Update for the week of January 19 - 25, 2017
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Our Vision Statement
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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Contact Information?
 
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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

call or text
(864) 888-7072  

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to
send an email
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. 
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.

January 22, 2017
   
Sunday Schedule

9:00 am
Traditional Service

Sanctuary
with Todd Davis

9:00 am
Celebration Service

Saint Mark Center
with Shawna Darnall

9:15 am
Children's Chapel

10:00 am
Atrium Fellowship
with beverages and refreshments 

  10:15 am
Sunday School

for all ages
Classrooms

11:15 am
Traditional Service  
Sanctuary
with Rev. Shawna Darnall

12:30 pm
Adult Council Meeting
Conference Room

4:00 pm
Interfaith/
Intercultural
 Team Meeting
Bess' Table Room
Room B212

5:00 pm
Wings for the Lord Critter County Dinner Theater

Saint Mark Center


Quick, easy and available HERE 
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.
Got News for Next Week's Heart Beat?
Click here to send your  Heart Beat post to us by no later than 12:00 noon next Wednesday.  On the subject line, please type in "Heart Beat" so that we can easily find your article among the other emails.
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. 
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 click here and send them to us.
Interested in LGBT Inclusion?

Click here for more information. 
Prayer Focus for This Week  

Pray for our new government leaders. Pray for wisdom. Pray for a Christlike spirit. Pray for unity of purpose - for the common good.
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.
THIS WEEK'S THOUGHTS TO PONDER  

Follow Me

Jesus' invitation to every single human being, past, present and future, is clear and simple -  "Follow me." 

Reflection:
How would you describe what it means to follow Jesus?  What are ways that you are following Jesus?  As we approach the holy season of Lent, how might you add to the ways that you follow Christ? 
THIS WEEK AT SAINT MARK . . . 

Eleuthera Mission Journey Highlights

You will notice that this Sunday, the service times are the same, but our pattern for preaching is modified.  Rev. Todd Davis will preach only at the 9:00 am Traditional Service

Rev. Shawna Darnall will preach at both the 9:00 am Celebration Service and the 11:15 am Traditional Service, with attention paid to her Eleuthera Mission experience in October of 2016.  You will learn about the Eleuthera journey at all 3 services, but primarily at Celebration service, and the 11:15 Traditional service.

Traditional Service
THIS Sunday, January 22, 2017

9:00 am ONLY
Sanctuary

"The Broken Window Theory"
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
(click to read)
with Rev. Todd Davis

Celebration Service
9:00 am
Saint Mark Center
AND
Traditional Service
11:15 am
Sanctuary

"Listen Up, Loosen Up, Have a Little Fun"
Micah 6:1-8
(click to read)
with Rev. Shawna Darnall 

Tickets are sold out! 
Thank you Saint Mark!

JOIN US THIS WEDNESDAY
Wednesday, January 25
Supper begins at 5:30 pm
Saint Mark Center

Dinner and Fellowship - 5:15 pm
RENEW Communion - 6 pm
RENEW Children/Youth - 6 pm
RENEW Conversation - 6:15 pm
RENEW Heart and Mind - 6:15 pm
RENEW - Disciple Fast Track - 6:15 pm
RENEW - N.T. Wright's Luke for Everyone

For more information, click here to contact Rev. Shawna Darnall.

RENEW Dinner Menu
Wednesday, January 25
5:30 pm
Saint Mark Center

Menu
Chicken Parmesan/Pizza
Salad Bar/Garlic Rolls
Dessert

Click here to make your meal reservation. 

RENEW Heart and Mind
Reversing Toxic Charity at Saint Mark 
As Christians, we need to rethink
how we have been doing "charity."
Join the conversation!
Wednesday, January 25

6:15 pm
Room A204
LOOKING AHEAD . . .   

Celebrate God's Work
in and Through Us!

Sunday, January 29
10:00 am
Atrium

We are so excited. With God's help, we ended 2016 in the black!  We were able to pay 100% of our 2016 apportionment payments, and successfully closed the end-of-the-year budget gap. This is worth celebrating!!!

The Finance Committee wishes to take time to say "thank you" for your faithful support of the church through prayers, time, and gifts. We will celebrate with cake/coffee/punch in the atrium on Sunday, 29 January at 10:00 am. Please plan to join us - We Did It!

Children of the World
International Children's Choir Concert
Wednesday, February 1
6:15 pm
Sanctuary

The Children of the World International Children's Choir is composed of children from Nepal, Uganda, Brazil, Guatemala, India, Honduras, and the Philippines. Through the powerful mediums of song, dance, spoken word, and creative media,  Children of the World presents the reality of millions of children who cannot speak for themselves.

Let's have a great turnout for these children!!  Invite your friends and neighbors. 

Click here to contact David Wilcox for more information.

Souper Bowl Sunday is a nationwide outreach. On February 5, following each service, our youth will collect donations in soup pots that will go directly to local missions. This year the money will go to the "Food Box Ministry" sponsored by the Aldersgate Sunday School Class. Their class mission is to purchase and pack food boxes that are distributed to the needy out of our church office. Your financial contribution will help the class to stock up on the needed food items. 

Click here to contact Donna Poston for more information.

Children's Valentine's Day  
Party and Dance
Sunday, February 12 
3 - 5 pm 
Saint Mark Center

We'll dance and play our favorite Disney trivia game again!  See you there!!

We need a few cookies for those of you who would love to share your love to our children on this special day! 

Click here to contact Lydia Dever for more information.

February and Valentine's Day reminds us of the importance of relationships in our lives - spouses, children, extended family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and others who are part of the fabric of our lives. Relationships are both wonderful and difficult. They are the source of great joy and of great anguish. Join us on Sunday, February 19 from 1 - 4 for a mid-winter retreat focused on ways to transform our relationships through the powerful tool, the Enneagram

We will meet in the Commons Room. There is no cost to attend.  This event isn't just for couples - it will benefit all of your relationships!  It will be both fun and informative.  The retreat will be led by Marla Fuller.  Click here to contact Marla if you have questions. 
EVENTS CALENDARS  

Revolution Youth Retreat  
Sponsored by our South Carolina Conference 
Friday and Saturday, January 27 and 28 
Columbia, SC 
Contact: Donna Poston

Anderson District  
United Methodist Men's Gathering 
Saturday, January 28
10 am
Porter's Chapel UMC
Pickens, South Carolina

   
Youth Event
Compassion International
in Anderson, SC
Sunday, February 5
Leave Saint Mark at 4 pm
Contact: Donna Poston

Lenten Workshop and Covered Dish Lunch
Sunday, February 26 
Saint Mark Center
Watch for more details  
Contact: Shawna Darnall

IN THE COMMUNITY . . . 
Caged No More
Saturday, February 4
7:00 pm
G. Ross Anderson, Jr. Student Center
Anderson University
316 Boulevard
Anderson, SC

Caged No More is a feature film that will raise awareness of human trafficking and is Dove Foundation approved for children ages 12+. There is no charge for admission and no registration is required.
You will also have the opportunity to hear Susan Norris, the author of the novel Rescuing Hope. She has served as a consultant in the anti-trafficking movement, and is the Founder and Executive Director of the nonprofit Rescuing Hope.

Susan has been involved in the fight against sex trafficking in America since 2010. Her passion is to educate and empower advocates and survivors.
Susan is on the Georgia State Human Trafficking Task Force and partners with other front line organizations, therapists, and law enforcement offices. She holds a Master's in Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She taught in public and private schools and served as a leader for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes prior to joining the fight against sex trafficking. Susan is a wife and the mother of two adult children and she and her husband live in Atlanta, Georgia.

Please join us for this important event!
Sherry Thrift Bradshaw
former Miss South Carolina
Sunday, February 12
3:00 pm
Trinity Baptist Church
504 S. Oak St.
Seneca, SC  29678

Sherry grew up in a small South Carolina town.  But that didn't stop her from dreaming big.  Her parents brought her to faith and encouraged her to follow her dreams.  She set her sights on pursuing excellence wherever God led her. 

Experience this inspiring speaker and enjoy some delicious desserts.  This event is not just for women! Free tickets are available in the Saint Mark church office.

Many of you know Sherry and the tragedy of their son, Brewer, who has been in and out of a medically induced coma in recent weeks. Please be in prayer for Brewer and his family. Sherry requests specific prayers for wisdom and patience. 
FOR YOUR INFORMATION 

THEY ARE HERE!!
Pick Up Your Box
of Offering Envelopes
THIS Sunday, January 22
in the Atrium


If you are a regular giver or a new member, and you didn't receive a box of offering envelopes, we will be happy to provide you with a numbered box.  Click here to contact Karen Holcombe to make your request, or if you have questions.
Will You Help?
 
Our old and previously reliable ice maker has died, and the new 2017 budget did not take into account the need to replace it. A new ice maker has already been ordered and the cost is about $3000. If you would like to contribute toward the purchase of the new ice maker, please note on your check that your contribution is going toward the purchase of the ice maker.  You can place your contribution in the offering plate or drop it off to Karen Holcombe, our Operations Manager.  Thank
you for your help!
Results of the Clemson/Carolina Challenge  

You may recall that in December, we conducted a Clemson/Carolina Challenge, inviting you to vote for your team by a donation to the Wesley Foundations of your favorite school. 

The total amount that we raised for Clemson was $2694, beating out USC by a slim margin of $367 - USC receiving a total of $2327. In the end, both campus ministries win as your support helps to continue outreach to the students on both campuses. 

Thanks for your contribution to both ministries!  
No More Jugs, Please!

Thank you for your kind donations of plastic jugs!  They will be put to very good use!
SAINTS IN SERVICE
HELPING YOU PLUG IN . . . 

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!    
 


Saint Mark United Methodist Church

616 Quincy Road
Seneca, South Carolina 29678-3820
mfuller@saintmarkumcseneca.org
864-882-2603
    

Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors