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We have been set free! To what end? ~ Pastor Alex

• Golden Corner Food Pantry
• Ann Hope UMC Feeding Ministry
• Collins Children's Home

SUMMER VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

AT THE FOOD PANTRY

Summer is always a challenging time at the food pantry. Kids are out of school eating three meals a day at home instead of just one or two, so the number of local residents visiting the pantry can spike at this time of year. Plus, many of our volunteers are taking trips or hosting extended family from out of town. On any given day, we might find ourselves missing 5-10 of our regular volunteers. Can you help?

People are needed on weekdays from 8:30 am -12:30 pm

to help sort food and stock the shelves, help clients shop for their food in the "grocery store" part of the pantry, or load cars once the clients are finished shopping. We can also use help on the first Saturday of every month, except for July 4th, when we will be closed in observance of Independence Day.

If you can help out this summer, whether for one day a week, or one day a month, please visit our website at goldencornerpantry.org and click on "Volunteer" for more information or to sign up as a volunteer. Our clients are all low-income residents of Oconee County, and they are very appreciative of the volunteers who help them feed their families when they can't make ends meet. 

LAY LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Every Christian has a calling. God calls each of us to serve

in one way or another. In the coming months, the Lay

Leadership Committee will be seeking out the people God

has called to serve in various ministries in this church. We

need your help.

You should be receiving an email with a link to an online

form. You may also CLICK HERE to link to it. You may also

contact Lay Leader Peter Salis or Pastor Alex Stevenson.

We appreciate your participation.

Happy Birthday to Josh Spoelstra, Director of Youth Ministry, on Tuesday, July 7th. CLICK HERE if you'd like to send Josh well wishes.

INTERDENOMINATIONAL COOPERATION

Through apportionments, Saint Mark supports the worldwide ministry of the church. Apportionments are the funds that we give for the ministry of the larger United Methodist Church, and they would make up about 8% of

our annual budget, if we included them all. Today we are highlighting the apportionment for the Interdenominational Cooperation Fund.

John Wesley said, “Is your heart as true to mine as mine is to yours? If it is, give me your hand.” Cooperation with other Christian churches has always been a hallmark of Methodist faithfulness. The Interdenominational Cooperation Fund empowers us to maintain ties with other Christian churches and coordinate with them to witness to the love and grace of God in the world. “Our relationships with other Christian denominations enable us to witness together while respecting our unique traditions and distinctions and to engage in ministries that foster justice, mercy and peace in God’s world.” The Interdenominational Cooperation fund helps us participate in the National Council of Churches, the Pan-Methodist Commission, and the World Council of Churches. For more information on the Interdenominational Cooperation Fund go to UMC.org/icf.

“Our-portion-ment” for the Interdenominational Cooperation Fund is $133 this year. Only half of that has been included in the budget for 2026. Please give faithfully so that Saint Mark can, hopefully, support all these apportionments in full.

Church Finances through the Month of May 2026

Expected Contributions to Date $ 407,088.46 

Received Contributions to Date $ 440,349.13 

Expenses Paid to Date $ 389,021.69

Uplifting Campaign Status through the Month of May 2026



Amount Pledged through 5/31/28 $ 364,702.00 

Outstanding Amount to Date $ 177,377.81

A detailed Analysis of Revenues & Expenses is posted on the bulletin board outside the church office.

ENDOWMENT SURVEY RESULTS

Last month your Endowment Committee developed a congregational survey to assess the level of interest in Planned Giving at Saint Mark. 56 disciples completed the survey. The highlights from my perspective were as follows:

• 100% of respondents have a Will
• 10 indicated they have already included Saint Mark in their Will
• 23 said they are “Likely or Very Likely” to consider including SM in their Will
• 37 indicated they’d be interested in attending a Lunch & Learn on Planned Giving

Thank you for participating. I’m excited and encouraged by the responses. Click here to see survey results.

Bob Graves, Chairman

Endowment Committee

RECAP OF 2026 ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Pastor Alex, Rodger Chapman, Bob Stillwell, and Marian Stillwell attended the South Carolina Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, held in Greenville on June 7-10. They have shared their take-aways from the conference via video. CLICK HERE to watch!

CLICK HERE to read "What happened at Annual Conference" provided by the South Carolina Advocate.

CLICK HERE to email Pastor Alex with your prayer concerns.

CHRISTMAS IN JULY has become a part of the Marvin’s Kids tradition of helping to make Christmas brighter for families in our community. 2026 will be the eighth year the Marvin’s Kids team has signed up toy shoppers in the height of summer, giving us a head start on building the inventory of toys required to stock Santa’s Secret Shop in December.

Typically, 140+ children, from infants to age eighteen,

receive the gifts their parents or guardians choose from the

wonderful selection provided by Saint Mark disciples.

Sign-ups will begin Sunday, July 5 and continue each Sunday through the month of July.

CLICK HERE for details.

CLICK HERE for the Family Ministry newsletter

to see all that's happening with children and youth!

Consider supporting this year's WACKE camp by donating small paper plates or cups for snack time. We will be using about 75 of each, EACH DAY! In our Visual Arts Station we will be making crafts out of recyclable materials, so bring in some cans, cardboard, plastic, etc. and watch it turn into a masterpiece! If you have the available time, we are still in need of 2 more adults to be shepherds. You will guide a group through all the stations, along with a youth helper, and make sure they get were they need to be. No prep or teaching required, just a great attitude for joining in the fun! Please drop off supplies to Julie's office by Monday, July 20th. For more information about anything WACKE, please contact Julie. 

• July Birthdays
• Pickle Ball Mondays
• Church Directory on Your Mobile Device
• Need a Replacement Name Tag?