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The blood of Jesus the Lamb of God protects us.

~ Pastor Alex

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

A New Mission Outreach Opportunity 

The Saint Mark Mission & Service Team has accepted an invitation to partner with The Dignity Project to provide feminine hygiene products to women in need in Oconee County.

Pink collection bins have been placed near the entrances to the atrium. The most needed items are regular and overnight pads, regular and super tampons, panty liners, and ½ gallon zippered storage bags.

Please help us fill the bins with the requested items. The disciples of Saint Mark are always generous, and we trust that you will support The Dignity Project.

Saint Mark Mission & Service Team

CLICK HERE to learn more about the Dignity Project.

On Sunday, September 13, we will have an opportunity to invest in the lives of children and families through Epworth’s Annual Work Day Offering. I invite you to join me in supporting this important ministry.

Our gifts help Epworth provide the care, support, and services that children, youth, and families across South Carolina need to heal, grow, and thrive. In recent years, Epworth has expanded its programs to meet the growing needs of children and families throughout our state, and our

support makes that work possible.

Please prayerfully consider how you can help make a difference in the lives of those served by Epworth. Thank you for your faithful support of this life-changing ministry.

Nell Hodge, Epworth Local Church Representative

CHRISTMAS FAIR - UPSCALE RESALE!

It's that time of year again ... time to start thinking about our Christmas Fair for Missions! And a very important and popular part of our Fair is always the Upscale Resale shop. Please start collecting treasures you are willing to donate and set them aside. You can begin bringing your donations to Room 207 on October 1 and can continue to donate until December 1. 

We do not accept clothes, books or DVDs. Our best sellers are always the Christmas-related items -- anything Christmas is always the first to go. We also love to get jewelry and novelty items. We don't accept any computer or other electronic items. We also won't accept anything that is not brought upstairs to Room 207. 

Anything that does not sell will be donated to the Wilderness Way Girls Camp Thrift Store. In advance, thank you for your generosity and for helping us raise money for worthy mission projects in our community.  If you have questions, please reach out to Nancy Evatt or

Mary Jane Duggins.  

Church Finances through the Month of July 2026

Expected Contributions to Date $ 569,923.85 

Received Contributions to Date $ 585,275.08 

Expenses Paid to Date $ 546,136.16

Uplifting Campaign Status through the Month of

July 2026



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

Outstanding Amount to Date $ 152,017.81

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

REMINDER: Expense Reimbursement Procedure

Adherence to the established expense reimbursement procedure is required to maintain financial accuracy, meet auditing standards, and eliminate unnecessary administrative delays.

Approved Ministry Team leaders must execute the following steps for all reimbursement requests:

• Verify Available Funds: Confirm the purchase falls strictly within your authorized annual budget or designated account limits before initiating the transaction.

• Provide Exact Details: Every submission must explicitly identify the budget line item or designated fund to be charged, provide a written explanation of the specific church business purpose, and include the recipient's mailing address.

• Obtain Prior Signatures: It is the requester's responsibility to secure all required approval signatures BEFORE submitting the documentation.

• Submit Complete Documentation: Provide the fully signed receipt, voucher, or invoice to the Administrator in a timely manner. Standard expense reimbursement forms are available to facilitate this step.

Incomplete submissions that lack required details or signatures will be returned to the originator for completion.

Don't miss out!

Have you signed up to attend the Planned Giving Lunch & Learn on September 13th?

(see below )

Come learn "Everything You Need to Know about Planned and Endowment Giving" from the Endowment Committee with special guest speaker, Rev. Bob Vincent, President of the South Carolina United Methodist Foundation. A light lunch will be provided, and a Q&A session will follow the presentation.

Please RSVP to Beth Baker by Thursday, September 10.

CLICK HERE to email Pastor Alex with your prayer concerns.

PECAN SALES FOR MISSIONS: The United Women in Faith are selling extra large Georgia pecan halves. Each one-pound bag is $15. These will also be sold at the Mission Faire in December, but we are having advanced sales to give a head start to holiday baking!

Pre-orders will be taken via email by Ilene Lund (click on the blue link) now until October 20. Pick up will be on Sunday, November 1 and Sunday, November 8 in the atrium after the Celebrate! service and in the narthex before and after traditional service.

We prefer cash or check, but credit cards will also be accepted.

SERMON SERIES ON EXODUS

The Exodus was a formative event in Israel’s history and an important part of our faith story. God redeemed Israel out of slavery in Egypt and led them to the Promised Land.

On August 23 we began a sermon series on the Exodus. We will be continuing this series next week and into October. The remaining dates of these sermons are below:

September 6: Exodus 12:1-14 “Exodus: Lamb of God”

September 13: Exodus 14:19-31 “Exodus: Surrounded”

September 20: Exodus 16:2-15 “Exodus: Manna”

September 27: Exodus 17:1-7 “Exodus: Water”

October 4: Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20

“Exodus: Commandments”    

October 11: Exodus 33:12-23 “Exodus: God”

INTERGENERATIONAL

RECHARGE! SEPTEMBER 16

Come one and come all to our Wednesday night Recharge meal and entertainment on September 16. Our fellowship meal will begin at 5:15 pm followed by a "People Bingo” night. 

To celebrate the different generations at Saint Mark, we will fill out unusual bingo cards by “mingling around” and learning about each other. It will be a fun night of bringing our church family together.

Note: Invite your friends and neighbors. The Evangelism Committee will pay for first-time guests' meals!

The menu will be Roasted Pork Loin, Creamed Potatoes with Gravy, Green Beans, Rolls, Dessert and Beverages.

RSVP to Donna Jaynes by noon Tuesday, September 15.

Join Sandy James and Linny Ledbetter as they lead a

10-week Women’s Bible Study of God of Covenant: A Study of Genesis 12-50, by Jen Wilkin. Classes will begin Thursday, September 17 at 10:00 am.

PLEASE NOTE: BEGINNING DATE CHANGED TO MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21ST.

In the Bible, we have four books that tell the story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These gospels offer us four different perspectives on the meaning and importance of Jesus and his ministry and miracles. Beginning on Monday, September 21st, and hopefully finishing before Thanksgiving, we will look at these gospels in parallel, looking at how they are similar and different in the way they tell the same basic story.

Come join us on Mondays at 11 am in the Table Talk Classroom (A201) for these studies. Contact Pastor Alex with questions.

Our third Intergenerational Lunch & Learn will be a fun interactive session on Sunday, Sept 27 from 12:30-2 in the Commons Room. Anyone is welcome to attend, whether you participated in a previous session or not. You will hear about what our team learned at our most recent training and have the opportunity to discuss and give feedback about some potential goals to set for 2027. Please RSVP to

Julie by Thursday, September 24 and reach out with any questions. 

All Children, Youth and Parents (who don't already have a Sunday School Class) are invited to participate in Family Ministry Sunday School. We meet in the Youth Center for activities and lessons for all ages. There is breakout time for youth discussion and children's mini lessons too! Any parents are welcome to attend alongside their kids as we all learn together. Josh, Lisa and Julie take turns facilitating the class and follow the lectionary texts for each Sunday. This was tested over the summer with overwhelmingly positive feedback! Saint Mark Family Ministry Sunday School is a place to build community and grow in our faith together. Reach out to Julie for more information. 

CLICK HERE for the Family Ministry newsletter 

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

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

FLOWERS NEEDED FOR FALL

We have many vacancies on the sanctuary flower calendar for September and October. Please consider donating flowers to beautify the sanctuary during worship service. And remember, our Caring Ministry will share those flowers afterwards with disciples who are homebound or in medical facilities. Contact Sarah Boylston with questions.