July 12, 2020 – 6th Sunday after Pentecost
WORSHIP
Everything remains on our current schedule. 10AM, Lord’s Supper for those present.
Bulletin/Worship Link Here – July 12th, 2020
Zoom (same as before): https://zoom.us/j/6458485288
Devotion & Prayer Thought
Part of the package of building our house was one tree in the front yard. Ours got planted and for a year or two seemed okay, but it never seemed to grow. And then it started simply to die. It leafed late and shed early. Then all the branches on one side died. I cut them off and pitched them and fed around it, hoping that maybe it would figure out ways around. Meanwhile most of the neighbor’s tress were flourishing. Finally, as I stared at the pathetic blighted and mangled tree in my front yard, I decided it was time. We dug it out, cut it up and sent it on its way. We replaced it with a cherry tree that promises pink flowers in the spring and bright orange leaves in the fall. No word about the cherries which I assume will be for the birds.
How much of life feels like that poor first tree? Why did this one fail to thrive while all the others were fine? Why did everything done to help it do nothing? Why did it take ten years to do something? In some ways that is a good metaphor for our life with sin. We are planted sick. And all the goodness of the earth can’t change our direction. And our wills are completely tapped. Why bother if the ground is so bad? But Isaiah urges another view. God’s Word goes out and it accomplishes what it intends, it succeeds for what it was sent. And the Word of God certainly goes out to proclaim the wages of sin which are death. But the Word of God also goes out “giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater.” It goes out to change the ground “making it bring forth and sprout…Instead of thorn shall come up the cypress, instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle…it shall make an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”
I pray that my little cherry tree will thrive where the prior ground proved unfruitful, that it may not be cut off. Likewise we pray for the Lord to send the rain and snow of the Word that changes hearts. “That we might go out in joy and be led forth in peace…and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.”
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES FOR WEEK OF: July 13th – July 19th
Mon., Wed., Fri.: ……… 8:00am Summer Camp (Preschool)
Thursday: …………….. 10:00am Bible Study
Sunday: …………………. 9:00am Bible Study and Sunday School
10:00am Worship
BIBLE STUDIES
- Thurs 10am: : We are reading the book of Zechariah, the OT Revelation and the most quoted from book in the passion accounts in the NT. We are up to Chapter 9, both live in person and on zoom. Same link as the service. The start time is 10, but we probably talk 15 mins or so first. Everyone is invited!
- Life Application Fellowship (LAF): Keep a look out here and in your email for future plans for LAF.
- Confirmation: Will return in the fall – September
- Sunday Morning: We’ve taken a little break, which I’ve needed to make sure things are set up prior to service. This will return, but it might be September as well. Pending the pandemic course, there are some things with our Sunday schedule that we might have to address.
- Catechism Moment: We finished the Creed this past week. We will be moving on the the Lord’s Prayer. It is slow work, but I am also moving over prior “Catechism Moment” emails to the church website. It takes about a year to pray through the catechism weekly. Eventually I hope to have a current (within the last year) gloss on the entire catechism that we will be updated on that rolling basis. If you missed an email, or just lost it in the all the rest, it will be on the church website as well.
SAVERS DELIVERY … July 31st
Savers delivery is scheduled for Friday, July 31st at 10am in Webster. Please contact Mindy or Ellen if you have a large vehicle and are available to drive a load of stuff to Webster. (Of course, afterwards you are free to ‘Second-hand shop”) We are also still accepting donations of clothes (accessories and shoes) and household fabrics.
WOMEN’S GROUP MEETING … July 20th
Several women have expressed an interest in having an in-person meeting, so, with this in mind we will be having a meeting at church on Monday, July 20th for those wishing to join us in person. Supper will be served at 6pm with social distancing being practiced. The meeting will commence at 6:30 on Zoom for those who prefer to not to attend in person. Please contact Mindy if you plan to attend the dinner so we can plan accordingly.
MEN’S CLUB MEETING … July 20th
Jerry Gardner is hosting the Men’s Club at his home on Monday, July 20th at the usual time of 6pm. The sign-up is posted on the bulletin board or you may call Jerry if you would like to attend.
MOWING CALENDAR
It is mowing season again (it beats shoveling season!) and at St. Mark we ask the men of the congregation to donate a few hours to cut the grass. The good news is that we have a riding lawn mower for the majority of the work. This summer’s mowing calendar is now posted on the bulletin board (across from the Conference Room windows); please take a moment to look at it and enter your assigned date on your personal calendar. Friday or Saturday mowing is the preferred timeframe. We ask that you make arrangements with someone else on the schedule if you have a previous commitment on the date you are assigned. There is a white tin in the News Nest that contains a key for the church and the padlock combination as well as Jerry’s cell number for an emergency. If you have any questions please contact Jerry Gardner.
Leadership Boards Summer Break
Elders are taking off July & August from formal meeting. Council will be taking off July.
Bulletin Note
This goes out to everybody’s email that I have. That email version also contains birthdays, anniversaries, contact info, financial stuff, etc – anything that might contain personal info. I cut out all that stuff for the web version. So, if you want all that stuff, and you aren’t getting it right now, contact me or Mindy and we will make sure your email is on the list.
