The world marks Earth Day each April 22. Earth Day is an annual event to demonstrate support for environmental awareness and protection.

All United Methodists are called to be good stewards of our planet. One of our Social Principles about the Natural World explains: “All creation is the Lord’s, and we are responsible for the ways in which we use and abuse it. Water, air, soil, minerals, energy resources, plants, animal life, and space are to be valued and conserved because they are God’s creation and not solely because they are useful to human beings.”

This Sunday, we will highlight the critical responsibility we have as disciples of Jesus to care for the earth that God has provided as our home. It is the only home we have. We can make a difference. We can help turn things around for future generations. Are you all in?

If you're planning on dusting off your bookshelves or cleaning off the counters and have run out of cleaning supplies, consider creating your own biodegradable cleaning mixture.

Harsh cleaning supplies can pollute the environment - which can be a problem for people and wildlife alike. Studies show that one common ingredient in cleaners, alkylphenol ethoxylates, cause reproductive issues in wildlife exposed to polluted waters.

Homemade cleaning products can contain less harmful chemicals, and they're a zero waste alternative because they don't require plastic packaging like items from the store.

Here are three recipes for greener cleaning agents to spruce up your home -- without polluting the environment with single-use plastic or harsh chemicals.

As a special gift this coming Sunday, the Church and Society Team will be giving out packages of two rolls of bamboo paper towels.

Caboo tree-free household paper products are made from renewable bamboo and sugarcane – not trees! It’s bamboo’s strength and sugarcane’s softest fibers that make Caboo the softest, safest and most sustainable household paper products on the planet.

Bamboo is a fast-growing grass (it can grow back in as little as three months!). It also does not require re-planting.

Using tree-free products like Caboo, reduces over-logging and deforestation.

Caboo bamboo paper is as soft as it is sustainable. Bamboo’s natural fibers also make it strong, plus these paper products are 100% biodegradable.

You can pick up your package of towels as you exit through either of the side doors on the left and right sides of the chancel.

Click here for more information.

Pastor Todd, Pastor Shawna, Contemporary Worship Praise Team Leader – John Glenn, Sally Boggs – Worship Ministry Team Chairperson, and Jeff Weicksel – Council of Stewards Chairperson met on Tuesday, April 13, 2021 to begin the process of moving forward with starting a contemporary style worship service in our Saint Mark Center on Sundays.

  

Lavonne Sloop and family on the death of Lavonne’s sister, Kathie Ashley, who died on Friday, April 9, 2021 in hospice care following treatments for endocrine cancer.

To Dick and Carolyn Ellenburg on the birth of their new great-granddaughter, Alice Anne Owens on April 12, 2021. Alice Anne was born in the Prisma Health NICU in Greenville seven weeks early. Thank you for your prayers for Alice Anne and the entire family.

Ginny Argue - Recovering at home from surgery on broken hip on March 25.

Jane Donovan – Aunt of Jane Harlin has been in the hospital anticipating open heart surgery to bypass three blockages in the near future.

Bob and Gwen Fink – Friends of Alan and Marlee Price. Bob is a long-time friend, former Rabun County Commissioner, and a great man. Has COPD and numerous medical challenges, COVID among them, and is in final stages with Hospice of Rabun County.

Charlie Fox – Recent accident caused pelvis to break in two places. 4-8 weeks to heal. Thanks for prayers for recovery.

Patch Haley – family member of Lura and Woody Wyatt. Patch finished his 12th day of radiation. The next step is 6 rounds of immunotherapy starting in a few weeks. Unfortunately, Patch has some diminished heart function so they are waiting for medications to reach a therapeutic dose to be sure he is healthy enough to start this immunotherapy. Thanks for your continued prayers and thoughts.

Chris Hanzel – 49 year old stepson of Florence Hanzel, who lives in Akron, OH – Having heart issues and wearing heart monitor so doctors can discern path forward.

Nancy Wilson - Friend of Elaine Swanson - Has been diagnosed with lung cancer and is undergoing treatments.

We suspect that there are other needs that we aren't aware of at this time. Thank you for your patience as we get through this time of recovery and social distancing. We are trying to stay on top of the needs as we become aware of them. Click here to send your prayer requests to Pastor Todd.

You don't want to miss this great 3-minute video showing highlights of this year's Easter Hunt on Easter Sunday, April 4. In this year in which we have experienced shut downs, stress and anxiety, it is great to know that our children' have returned to church once again to learn about Jesus and how to be His disciple. This video of our Saint Mark children will surely brighten your day.

We will tell you who created this adorable video next week. Watch for the exciting news.

During worship this past Sunday, April 11, we marked one year since the EF3 Tornado struck Seneca the day after Easter, Monday morning, April 13, 2020. Together, we celebrated the faithfulness of God and of those selfless disciples who poured into the Adams and Utica communities almost immediately to begin relief efforts . . . that continue even today.

Enjoy this slide show above highlighting the clean-up and recovery efforts.

You did it again, Saint Mark! As you can see by the photo, the Safe Harbor van was filled by your recent donations of large totes/purses, hair care products, and many “Birthday Boxes!" The trunk of the van is deceptively deep, and it was more than filled by your generosity!

If you are curious about the use of the large purses and totes, women who come into Safe Harbor for refuge usually come with only the clothes on their backs, sometimes just pajamas, as their arrival can occur at anytime during the day or night. In fact, the Safe Harbor volunteer who picked up our donations was awakened at 3 am to assist a new shelter arrival, so she requested not to be in the photo! She explained that the bags and purses are used for “welcome” bags of hygiene products, including hair care essentials and other necessities to help incoming clients get settled.

The “Birthday Boxes” are self-explanatory, as it often happens that the birthday of a child occurs while they are in the shelter. The boxes provide an opportunity for a mom to treat her child on their special day.

Saint Mark United Methodist Women (UMW)

For more information, click here to contact Bob Graves.

To make your reservation, click here to contact Becca Williams, Director of our Child Development Center

Guest Speaker for the Day Apart: Brigitte Stephens, Executive Director of Helping Hands of Clemson. Brigitte will share how the money and donations are used to benefit the children they serve.

You can pre-register for the Day Apart at adumwcc@aol.com. When you do, a Zoom link will be sent to you.

Miriam sang the refrain back to the women: "Sing to the Lord for this overflowing victory." Exodus 15:21

Ladies, click here to register. Or contact Toni Love at (704) 560-2853.

Many of you have commented on how much you have enjoyed and appreciated having Victoria Arnold with us over the past year as our ministerial student intern. She has proved, beyond a doubt, that she has the gift for leading worship and bringing the Sunday morning message. Her final Sunday with us will be next Sunday, April 25, when she will be preaching for us one last time.

After worship that day, you will have the opportunity to express your love and appreciation to her.

This year's Saint Mark Festival will be celebrated on Sunday, May 2, 2021. Worship will begin in the Sanctuary at 10:15 am, and we will be celebrating Saint Mark's faithfulness in making an impact on the world for Jesus Christ.

One special way Saint Mark's faithfulness will be highlighted is through our guest preacher for worship, the Rev. Paige Matthews Wolfe.

Rev. Wolfe is a native of Seneca, where she grew up attending Saint Mark UMC. She is the daughter of Susan and Jim Matthews. Paige is a graduate of Wofford College and Emory's Candler School of Theology. She is an ordained deacon in the South Carolina Conference and currently serves as the Minister of Christian Education at Central UMC in Spartanburg. Paige and her husband the Rev. Andrew Wolfe are the proud parents of three lively children.

In addition, our worship will be enhanced with leadership from our Chancel Choir, Gospel Choir, and the Furman Brass Quintet. A Celebration of Holy Communion will be included in our time together.

We will be celebrating the work of our Council of Stewards who have created an "Affirmation of Life Together" - a congregational covenant which highlights our hopes and expectations of living out our faith, and changing lives together as Christ's church in this place. We will also be dedicating a new beautiful quilt highlighting the symbols of our faith made by Saint Mark disciple, Jane Harlin. We have plans for the quilt to be displayed in the church.

Following worship on Sunday, May 2, everyone is invited to join together on the front lawn for a "Mortgage Burning," celebrating Saint Mark paying off our mortgage debt in February 2021. Our children's choir will sing for this celebration, and all present will have an opportunity to symbolically light a copy of the mortgage pay-off notice.

The mortgage burning will be followed by a pizza party! You don't want to miss this great Sunday in the life of our great church!

In conjunction with our Saint Mark Festival on Sunday, May 2, there will be Saint Mark's second quarterly Blood Drive, this time with The American Red Cross. Donors who have already received the COVID-19 vaccine, whether the first shot or both, are still able to donate. You just need to know which vaccine you have received (Pfizer, Moderna, etc.)

For more information click here to contact Saint Mark disciple, Sarah Weaver.

Each year, Epworth Children’s Home provides care to children in our own communities who have experienced abuse, neglect, and loss. Epworth’s care breaks the destructive cycle and encourages children to aim higher in life. The physical, emotional, academic, and spiritual care they receive transforms their lives.

On Sunday, May 9th, 2021, our congregation will support Epworth by collecting the Annual Epworth Mother’s Day Offering. We invite you to give generously to the children who call Epworth home.

Epworth does not receive apportionments from the United Methodist Conference. This offering is our opportunity to support this vital ministry. There are several ways to give.

Click here for more information and to register.

Frank and Dottie Carbee have been faithful Saint Mark disciples and church leaders over the years. They moved to Rolling Green Village in Greenville on March 3. They want you to have their address to stay in touch.

They shared that they will miss their Saint Mark family, and we will certainly miss them.

Saint Mark disciple, Robert Price, has been approved for a Habitat house! As part of Robert’s obligation we, as a church and broader community, need to provide 100 hours of labor on Habitat houses under construction or on his house. Robert, himself, must complete 150 hours of sweat equity, of which he has already completed about 16 hours. His house will be started after he has done 100 of his hours.

Habitat requires that its actual working hours be restricted to Monday, Thursday, and Saturday between 7:30 am until 11:30 am. Children under the age of 18 are not allowed on site during these hours, but can work on site with landscaping, painting, clean-up, etc. on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday or after 11:30 am on the work days.  Adults can join in with the Habitat work crews from 7:30 to 11:30 am and any other time that is convenient.

Friends and volunteers can start now on other houses, working toward the 100 hours that his friends can donate. If you work, you must check in with the site supervisor upon arrival and receive a ”job” to do. The supervisor will orient you and your group. You must register with the superintendent in order for Robert to receive credit. Houses currently under construction that you can work on are on East Pointe Dr. in West Union

Directions :

WHAT A GREAT WAY to show Christian Love, get some fresh air, and have a GREAT TIME !!!

For more information, click here to contact Joe James.

The Aesthetic Committee will be collecting crosses for the Gallery of Crosses, located in the hallway behind the sanctuary. Crosses may be donated in memory or honor of any family member and/or friend. The crosses received prior to May 1 will be hung for the Saint Mark Festival on May 2.

Crosses received after May 1 will be hung as soon as possible.

If you have any questions, please click here to contact Joyce Carney, or call her at (864) 882-4256

Sound, Projection, and Live Stream Volunteers Needed

Volunteers are needed for the control booth to help our worship services run smoothly. Behind the scenes jobs for camera, projection, sound, and lights are needed immediately. Each worship service requires one person for each of these volunteer positions. That is four volunteers for each worship service every Sunday. The plan is to utilize volunteers on a rotating schedule, so you wouldn't work every week.

If we can get enough volunteers to help we may be able to resume the contemporary service sooner rather than later. No experience is required and training will be provided in order to step right into one of the four operating positions.

If you are interested, please call Jens Holley at the church office at (864) 882-2603 and volunteer your services at your earliest convenience.

First, thank you, thank you for your generous tithes and gifts during this unprecedented time of uncertainty. We wouldn't be able to support the mission and ministry of Saint Mark without your one-time or regular giving.

The giving of your tithes and offerings continues to be as important now as ever. There are multiple ways for you to practice the discipline of stewardship, and experience the joy of generosity. It’s your generosity that supports the many ministries of Saint Mark which are making a difference in the lives of many in our church and community each day.

To keep your giving up-to-date, you may use one of the following ways to make sure your pledge remains up-to-date:

Again, thank you!!

Please note this complete list of upcoming events and meetings.

Click here to pre-register

Contact: Marian Stillwell

Contact: Debbie DuBose

Monday, April 19

5 pm

Room A201

Contact: Marla Fuller

Contact: Janet Figueroa

Contact: Emily Sluder or Donna Gordon

To Register, click here

Contact: Peter Salis

Sunday, May 2

8:30 am - 1 pm

Contact: Sarah Weaver

Sunday, May 2

9 am

Room A204

Contact: Jens Holley

Contact: Pastor Todd Davis

Commons Room

Contact: Mona Fleming

If the information above about your class, group or meeting is not correct, please click here to contact Marla Fuller.

Although we have lifted some of our restrictions regarding meeting in-person, Zoom meetings are still an option. If you would like to schedule a Zoom meeting for your class, group or team, click here to contact Marla Fuller.

If your class, group or team plans to return to meeting in person, please click here to notify Donna Jaynes so that she can make sure the room is available and so that she can add it to the building usage calendar. Thanks for your help!

For more dates and details, click here to view our church calendar on the Saint Mark website.

In order to make the Clemson Area Pledge to End Racism something that becomes an integral part of our daily lives, we offer a workshop to reflect, learn, and practice how to develop and maintain this commitment. This workshop is for people who have signed the "Pledge" and for those who are considering signing it. Our hope is to build a strong, multi-faith foundation for continued collaborative anti-racism work in the Clemson area. We plan to continue offering this workshop and to provide additional opportunities for learning and growth related to racism and oppression in the future.

The primary goal of this workshop is to develop confidence in our abilities to:

As part of the workshop, participants develop a community of support and an understanding of how to use that support to deepen our work in building a just and equitable world.

To learn more, and to register, click here.

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Check Out Our Entire Church

Click here to see what is going on at Saint Mark this week and in the weeks to come.

Visit our Saint Mark website! Click here. Check out our "Business of the Church" menu.

Do You Need to Reserve a Room or Space at Saint Mark?

Click here to contact Donna Jaynes.

Quick, easy and available HERE

Watch Last Sunday's Service of Worship Today 

If you were not able to attend worship on any given Sunday, you can still watch and enjoy the entire service of worship by clicking here.

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.

Click here to view the entire Saint Mark 2021 Ministry Guidebook with information about church structure, leadership and ministries.