Grace and peace to you.
Football. Farm festivals. Foliage. Pumpkin spice in everything. Yep, fall is here.
While I enjoy fall — mostly for the reasons mentioned above, except for the pumpkin spice — I will miss summer. So before zooming ahead to the new season, I wanted to take time to look back at the summer we had here at St. Mark. It is good to reflect on where we have been before moving forward to where we are going.
We, of course, had outdoor worship most Sundays during the summer. Something special seems to come from praising and giving thanks to God while outside with the rest of creation, including some cows and geese wandering near. The pavilion also hosted outdoor concerts, including first-time visits from the Sugar Valley Band and Woody Wolfe Junior.
Inside the church building wasn’t silent. The Christians with Rhythm Choir held its annual summer concert. We had families start up a new youth service group — Service and Snacks — that wrote cards to home bound members, created snuffle mats for dogs at Centre County Paws, and made games that will be included in Operation Christmas Child boxes. Families also led and participated in “Go for the Gold with God,” our week long Vacation Bible School.
St. Mark also continued to help our communities by being a host site for the YMCA Summer Lunch Program and also having Jana Marie Foundation lead a youth mental health workshop. I even helped cure some people’s sweet tooth with an ice cream gathering at Nittany Valley Creamery. I will be looking to have more gatherings at different locations this fall.
So while I love fall and look forward to the new season, I have to say that it was wonderful seeing and experiencing the Holy Spirit’s work at St. Mark this summer. Much thanks go to everyone who helped — whether with setting up outdoor worship, being part of Vacation Bible School, or praying for and encouraging what happened. I look forward to next summer!
As for fall, the Holy Spirit doesn’t stop with a new season! We have some traditional activities and events planned, including our Faith Explorers classes and the Free Book Fair and Costless Closet event. New things also are being planned, so be sure you are on our email list to receive our monthly newsletter and weekly e-news, and also check out our Facebook Page and Instagram feed.
I think we all know that this fall will have many moments of tension — some from Penn State football and other teams we root for, much from the political season we are in currently. We don’t shy away from those realities, but I pray that through this body of Christ that is St. Mark, you find some peace in your life, and you hear and experience God’s love for you no matter the season that you are in your life. God is walking with you, and we at St. Mark walk together.
Go in peace. Jesus loves you!
Pastor David