St. Mark’s Matters May 2017

May 2 - Grayye Matters

May 5 - Operation Backpack

May 6 - UMM breakfast & mtg.

May 7 - Confirmation Sunday

May 10 - Senior Group

May 15 - Free Lunch

May 16 - Good Lunch Bunch

May 17 - Prayer Shawl Group

May 21 - Senior Recognition Sun.

May 23 - Executive Council mtg.

May 28 - Summer Sunday School

begin

May 29 - Memorial Day

Dates to Remember

Starts in June -

stay tuned for

more info.

SUNDAY SCHOOL

Summer is nearly here! Now is the time to dust off those instruments,

find your favorite hymn-tune, or other music selection and share with the

congregation! If you are interested in providing summer music, please

contact Rob (youthdirector@stmarks-umc.net) to make arrangements.

Bulletin Folding

Help needed folding bulletins on

Friday mornings. Stop on by at 9:00

a.m. in Fellowship Hall!

If These Walls Could Speak, Volume 3

As the familiar song reminds us, “the church is not a building.” The people of the church embody God’s love and share that love with the world through our words and actions. And yet, the church building is witness to a great deal of ministry. What if these walls could speak? What stories would they tell? So far we’ve heard stories from the sanctuary and the fellowship hall. Let’s listen in as another room at St. Mark’s tells its story…

Have you seen my walls? They are so colorful! It’s been a few years ago now, but I still remember the night that people gathered and threw paint-filled sponges at one of my walls. Then they put their handprints all over another wall! That was just the beginning of my colorful makeover. My colorful walls house wall-to-wall couches and several game tables – table tennis, foosball, and air hockey. Oh, I should introduce myself…I’m the youth room!

As my name suggests, there are often youth gathered here. On Sunday mornings, as the youth gather for Sunday School, I hear them discuss how the teachings of the Bible apply to their lives and what’s happening in the world. I have heard them talk about Harry Potter and Star Wars. There are valuable lessons to be learned about God from many different resources. Sunday evenings it’s youth group time. Games, movies, discussions, snacks – I never know exactly what will happen at youth group, but it’s all good!

Not everyone that visits me is a youth. The youth director, Rob Beland, has a desk here. He’s often around work-ing on his computer. After school on Thursdays, people come to my room to hang out. In addition to youth, there are often children there and some people that, well, let’s just say it’s been a few years since they were youth. It’s fun to watch multiple generations enjoy spending time together.

Over the years I have noticed that I serve as a sort of mission home base for the youth. I’ve heard the youth plan-ning and organizing for both local service projects like raking leaves, and week-long mission projects in other states. Last summer as the youth were preparing to go to Tennessee on a Mountain Top Mission Trip, there were tools spread out all over my floor. Recently there have been planning meetings happening where I’ve heard about a project called Feed My Starving Children. It sounds like a great opportunity. You should find out how you can get involved.

Regardless of the day of the week or the event, I am a safe space for youth to gather. I think that’s pretty awesome, don’t you?

Your financial gifts and offerings to St. Mark’s support ministry that happens in the youth room.

Special Event at Church Land, East of Town

Submitted by Suzanne Krogh

Sunday, May 7 - meet at St. Mark’s at 4:30

The purpose of this event is to honor the land and keep it’s presence in our thoughts and prayers.

It has been 15 years since St. Mark’s purchased land east of Taft Avenue and north of Lower West Branch Road. Although some of the

original land has been sold, 42.5 acres remain. The mortgage on this land has been paid and it is rented to a farmer, with some garden space

reserved for St. Mark’s members. Only 18 acres of this land is suitable for development, although it may be possible to develop more acres

if we use a lift station. The land is outside of the city limits ad has no utilities. So the question is: How is God calling us to use this land?

We encourage you to join us on this journey of our discovery.

Due to limited parking at the land, we will meet in the narthex of the church at 4:30 to car pool. Before leaving the church, we will each

select a stone from St. Mark’s to take to the land to build an altar and Marsha Lowe will lead us in a prayer. Then at the time, we will walk

on the land, hear scripture, participate in some rituals and be open to possibilities of how to best use the land.

8:00 a.m.

Ushers

5.7 - Jeff & Dianne Wasson

Randy Krutzfield, Pam Bleckwenn

5.14 - Tony & Pam Freund, Lavon & Nancy Rutt

5.21 - Chuck & Phyllis Lindemann, Neil & Jeanne Bennett

5.28 - Barb Fisher-Krueger, Barb Smith, Judy Pierson

Chris McMorris

Greeters

5.7 - Melanie Justice, Clarence & Jean Skog

5.14 - Leonard Hixson, Eleanor Carthey

5.21 - Dick & Marlene Lake

5.28 - Earl & Jeanne Phillips

Readers

5.7 - Sally Hoelscher

5.14 - Dennis Preslicka

5.21 - Rebecca Weatherford

5.28 - Jan Soboroff

Communion Servers

5.7 - Jerry & Patti Mitchell, Judy Pierson, Chris McMorris

9:30 a.m.

Ushers

5.7 - John & Carla Melby-Oetken, Bob & Diane DeWitt

5.14 - Bob & Maggie Elliott, Jim & Mardee Wood

5.21 - Judy Brookhaus, Mary Curtis, Kathy Harrison

5.28 - Tom Shepherd & Mary Brown, Gary & Jeanie Nagle

Greeters

5.7 - Barb Nelson, Lynn Dornfeld

5.14 - Marlene Slaubaugh, Kaye Surls

5.21 - Dennis & Wanda Stevens

5.28 - Bill & Janice Thorne

Readers

5.7 - Roberta Caris

5.14 - Ed Krogh

May Worship Servants

5.21 - Jeremy Showers

5.28 - Cheryl Davis

Communion

5.7 -Judy Brookhaus, Bill & Janice Thorne

Tom Shepherd & Mary Brown

10:50a.m.

Ushers

5.7 - Steve & Karen Laughlin

5.14 - Abbie Buhr & Peg Horn

5.21 - Don Anderson & Jane Dohrmann

5.28 Laura Lage & Karen Miller

Readers

5.7 - Rebecca Carver

5.14 - Bob Hoover

5.21 - Peg Horn

5.28 - Marsha Lowe

Communion

5.7 - Karen Miller & Sue Brenneman

5.14 - Steve & Karen Laughlin

5.21 - Bob & Jo Hoover

5.28 - Peg Horn & Jane Dohrmann

Living on Purpose Groups

How about a Living on Purpose group? These groups are designed as Wesleyan class meetings. They help you discover your strengths and then serve as a support and accountability group in living those strengths and growing in your faith.

Living on Purpose groups meet once per month. We are currently forming groups, so if you want to jump in, now’s the time! Contact Pastor Sean or Deacon Chris and we can help you get into one of these groups forming now. HOWEVER...there does not need to be an existing group for you to join. If you feel that a Living on Purpose group is your next step on the discipleship pathway, let us know! We form groups around people who are hoping to enter into this experience. Let us know what times work for you, and we will begin to pull together another group around those parameters. Questions? Contact Deacon Chris at 319-337-7201 extension 103 or deacon@stmarks-umc.net.

Good Lunch Bunch will

meet on Tuesday, May 16

Operation Backpack

You are invited to help fill

food bags for elementary aged

school children in Iowa City.

We will be filling bags on

May 5. Please join us in

rooms 108/109 at 8:30 a.m.

Grayye Matters will meet

on Tuesday, May 2nd at

9:30 a.m. at Pizza Ranch in

Iowa City.

Please pray for:

Insook Matthews in Hospice Care at

the Bird House

Iva Sagert in Hospice Care at Lantern

Park.

Kathy Fountain for health issues

Julie Murray recovering from

surgery

Prayers for Beth Brown Ack-

erson as she continues treat-

ment for Follicular Lympho-

ma

Casey Westlake’s aunt, Deb-

bie Hogan, for the recent di-

agnosis of stomach cancer

Eileen McPherson recovering

at the Solon Nursing Care

Center

UMW is starting a prayer chain. If you or a friend or family member would like some prayers, please contact Judy Brookhaus at 319-330-3858 or by email at rdrun-

ner@mailbug.com.

Garden space availa-

ble on Taft Avenue.

If interested, please

contact Chuck Linde-

mann at 319-3374-

7126.

A few (more) words about money from your finance team:

Last month your finance team presented information in worship and by email about the current financial situation of St. Mark’s. We shared with you that from January through the end of March this year, our expenses had exceeded our income by approximately $33,000. At the time of this newsletter, financial information for the month of April is not complete. We are hoping that Easter and a 5-Sunday month will give us an income boost. Even if that is the case, we are still in a situation where our expenses are exceeding our income and your finance team is working to stay on top of the situation.

Here are some actions we are taking:

To address the immediate need of paying the bills when the general fund balance is low, we are borrowing from the undesignated memorial fund account.

In March the executive council voted to suspend the $800 monthly transfer from the general fund account to the Trustee reserve account for six months. This is money that is normally transferred each month to a separate account to maintain a reserve fund to address emergency building and maintenance needs.

The executive council also voted to place rental income from the parsonage in the general fund account for six months. It is anticipated that the parsonage will be occupied within the next couple of months.

In addition to these actions, we are continuing to discuss stewardship with the congregation each month. (See “If These Walls Could Speak” elsewhere in this newsletter.) We are making plans now for our annual stewardship drive in the fall.

We welcome your input and ideas about ways to increase our income and/or decrease our expenses as we address these fi-nancial challenges and continue the many ministries of St. Mark’s.

Executive Council News

At the March Executive Council meeting the following items were approved:

Changes to the Endowment Charter, with this revised Charter to be placed on the next Charge Conference

agenda for adoption

Endorse and recommend Abbie Buhr for a Candidate for Ministry

Add $250 for a total of $750 for stool replacement in the women’s restroom

Raise the amount Trustee’s can spend without Council approval to $1,000

Increase Loving Arms and Kids Care usage fee effective September 2017 by 5%

Considerable discussion centered on the financial status of the church with the following temporary measures being ap-

proved:

Place rental income from parsonage in the General Fund for 6 months

Suspend the $800 transfer to the Trustee Reserve Fund for 6 months

The next Executive Council meeting will be Tuesday, May 23rd at 6:30 PM. Please plan to attend, as your input is

important to the life and ministry of St. Mark’s.

Youth MISSION Trip

to Denver, Colorado

July 22-29

Vacation Bible School

Save the Date

July 16-20

Senior Recognition

Sunday is May 21st

Save the

Date:

Saturday,

Aug. 12

May 7th

June 15, 2017

More rubber chicken jokes and info to come!

There are several jackets and coats hanging in

Fellowship Hall; please claim if one belongs

to you. Items not claimed will be taken to

Crowded Closet.

Our next Senior Group will meet on Wednesday, May 10 from 2 to 4 p.m. at St. Mark’s UMC. Rev. Anna

Blaedel, Director of Spiritual Formation at the Wesley Center, will be our guest speaker at our next senior

group meeting, Wednesday, May 10, from 2 to 4 p.m. at St. Mark’s UMC. She will share with us for the

first hour, followed by coffee, snacks and visiting. Please feel welcome to come! For more info, contact

Sage at 319-354-5484 or sage-river@icfirstchurch.org.

SENIOR GROUP

Feed my Starving Children’s Iowa City MobilePack is back for the fifth year, and St. Mark’s is helping to host this

year’s event!

So save the dates June 8-9 and come on our to City High School to help us pack 150,000 meals. We promise it will

be the most fun you can have in a hairnet! Stay tuned for your chance to contribute to our fundraising efforts.

icmobilepack.org

FEED MY STARVING CHILDREN

United Methodist Women will meet

on Wednesday, May 24 at 6:30 p.m.

in the Fellowship Hall. The guest

speaker will be Mike Cervantes,

Director of Inside-Out Prison

Reentry.

UMW

SacredSpark Yoga and Restorative prayer,

Monday nights at 6:30 p.m. in

108/109

United Methodist Men will meet on

Saturday, May 6th at 7:30 a.m. in

Fellowship Hall. Breakfast will be

served followed by a meeting. *At

time of print, meeting/presentation

was not known.*

UMM

St. Mark’s United Methodist Church

2675 E. Washington Street

Iowa City, IA 52245