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October Events Authentic Faith
O ctober - when the weather starts to turn cooler, the leaves start to blaze and the earth starts to remind us that warm days should not be taken for granted. Soon enough there will be snow!
October in Christianity begins with World Communion Sunday and ends with All Saints Sunday. We start by remembering we are united in faith across the world. Within the magnificent diversity that is humanity there is a core of unity - God's image in each of us. What joy!
At the end of the month, we remember that life is fleeting on this earth. We will all say good-bye to this place in order to be reunited in God's realm. Sorrow and joy flow mingled down. We call out the names of the saints who have gone before us, and become more determined to honor their memory.
Connecting these two Sundays, we will worship this month around the theme: "Authentic Faith" after the scripture from 2 Timothy 1:5 "I am reminded of your authentic faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois, and your mother Eunice. I'm sure that this faith is also inside you."
In October we will talk about the things we have learned from saints of our faith - John Wesley, John Calvin, Martin Luther, etc. and also the saints we have known and loved here at St. Mark's. We will talk about the essentials of authentic faith and how we live it and pass it on. I'm excited! I hope you are too and will look forward to joining me in worship!
See you next Sunday!
Pastor Sarah
1 Grayye Matters
5 UMM Program
6 VNA Flu Shots
13 Coffee with Pastor
15 Good Lunch Bunch
15 JFON Event
23 UMW Program
23 Deadline for Winter Clothing Donations
31 Trunk or Treat
Upcoming: November
Ingathering
Election Day
Feed My Starving Children
Thanksgiving
St. Mark’s Matters October 2019
Join us for the St. Mark’s Third Annual Trunk or Treat:
October 31st from 5-8 pm
A trunk or treat is a Halloween event where people gather and park their cars in a large parking lot. They
open their trunks, or the backs of their vehicles, and decorate them. Then they hand out candy from their
trunks. The event provides a safe family environment for trick or treaters.
We have the parking lot… we have the people… and we have a neighborhood full of trick-or-treaters! Last
year we had 20 cars in our lot and welcomed approximately 75 neighborhood kids. Our goal for this year is 25
cars and 100 kids! Not sure that decorating is your thing? Help us by baking pumpkin bars or providing apple
cider as treats for parents!
Stuck for decorating/costume ideas? Here are a few:
Traditional Halloween favorites like bats in a cave, a witch with cauldron, spiders and web, etc.
A 70s theme: throw in some shag carpeting, hang a disco ball, wear tye dye and wigs. You could do other
decades as well.
Dress as a clown and fill your trunk with balloons
Dress as a zookeeper and have lots of stuffed animals surrounding your area.
Decorate your trunk as the back of a boat with fishing poles for hooking candy
Beach or luau theme
NASCAR
Harvest theme
Sports themes
Movie themes
Camping out theme
Pirate theme
The possibilities are truly endless! Don’t forget to decorate yourself as part of your theme. Sign up sheets will be available in Fellowship Hall and you can email [email protected] to sign up as well. You don’t have to know your theme to sign up for a spot – remember our goal is 25 cars. Questions? Contact Children’s Council Chair Laura Lage or Deacon Chris.
Grayye Matters is a book group that meets at 9:30am the first Tuesday of every month. This month, we’ll be meeting on Tues., Oct. 1 at the Pizza Ranch, 171 Hwy. 1 West. At this meeting, we will be discussing “Foolish Church” by Lee Schott.
Contact Barb Fisher-Krueger for more details.
Good Lunch Bunch
Will meet on Tues., Oct. 15
at 11:30am at
The Cracker Barrel
300 Jason Way Ct.
Davenport, IA
Dick & Marlene Lake selling tickets at the Pork Chop BBQ September 19th.
We’re still getting pork chop money coming in - watch your announcement sheet to see how much we raised this year!
Thank you from the Youth Group!
T hanks to everyone who came and enjoyed our Cinnamon Roll Sunday in August! We are off to a great start for our mission trip to Mountain T.O.P in the Summer of 2020. We really appreciate all of the support from our Church family.
COFFEE WITH THE PASTOR
Please join us at a “Get to Know Pastor Sarah” coffee on Sunday, Oct. 13 at 2:00pm in Rooms 108/109. If you missed one of the home coffees, here’s your opportunity to sit down and visit with Pastor Sarah!
Can you help? On Tuesday, October 15th, St. Mark's has
volunteered to serve a light supper to volunteers and clients at the
JFON (Justice for our Neighbors) clinic held at Lovely Lane UMC,
Cedar Rapids. The clinic helps with immigration problems for low
income families. We could use two or three volunteers to help
serve. The following items are needed for the supper: large bag of
chips, cleaned and prepared veggies, fruit, and cookies or bars. We
usually serve about 25 people. Questions or to assist in
either capacity, please contact Nancy Thayer at 466-3164 by
October 7th. Thank you.
WINTER CLOTHING DISTRIBUTION
Saturday, Oct. 26
Donations of new and gently used winter coats, scarves, hats, gloves, mittens, snow pants, boots, shoes, sweatshirts and jeans for infants through adults, as well as Halloween costumes for children, can be placed in the marked container in Fellowship Hall by Oct. 23. The Winter Clothing/Outerwear Distribution is sponsored by the Consultation of Religious Communities and will be held at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, 140 Gathering Place Lane, Iowa City.
Volunteers are needed on the following dates at St. Andrew: Oct 24 & 25, anytime you are available between 9:00 – 4:00 to set up, sort, and organize. On Sat Oct 26, there are 2 shifts (8:30-12:00 or 11:30-3:00) to assist shoppers and restock, as well as a 3:00-4:00 clean up shift. Just show up, find the person in charge, and ask what you can do to help. Questions? Contact Suzanne Krogh 319-330-6305
Seven Things John Wesley Expected Us to Do For Kids
Last month in this newsletter we learned about Wesley’s first expectation – Teach Them
Intentionally. This month, we explore:
#2. Know Them Personally
*If we hope to minister to and with children, we must first know them. Not just the facts
(what grade are you in, etc.), but we must know them at the level of the heart. Wesley
said, “We must get to the heart, or we do nothing.”
*It is easier to remain on the surface, but being a spiritual friend to children requires going
deeper to the realm of hopes, fears, and faith. This requires trust. And trust takes time.
*Going to heart level also requires deeper questions:
-Is everything OK in your heart?
-Did anyone hurt your feelings today?
-What joys happened this week?
-Are you mad at anyone?
-Is there anything I can do for you? (1)
*Adults willing to share their faith story and their heart will begin to know kids personally at
the heart level.
*Developing relationship at the heart level and helping kids with discipleship requires
patience. Jesus compared it to fishing. You hang out by the water’s edge; you try
different locations and different types of bait. Mostly, you wait. Sometimes you go
home empty-handed, but sometimes you get a nibble.
*Faith-sharing with kids is not a matter of adults shoving religious ideas into young,
susceptible minds. The most authentic evangelism is helping a child discern the whisper
that is already there. (See the story of Eli and Samuel in 1 Samuel)
*Watch for the child(ren) around you who might be struggling to make sense of the Holy
Spirit’s voice calling to them. You don’t have to be a spiritual giant to help a child
spiritually. Be willing to speak from your heart.
Next month, we will examine #3 on Wesley’s list – “Pray for Them Intensely”. I hope you will
consider this list and be an active part of the discipleship journey for and with kids. I would love
to talk with you about spiritual mentorships!
Grace and peace,
Deacon Chris
(1) Questions from “When Work and Family Collide” by Andy Stanley
INGATHERING
The 40th Annual Ingathering will take place on Nov. 2 in Mt. Pleasant. We will be taking kits from St. Mark's. This year we are gathering items for hygiene and school kits. Umcor Hygiene Kit includes: 1 new hand towel (15"x25" up to 17" x 27") 1 large sturdy comb 1 toenail or fingernail clipper (no emery boards or metal nail file) 1 bath sized bar of soap in wrapper (3oz.+) (no Ivory or Jergens) 1 new adult sized toothbrush in original sealed wrapper 10 adhesive bandages, 3/4” by 3" (common household bandages) 1 one gallon size re-sealable bag Value $12 + $2 shipping Student School Kit includes: 3 Notebooks-1 subject spiral 8x101/2 1 pair of student round tip scissors 1 ruler 12" long with metric measurements 1 box 24 crayons 1 pencil eraser 2" or larger 1 pencil sharpener 1 box of 12 colored pencils 6 unsharpened pencils Place in cloth bag with one handle. Value of items in cloth bag is $12 + $2 shipping. There will be a tote marked “Ingathering” in Fellowship Hall.
Youth Group Pumpkin Sales! Mark your calendar: the youth are harvesting pumpkins and will be selling at St. Mark's the weekend of October 19 & 20. We will sell on Saturday morning from 9-11a.m. in the church driveway, as well as on Sunday morning in Fellowship Hall from 8:15-11a.m. The Youth will also be selling baked goods and cider. Come on out and get some pumpkins and baked goods to celebrate the Fall!
Executive Council & Finance Highlights of the Executive Council meeting: • Jaye Johnson, Iowa Annual Conference Director of Congrega-tional Excellence - from the conference spoke to the board about the one church model and best practices. • Finance members decided to focus on paying conference mis-sions apportionments until they are paid. • Continued work on update of safe sanctuary – expect to bring to the next meeting • Continue to seek applicants for our open positions • Bus repairs complete; Bob is training people to help maintain the bus. Finance Report: In August our income was $21,030.52 and we had expenses of $21,002.52 resulting in a surplus of $28.00.
Wednesday, Oct. 23rd
6:30pm
This month we'll be viewing "Before the Flood", a National Geographic film about climate change. Please plan to join us
as we learn more about this very important issue!
Saturday, Oct. 5th 7:30am
This month we will enjoy an interesting and unique presentation from Sally Hoelscher, Crossword Puzzle Extraordinaire, on how to create crossword puzzles and the work she puts into this. It should be fascinatingly fun!
Don’t forget to mark your calendars for the first Saturday of every month at 7:30 a.m. for good food and great fellowship with St. Mark’s United Methodist Men! We are here in a ministry of service and presence in furtherance of the missions and outreach of the United Methodist Church. The next meetings will be on Nov. 2, Dec. 7, and Jan. 4.
Truda Kruger was recognized Sunday, Sept. 8th, for her outstanding
contribution to St.Mark's and community, most noticeably through her
leadership in serving Free Lunch monthly. United Methodist Women
presented her with a pin, certificate, and thanks from
the congregation.
1 Grayson Carver
2 Brett Frantz
3 Jo Hoover
6 Peg Horn, Emily Schacht, Kelly Schnoebelen, Baker Swenson
7 Dan Fischer, Isabelle Berwald
9 Brittany Anderson
10 Shirley Gentzler
11 Diane Berwald, Lucas Goodrich, Nathan Smithey
14 Austin Seybert
17 Deb Jansen
18 Hope Dohrmann Anderson, Mary Curtis
20 Carolyn Brock, Riley Lewers
22 Josiah Fischer, Carrie Stasch
23 Tracy Shaw, Salli Forbes
26 Karen Froschauer, Michael Jansen
28 Sara Cassady, Lou Ann Christensen, Lois Crouch, Jay Honohan III, Gabriel Nkumu
29 Randy Hoelscher, Zachary Thayer
30 Barbara Magalhaes
OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS Hap
py
Birth
day!
Save the date for Feed My Starving Children! This great organization will be hosting sessions to pack food on Tuesday, November 26th and Wednesday, November 27th. Note that this is the week of Thanksgiving. The Youth Group will be going and if anyone from the congregation would like to join the Youth in this event, please contact Jenni Bounds at [email protected] The sign up for Feed My Starving Children will be coming out soon. It will be held at St. Andrew's Church in Iowa City. More details coming soon!
VNA FLU SHOTS
Fellowship Hall
Sunday, Oct. 6
9:30am - Noon
8:30 AM
Lead Usher 10/6: Dennis Preslicka 10/13: Dennis Preslicka 10/20: Dennis Preslicka 10/27: Dennis Preslicka Greeters 10/6: Pam Bleckwenn, Carolyn Brown 10/13: Barb Fisher-Krueger, Eleanor Carthey 10/20: Traci Huffman, Jerine Strommer 10/27: Janice & Bill Thorne Ushers 10/6: Nancy & Lavon Rutt, Mary Brown & Tom Shepherd 10/13: Janice & Bill Thorne, Maggie & Bob Elliott 10/20: Kay Seagren, Patti Mitchell, Dianne & Jeff Wasson 10/27: Pam Bleckwenn, Carolyn Brown, Pam & Tony Freund Reader 10/6: Ann Showers 10/13: Jeremy Showers 10/20: Jan Soboroff 10/27: Gwen Hoffmann A/V 10/6: Derek Lewis 10/13: Kaitlynn & Cory Berwald 10/20: Kaitlynn & Cory Berwald 10/27: Kaitlynn & Cory Berwald Communion Servers 10/6: Angie Bywater, Rose Hanson, Chris McMorris, Barb Fisher-Krueger, Pam & Tony Freund
Lead Usher 10/6: Greg Jansen 10/13: Greg Jansen 10/20: Greg Jansen 10/27: Greg Jansen Greeters 10/6: Phillip Mitchell 10/13: Carol Reddick 10/20: Marsha Lowe 10/27: Melanie Justice Ushers 10/6: Shirley Green, Carol Reddick 10/13: Sue Brenneman, Shirley Green 10/20: Laura Lage, Carol Reddick 10/27: Sue Brenneman, Shirley Green Reader 10/6: Jenni Bounds 10/13: Cheryl Davis 10/20: Peg Horn 10/27: Brenda Mayer Communion Servers 10/6: Sue Brenneman, Peg Horn 10/13: Laura Lage, Cheryl Davis 10/20: Brenda Mayer, Marsha Lowe 10/27: LeeAnn & Moriah Gilroy
WORSHIP SERVANTS
IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO SERVE ON ASSIGNED DATES, KINDLY FIND YOURSELF
A REPLACEMENT AND LET THE CHURCH OFFICE KNOW OF ANY CHANGES.
THANKS FOR SERVING!!!
St. Mark’s United Methodist Church (319)337-7201
[email protected] stmarks-umc.net
ALL ARE WELCOME
St. Mark’s United Methodist Church
2675 E. Washington Street
Iowa City, IA 52245
