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

"The Messenger" Online Newsletter

August 13, 2024

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I know not everyone is a fan but I cannot wait for football season to begin. The roar of the crowd, the strategies unfolding on the field, and the camaraderie of cheering for my favorite team are all part of what makes football season so special.

In football, success depends on teamwork, perseverance, and a clear understanding of the playbook. Similarly, in our Christian life, we are called to work together as the body of Christ, encouraging and supporting one another as we pursue our common goal of living out God’s love. Just as a team must rely on each player to fulfill their role, we too must use our unique gifts to serve others and advance God’s kingdom.

I'm grateful for your presence on the St. Mark's team. Let's make this a great season in the life of our church.

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

Tommy

"No Longer Strangers" Sermon Series

Ephesians teaches us how to be a community worthy of the gospel. In the midst of interpersonal conflicts, we are reminded that we are in Christ Jesus. We are "no longer strangers" to God and no longer alienated from each other.

Using the lectionary passages from Ephesians, we're going to explore what it looks like to live rooted in reconciliation with God and with our neighbor. Join us as we highlight the keys to living as a community of faith!

Upcoming Scripture Passages:

Aug 18: Ephesians 5:15-20

"A Faith That Works" Sermon Series Begins September 1st

The book of James stands unique in the New Testament for its no-nonsense, practical, proverbial wisdom. For James, faith is to be expressed outwardly, to improve one’s relationships with others and to help those in need. Faith is not something that should be kept to oneself and faith challenges a culture that sees very little value in religion at all.

Upcoming Scriptures:

September 1, 2024: James 1:17-27

September 8, 2024: James 2:1-17

September 15, 2024: James 3:1-12

September 22, 2024: James 3:13,4:3, 7-8a

September 29, 2024: James 5:13-20

Wednesday Night

Food Truck Wednesdays have concluded.

See you at Wednesday Night Together AUGUST 28!

Special thanks to Niki Thomas for being our Food Truck Coordinator this summer!

SAVE THE DATE!

WEDNESDAY NIGHT TOGETHER Returns August 28^th

Food, Fellowship, Faith and Fun for all ages!

We are excited to welcome back THE SWEET ADDICTION catering and the United Methodist Men.

To check out the menu and fellowship and learning options this fall - Click Here!

5:00 p.m. FREE MEAL, Reservations Needed

Menu: Chicken Teriyaki Sliders, Sweet Potato Fries,

Pasta Salad, Full Salad Bar, and Ice Cream Sundae Bar

6:00 p.m. Speed Gaming Event in the Gym

Your Favorite Games in Velocity, plus Cool Prizes!

Meet New Friends and Church Family Members!

Children, Youth, and Adults are Welcome!

No Athletic Ability Required! Everyone is Invited!

You are invited to help save a life on August 28th!!

On 8/24/24, St. Mark’s UMC is excited for the opportunity to live out our faith through action by helping to save lives. We are partnering with the American Red Cross to hold a blood drive, and we need your help to make it a success. It has been almost five years since our last Blood Drive. St. Mark’s has a long history of actively working with the American Red Cross previously hosting 38 events collecting over 780 units of blood!

Whether you support our drive by donating blood or just help spread the word about our drive through social media, you help save lives. Come out on Wednesday, 8/28 and let others know why blood donation matters to you. Remember:

• Every 2 seconds someone in America needs blood.

• Each blood donation can help save up to 3 lives.

• The Red Cross must collect 14,000 units of blood each day.

• Blood collected by the Red Cross helps patients in over 2,400 hospitals across the country.

• 80 percent of blood donations are collected at blood drives hosted by organizations like ours.

News!

The St. Mark’s Music Ministry is ready to resume in September. We welcome singers for chancel choir, Christmas Cantata, SONLight Choir, Children’s Choir and Women’s and Men’s Chorales. We also need additional Hand Bell Ringers.

NEW!!!

Dust off your instrument, tune up together and make a joyful noise unto the Lord. Welcome to all ages! Please contact HyeLan Pearce if you are interested in contributing to this ministry.

Date/Time Change for Charge Conference

Our District Superintendent, Rev. Ryan Bennett, has asked to reschedule our Charge Conference as our new episcopal leader, Bishop David Graves, has scheduled a cabinet meeting that day. Our new date is Wednesday, November 20, at 5:30 pm. Please make note of this change.

St. Mark's UMC as a sanctuary

The land cared for at St. Mark's provides a number of creatures with a sanctuary where they can rest, from rabbits to geese, bees to mourning doves. Just as we should be good stewards of people, so should we be good stewards of the earth.

Click to see a few animal visitors :)

Bless the Youth with your superior cooking skills!

(or pizza)

We are seeking volunteers willing to provide "Fellowship Dinners" for our St. Mark's Youth. These fellowship dinners are essential to creating a welcoming, comfortable space for our Youth where they know that they are cared for. Providing a meal can mean preparing something homemade or just simply ordering takeout (I'd be happy to place the order for you and pick it up myself, according to your preference). All Fall dates through December are now available for signup: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E48A8A823ABFFCE9-49452723-stmarks

Make a difference in the life of a child!

Everyone needs a friend, but some children need extra adults in their lives to help them learn, give them encouragement and love, and serve as a role model. Being a friend/mentor/buddy to a Reeves Rogers student provides this opportunity. MEN are especailly needed and encouraged to serve!

Mentors are matched with one student for the school year, and meet with that student at the school 15-30 minutes weekly, bi-monthly, or as your schedule allows. It is a meaningful and fulfilling ministry!

For more information, contact Mary Jane Henry (615-631-1902), Margie Jennings (615-202-7840), or Peggy Jackson (615-260-1817).

ADULT EDUCATION SESSION ON THE PROPHETS

Not wanting to overlook The Grand Sweep’s reading of the prophets, we have recently scheduled an additional learning session for all involved in Adult Christian Education on the Prophets at 9:15-10:15 a.m., August 25th featuring Dr. Dan Boone, President, Trevecca Nazarene University. To learn more about Dr. Boone, click here.

NEW WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY COMING THIS FALL!

Need a lift in your week? Join together in study with other women seeking to be faithful disciples. Thursdays, 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. beginning August 22^nd in Room 1203, led by Patti Daws.

Please purchase your own book! Nursery care provided.

Complete the 2024-2025 Children’s Ministry Registration Form!

Please complete your child’s registration form by the end of August! Our Safe Sanctuaries policy requires parents to complete children’s registration forms annually. This up-to-date information helps us keep families better informed! Click the link to access the digital form. https://forms.gle/SVLJvtPXjsvn2eEv6

If you don’t already have a copy of the 2024-2025 Children’s Ministry Calendar, you can access it here. We hope your family will plan to join us at these upcoming events!

Register for Wesley in the Woods by August 26^th!

The TWK Conference is offering a spiritual formation retreat for 5^th – 8^th graders on September 13-15. This retreat will provide opportunities in line with our shared Wesleyan heritage for worship, connection, service, spiritual formation, and fun! The cost is $140 per person. Checks should be made out to “St. Mark’s UMC”. Please don’t let the cost be the reason your child doesn’t attend. Contact Hannah or Louis to discuss scholarships opportunities. Use the link below to register by August 26^th.

Fill Registration Form

Music Ministry

It is time to resume St. Mark’s Music Ministry for this fall! I hope you are excited to come back or join the ministry.

Here is the music ministry rehearsal schedule:

• Chancel Choir (weekly)

Starting August 21 (Wed) at 7pm-8:30pm

in the choir room

• SONLight Choir (weekly)

Starting September 8^th (Sun) at 4pm-4:45pm

in the choir room

• Children’s Choir

TBD

• Sanctuary Ringers (weekly)

Starting September 9^th (Mon) at 6pm-7pm

in the music room

• Chancel Ringers (weekly)

Starting September 8^th (Sun) at 5pm-6pm

in the music room

• Women’s Chorale

TBD

• Men’s Chorale

TBD

Please let me know if you have any questions. I am so excited to be in ministry with YOU!!

HyeLan

Adult Ministry

Adult Ministries Welcomes the Fall!

• THE GRAND SWEEP special adult learning session on the Prophets on Sunday, August 25 ^th featuring Dr. Dan Boone.

• Wednesday Night Together returning soon!

• WNT Opening SPEED GAMING Event

• Make a difference in the life of a child – Be a Mentor!

• New Women’s mid-week Bible Study coming this fall!

Click here for details.

Student Ministry

The 'End of Summer, School's a Bummer Party' closed out summer break with a bang on August 11th, and Karaoke Night returns to the Sunday Evening Youth Gathering on August 18th!"

Click here for all news.

Children Ministry

The 2024-2025 Children's Ministry year is off to a great start!! Click for more information about the upcoming Wesley in the Woods Retreat, Children's Ministry Registration Forms, Annual Calendar, New Children's Fellowship/Mission Groups, and more!

Click here for details.

SAGES News

The latest adventures of the Sages included a covered dish luncheon on Friday, August 9. There were over 50 people present – good food, fun, and fellowship.

The Sages Ministry Team met on Monday, August 12 to continue planning for the year. Thanks to everyone who attended.

The next meeting of the Sages Ministry Team will be Wednesday, September 11, 9:30 AM in Room 503-505.

The Alzheimer’s/Dementia Support Group will meet Thursday, August 22, 1:30 PM in Room 503-505. Dr. Sherry Galloway will be our special guest. Everyone is invited.

“Adventures In Learning” is coming up September 9, 16, & 23, 2024, from 9:00-12:00 on each of those days. The location is First United Methodist Church, Murfreesboro. There are many different offerings and interest groups available. Registration blanks are in the church office. Registration deadline is August 31. Our own Jeff Henry is Chair of the AIL program.

The Sages will go to the Midway Diner for breakfast on September 27. The bus will leave at 8:30. Please sign the Sages Book in either the church office or the narthex.

We have updated the Sages homebound/caring list. If you would like to add someone, please contact Cindy Flippin.

On Mondays our Sages continue to re-purpose the flowers from Sunday worship and make visits to share them with our members and others who are homebound, in the hospitals, or in care facilities.

Upcoming Sages’ events include a trip to The Top Of The Rock in Jasper, Tennessee, and the Center for the Arts in Murfreesboro. To make reservations for any of these activities, please register anytime in the office or the Narthex. Look for the Sages book of activities and you will find all the activities catalogued.

This year each week/month we are again offering worship experiences at five different SAGES Assisted Living and Memory Care Centers. We thank Wayne Bradshaw who is now conducting a worship service on Mondays at the Long-Term Care Facility of Adams’ Place. Thanks, Wayne.

Please join us for an outing. We believe you will enjoy it.

Mission Teams Updates

Reeves Rogers Partnership

St. Mark's has been in partnership with Reeves Rogers for 10 Years! We hope to "regrow" our Mentoring Program now that schools are open to visitors again. Mentoring just means being a buddy or a friend to a student you are matched with. Mentors spend about 15-20 minutes a visit talking, reading or playing games. Schedules are worked out with the teacher, and a mentor can visit weekly, twice a month, or as your schedule allows. If you are interested or want to find out more about the program, please contact one of the following: Mary Jane Henry (615-631-1902), Margie Jennings (615-202-7840) or Peggy Jackson (615-260-1817).

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 Sunday is:

August 18 (one bouquet)

September 15 (one or both bouquets)

October 6 (one or both bouquets)

December 1 (one or both bouquets)

December 15 (one or both bouquets)

December 22 (one bouquet)

December 29 (one or both bouquets)

No other 2024 dates are available, but there are many 2025 dates. Call 615-893-3455 for more information.

Upcoming Calendar

Wednesday, August 14

11:00 a.m. Rutherford County UM Clergy Gathering - Banquet Hall/Kitchen

6:00 p.m. Grand Sweep #1 - Banquet Room

7:00 p.m. Summer Young Adult Volleyball League - Rec Center

Thursday, August 15

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

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

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

Friday, August 16

10:00 a.m. Grand Sweep #2 - RM 503/505

Saturday, August 17

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

9:00 a.m. Middle TN Choral Society Board Meeting - RM 405

Sunday, August 18

9:15 a.m. Christian Education

10:30 a.m. Worship - Sanctuary

4:00 p.m. Grand Sweep #4 - RM 504

4:00 p.m. GriefShare - RM 405

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

Monday, August 19

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

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

Tuesday, August 20

10:00 a.m. Note Writers - RM 506

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

6:30 p.m. Preschool Administrative Board Meeting - RM 503/505

Wednesday, August 21

Optimistic Garden Club - Banquet Room/Kitchen/Narthex/Garden

4:30 p.m. Food Truck Wednesdays - Banquet Room