkin Carving Contest with prizes (pumpkins will be provided, but please bring your own tools and accessories)
- A Chili Cook-off Competition with prizes (prepare your favorite recipe)
- Covered Dish Chili Supper
- A Costume Competition with prizes
- Music and dancing
Click here to make your reservations today!
PLEASE NOTE: On the online reservation form, please indicate
1) if you would like to carve a pumpkin and
2) if you plan to bring chili for the cook-off competition. If you will be bringing chili, bring a large amount to serve for supper. If you will not be bringing chili, please bring one of the following to complement the chili:
hors d'oeuvres, salad, side dish, cornbread or dessert.
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The newly formed Church and Society Ministry Team (combination of former Interfaith/Intercultural and LGBTQ+ teams) invites you to gather on October 22 to continue the important conversation about race relations.
Special guests will be Winston Holton and students from the Call Me MISTER® program at Clemson University. The mission of the Call Me MISTER® (acronym for Mentors Instructing Students Toward Effective Role Models) initiative is to increase the pool of available teachers from a broader more diverse background, particularly among the state's lowest performing elementary schools. Student participants are largely selected from among under-served, socio-economically disadvantaged and educationally at-risk communities. Click here to learn more about Call Me MISTER®.
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For more information,
click here to contact Mona Fleming.
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Don't Miss This Annual Fall Event!
Mark the date on your calendar! This event will include supper beginning at 5:30 ($10 per family and $4 per individual adult), followed by "Trunk or Treat" for the kiddos (around 6 pm).
Saint Mark family, we will need your trunks, games, and treats. Let's come together make this a fun-filled evening for the children our church, and our community.
If you or your class/small group would like to provide a decorated trunk with games and treats, click here to contact Kelsey Harbin, our Children's Ministry Intern.
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Stewardship Commitment Sunday
October 29, 2017
It is time to pray about our pledges and of financial support for next year's ministries. These ministries change lives, both the lives of those receiving the ministry and those delivering the ministry.
Please be sure to be in worship on Sunday, October 29 to receive your pledge card and make your commitment to further God's Kingdom through the ministries of Saint Mark.
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Mission Auction Update
The Silent Auction for Missions will be here in a few weeks so here's an update.
- The auction is Sunday, October 29th, from 8:30 am until 12:45 pm. We will be providing some fun tailgating themed snacks from 11:00 until the auction closes, so if you attend the first service, please plan to hang around until the auction is over!
- On Sunday, October 22, we will publish a list of items to be auctioned, and if you cannot be with us in person on October 29, we encourage you to find a "Bidding Buddy" who can help you place bids by phone or text.
- Auction items are being collected in the closet of Room A202. There are donor forms to complete when you drop off your item. Do not drop off sports tickets there!
- Finally, we still need a few themed baskets for the auction. Please encourage your Sunday School class, UMW circle, or other small group to donate a themed basket.
Thanks for supporting the local and global mission work of Saint Mark, either by helping with the auction, donating items to be auctioned and/ or bidding on some of the wonderful items that are being donated. As always, if you have any questions, please
click here to contact Jane Harlin or call her at (
201) 835-3007.
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Save the Date!
Tickets are $10. You can purchase your ticket at the door, or at our church office Mondays - Thursdays, 9 am - 3 pm.
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All Saints Day 2017
All Saints Day is an opportunity to give thanks for all those who have gone before us in the faith. Sunday, November 5, we will remember those in our community of faith who have entered the church triumphant since
All Saints Day 2016. You have the opportunity to remember your loved ones who have died over the years by reserving a red rose(s) in honor of your deceased loved one(s). Together, the roses will be displayed in all three services. The cost is $3 per rose.
Click here to reserve your rose(s) online.
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Do Your Christmas Shopping Here!
Get a head start on Christmas Shopping for the children in your life! Books are always a great gift. Once again, your Saint Mark Library Team is sponsoring an Usborne Book Sale early in mid-November. You will be amazed at the number and variety of books that will be available for your shopping pleasure between Sunday, November 12 and Wednesday, November 15.
Our Library will benefit from the sale of the books you purchase by receiving a selection of Usborne books for the children's section of our library - based on the number of books sold. Everyone benefits!
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Elderberries December Trip
to Winston-Salem
December 4 - 6
Here Is What You Need To Know
- Estimated cost per person is $300 per person, based on hotel double occupancy room and a minimum of 40 participants. Included in this price is transportation, 2 nights lodging, all meals except lunch, luggage handling, and planned tours (three or four tours will be included in the itinerary).
- Travel from Seneca will be on a 54-seat motor coach, provided and driven by Ionosphere Travel, an Anderson, SC company.
- We plan to depart from Saint Mark on Monday, December 4 at 12:00 noon. Please eat lunch first, or you can bring a bag lunch or snack with you. Drinks must be in a container with a lid to minimize spills. No milk or ice cream. We will plan a rest stop about half way to Winston-Salem. It is about a four-hour trip, plus a short rest stop.
- Lodging will be in the historic Brookstown Inn, voted by Southern Living as one of the South's 25 best hotels in 2016. The building in which the inn is housed was Winston-Salem's first factory, commissioned by the Moravian Congregation as the Salem Cotton Mill in 1837. Twenty years later, the building was converted to the Wachovia Flour Mill and ultimately served as a warehouse until the 1970's. Brookstown Inn opened in late 1984.
- The inn will welcome us with a wine and cheese reception each evening, and milk and cookies at bedtime. The hotel is located ½ mile from Old Salem Museums and Gardens.
- Tentatively, tours and activities include:
- Krispy Kreme donut reception and overview tour by Winston-Salem Tourism
- Evening visit to Festival of Lights at Tanglewood Park
- Old Salem Museums and Gardens tour
- Reynolda House Museum of American Art Tour "A 1917 Christmas"
- Tour of Korner's Folly, a unique Victorian era home in Kernersville, NC, decorated in period Christmas décor
- Stop at Mrs Hanes Handmade Moravian Cookie factory on the way back home. This is the only factory that makes all of their cookies totally by hand.
- Expected return to Seneca will be on Wednesday, December 6 no later than 5:00 pm.
- A non-refundable deposit of $50/person will be required by November 1 so the bus can be reserved.
For more information, click here to contact Becky Hazelwood. Click here to make your reservation(s).
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ELDERBERRIES EVENTS (FOR 50+)
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ARE YOU 50+?
Here are some Elderberries Events
that might interest you. Save the date(s) on your calendar.
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Halloween Costume Party and Chili Cook-off
Friday, October 20 at 5:30 pm
Party with a Purpose
Covered Dish Supper
Friday, November 17 at 6 pm
Trip to Winston-Salem
Monday, December 4 - Wednesday, December 6
Estimated Cost: $300/person
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United Methodist Men
Saturday, October 21
10 am
Full Breakfast Meeting
Ann Hope UMC in Seneca
Stewardship Series
Sundays, October 22 and 29
Wings for the Lord
will sing during morning worship
at St. Andrew UMC in Easley
Sunday, October 29
Youth Halloween Party
Sunday, October 29
Time TBD
at the home of Curt and Alice Evatt
Cluster Charge Conference
At Saint Mark UMC
Sunday, November 5
3 - 5:30 pm
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Interfaith Forum of Greenville
invites you to participate in
The Upstate's Interfaith
Dinner Dialogues
Thursday, October 26
6:30 - 9 pm
I
nterfaith Forum does not proselytize, nor is there any agenda to convert anyone to any faith tradition. Neither is there a plan to create a melting-pot religion that denies or glosses over our differences.
If you are a Baptist or a Buddhist, a Pentecostal or a Presbyterian, a Jew or a Jesuit, a Muslim or a Methodist, you are invited and encouraged to continue to practice YOUR faith.
- These dinners will take place in homes throughout the Greenville area.
- The purpose of these dinners is to educate about religions and faith communities that may be new to you.
- The purpose is to encourage not just tolerance, but understanding and respect.
- The purpose is to create a vibrant religious community that engages in civil discourse throughout our city, the Upstate, our country, and our world.
Click here to register before THIS Sunday, October 15. Click here for more information about the Interfaith Forum of Greenville.
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Eat and Support a Worthy Cause!!
J
oin the Seneca Lion's Club for a Chicken Barbecue to help the Lions Club provide glasses for children and adults. Over the past 5 years, over 100 people received glasses from our Lion's Club. Will you support this worthy project?
To reserve your tickets, click here to contact Dean Garland.
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Be a Salvation Army Bell Ringer
The Salvation Army needs volunteers to ring bells for their annual Red Kettle Christmas Campaign. To ring bells in Seneca, SC visit
redkettlevolunteer.org and sign up! Bell Ringing starts November 17. Thanks for your support!
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Saint Mark Children's Ministry
Sunday School
Substitute Teachers Needed
We are truly blessed to have Sunday School teachers lined up to teach "the faith" to our children. We now need several substitute teachers who will be available in the event that the regular teacher can't teach any given Sunday. Are you that person?
Click here
to fill out an information form so that the regular teachers will know how to contact you. Got questions?
Click here to contact Rev. Shawna Darnall.
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Want to make a real impact as we carry Christ's mission into the future?
We are in need of Children's Worship volunteers to make it possible for our children to worship on Sunday mornings in the ways most meaningful to them! We are establishing a rotation of volunteers for both the 9:00 and 11:15 services. It is just a once a month commitment and no preparation is needed. You simply show up on your week of the month ready to help shepherd our children while they learn about God on their own level! Sign up through the links below:
Click here
to become a Worship Shepherd for the 9 am services.
Click here to become a Worship Shepherd for the 11:15 am service.
Click here to contact Rev. Shawna Darnall for more information.
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Marvin's Kids Toy Shoppers Needed
The
Marvin's Kids ministry is off and running for 2017! Through work with Oconee County's elementary school guidance counselors,
36 families and 135 children have been selected to participate in Marvin's Kids this year. Your help is needed in getting "Santa's Secret Shop" fully stocked with toys from which parents can choose their children's Christmas gifts.
You can sign up to buy gifts with a Marvin's Kids volunteer
beginning October 18 on Wednesday evenings at Wednesday RENEW or Sunday mornings in the atrium. Gifts do not have to be wrapped and need to be brought to Saint Mark by Monday, December 4. More information about other ways you can assist Marvin's Kids will be coming in the next few weeks. Thanks for supporting this ministry!
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Do you routinely worship at the 11:15 Traditional Service? If so, here is a wonderful and meaningful opportunity for you to serve that wouldn't require a lot of your time. We need ushers and communion servers. If you are interested, please contact Jim Morrison at (864) 888-3417. Or contact the church office at (864) 882-2603. Thanks for your help!
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Sunday School Class or Individual(s) Needed to Provide
Sunday Atrium Refreshments!
Would you consider helping with this special time of hospitality and fellowship?
You would prepare simple snacks ready to be set out and served by 9:30 am on your designated Sunday. Currently we have 8 classes or individuals so you would only be required to serve once or twice per quarter. This would start in January.
If interested please
click here to contact Lavonne Sloop by early December so that she can get the new year's schedule out.
Thanks for all you do to make Saint Mark a welcoming church!
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Attention Young Professionals
A suggestion has been made to the Adult Council that there is a need for more gathering and fellowship opportunities for young professionals who have not yet started families. One option for a gathering time/place is to meet weekly at Saint Mark during the Sunday School hour. Do you have other ideas? If this is something that interests you, click here to contact Faith Holley.
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For those of you who attended the Pet Blessing on Sunday, October 1, you will remember the sweet dog named Jake who came from the animal shelter, looking for a forever home after 4 months in the shelter. Jake hit the jackpot and found a home and family on Saturday, October 7. Have a great life, Jake!!! We are so happy for you!!
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Jack and Shirley Byrne Will Be Missed!
We are sad to bid farewell to long-time, and very active members, Jack and Shirley, who recently moved to Greenville. Here is their new contact information:
Jack and Shirley Byrne
Haywood Estates
1180 Haywood Rd. Apt 218
Greenville, S.C. 29615
Phone (864-603-1947)
They request your prayers as they settle into their new home and community.
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We Are Still Looking . . .
We are still looking for a new
Minister of Children's Discipleship. The job description has been updated this week. We are looking for just the right person to fill that position - someone who is qualified, and who will lovingly and faithfully serve the children and families of Saint Mark. If you are interested in this position, or know someone who might be interested,
click here to see the revised job description.
Resumes should be submitted to Mary Ann Schrecengost.
Click here.
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SAINTS IN SERVICE
HELPING YOU PLUG IN . . .
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LET US KNOW HOW YOU WANT TO PLUG IN!
Click here to discover the many ways to serve at Saint Mark. Fill out the form and return it to Marla Fuller in the church office. We will get you plugged in!
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