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To Be and Make Disciples of
Jesus Christ
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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 2018 Ministry Guidebook
Click here
to view the entire Saint Mark 2018 Ministry Guidebook with information about church structure, leadership, ministries and our 2018 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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Schedule
9:00 am
Sunday School
9:40 am
Fellowship Time in the Atrium
10:00 am
Traditional Worship
Sanctuary
10:00 am
Celebration Worship
Saint Mark Center
1:00 pm
Committee on
Lay Leadership Meeting
1:00 pm
Visitation with family members of Peggy Lee
2:00 pm
Funeral Service for Peggy Lee
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Quick, easy and available
HERE
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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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Interested in LGBTQ+ Inclusion?
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Prayer Focus for This Week
Pray for our fragile environment - for the effects of pollution on the quality of air, water and food sources. Pray for animals that are suffering and dying because of red and brown tides in Florida. Pray for the coral reefs that are dying because of warming waters. Pray for Arctic creatures that are suffering an extreme shortage of food because the sea ice in the Arctic is melting and forcing them to travel further to catch their prey. Pray for the many sea creatures and birds killed by our plastic waste. Pray that humanity will discover and implement ways to reverse the damage we have caused by our carelessness and apathy toward God's beautiful creation.
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Submit Your Prayer Requests
Saint Mark is pleased to receive your prayer requests . . . for yourself or for friends or loved ones.
Click here
to submit your request to Pastor Todd Davis.
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Join us this Sunday, September 2, for the second in our four-week Moving Forward Sermons Series
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September 2 -
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Moving Forward: Life in the Carpool Lane
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September 9 -
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Moving Forward: GPS
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September 16 -
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M
oving Forward: Keeping Our Eyes on the Road
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Join Us For Worship
THIS Sunday, September 2
Moving Forward:
The Carpool Lane
Traditional Service
with Holy Communion
10 am in the sanctuary
bringing the message
Rev. Todd Davis
Celebration Service
with Holy Communion
10 am in the Saint Mark Center
Bringing the message
Rev. Shawna Darnall
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THIS Sunday, September 2
The Alms Offering this Sunday will primarily support the work of the Wilderness Way Girls Camp. The camp, located in Fair Play, is a residential program that helps girls who are failing to thrive in their families, their schools and/or their communities. Campers stay from 18- 22 months, and within the camp setting, they learn to set goals, work as a team, and discover their own self-worth. They gain life skills that will help them succeed when they return to their homes. Thank you for supporting this local mission.
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Peggy Lee
Sunday, September 2
1 pm - Visitation with Family
2 pm - Service of Remembrance
Saint Mark Sanctuary
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Monthly UMW Circle Meetings Resume
After a break over the summer, our Saint Mark UMW Circles will resume their monthly meetings next week. If you aren't already part of a circle, this would be a great time to plug in!
PLEASE NOTE: Because the Labor Day holiday is on Monday, September 3, the circles that typically meet on the first Monday of each month will meet instead on Monday, September 10.
Below is the information about all seven of our circles:
Abigail Circle
First Mondays at 11:30 am
September meeting on September 10
Room A206 (next to the elevator)
Deborah Circle
First Mondays at 7 pm
September meeting on September 10
Church Parlor (Room A202)
Elizabeth Circle
First Thursdays at 10:30 am
September 6
Event Center at Keowee Key
Faith Circle
First Mondays at 10 am
September meeting on September 10
Room A201
Manibus Christi Circle
First Tuesdays at 6:30 pm
September 4
Local Restaurants
Ruth Circle
First Tuesdays at 3:30 pm
September 4
Church Conference Room
Susanna Wesley Circle
Second Mondays at 12:30 pm
September 10
Church Conference Room
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Our Next Memory Café Event
Come Cruise With Us!
FRIDAY, September 7
Memory Café participants will be cruising on Lake Keowee on Friday, September 7 at 1:30 pm. If enough people come, we may have a fleet of pontoons. Won't that be fun!
Participants should plan to meet at Saint Mark United Methodist Church in Seneca at 1:00 pm, to caravan together to Keowee Cove, where they will board the pontoon boat(s). (Pontoon boats are easy to get on, even with a wheelchair or a walker).
Memory Café is a social group for family caregivers and their loved ones with memory loss or any type of dementia. The group meets once a month, usually the second Monday of each month. The purpose of the group is to keep caregivers and their loved ones from becoming isolated, and to promote support and socialization. It is a place where participants can laugh, cry, talk about their concerns and realize they are not alone. Memory Café will offer lots of fun activities throughout the year. These activities will be determined with participant input, and will all be free because Memory Café is sponsored by people who understand and appreciate the heroic role of caregivers, and want them to succeed.
In July we had 4 participants. At our gathering in August, we had 12 participants! This ministry is growing rapidly. If you would like to participate with your loved one on this boat trip, you will need to make your reservation soon so that we can ensure that there will be enough boats and snacks for all to enjoy. (Please note that this event is on a Friday and not on the customary Monday.)
For more information and to make your reservation, call Bonnie Holmes at (864) 916-9204. Bon Voyage!
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You Have Been Asking . . .
Yes, Our Youth Will Be Selling Christmas Trees Again This Year!
All you need is a $10 deposit to reserve your tree. For more information, click here to contact Donna Poston.
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Grades 6 - College
GET PLUGGED IN!!
For more information, click here to contact Donna Poston, our Minister of Youth and College Discipleship.
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TREK Will Meet on Sunday Afternoons!
(for children Kindergarten
through 5th grade)
For more information, click here to contact Lisa Kiser, our Minister of Children's Discipleship.
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Help Us Preserve Our Saint Mark History
9:30 am - 12 noon
Saint Mark Center
Our country will always remember September 11 and the effect that it had on our history. This September 11, the history of Saint Mark will be remembered. You are invited to come and review Saint Mark's history as we look through the historical documents beginning with the Seneca Methodist Church thru today. There are many boxes and books to go through. Our goal will be to determine the significance of the papers and artifacts, and then decide how to organize, file, and save them for the future.
We invite you to volunteer as much time as you can spare on September 11 from 9:30 am to 12:00 noon. We will meet and do our work in Commons Room. Thank you in advance.
Joyce Carney, Church Historian
For more information, or to volunteer,
click here to contact Joyce Carney.
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God Changes the World One Person
and One Family At A Time
A little nod to those of us who are still feeling slightly half-baked: those with struggling families, cracked relationships, and a world that's showing a little weary around the seams. When God wants to create the remarkable, He chooses to work with the less-than-perfect.
Genesis is a book of beginnings. It is deeply concerned with the origins of things-of the universe, of humankind, of relationships, of sin, of civilization, of families, and of one special family created and chosen by God to be the instrument through which He would bless the world. That family is our family, yours and mine. Like all good family stories, it starts with not just a something or somewhere, but a someone.
For more information, click here to contact Debbie Barton or call her at (513) 659-9913.
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For more information, click here to contact Donna Poston.
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We are excited about the return of our monthly midweek "gatherings" that will provide the opportunity for our church family to enjoy delicious meals and great fellowship.
Supper will begin at 5:30 pm
Bingo will begin at 6:00 pm
Menu
Baked Chicken
Full Salad Bar
(Garden Salad, Potato Salad, Pasta Salad, etc.)
The meal costs are as follows:
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Adults (18 and older)
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$7.00 each
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Families (2 adults and 2 children)
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$18.00
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Children/Youth 5 - 18
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$3.00 each
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Children 4 and under
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FREE
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Click here to make your meal reservation online, or call the church office at (864) 882-2603. You can add your name to the "Master List" or make your reservations on a weekly basis.
This activity is for ALL ages - children, youth and adults. Come join us as together we kick off our new program year!
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Don't Forget!!
The Mini Mission Auction Is
Just Two Weeks Away!!
Do you have Christmas and Clemson items you want to donate for the upcoming auction? You may drop your donated items off at Saint Mark - in the closet in Room A202 (The Serendipity Classroom/Parlor). In the closet you will find a table with slips of paper and a pen for you to provide information about your donation(s).
The deadline for donations is
Wednesday, September 5.
The date of the auction is
Sunday, September 16, and the time is from 8:30 until noon. Substantial snacks will be provided, so please plan to stay after the worship services that day to place your bids, buy some nice items made by fellow Saint Mark disciples, and support the mission work of the church. Proceeds will support local and global outreach projects. Please contact Jane Harlin at (864) 638-2462 or
click here to email her for more information or to list your donations for the auction/sale.
Thanks for your support!
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The Commission on a Way Forward is a task force, whose purpose is to do a complete examination and possible revision of every paragraph concerning human sexuality in the Book of Discipline, while exploring options that help to maintain and strengthen the unity of the United Methodist Church. The Commission will make its recommendations at a Special Called Session of the General Conference in February, 2019.
SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR SAINT MARK?
On Sunday afternoon, September 16, Pastors Todd and Shawna will help us to better understand the structural workings of our denomination. Please make every effort to be present as our pastors lead us toward empathy, understanding, and generative dialogue, as we continue to be the Body of Christ. Childcare will be provided.
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Set Apart:
Holy Habits of Prophets and Kings
Set Apart is a dynamic six-week study of 1 and 2 Kings that examines the holy habits of the prophets and kings who were set apart by their close walk with God. Each week we will explore the central story of one of these intriguing men of God and the specific practice each observed, as well as what the Bible teaches about this practice.
Each of these characters was trying to follow God while carrying out his calling on earth. As we consider their example, we will discover that even prophets and kings struggled and grew in their faith through spiritual practices, and we will learn how to follow God's unique purposes for us in His Kingdom.
For more information, click here to contact Sandy James.
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Are you 50+?
Another Elderberries Event!!!
Join us for a relaxing evening of fun, food and fellowship at beautiful Biggerstaff Retreat Center, right here in Seneca. The evening will begin at 5 pm with conversation and hors d'oeuvres, followed by our meal at 6:30 pm.
Plan to bring a dish to share (hors d'oeuvres, salad, side dish, dessert), plus $5 to cover meat, beverages and paper products.
Transportation is available, if you prefer not to drive there.
LET'S HAVE A GREAT TURNOUT!!!
Click here to RSVP and to indicate that you would like to reserve transportation for that evening.
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Are you managing your estate, as well as considering "end of life" financial arrangements??? For most of us, this is daunting work and we need the experience and advice of other disciples who have worked or are working their way through these decisions. What options exist to protect our estates from probate and taxes and the will of our government? How can I be a responsible disciple in this area of my life? Can I live on my assets and provide for my children, grandchildren, church and its good works in the future? How?
Raymond Lanham, SMUMC member, who is retired from the American Cancer Society as the Estate and Asset Services Manager, will speak at an educational seminar luncheon in the Commons Room on Sunday, October 7, 2018 following the 10:00 AM Services. If you've "got it all together," come and share your expertise with our group! However, if you still have more questions than answers, then please join us for a bit of lunch and an informative discussion of the "perils of procrastination" when it comes to end of life planning. No reservation is required to attend the event, however if you would like a bag lunch (turkey and cheese sandwich, chips, cookie, fruit, and drink is $8 per person - cash or check made out to Donna Jaynes on day of event), please click here to place your food order with Donna Jaynes.
Randy Collins, Church Treasurer
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For more information,
click here to contact Donna Poston.
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Anderson District
Lay Servant Ministries School
Saturday and Sunday, October 13 and 14
First United Methodist Church in Easley
It's fall, a time full of new possibilities and new opportunities for serving the Lord. Have you heard a call to be a Lay Servant, and want an overview of what it means to be a Lay Servant? Would you like to learn how to deliver an effective message? Would you like to know more about the organization of the United Methodist Church? Now is the time for you to explore these options at the the Anderson Lay Servant Ministries School.
Courses offered:
- Basic Lay Servant Ministry
- Preaching (From Pew to the Pulpit)
- United Methodist Church Polity
Cost:
- $50 (The deadline to register is tomorrow, August 24)
Classes are open to everyone, regardless of whether or not you are interested in becoming a certified lay servant. For those who are, or who wish to become a certified lay servant, remember that you must take a course beyond the basic course at least once every 3 years.
For more information click here to contact Gwendolyn Brown, Chair of the Anderson District Lay Servant Ministry Board, or call her at (678) 480-5176.
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An Elderberries Event
The Lettermen in Concert
Sunday, October 14
7 pm
Walhalla Civic Auditorium
Tickets are available now: $37 per person
Join us for supper at Puerto Nuevo Restaurant
in West Union at 5 pm
with Marla Fuller
Only 7 of 35 tickets are left . . . Reserve your tickets today!
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Fall Festival for Children
Wednesday, October 24
5:00 pm
16th Annual Minister's Cook-off
Thursday, November 1
5:30 - 7 pm
Clemson United Methodist Church
Annual Charge Conference
Wednesday, November 7
6:30 pm
Commons Room
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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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Covered Dish Supper at Biggerstaff Retreat
Friday, September 28
5 pm - hors d'oeuvres
6:30 pm - supper
Transportation will be available
The Lettermen in Concert
Sunday, October 14
7 pm
Cost: $37 per ticket
TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE NOW!
Transportation will be available
Monthly "Lunch Bunch" Gathering
beginning on Tuesday, October 23
(4th Tuesday of each month)
12 noon
Commons Room
Turkey in the Hole
Wilderness Way Girls' Camp
Church-wide Event Sponsored by the Elderberries
Saturday, November 17
Campsite Tours 10:45 - 11:15 am
Dinner - 12:30 pm
Bring sides and desserts
Transportation will be available
Monthly "Lunch Bunch" Gathering
Tuesday, November 27
12 noon
Dienner's Restaurant
PLEASE NOTE:
We could use a few more 50+ people to serve on our planning team. We meet once a month to plan our activities and trips.
We also need another bus driver or two to provide transportation to some of our social and educational events. You would drive one of our church buses. You do not need a special type of license to drive.
If you are interested in getting involved in this popular ministry for seniors at Saint Mark, please click here to contact Marla Fuller or call her at the church office Monday - Thursday from 10 am - 5 pm.
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"For I was hungry
and you gave me something to eat . . ."
Matthew 25:35
SNAP Benefits are on the Line
The
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, helps to feed millions of low-income families. Congress is currently negotiating between two versions of the bill. The version passed by the House would reduce or eliminate food assistance for 2 million people.
Please call your members of Congress now and ask them to support the bipartisan Senate version of the bill, which protects SNAP. (202) 224-3121.
Click here for more information.
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FOR YOUR INFORMATION . . .
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The UMW and Homeless Period Project Thank You!
Thanks to your generosity, over 65 Saint Mark women put "Love in Action" following the UMW General Meeting on August 28. Directed by Sharron Phillips, cofounder of the Homeless Period Project, these ladies were able to assemble over 500 packages of feminine hygiene products in about 30 minutes! The "kits" will be shared with school girls and homeless women in Oconee County through Grace's Closet and Our Daily Rest. We also hope to donate a portion of the packs to incarcerated women through the Kairos Prison Ministry.
The Manibus Christi UMW Circle has adopted the Homeless Period Project as an ongoing mission. The UMW will continue to collect products (pads, pantiliners, tampons, and individually wrapped non-alcohol wipes). Designated bins for your donations are located in both of the atrium entrances.
Questions about the Homeless Period Project may be directed to Mona Fleming, UMW president. Click here to contact her.
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Our Saint Mark youth group saw wonderful examples of "being and making disciples" through our Progressive Lake Dinner this past Sunday, August 26.
We thank Bob and Kathy Graves, Jeff and Jan Weicksel, Darrell and Carolyn Keese, Ami and Matt Edwards, and Lisa and Jim Kiser for opening homes and providing our food.
We also thank Bob and Lynn Dobson, Curt Evatt and Mike Wallace for their time and love providing the boats as we traveled to the homes.
We are so thankful for these Saint Mark disciples whose radical hospitality created memories of love and servanthood for our youth.
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Hello, Saint Mark Congregation,
Following my surgery and stroke in 2016, I appreciate how many cards, notes, and emails I received from the congregation. My vocabulary and memory problems from Aphasia have improved and I have recovered almost to my old self. I value the people and the experiences that I will always remember from the church family of Saint Mark.
Jane Brosnan
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Gallery of Crosses Expansion
The Aesthetic Committee is planning for the future of the
Mission Cross Wall (the third wall on the far right) in the
Gallery of Crosses. This cross wall recognizes the numerous missions that our church has supported from the beginning with the Seneca Methodist Church originating in 1874 to our present day missions. The Aesthetic Committee has designated this wall of crosses to commemorate a specific mission or missions that have impacted you or your family. These crosses will be collected during the season of Lent (2019) like we have previously done. Over the next several months you will have the opportunity to select or make a cross to represent a mission.
The Aesthetic Committee will still be adding crosses to the second wall (in the center) to commemorate our Church Family like we have previously done the last several years.
For more information,
click here to contact Joyce Carney.
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Is God Calling You to Serve?
Want to know more about our United Methodist Church? One great way to learn more about our great denomination is to serve on the District or Annual Conference level. If you would like to be nominated to serve on a District or Annual Conference Committee (2017-2019 term), or even better, as a leader of a Saint Mark ministry team, please
click here to contact Rev. Todd Davis or call him at (864) 882-2603.
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2019 Disciplines
Daily Devotions
Growing in faith and discipleship includes an intentional time for devotions, prayer and reflection. The Upper Room publishes an annual devotional guide that will soon be available for you to purchase. Click here to contact Pastor Shawna to reserve your copy. The book also comes in large print.
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Welcome New Saint Mark Custodians
Linda Bryant and Dwight Stall
Linda and Dwight have recently come on board as part-time custodians. When you see them around the church building, please make them feel at home! Soon, you will find more information about each of them on our church website.
WELCOME!!
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Find out what's happening at Saint Mark during the month of September! Then see who is celebrating a September birthday!
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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