Volume 65 Issue 4 St. Mark Connection St. Mark Presbyterian Church April 9999 Ferguson Road Dallas, TX 75238 214-321-6437 2018 [email protected]  www.saintmarkchurch.org

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Page UPCOMING EVENTS 2

CALENDAR 3 One of the things I like best about the Lenten season of the church calendar is that it coincides with changes in our environment. It is like the BULLETIN BOARD 4 good news of the resurrection of Jesus wakes up the planet from a deep sleep. The body of Christ gets to begin again, just like everything around us RANDALL’S PEN 5 in spring. Since 2017’s Resurrection Sunday we at St. Mark have experienced births and deaths, the full circle of life. But as we are SESSION HIGHLIGHTS 5 promised, everything falls into place in God's plan. Many of you probably remember that Pete Seeger sang about this: CALENDAR REMINDERS "To everything, turn, turn, turn March 31st – 9:30 Easter Egg There is a season, turn, turn, turn." Hunt Admittedly, Pete Seeger isn’t the author of the full lyrics. He went straight st April 1 – Easter Sunday to God's word, the Bible, and mined Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. The folk singer 9:15 Continental Breakfast added a few words (the “turn, turn, turn” part and a bit more about peace) April 7th – 8:00 a.m. and composed the melody as well as the chord changes. In the 1960s, a Men’s Breakfast folk-rock band called the Byrds scored a major hit with Pete Seeger's song. The Byrds’ performance was rightly successful. But what drew the April 29th – Sandwich Sunday attention of the listening public was the content of the lyrics. The song is at Austin Street Center reminding us that God has a plan and it's unfolding before us all. The song brings so many elements together. In Ecclesiastes, we find the hand of God, gripping us, and moving us into the center – to be a part of the life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus. In the intersection of the Lenten season and springtime, let’s consider how our Christian faith is renewed yet again. Turn. Turn. Turn.

Blessings, Pastor Rick

Upcoming Events What is this?

Sunday Sermons, Scriptures and Events It is a group of people that are grieving the loss of a April 1 - “From Tears to Joy” loved one, and are having a hard time sorting their Acts 10:34-43; John 20:11-18 feelings after the loss. They are experiencing Celebration of The Lord’s Supper loneliness, maybe anger or even guilt or more. Resurrection Sunday GriefShare meetings are a place where one can April 8 - “Hmmm” share and learn different ways to cope from day to Psalm 133:1-3; John 20:19-21 day. In this group one will learn that they are not Rev. Dr. Randall McGee alone in their feelings and that it gets better in time. If you or someone you know is having a hard April 15 - “Can I Get a Witness?” time learning to go on after your loved one has Acts 3:11-21; Luke 24:36-49 passed you may find help and peace sharing and learning. We meet every second and fourth April 22 - “This Is How We Know” Thursday of each month from 6:00 – 8:00 pm in the Acts 4:5-12; 1 John 3:16-24 church parlor. If you would like more information, April 29 - “Love Actually” please call Psalm 22:25-31; 1 John 4:7-12 Willetta Jones, Flo Phillips or Dee Huckaba Sandwich Sunday

April Birthdays Sunday School Class

April 1 April 13 All are welcome – teenagers and older. We meet in Ann Gordon Mason Brown the Library, which is the last classroom in Princeton Ann O’Neal Doug Duncan – next to the Gleaners’ classroom, April 3 Mercy Shea starting about 9:30 am until 10:15 Kim Price April 15 am. Donna Simes Alice McLean April 6 April 20 Currently, we are studying the book Souvenir Swift Sandra Knapp of Acts. Our class primarily reads and April 8 April 21 discusses one book at a time. Noylene Howard Anne Carlson April 9 April 22 Luke is the author of the book Acts. The time of Kathleen Arthur Patti Aulenbach the events in Acts is about 60 to 100 AD. Luke was Don McGowan John Carver also the author of its companion work, the Gospel April 10 April 28 of Luke. The books of Luke and Acts make up 28% Nikki Guinnee Charles Shea of the New Testament--more than that written by April 12 April 30 either Paul or John. The book of Acts is the story of Joseph Brown Bill Grayson the foundation of the early church, the impacts of Valerie Robinson Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit, and its growth through spreading Christianity to the Gentiles.

St. Mark’s Cookbook For more information, contact Charlene Taylor.

Sign up and get your recipes in for St. Mark’s No Sunday school on Easter morning! new Cookbook celebrating the church’s 65th Anniversary. Information in the narthex.

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Bulletin Board White Rock Center of Hope Treasurer's Report Sunday, April 8th Eight Months through 02/28/18 WRCH needs canned corn, fruit, meats, green beans, tomato products, and boxed macaroni & cheese.

Thank You!

Thank you to all who called and so readily stepped in to help. While my broken arm is healing, your caring is a reminder that we all, as a church, hold each Operating Fund YTD income was $1,700 below other in our arms. budget and YTD expenses were $2.600 below Thank you All! budget. Bar Tuinstra

Capital and Facilities Fund YTD income was $200 below budget and YTD expenses were on budget. Property Update NEW AC for the Family Center Our Combined Fund Balance is up $1,000 from the previous month-end, and up $5,700 from the The session has approved the installation of a new beginning of our fiscal year. HVAC system for the Family Center classrooms. This will be a ductless “mini-split” heat pump

system with ceiling vents, and each classroom will Special Easter Offering have its own set of controls. The system is scheduled for installation the The Session has set a goal of $5,000 for the 2018 first week of April, before the Special Easter Offering. Your gift will be divided temperature starts to rise. If between One Great Hour of Sharing and five local anyone would like to mission partners – White Rock Center of Hope, contribute toward this project, Austin Street Center, Wilkinson Center, donations are welcome. Presbyterian Children’s Homes & Services, and St. Mark Camps & Conferences Fund. Sandwich Sunday – April 29th Our One Great Hour of Austin Street Center Sharing contributions are directed to three PC(USA) programs: Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, Presbyterian Hunger

Programs and Self- Development of People.

Please give generously. Sign-up sheets are on the glass table in the hallway.

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I am writing during Holy Week. So, it is not surprising I am thinking about Easter. But I am also thinking about thanksgiving. No, I am not having visions of turkey and dressing or “over the fields and through the woods we go.” I am not thinking about the holiday of Thanksgiving. I am thinking about thanksgiving or the act of giving thanks. In my mind there is a strong connection between Easter and thanksgiving. On the very first Easter God gave us an incredible gift. People killed Jesus during that very first Holy Week. They put him in a grave and thought they were done with him and all the trouble he had caused with his words and deeds. But that was not the end of the story. In the words of the Brief Statement of Faith, “God raised this Jesus from the dead, vindicating his sinless life, breaking the power of sin and evil, delivering us from death to life eternal.” How do we respond to this gift? Of course, you know what I am going to write next. We respond with thanksgiving. Giving thanks is an essential part of the Christian life. We might even say that to be a Christian means that one is almost in a perpetual mode of giving thanks to God.

For I think we are in “thanksgiving mode” when we do any of the following: Pray, Sing a hymn, Read Scripture, Ponder what part of our time and talents we will pledge to the ministry of the church, When we plan ministries at a committee meeting, When we pitch in at a church workday, When we tell someone about our new OASIS ministry with homeless students, When we forgive someone, When we allow another person to do an act of kindness for us. That’s just a starter list. There could be many more. What are some ways that you give thanks to God?

SESSION HIGHLIGHTS

Stated Meeting of the Session, February 19, 2018

• Motion passed for Bryan Adams BA Band Boosters to use the front parking lot on either Saturday, April 21 or April 28 for a rummage sale. • Motion passed to receive, review, and approve the PC (USA) Church Report for 2016 & 2017. • Motion passed to have a Memorial Service for Gene Woods who passed away on February 15, 2018, time and date to be determined. • Motion passed to create and publish a 65th Anniversary Cookbook as a fundraiser for the Camps & Conferences Fund.

A full set of Session minutes are available to read on the Session bulletin board.

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Easter Love

On Easter we celebrate love,

love coming down from heaven,

love blanketing the earth

in a transforming embrace;

unique and infinite love,

giving more than we can imagine

for us, to cleanse our sin,

a perfect sacrifice, Lamb of God,

the walking, talking Word.

He is teacher, role model, friend,

this God in human form,

dying, then rising from the dead,

proving all who believe

will also rise

to have eternal life, with Him,

Lord of all.

Oh, Happy, Happy Easter!

By Joanna Fuchs

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