Volume 11 • Issue No. 3 May/June 2013

Okay, so it is my last note in the Mes-

senger as Pastor at St. Mark’s. Next newslet-

ter (July/August), hopefully you’ll see the

new pastor’s smiling face. But this is not my

last contact with St. Mark’s. I hope to con-

tinue to update those of you who are inter-

ested by e-mail and, Lord willing, the whole

church as I have opportunity. (If you want

to get our e-mail updates, contact me at

nesteury@me.com - if you don’t have e-

mail, let us know your address.)

And I want to say a few things that I

may not get to say to each of you in person.

First of all, thank you! Thank you for en-

trusting me as your pastor with your spiri-

tual lives over the last 13 years. We have

shared wonderful times together and pain-

ful times. Through both, God has been at

work, shaping and molding our lives. The

position of pastor is one of the most inti-

mate and weighty of positions. I am deeply

grateful that each of you allowed me to pas-

tor you.

Second, stay true! Keep giving your-

selves to Christ and to each other – allowing

God to shape and mold you into what God

created you to be! That will take a lot of

work on your part – and God’s continued

involvement. I hope that each of you re-

mains a part of the community of faith at St.

Mark’s. I trust that each of you integrates

into your lives the daily disciplines neces-

sary to be shaped like Christ – prayer, devo-

tion… Third, support the new pastor. No,

he/she will not be like me. But there are a

lot of reasons why that is a good thing!

Each of us has gifts; each of us has weak-

nesses. Pray for the new pastor. Love them.

Invite them to eat with you or have a cup of

coffee with you. Share your story with

them. Come alongside them to let them

know you are in ministry with them and

want them to be in ministry to and with

you.

I look forward to the rest of the few

days I have with you. But these are my

words of love that I wanted to say to you as

we move into different parts of the world in

ministry, but continue to minister…

Together…

nate

NOT Nate’s Last Note!NOT Nate’s Last Note!NOT Nate’s Last Note!NOT Nate’s Last Note!

Our Vision & ValuesOur Vision & ValuesOur Vision & ValuesOur Vision & Values A loving community making disciples of Jesus Christ A loving community making disciples of Jesus Christ A loving community making disciples of Jesus Christ A loving community making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.for the transformation of the world.for the transformation of the world.for the transformation of the world. We are committed to We are committed to We are committed to We are committed to 1. Following Jesus1. Following Jesus1. Following Jesus1. Following Jesus 2. Transformational LOVE!2. Transformational LOVE!2. Transformational LOVE!2. Transformational LOVE! 3. Authentic Relationships3. Authentic Relationships3. Authentic Relationships3. Authentic Relationships

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Strategy:Strategy:Strategy:Strategy:

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Leisure Ministries Reservation Form ____ Yes, I/we am/are interested in attending the Leisure Ministry Luncheon on Wednesday, May 8th, 12 noon, in the church Fellowship Hall. Enclosed is $________________ for ____ reservations at $7.50 per person.

____ Yes, please sign me/us up for Disciple study, "Jesus In The Gospels" on _____ Mondays, 6:30 - 9:00 pm, or _____ Tuesdays, 9:30 am to 12 noon, beginning Sep-tember 9 and 10. Enclosed is $___________ ($49 per person), or ______I/we will pay when the class begins.

NAME(S):__________________________________________________________

ADDRESS(ES):_____________________________________________________

E-MAIL ADDRESS(ES): ______________________________________________

TELEPHONE(S): ___________________________________________________

Make checks payable to "St. Marks United Methodist Church" and bring or send to: LEISURE MINISTRIES, St. Mark's United Methodist Church, 2030 N. Hwy. A1A, In-dialantic, FL 32903.

Leisure Ministry LuncheonLeisure Ministry LuncheonLeisure Ministry LuncheonLeisure Ministry Luncheon

Leisure Ministry Events Leisure Ministry Events Leisure Ministry Events Leisure Ministry Events By Ernest BortnerBy Ernest BortnerBy Ernest BortnerBy Ernest Bortner

Wednesday, May 8th, Noon Wednesday, May 8th, Noon Wednesday, May 8th, Noon Wednesday, May 8th, Noon Wednesday, May 8th, 12 noon, in the church Fellowship Hall, is the date and time of our next Leisure Ministry Luncheon. Donna Riley and the Kitchen Team is preparing a full course luncheon featuring ham and all its trimmings. Nobody can top our Kitchen Ministry! And the price is right, namely, $7.50 per person. Why not call one of your friends and take them out to lunch! A real treat.

Then too, the program should be of interest to all of us. With us will be a group of medical professionals from different backgrounds and expertise who see the need to EMPOWER Seniors. EMPOWER stands for "Educating Melbourne & Protecting Our Wellness & Entitled Re-sources." Many seniors wait too long to ask for help and make uninformed decisions when a crisis hits. Better to understand the resources available to our entire Senior Community before a crisis oc-curs.

Home Instead Senior Care with provisions for home health care will be a primary focus. The panel will also have expertise in Assisted Living Facilities, Elder Law, Estate Planning, VA Aid and Attendance Benefits, Hospice, and Skilled Nursing Facilities (Rehabs). Here is your chance to meet, listen to, and ask questions related to health care resources.

All are welcome. Use the Reservation Form to sign up!

reach

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connect

GriefShare is for those who have lost a loved one by death, be it a spouse, child, parent, grandparent, friend. We meet on Mondays, 10:30am to 12 noon, in Room 12. Facilitators include Quilla Cartee, Sharon Apon, Pam Court, and Pastor Ernest. If you or someone you know is experiencing grief over the loss of a loved one, you (or they) are most welcome to attend. No need to sign up! Simply come. We use a study manual, professional video, and group discussion as a means to deal with grief. A cy-cle is 13 weekly sessions. We are currently in our third cycle. This ministry is biblically based and open to the community. Questions? Call Pastor Ernest at 777-0645.

GriefShare Brunch &

Town Meeting (aka COM)

May 12, Noon

Sit down and eat with someone (every

2nd Sunday) as the Kitchen Ministry pro-

vides a brunch for your enjoyment. The

cost is $5/person - but there is a family

rate, too! If you can stick around at noon,

we gather together to talk about the direc-

tion of the church and provide updates on

the status of the pastoral transition. Don't

miss it! This is your church. Invest in it!

Pastoral Transition NewsPastoral Transition NewsPastoral Transition NewsPastoral Transition News As Pastor Nate and family prepare to move to Zambia in June, we want to keep

you up to date on the transition and how it is all going. So here are some key facts

and dates:

Sunday, May 5 The new pastor for St. Mark’s is introduced

(though not likely in person)

Sunday, June 2 Pastor Nate's last Sunday at St. Mark's

Tuesday, June 4 The Steurys fly to Zambia

Monday, July 1 The new pastor begins at St. Mark's

Pastor Nate will be going out during pastors’ school as usual this year and this is a year for a class to graduate. St. Mark’s has historically bought bikes and Bibles for beginning pastors during the even num-bered years, then given a $100 graduation gift to each of the graduating pastors during the odd numbered years.

Pastor Nate, during this last visit learned that a number of the pastors graduating from the Congo pastors’ school do not have bicycles – and there are about 25 of them! Then there are about 18 pastors

graduating in Zambia who we would like to gift with a commentary and monetary graduation gift. That’s a lot of money at about $140 each – about $6,000. Think we can do it before Nate leaves June 4?

Supporting African PastorsSupporting African PastorsSupporting African PastorsSupporting African Pastors

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Sit down and eat with someone (every 2nd

Sunday) as the Kitchen Ministry provides a

brunch for your enjoyment. The cost is $4/

person - but there is a family rate, too! If you

can stick around at noon, we gather together

to talk about the direction of the church and

provide updates on the status of the pastoral

transition. Don't miss it! This is your church.

Invest in it!

Don't forget that the 4th Sun-

day of every month you can be treated

to 4 'f's:' Faith, Fun, Food & Fellowship!

Every month our theme is different

with a focus on one of the 4 verbs in

our strategy: Reach, Connect, Form,

Serve. Here's what's coming in March

and April! May 26 – Memorial Day Concert

and Service to our military families!

Don’t miss this opportunity to Connect

with each other and Serve those who

serve this country. More details com-

ing in your Worship Opportunities –

but Save the Date! V&B Ministry is an attempt for volunteers to

reach out to the sick, lonely, shut-ins, and oth-

erwise physically and emotionally challenged

who may benefit from a visit, phone call, and/

or a friendly note from someone at church. We

have a great team. The next team meeting will

be Saturday, June 8, 10:00 am, at Pastor

Ernest's house. Please disregard other days and

times since, for one reason or an-

other, it was necessary to

change them.

Interested in

being in-

volved? Have

questions? Call

Pastor Ernest at

777-0645.

F4UN Day

(the 4 is silent!) Noon, 4th Sunday of May

Vine & Branch Ministry

Brunch and Brunch and Brunch and Brunch and 'Town Meeting''Town Meeting''Town Meeting''Town Meeting' 12pm, Sunday, May 1212pm, Sunday, May 1212pm, Sunday, May 1212pm, Sunday, May 12

Bake Sale

The Lydia Circle will be hosting a bake sale on Sunday, May 5th. The pro-ceeds will go to-wards Under the Son Preschool. Stop in, get a goodie, and support this worthwhile program.

Sunday, May 5th

Happy Birthday!!

May

June

Leslie Spahr May 1

Benjamin George May 2

Joe Smith May 2

Heather Barnes May 3

Parker Boone May 3

Elinda Steury May 4

Bill Curtis May 7

Lori Baldwin May 7

Jacob Iparraguirre May 10

Rachel Watkins May 10

Ginny Wilson May 11

Milly Childress May 11

Tripp Rhem IV May 11

Patrick Osborne May 12

DeAnn Burchfield May 13

Sharon Apon May 15

Rich Sienkiewicz May 19

Eric Sorensen May 20

Gerald Bell May 20

Laurie Giniewski May 20

Betty Dean May 21

Cyndi Sweet May 21

Jen Vescelus May 22

Kevin Bowman May 22

Carl Adams May 23

Kayla Bock May 23

Dave Warren May 25

Dylan Wilde May 26

Julian Foster May 27

Will Giniewski May 27

Harry Jenkins May 28

Nathan Steury May 30

Tom Skibinski May 30

Jasmine Johnson June 2

Kimberly Starry June 3

Ted McGuire June 3

Bob Ketchum June 4

Sharon Houchens June 5

Janice Frederick June 6

Ariane Staples June 7

Carol Aumann June 7

Kathy Areshidze June 8

Lindsey Herring June 9

Megan Eldredge June 9

Chris Coble June 10

Angela Brown June 11

Jay Melton June 11

Becca Bowers June 12

Brian Parkhurst June 12

Mike Fischer June 12

Danny Keene June 16

Dori Hughes June 16

Josh Wildenthaler June 16

Roseanne Morales June 18

Tyler Marine June 18

Dana McLaurin June 19

Elly McInnis June 19

Cara Cagney June 20

Grace Record June 21

Jan Roper June 21

Lori Callahan June 21

June Pustelnyk June 22

Calvin Cagney June 23

Delayne Wells June 23

Allison Terry June 25

Riley Welcelean June 25

Keira Caster June 26

Mary Michael June 27

Jess Williams June 13

Keiden Garrett June 14

Quilla Cartee June 14

Happy Anniversary! Josh & Kayla Wildenthaer

May 5

Alan & Jane Mast May 10

Gene & Jan Semple May 12

Ken & Milly Childress May15

Edward & Miriam Dudek May 16

Jeff & Kim Krupinsky May 21

Joey & Sandra Meggs May21

Chris & Jen Vescelus May 22

Jim & Elaine Butts May 27

Jay & Sharon Essick May 30

Ernest & Martha Bortner June 1

Tim & Bonnie Chatterton June 2

Patrick & Laurie Giniewski June 15

Dave & Bonnie Warren June 15

Rick Rooney & Jennifer Nylander June 17

Joe & Martha Bellasalmo June 19

Gary & Sharon Houchens June 20

Derall & Lora Garrett June 29

Tom & Carol Kray June 29

Harlan & Liz Rise June 30

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Calling men of church and community interested in bible study, you are invited

to attend the weekly Saturday morning bible study, 8:30 - 9:30 am, at church,

Room 12. We are currently studying the gospel of John. We have coffee, snack

breakfast food, lively discussions, good fellowship, and prayer. Bring your bible,

or one will be supplied at the meeting. Our average attendance is 14. Mick

Rineer, Chris Patrick, and Gary Houchens take turns in being our bible study fa-

cilitators. Mac McInnis is President; Mike Fesler, Secretary; and David Bock,

Treasurer. Questions? Contact Pastor Ernest at 777-0645.

Starting Sunday, April 21 through Nate’s last Sunday (June 2), we will look together in worship at the Lord’s Prayer and, hopefully at the same time, learn to pray as never before. Nate has chosen this as his last topic to preach about largely because he sees it as the most important thing of all – communication with Christ. We will take a look at a phrase from the prayer each week as follows:

4/21 "Our Father, who art in heaven..."

4/28 "...hallowed be thy name."

5/5 "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

5/12"Give us this day our daily bread..."

5/19"...and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."

5/26"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

6/2 "For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."

form “Lord, teach us to pray”“Lord, teach us to pray”“Lord, teach us to pray”“Lord, teach us to pray”

Nate’s final worship seriesNate’s final worship seriesNate’s final worship seriesNate’s final worship series————Don’t miss it!Don’t miss it!Don’t miss it!Don’t miss it!

Men’s Fellowship Gathering

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9

Many have taken advantage of Disci-

ple 1, 2, 3, and 4. Now, "Second Generation

Disciple" has sprung up and there are those

who want to dig into that bible study. The

theme of the course is "Jesus In the Gos-

pels," with the goal of getting to know more

about Jesus. The sessions will be 2 1/2 hours

long and require daily bible study in prepa-

ration for the group meetings on Mondays,

6:30 to 9:00 pm in individual homes or Tues-

day mornings at church, Room 12, 9:30 to

12 noon. A pre-request is Disciple 1 or a

good understanding of the bible. If you

have questions, see or call Pastor Ernest at

777-0645. The cost for the study manual

and supplemental materials is $49.00.

The Monday evening class will begin

September 9th. The Tuesday morning class

will begin September 10. Each class is lim-

ited to 10 people. Use the Reservation Form

to sign up.

Second Generation Disciple

Wild, Dangerous,

ALIVE! Are these the attributes of a godly man? Think

back to your boyhood: Remember the boy-

hood dreams that had you tracking dangerous

villains, swinging swords, and storming the

castle? Adventure is what God planned for

you, John Eldredge invites you to join him in

this passionate, daring, and Wild at Heart

video series.

Be part of this life-changing, multi-media ex-

perience, John and his band of brothers will

show you how God can help you fulfill the vi-

sion He has for your life, and how to be the

man He wants you to be.

Thursdays, 6:30Thursdays, 6:30Thursdays, 6:30Thursdays, 6:30----8:30pm8:30pm8:30pm8:30pm

St. Mark’s Youth Room

Starting May 9thStarting May 9thStarting May 9thStarting May 9th

8 Week Video Study8 Week Video Study8 Week Video Study8 Week Video Study

Dinner included

(suggested donation $5)

Contact Derall Garrett for more infoContact Derall Garrett for more infoContact Derall Garrett for more infoContact Derall Garrett for more info

Cell: 813Cell: 813Cell: 813Cell: 813----748748748748----4423442344234423

Email: derallgarrett@gmail.comEmail: derallgarrett@gmail.comEmail: derallgarrett@gmail.comEmail: derallgarrett@gmail.com

Pastor Nate will be involved with three different communities in the ministry in Zambia. The first community is the Zambian pastors – Nate hopes to provide retreat opportunities and resource the pastors as he is able through the district superintendents. The second community is a small group of about 12 Zambian business men and women whom Nate hopes to take through a three year journey of transformation through discipleship and business training. The third community is the community around Kafa-kumba Training Center through the ministry of the local church, where Nate will be the English-speaking pastor and work alongside the Bemba-

speaking pastor, whose name is…Pastor Nate (not Steury).

Elinda will be finishing her doctoral dis-sertation with the hope of receiving her doctorate in nursing, so will be very busy with her work on malaria. Mark will be involved with a soccer min-istry and Lindsey will be going to an International School and helping raise her two new nephews or nieces (neither is born yet).

Please keep each of them in your prayers. If you want to get their e-mail updates, contact them at nesteury@me.com and ask them to put you on their e-mail list- if you don’t have e-

mail, let them know your address. Thank you for supporting them through this transition!

Spring brought new beginnings to Under the Son. We have caterpillars, which have formed their chrysalis and will soon be-come beautiful butterflies. Our chicken eggs will be hatching into little chicks, which will be guests at our school for a few days. We will be holding a celebration of our school year on May 14 at 6:30. Students, families, and all friends of Under the Son are invited to at-tend. There will be singing, a special pres-entation, and recognition of our VPK class as they will be heading for kindergarten in the fall.

We are looking forward to the coming school year with our returning students and also new friends. At Under the Son we en-courage children’s cognitive development and prepare them for kindergarten. We also strive to nurture children with compassion as we share God’s Love. Presently, we have 4 team members, which have their Bachelor’s

degree in Education while the others have obtained Staff Credentials or are working toward them. This shows the impor-tance our staff puts on increasing their knowl-edge as they strive to meet each child where they are academically, physically, emotionally, and spiritually while encouraging each child to reach the next level. We believe each child is unique and children develop at differ-ent rates. Our school is blessed to have our staff; women who love God, love His chil-dren, and work together to make our school a safe, loving, and caring environment. If you would like more information about UN-DER THE SON PRESCHOOL, please email: beth@stmarksa1a.org

Under the Son Preschool

What’s Nate going to be doing in Zambia?

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serve

After their visit

to our sister

church in

Cuba, La

Nueva Jer-

salen, the Cuba

Missions team

has become aware of some

of the church’s more pressing needs.

The church is in need of classrooms. They meet

in an open area and carry the pews back and

forth to the sanctuary for worship. The desire of

the congregation is to make that area into a Fel-

lowship Hall and put a second floor above it for

classrooms. They would also like to complete

the pastor’s office. The cost for this work is ap-

proximately $15, 700.

The church has two missions:

1. The Airport Mission—so named because it is

near an old airport and there is a village there. A

worship service is held there now with palm

fronds as the cover and pews of chairs, benches

and railroad rails. There is a one room brick

house with a small kitchen where the missionar-

ies live. This property is available for approxi-

mately $1,200.

2. The Cristino Mission—The church holds ser-

vices in a courtyard in this thriving sugar cane

community. A lot is available there for approxi-

mately $500. The land would provide a space to

worship as well as plant crops to help supply

food for the local people.

Our Cuba relationship is known as Methodists

United in Prayer. Please keep our sister church,

Pastor Alexis and Diana and their family, and

their needs in your prayers. We also have a dedi-

cated Cuba Mission Fund. If you wish to contrib-

ute, please indicate “Cuba Mission” on your do-

nation.

The church in Cuba is alive and growing!

Cuba MissionsCuba MissionsCuba MissionsCuba Missions

We will begin hosting homeless families in August/

September and every 4 months thereafter for a week at a

time. The initial 5 families are now being carefully se-

lected. Thanks to your generosity we have collected all of

the items necessary to house them. However, we still

need volunteers to fill some service needs and to pur-

chase a few grocery items during the weeks we host.

Thank you for supporting this valuable ministry. If you

would like to assist with this ministry please contact Alice

Pavlock, apavlock830@gmail.com, (240) 793-6273

Family Promise of Brevard

NON-PROFIT ORG.

U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPAIDPAIDPAID MELBOURNE, FL

2030 N. Highway A1A

Indialantic, FL 32903

The Messenger is also available online at:

www.stmarksa1a.org