The summer months are especially difficult for the homeless community.  Programs that provide services often experience decreased donations as people are traveling etc.  This is the spot The Way of Hope servicing homeless women and children in our community finds itself.  They drive a small bus and a 15 passenger van daily providing transportation to host churches, jobs, doctor appointments, and The Journey Home for lunch as well as locations for the ladies and children to stay during the day. Money for gasoline is always needed.  

You can help by purchasing a gas card and leaving it in the church office with Charlene Parkinson marked for The Way of Hope.  We will give any cards donated to The Way of Hope when we host them overnight on July 6 and August 3, 2017.  Thank you for your help and continued prayers.  If you have any questions regarding this, please contact Lynne Paredes at 615-542-8886.

invested in the future of our Nation.  The endowment team is asking YOU to invest in the future of St. Marks. To worship God and express our faith in peace and without duress is a freedom we enjoy. 

During July, consider a gift to our Endowment fund using the numbers 1776. (For example, $17.76 or 177.60.)  No gift is too small.  Any Sunday in July, you may place your gift in the collection plate or in the Endowment Team Basket located in the Narthex

At VBS Hero Central, we talked about how heroes make the world a better place, discovered our strength in God and considered how we might be heroes for God in our own community! 

 

We were greeted by all kinds of comic book and movie heroes - Spiderman, Cat Woman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Incredible Hulk, and more!   We also met some local heroes, including interns from Project Transformation, Firefighters from the Lascassas Volunteer Fire Department, and members of the Murfreesboro Police force. 

 

Like these other superheroes, we learned that each one of us has God-given super powers and strengths that we can use to follow God, as we are commanded in our Hero Verse from Psalm 34:14b, "Do good.  Seek peace and go after it!"

 

One way we discover our strength in God is by learning Bible stories about people God saw as heroes.  We met David, Abigail, and Jesus and his Disciples, and the Holy Spirit.  These biblical heroes show us how to live as heroes for God today, in our own city of Murfreesboro!  We learned that heroes have Heart, Courage, Wisdom, Hope and Power - the Power of the Holy Spirit!

HEROES!

We had so many!!!  - We had about 170 child-sized heroes at VBS, and more than 100 youth and adult heroes.  Everyone worked hard and had fun together!  - Special thanks go to our VBS Leadership Team who made it all happen:  Kathy Edwards, Pam Forrest, Eryn Wilson, Kellie Spier, Becky Latta

 

ST. MARK'S 2017 VBS MISSION: PROJECT TRANSFORMATION

We chose Project Transformation as our Mission, because the children, young adults and other helpers who support Project Transformation are all terrific heroes.

 

We collected six huge bins full of snacks that were donated, as well as several cases of fruit cups and fresh carrots; these will provide nourishment for the children of Project Transformation for the remainder of the summer.   We collected money that will help Project Transformation continue doing its heroic work in Murfreesboro - a total of $1545.00.  Also, more than 50 VBS HERO CENTRAL T-shirts were donated to the children - they were very excited about this!

 

Our 5th and 6th Grade Mission Marvels were great heroes!   Every day of VBS they went into the community to serve God and others, serving at the TN Veterans Home, Feed America First, Sunnington, and the MTSU Wesley Foundation, and filling food boxes for our own Food Bank

 

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING St. Mark's VBS HERO CENTRAL!

Thank you for praying for our VBS children, youth and adult participants!  Knowing we were being prayed for every day helped us feel the Holy Spirit surrounding us throughout this ministry.

 

Thank you for support VBS with your:

• Donations of money for VBS expenses and 
• Donations of money/snacks for our VBS Mission, Project Transformation
• Donations of snack foods/drinks for our Youth and Adult Leaders' Lounge
  • We were not only well nourished by your treats but we were nourished in spirit by the fellowship we enjoyed around the table

Thank you to all our teachers, leaders, helpers and youth helpers - over 100 youth and adults served in ministry at VBS HERO CENTRAL! 

 

We also thank each member of our church staff, both lay and clergy - each one contributed something special and important to VBS and we appreciate their gifts and leadership.  

 

Thank you to all those families who invited friends, relatives, acquaintances and neighbors.  Because of your invitations, we had more children at this year's NS than we have had in several years!

"Do good!  Seek peace, and go after it!" - Psalm 34.14b