The newsletter for St. Mark's UMC in Murfreesboro, TN

"The Messenger" Online Newsletter

September 23, 2025

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From the Senior Pastor...

We are midway through our At Home series, reflecting on what it means to belong--to God, to each other, and to the church. But belonging isn't just a feeling that happens on its own. It grows when we take intentional steps to help others know they matter.

Here are a few simple but powerful ways to create a sense of belonging:

1. Notice people. A warm smile, a handshake, or learning someone's name communicates "You are seen." People often decide within minutes whether a church feels like home.

2. Make room. Whether it's scooting over in a pew, pulling up another chair at a table, or inviting someone into a conversation, small gestures show that there's space for them here.

3. Introduce people. If you meet someone new, help them connect by saying, "Let me introduce you to a friend of mine." It helps newcomers feel like part of the family right away.

4. Share invitations. Instead of just saying goodbye after worship, invite someone to join you for coffee, a class, or an upcoming church event. People are far more likely to return when they've been personally invited.

5. Practice attentiveness. Look around for someone sitting alone or standing by themselves and take the initiative to approach them. That small act can make a big difference.

Thanks for all that you do to make St. Mark's a place where everyone can truly feel at home.

It is a privilege to serve God as one of your clergy.

Tommy

Food, Fellowship, Faith, and Fun for All Ages!

Featuring food preparation and service by

THE SWEET ADDICTION catering and

St. Mark’s United Methodist Men.

Next Week’s Menu, 9/24:

Dijon-Glazed Pork Loin with Mixed Vegetables, Scalloped potatoes, Rolls, Salad Bar, Apple Crisp

Reservations Due on Monday Prior!

Adult Classes and Groups, 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.

CALLED TO JOURNEY, CALLED TO WELCOME:

A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE ON IMMIGRATION

The Bible is a story about migrant people, from Abram and Sarai to Jesus himself. Come explore what the scriptures and the United Methodist Social Principles say about immigration and our response to the immigrants in our midst. September 3 – 24, led by Rev. Martha Touchton in Room 402/404.

NOW YOU'RE COOKING! Join Butler Touchton for NEW ADVENTURES IN BAKING this Wednesday, September 24th, including Hands-on learning about Yeast Rolls, Sausage Rolls, Cinnamon Rolls, and other yummy delectables. Bring your apron!

Next Wednesday, October 1st, join Tammy Howell for INVESTMENT COOKING FOR TWO with FREEZER FRIENDLY RECIPES Don't be stumped by how to prepare delightful and affordable meals for just the two of you - let Tammy help!

BOOKS OF FAITH: The Gospel of Luke, this Wednesday, September 24 – Lesson #8 with Rev. Loyd Mabry in the Banquet Hall. The Gospel of John study begins October 1st; pick up your book today!

COLLEGE STUDY SESH: Need a little peace and quiet among friends? We’ll be studying every Wednesday in our regular space, Room #502.

Coming Soon – Register Now!

SAVING GRACE: A GUIDE TO FINANCIAL WELL-BEING

SAVING GRACE helps people of faith create healthy relationships with money and bring their financial lives in line with their faith values. This is a completely confidential approach to concrete guidance on saving, earning, giving, spending, debt, and building a sustainable financial plan. Six Sessions, October 1 – November 12. $20 per person. Led by Rev. Mike Waldrop.

More info about Saving Grace

News!

Fall Festival is November 1^st!

St. Mark’s Fall Festival will be on Saturday, November 1^st from 4-6 p.m.! All ages are invited to attend. Bring your kids, grandkids, neighbors, and friends!

If your adult Christian Education class or group is interested in hosting a carnival game, please email Hannah Underwood by Monday, October 13^th. An email will be sent out to adult Christian Education classes/ministry leaders this week with more information.

Fall Festival Donations

St. Mark’s Family Ministries is collecting the following items for the upcoming Fall Festival:

· Candy

· Yum Earth Allergy Free Candy

· Prizes for children

· Monetary donations to help cover the cost of dinner for visitors

Please place all donations in the blue bins located in the Narthex. Thank you for supporting this community event!

New Women's Bible Study

The Thursday morning Women's Bible Study will be starting a new study on the book of Proverbs on October 2, next week! The class meets in RM 1203 at 9:00 a.m. Contact Patti Daws or Martha Touchton for more information.

Wesley Pickleball Tournament

The Wesley Pickleball Tournament has been rescheduled for October 25th beginning at 9:30 at St. Mark's UMC. Two divisions: "Just for the Fun of it" and "We're a little more competitive." $50 per team.

More info!

Final Softball Games

The game last night was rained out, therefore next week will be our final regular season game, Tuesday, September 30, 6 and 7 PM on StarPlex Field 3. We will also be in the playoffs! For that, we will play at 6:30 p.m. in a single elimination tournament on October 7th. We would love to see you there!

Sunday Night Youth Meals

If you are looking for a way to become more active in the lives of our young people, let me know! We have many ways in which you can volunteer. One of those is to provide a meal for the youth on Sunday nights. If you, your Sunday school class or just a group of friends would be interested in doing this, please click the link below.

Upcoming Youth Meals Needed: Oct 12, Nov 2, and Nov 9

College Ministry

All college students and friends are invited to be part of the College group, meeting Sundays, 9:15-10:15 a.m. in Room 502 across from the church office. A light breakfast is served, everyone is welcome, bring a friend!

BOOKS OF FAITH

FINAL STUDY:

The Gospel of John

Join the conversation as we open the scriptures and dig deeper into the Gospels. These focused studies allow time to savor and enjoy the stories of Jesus and his disciples more fully. Each study uses a guide for reading a few chapters of the Gospel each week with a devotional focus and also offers a format for reading the entire gospel.

The next and final study in this series for 2025 will be the Gospel of John, which focuses more on theological discourse, prayers, and conversations of Jesus, presenting a unique and profound portrait of Jesus as the eternal Word made flesh. This 8-week study begins in late September and concludes before Thanksgiving. Study books are available for $10 each; email martha@stmarkstn.org for more information.

Weekly study groups include:

Fridays, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. led by Claudia Hunter in Room 503/505, beginning 9/26

Sundays, 9:15 – 10:15 a.m. led by Rev. Martha Touchton in Room 504, beginning 9/28

Wednesdays, 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. led by our retired clergy beginning 10/1

SAGES News

The Sages have an outing to Emma’s Restaurant in Manchester on September 24. The bus will leave the church at 10:00 AM. Please sign up in the church office or the narthex. Look for the book!!

The next meeting of the Sages Ministry team is Monday, October 13 at 9:30 AM in Room 503-505.

The Alzheimers/Dementia Support Group will meet Thursday, September 25 in Room 503-505. If you are caring for someone who has dementia, or if you just want to learn more about the disease, or to be supportive, you’re invited.

Thanks to all who participated int The Annual Adventures in Learning Program.

Please check out all our Wednesday evening programming. Many different activities are offered. You can find a reference to them in this newsletter. The Study of the Book of John is available on Wednesdays at 6 PM., Fridays (10:00 AM), Sunday, (9:15).

We look forward to the delivery of Communion to our homebound members in the month of September. That will continue monthly with the support of our Sages.

Thanks to Wayne and Nancy Bradshaw, who continue to offer worship services at Adams’ Place on Mondays and Saturdays.

And remember, each Monday SAGES deliver the Sunday altar flowers to our homebound and nursing home residents.

Thank you, Sages!

Music Ministry

Recognition of Director of Children's Music Ministry Mrs. Kathy Edwards

With mixed emotions, we announce that Mrs. Kathy Edwards, our distinguished Director of Children’s Music, will be retiring on October 5^th after 33 years of serving our church. While we are sad to see Mrs. Kathy go, we honor her contribution to the growth of our children’s music program through her excellence and leadership.

On October 5^th during the Sunday Worship, the children’s choir/SONlight Youth choir will sing one of her favorite songs “I Am A Small Part Of the World”

I Am a Small Part of the World (2-Part), by Sally K. Albrecht & Jay Althouse – Score & Sound - YouTube

If you sang under her direction in past years, please come and join us and sing this beautiful song with our children’s and Youth choirs to honor Mrs. Kathy Edwards’s ministry.

Here are the rehearsal dates and times:

October 5^th (Sunday)
Warm up at 8:45am
Sing at the 10:30am Worship Service

If you see her around, be sure to say Thank You for her Ministry!

Dr. Clark Performance at MTSU

Dr. Adam Clark offered a program on Friday, September 12 at 6:00pm in MTSU's Hinton Hall as part of the MTSU Keyboard Artist Series. He performed Rachmaninoff's 3rd Piano Concerto in a new arrangement for piano and string quintet. The program also included Bach's Piano Concerto in D Major. He was joined by MTSU professors, Bryan Hayslett and Andrea Dawson, along with local artists, Emily Walsh, Katja Yeager, and Tiffany Freeman. Rachmaninoff's 3rd Piano Concerto is one of the most challenging and celebrated works in the piano repertoire. It is well known for its dazzling virtuosic displays and sweeping lyrical themes. If you missed it or want to hear it again, the performance is FREE to view on the MTSU School of Music YouTube page!

View the Concert

Missions Updates

Red Bird Christmas Kids

ATTENTION ALL SANTA’S ELVES!!! Mrs. Claus has already started shopping for our Red Bird students for Christmas (due to upcoming shoulder surgery in October). Thanks to these elves who packed the students’ school supplies/hygiene items in their boxes on 8/27/2025!!

If you or your Sunday School Class are interested in adopting Red Bird kid(s) for Christmas, please contact Karen Alexander at (615)477-4244 and/or send check for $125 per student to the church office (check to St. Mark’s UMC with a designation “Red Bird Christmas”) at your earliest convenience. We will be needing several elves to wrap in November, so please let Karen know if you want to help!

Preschool Updates

Fundraiser alert!

St. Mark's Annual Trike-a-Thon Fundraiser

Now Thru October 22

Support your preschooler with a contribution in their name! Or, if you just want to contribute to the total, you can do that, too. We appreciate your support!

Contribute Today!

Please Share Your Love and Appreciation of Samantha Daniel for her many years of service as a teacher and director at St. Mark's Preschool!

Cards baskets are available around the church; all cards will be collected and delivered to Samantha on Friday, October 3rd.

St. Mark's Preschool Brochure

From the Office...

Printed Directories

There are copies in the office ready for pick up for those who reserved a copy of the printed directory. They are free; however, a small donation of $5 from each person would cover the costs involved with printing.

You can still request to join the online directory. Please email directory@stmarkstn.org if you need assistance getting plugged in to the online directory. If there are updates to your contact information, or if you would like to opt in or out of the directory, please send those requests to directory@stmarkstn.org before next year's printing in July 2026.

What's Next?

In the coming months, we will send more information on how to use the online directory to those who opt in.
Email any questions or concerns to directory@stmarkstn.org.

Flower Dates Available

The flowers on the altar each Sunday are available to be sponsored in honor of in memory of loved ones. To reserve a date, please call the church office or sign up on the Flower Calendar at the receptionist desk in the church office.

Each bouquet (there are two per Sunday) is $30 which can be paid by placing a check in the offering plate with "Flowers" on the memo line or contacting the church office for other arrangements.

The next available Sundays are:

October 26 (one or both bouquets)

November 2 (one or both bouquets)

November 9 (one or both bouquets)

November 16 (one bouquet)

Several more 2025 dates are available. Call the church office at 615-893-3455 for more information.

Upcoming Calendar

Wednesday, September 24

SAGES Trip to Manchester - Van 2018

3:30 p.m. Chair Yoga - RM 1203

5:00 p.m. Wednesday Night Together Dinner - Banquet Hall

6:00 p.m. WNT Classes, Kids Connections, Youth Bible Study, College Study Sesh

6:00 p.m. Books of Faith: Luke - Banquet Hall

7:00 p.m. Chancel Choir - RM 1119

Thursday, September 25

9:00 a.m. Women's Bible Study - RM 1203

10:00 a.m. Quilting Bee - Banquet Hall/Kitchen

10:30 a.m. Knitting - RM 503/505

1:00 p.m. Wedding & Funeral Policies Meeting - RM 405

1:30 p.m. Alzheimer's/Dementia Support Group - RM 503/505

4:00 p.m. Mission Team Meeting - RM 405

6:30 p.m. ACOA Meeting - RM 503/505

Friday, September 26

10:00 a.m. The Books of Faith: Luke - RM 503/505

Saturday, September 27

8:30 a.m. AA Group - RM 503/505

Sunday, September 28

9:15 a.m. Christian Education

9:15 a.m. The Books of Faith: Luke - RM 504

10:30 a.m. Worship - Sanctuary

11:30 a.m. Birthday Buddies - Narthex

3:00 p.m. GLOW Kids make Wesley Fall Break Bags - Banquet Room B

4:00 p.m. Little Lights make Wesley Fall Break Bags - Banquet Room B

4:00 p.m. Bible Study - RM 1203

4:00 p.m. GriefShare - RM 405

4:00 p.m. SONlight Youth Choir - RM 1119

5:00 p.m. Chancel Ringers - RM 1117

5:00 p.m. Youth - Rec Center/Youth Center/Banquet Hall

Monday, September 29

10:00 a.m. Watercolor Class - Banquet Room

5:00 p.m. Cub Scouts - Banquet Hall/Rec Center/Youth Center/Kitchen/Select Classrooms

5:30 p.m. Big Book Group - RM 503/505

6:00 p.m. Sanctuary Ringers - RM 1117

Tuesday, September 30

9:30 a.m. Note Writers - RM 506

10:00 a.m. Staff Meeting - RM 503/505

5:00 p.m. Girl Scout Troop #2408 - RM 212

Wednesday, October 1

3:30 p.m. Chair Yoga - RM 1203

5:00 p.m. Wednesday Night Together Dinner - Banquet Hall

6:00 p.m. WNT Classes, Kids Connections, Youth Bible Study, College Study Sesh

6:00 p.m. The Books of Faith: Luke - Banquet Hall

7:00 p.m. Chancel Choir - Choir Room 1119

Thursday, October 2