APRIL 2016 SAINT MARK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Saying Grace from Pastor Shelby When Moses came down from the mountain, he was carrying ten commandments, one of which was “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” Sabbath-keeping seems almost quaint in the twenty-first century, MaryAnn McKibben Dana writes. Most of us can admit it’s a nice idea, a pleasant-sounding goal. But certainly easier said than done. There’s laundry to do, rooms to clean, bills to pay, emails to write… so a whole day each week without work? Yikes. A day each week to unplug, unwind, laugh, play and love? That actually sounds pretty great. MaryAnn (who is coming to teach our adult education April 10 & 17) and her family tried just that. One day a week to let the laundry sit idle, let the leaves stay on the ground, let the emails be unread.

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Sabbath in the Suburbs

ADULT ED. APRIL 10 & 17

9:30 AM

GO NATS!

CELEBRATE EASTER WITH A

TRIP TO THE BASEBALL GAME, APRIL 10 AT 1:35

FAITH IN PUBLIC THIRD THURSDAY,

6:30PM @ SEASONS 52

SUPPORT THE SAINT MARK TEAM WALKING

TO END BREAST CANCER

SAINT MARK

APRIL 2016 SAINT MARK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

In her class she’ll talk about that and more, how to incorporate the practices of Sabbath, of slowing down (or maybe even stopping for a while) into our lives. This year in youth group, we have been trying a “youth group family Sabbath.” One Sunday each month, rather than gathering as group at the church, each family is asked to gather at home, around table or couch, to read scripture and pray together. Another opportunity for Sabbath will be at our congregational retreat (Sept. 3-5) where we will take a whole weekend to slow down and listen to God, to enjoy God’s beautiful creation and fellowship with one another. The literal meaning of Sabbath (Shabbat in Hebrew) is to stop. I struggle with this as much as anyone. But still, I encourage you, as spring, the shortest and most beautiful season is (hopefully) upon us. Rest, enjoy, slow down, stop. Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.

What’s Happening: April & MayApril 3- One service @ 9:30, ministry teams meet April 10- Two Services, 9:30 & 11:00 with Christian Education at 9:30. Congregational meeting to follow 11:00 worship. April 17, 24- Two Services, 9:30 & 11:00 with Christian Education at 9:30 April 24- Cornerstone Art Show in Fellowship Hall April 30- Rebuilding Together Build Day May 1- One service @ 9:30, ministry teams meet May 14- Install the Memorial to the Lost (Gun Violence t-shirt memorial) May 8, 15, 22- Two Services, 9:30 & 11:00 with Christian Education at 9:30 May 15- Pentecost Sunday and Confirmation Sunday May 22- Last week of two services and Sunday school May 29- Begin one service at 10:00 am, no Sunday school

Adult Education, 9:30 on Sundays, Room 105 April 10 & 17 MaryAnn McKibben Dana will be our leader in April. She is a pastor in Northern Virginia and an acclaimed writer and blogger.  The subject will be: Sabbath in the Suburbs... and Beyond: Finding Rest, Play, Renewal and Delight God invites us to rest from our work and to be renewed in the gift of holy time. But Sabbath often seems impossible given the demands of modern life: work, chores, errands, and kid activities, not to mention the constant nagging of email, Facebook and text messages. Join us for a Sunday School series to learn about this ancient gift of Sabbath and how it can transform our lives in powerful ways. You can check out MaryAnn's blog and learn more about her here: https://theblueroomblog.org. The conversation on Sabbath will continue on April 24 led by Lyn Hill.

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT THE WEBSITE: SAINTMARKPRESBY.ORG

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

March 27, 2016

On Easter Sunday our community gathered for a

great celebration of the resurrection. We celebrated

communion, three baptisms, had a fun Easter Egg hunt and a delicious

potluck lunch. Thank you to the Parish Life team for leading the brunch and to all those who stuffed and

hid Easter eggs.

APRIL 2016 SAINT MARK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Saint Mark Booklovers Join us in the parlor on the 2nd Monday of the month at 7:00 PM to discuss the book of the month. This is our schedule for the rest of the year. Anyone is welcome… come join us! April 11: Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain May 9: The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

The Bread of Heaven for you If you are interested in baking bread for communion, we would love to hear from you. We provide the recipe! You can even do this as a family as a way to talk about what communion means to you! Please contact Jane Karakashian, jkrash36@gmail.com or Tom Akins thakins@hotmail.com for more information, even if you are not sure you are able to help right now.

Avon Walk for Breast Cancer The Saint Mark Team “Walking in Love” is doing the Avon Walk to end Breast Cancer the weekend of May 1. This is a two-day, 39-mile walk that raises funds and awareness to put an end to the suffering caused by breast cancer. You can donate to the Saint Mark Team here: http://info.avonfoundation.org/site/TR?team_id=149400&fr_id=2481&pg=team.

Rebuilding Together Saturday April 30 is the day for Rebuilding Together's "Build Day". We will need lots of people to participate in the hands-on work on that day, so please consider joining the crew. More about sign-ups coming soon - or direct any questions to John Casper at Casper219@aol.com or 419-509-7452.

Art Show from Cornerstone Montgomery Sunday, April 24 following worship, Saint Mark will host an art show opening! Art made by the clients of Cornerstone Montgomery in their art therapy classes will be on display (and for sale) for several weeks. Cornerstone is one of our mission partners. They empower people living with mental health and co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders to live, work and integrate successfully within the community.

Quill of the Clerk The Session of Saint Mark met on March 22 and took the following actions: • Approved a special congregational meeting to be held April 10 following 11:00 worship to elect

Cecelia Nunez to fill an unexpired term Deacon class of 2018. • Heard a report on the music and worship ministry team by Elder Karl Kaufmann. • Heard a report of 3/15 presbytery meeting by elder commissioners Jenn Carr and Bill Merritt.

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Baptism is a sign and seal of God’s love for

us, which is for us even if we cannot ask for it

or understand it. On Easter Sunday we

celebrated the baptism of three of our youngest

members: Henry McCree Garcia, Lyla Grace Hoshaw

and Dax Kaman Bityeki.

APRIL 2016 SAINT MARK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Mission News News from Eric & Rebecca Hinderliter, P.C. (U.S.A.) Mission Co-Workers in Lithuania. The year 2015 marked our 15th year of mission service with the PCUSA. We have been gifted with useful work with young people and generous giving to enable continuous service as teachers at LCC International University in Klaipėda, Lithuania. 2015 was a good year. Both the winter and the fall were spent in Klaipeda teaching, advising and hopefully inspiring an increasingly diverse group of young people from former Soviet countries. May-August we were in the US. We again enjoyed a gracious welcome at Saint Mark Presbyterian Church. We were refreshed for our continued mission service. We especially appreciate your active efforts to provide scholarship support for LCC students from Ukraine. This year 14 churches and 25 individuals gave to our designated mission account. We are grateful. Next year, however, brings uncertainty. It is likely that funds available will not be sufficient to keep mission workers at their current partners like LCC Intentional University. Paul writes that God’s plans for us are not made according to human standards; “For in him (Jesus Christ) every one of God’s promises is a “Yes.” For this reason it is through him that we say “Amen,” to the glory of God (II Cor. 1:20). We all have reason to give thanks for God’s “yes” in our lives! Thank you from LCC student: Hello, my name is Erik. My family and I appreciate your willingness to give a chance to receive scholarship. This opportunity would significantly improve the financial position of our family, as my younger sister is going to graduate from the school, so there are going to be much more expenses this year. Our family is fully involved in church life and work. My mother is responsible for a woman ministry and is a director of woman rehab center. That is why most of the time (my) parents spend on the work that our church is involved in; however, it is hard to earn enough money to cover all the family’s expenses and at the same time to be a full-time church worker. In general, the economic situation in Ukraine is quite difficult. The prices on food, petrol and living are twice higher. Our city is on the border with Poland so majority of local businesses is built on import. Now all import stops because of drastic depreciation of the UAH (the Ukrainian currency). Sincerely yours, Erik Dudik and parents Olexandr and Olha Dudik.

News from Friends In Action Mark, a client of Friends in Action, asked us to lunch to thank Saint Mark FIA (Friends in Action) team for helping his family 20 years ago. At 32 years old, he is paying it forward by becoming a mentor himself. He attended college in Baltimore and works there. He is mentoring young people in Baltimore. He has now touched 2 young men’s lives who chose not to participate in last year’s Baltimore riots. As they left their school that day, they just walked away. Mark had just eaten lunch with them the day before those riots. They credited Mark for giving them the “strength” to make that positive decision to walk away. YOU NEVER KNOW when something you did 20 years ago would touch someone’s life enough to PAY IT FORWARD. -Dean and Dorothy Hearn, Friends in Action Team Members

Saint Mark Prayers Joys- On Easter Sunday (March 27) we celebrated the baptisms of Dax Kaman Bityeki, Henry McCree Garcia and Lyla Grace Hoshaw.

Concerns - Homebound members- Please pray for all our members who are unable to worship with us on a regular basis: Gordon Dibble, Lucy Eastham, Jim Wright, the Ransahoffs, Alice Miller and others. Betty Seidell- Betty injured her hip and is in the rehab facility at Shady Grove.

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT THE WEBSITE: SAINTMARKPRESBY.ORG