Change of Contact Information?
Click here to fill out an online form to help us update your information for our records. |
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Contact Us?
Saint Mark UMC
616 Quincy Road
Seneca, SC 29678
(864) 882-2603
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Check Out Our Entire Church Calendar of Events
Click here to see what is going on at Saint Mark this week and the weeks to come.
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Dec 20, 2015
Fourth Sunday of Advent Services
(click the passage
to read the text)
Old Testament Lesson:
Micah 5:2-5a
Gospel Lesson:
"Love That Stoops"
Rev. Jeff Childress
8:45 am
Traditional Service
9:00 am
Children's Chapel
9:15 am
Celebration Service
9:30 am
Children's Chapel
9:45 am
Coffee & Conversation
10:15 am
Table Talk
10:15 am
Sunday School
11:15 am
Traditional Service
5:00 pm
Service Mission Team
6:30 pm
College Ministry Dinner
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Click here to view the information in our Saint Mark 2015 Ministry Guidebook. Information will include our mission statement, helpful flow charts, 2015 planning calendar. Administrative Committees and Ministry Teams with contact information, a summary sheet describing all teams and committees, and the 2015 Annual Budget.
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Quick, easy and available HERE
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Listen to Last Week's Sermon Today
If you were not able to attend worship on any given Sunday, you can still listen to the sermon. Click here to select and listen to sermons that you may have missed.
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Got News for Next Week's Heart Beat?
Click here to send your Heart Beat post to us by no later than 12:00 noon next Wednesday. On the subject line, please type in "Heart Beat" so that we can easily find your article among the other emails.
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Got News for the new monthly
article to Sande no later than 12:00 noon Thursday, January 21 for the February edition.
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Got Good News To Share With Your Saint Mark Family?
Good news lifts our spirits. Share your good news with us. We will publish your good news in our "People 'Neath Our Steeple" feature. Your news will be sent out as an email. Click here to share your good news (births, achievements, awards, etc.). Include pictures if you have them.
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Got Pictures?
We are creating an archive of pictures taken at Saint Mark events and activities. If you have taken pictures and want to share them, please click here and send them to us.
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Interested in LGBT Inclusion?
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Prayer Focus for This Week
 Let us be in prayer for all persons who will be experiencing their first Christmas without loved ones who have died this past year. Pray for comfort and peace.
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 Submit Your Prayer Requests
Saint Mark is pleased to receive your prayer requests . . . for yourself or for friends or loved ones. Click here to submit your request.
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Stewardship Update
168 pledges received
$615,544.16 total pledged
average of $3,663.95 per pledge
Please turn in your pledge
if you have not done so!
You can pick up blank pledge cards in the atrium or narthex - or click here to print your own card, fill it out and turn it in to the church office at your earliest convenience.
Many of you recently received an urgent letter regarding a significant shortfall in 2015 that will dramatically affect decisions regarding staff salaries and/or compensation and/or benefits. Due to this shortfall, we have fallen behind on our apportionment obligation to our conference (basically a tithe of about 10%). We are asking you to consider adding a 13th month to the calendar in 2015, and prayerfully consider making a gift of an extra month's worth of your regular contributions to Saint Mark. There are Christmas envelopes in your envelope box that you can use, or there are envelopes available in the pew pockets for your use. Please mark your gifts "13th month" to facilitate our record keeping. Thanks for any help you can offer. |
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THIS WEEK AT SAINT MARK . . .
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Join us to celebrate together
The Fourth Sunday of Advent
THIS Sunday, December 20
all three services
Message "Love that Stoops" Rev. Jeff Childress
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This is the Last Sunday
to Help Provide Food for our
Marvin's Kids Families
Please don't forget to bring your non-perishable food items to the atrium between now and THIS Sunday, December 20. You may also leave food under the Chrismon tree in the Narthex. This food will go directly to our Marvin's Kids families for Christmas. Let's fill up that tree in the atrium!!
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This is the Last Sunday to
Bring Your Gift(s) for
Seneca Residential
Last chance!!! We are looking for shoe sized boxes to be packed and wrapped in festive paper and perhaps even a homemade card or ornament placed on top. The boxes can contain things like puzzles, games, books, snacks, new tooth brushes, candy, blankets, warm socks - all for adults. Filled boxes can be left outside of Lydia's office where we will stack them like a tree until delivery day Tuesday, December 22. If you have questions or would like to volunteer to help deliver, click here to contact Lydia Dever.
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Piano Duo
Repeat Performance
This Sunday, December 20 at 3 pm
Clemson United Methodist Church
If you missed our Friends of Music Concert on Sunday afternoon, November 29, you can catch David Wilcox and Trevis Young playing a repeat performance of the beautiful sounds of the season they played for us at Saint Mark. This concert will be a fundraiser for Bishop Holston's conference-wide campaign to eradicate malaria (Imagine No Malaria). Click here for more information about this initiative.
You may even want to hear it a second time!
You are welcome to attend!
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The church office
will be closed for Christmas
Wednesday, December 23
through
Friday, December 25
Our office will reopen
Monday, December 28
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Moravian Love Feast
Sunday, December 27 ONE SERVICE ONLY 11:15 am Sanctuary Bringing the Message: Jeremy Ray
PLEASE NOTE:
There will be no Sunday School for any age group, unless individual adult classes
decide to meet.
New Year's Service
Sunday, January 3 ONE SERVICE ONLY 11:15 am Sanctuary Bringing the Message: Jeff Childress PLEASE NOTE:There will be Sunday School for all ages.
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Animate Faith Winter Study
Seven big conversations about faith
Organizational Meeting - Lunch and Learn Sunday, January 10 12:30 pm Commons Room
Facilitator: Mona Fleming
This 7-week adult formation course imaginatively explores central topics of Christianity from a 21st century perspective.- God: Faith Is a Quest with Brian McLaren
- Religion: Spirituality Is Not Enough with Lillian Daniel
- Jesus: The Revolution of Love with Mark Scandrette
- Salvation: Abundant Life Now with Shane Hipps
- Cross: Where God Is with Nadia Bolz-Weber
- Bible: A Book Like No Other with Lauren Winner
- Church: An Imperfect Family with Bruce Reyes-Chow
For more information or to register for this study, click here to contact Mona Fleming.
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Donated Items Needed for
Wings for the Lord
Annual Yard Sale
Saturday, February 6, 2016
7 am - 12 noon
Saint Mark Center
The Wings for the Lord annual yard sale is February 6 in the Saint Mark Center. Please remember, we would like your donations if you find yourself doing some "winter cleaning". Place your donated items outside the Youth Center door beginning Sunday, January 10. Click here to contact Donna Poston if you have questions.
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December 23, 30 and January 6
NO RECHARGE
Recharge will resume on January 13
January 13
Who Is My Neighbor?
Human Trafficking Under Our Noses
January 20
You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby!
(HINT:Dig out your baby picture
over the holiday and email it
or drop it off to Jeff Childress
January 27
Who Is My Neighbor?
The Problem of Drugs in Oconee County
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ATTENTION "SEENAGERS"
(formerly M.E.T.S)
(for 50 and older)
January EventCovered Dish Luncheon
and Bunco
Friday, January 22 11:30 am Commons Room Contact: Marla FullerFebruary EventDinner and Live Theater
Dinner - Location To Be Determined 5:00 pm The Musical - "She Loves Me"
Thursday, February 18 7:30 pm Brooks Center for the Performing Arts Clemson University Cost: $15 per person
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Rethinking Relationships
"Is My Community Your Community?"
Sunday, January 17
4 - 6 pm
Commons Room
Contact:
Jane Brosnan
Valentine's Day Dessert Coffeehouse Darby Wilcox and Band Sunday, February 14
6:00 pm
Commons Room
Contact: David Wilcox
Brothers in Faith Dinner "I Was in Prison . . . " with John Glenn
Sunday, February 28
12:30 pm
Commons Room
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FOR YOUR INFORMATION . . .
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2016 Offering Envelopes
Available in the Atrium
If you haven't already picked up your box of envelopes, you will find them in the atrium. Got questions? Click here to contact Karen Holcombe, our Operations Manager.
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All Exterior Church Door Locks
to be Rekeyed
For security reasons the board of Trustees at their last meeting have agreed to rekey all (8) exterior door locks providing entry to Saint Mark. It is our understanding that there could be as many as 40 church keys floating around the community. Some needed, some not. In these times of heighten security we have to question the need for so many known and unknown persons to have keys to our facility.
Understanding that this request could place some burdens on our members, we are asking for all key holders to immediately contact the church office with their name and key needs so we can create a log, as well as get a key count for the lock smith's production. Please report this by Monday, December 28. While we place a great sense of urgency on this need, we still understand the poor timing with the holidays fast approaching. Therefore, we have set Thursday, January 7 as change over day. Once we get a key count new keys will be made so distribution can take place starting Monday, January 4 and there after.
As we all know, security has become of great importance to our nation. Please help us better protect Saint Mark.
To request a new key, click here to contact Karen Holcombe.
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Save Your Cancelled Stamps!!
Save your cancelled stamps for Marion Mission Storehouse. This is an ongoing United Methodist conference mission project, and the month of December can generate many stamps as they are cut from Christmas Card envelopes, etc. that you receive by mail. Ask your friends to save them, too.
Trim stamps to within 1/4 inch of the edge. They can be given to any UMW (United Methodist Women) member or dropped into the designated box located near the Welcome Center in the atrium. Stamps will be sold to collectors with proceeds going to help defray the cost of sending large shipments of much needed items for children in Africa.
What a great way to recycle
for a very good cause!
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Thank You!
For Attending Our Open Forum
The Hijacking of Islam
This Past Sunday, December 13
Roughly 130 people attended our open forum that was held in the Commons Room. 25-30 persons representing the Muslim community came to Saint Mark to engage in peace-making conversation. Nedal Mefleh's presentation was enlightening and the follow-up open discussion was respectful and answered some of our pressing questions. We hope to follow up with a visit to the Masjid (small mosque) sometime in 2016. Watch for details. To find out more about the Islamic stand against terrorism, click here.
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A Note of Appreciation
I would like to publicly take a minute to say "thank you" to Robert, Judy and Marc Beck, Tammy and Russ Larson, and Jane Howard for all of their hard work in the kitchen while I was out on medical leave. Had it not been for their effort, the Wednesday Recharge meal could not have happened. You all exude the Love of Christ.
Donna Jaynes
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Thank you to the Hite Family!
They have done it again!! The Hite family has so graciously stepped up and made the atrium benches and chairs much more comfortable and attractive by providing custom made cushions for us to sit on. Because of the Hite and Lee families, our entire atrium is a warm and welcoming place to be. When you see Anita Bowen, Arramenta Hite, the Carneys and the Harrises, please express your appreciation for all they have done for the beautification of Saint Mark!
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SAINTS IN SERVICE
HELPING YOU PLUG IN . . .
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Bring Non-perishable Food Items for Marvin's Kids Families - BY THIS SUNDAY!
Bring cans, boxes, jars, bags, etc. of food to the Saint Mark atrium for care boxes for our Marvin's Kids families.
Contact: Billy Boggs
Donate Money to Marvin's Kids Your money will help subsidize the clothing that families will select on Saturday, December 12 ($150 per child). Make your check out to Saint Mark UMC and drop it by the church office.
Communion Server - 11:15 Traditional Service We are looking for persons to serve communion at the 11:15 Traditional Service. Your responsibility is to distribute the bread and the cup.
Contact: Jim Morrison
Ushers - 11:15 Traditional Service
We are looking for persons to serve as ushers for our 11:15 traditional service. You would serve for one month, one or two times per year.
Contact: Lucius and Julia Uldrick
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