Worship & Congregational Activities

WORSHIP AND PICNIC IN THE PARK: St. Mark holds its annual worship and picnic at Porter Township Recreation Park September 7. Worship begins at 11am with a picnic lunch to follow. If you are able to bring a dish to share, you are invited to do so. We will provide hot dogs, paper products, utensils, and bottled water. Items needed include sandwiches/main dishes, sides, salads, and desserts.

Since we will not be able to live stream the service, Pastor David will record a brief worship service that will be posted on the St. Mark Facebook Page at 11am that day. 

LET THE EXPLORATION BEGIN: Faith Explorers (Sunday School) classes for all ages begin 9:30am September 14. The adult class meets in the second floor classroom. This fall the group will be going through the devotional book, The Chosen: 40 Days with Jesus.  

The family and youth class will be doing something different this year. Each week will feature engaging activities and conversations around life and faith today for both youth and adults alike. On September 14, the group will kick off this new venture by meeting in the Fellowship Room and bake cookies that will be sold at St. Mark’s Free Book Fair and Costless Closet event. 

Anyone is welcome to come anytime you can! If you are interested in helping or have ideas for activities and discussion topics, contact Pastor David.

PASTOR DAVID’S SCHEDULE: Pastor David will be attending Bishop’s Convocation, September 15-17 at Camp Sequanota. You are invited to still contact him during that time, and he will be leading worship on September 21.

THE CHOSEN RETURNS: This fall, Pastor David will be leading a watch and discussion of season 5 of The Chosen, the multiseason series on the life of Jesus and his followers. The viewings will mostly be held 6pm Wednesdays on Zoom, starting October 1. For a few of the weeks, the gathering will be held on a different day that week due to scheduling conflicts.

Season five of the series depicts the events of Holy Week and the Last Supper. 

If you haven’t watched the previous four seasons and are interested in catching up before watching season five, contact Pastor David.

MONTHLY COFFEE HOURS TO START IN OCTOBER: St. Mark’s monthly coffee hours will start up again October 12 and will be held the second Sunday of each month. It is a time to have some fellowship together following worship and enjoy some refreshments. If you would like to help with coffee hours, contact Pastor David.

BLESSING OF PETS AND ANIMALS: St. Mark will hold a Blessing of Pets and Animals service 6pm October 2 under the pavilion. All are invited to bring their pets for a blessing. Please have all dogs on leashes.

The service is held in early October each year, around the time the church remembers Francis of Assisi, who had a spirit of gratitude for all of creation, including pets and animals.

A collection for Centre County PAWS will be taken.

COUNCIL MEETING HIGHLIGHTS: While council didn’t meet in August, it did approve hiring AR Building and Materials to repair the hole in the belfry. The council will next meet 7pm September 11.

YOUTUBE CHANNEL: Yes St. Mark has its own YouTube channel @stmarksnydertown. Currently, the site has recordings of Sunday worship services. We are looking to include content that would be meaningful to you and your faith formation/journey. If you have ideas, please contact Pastor David.

ENJOY SINGING? JOIN THE CHOIR: St. Mark Choir welcomes anyone who is interested in singing. Choir practices start up again Tuesday, September 16 and are held 7pm Tuesdays. Anyone who is interested in joining either the St. Mark Choir or Christians with Rhythm Choir, or both, is invited to join! If you have any questions, contact Pastor David.

HELPERS ON SUNDAYS: ​​Thank you to everyone who volunteers to help on Sundays — greeters, readers, etc. It is much appreciated and needed! If you would like to help on Sundays, you can contact Pastor David. Thank you!

GIVING ONLINE: Did you know you can make offerings to St. Mark online and also set up a schedule for continued offerings securely online using a credit card or bank account? This is done through the church’s online giving platform Tithely. Visit https://bit.ly/3bhr907 to give online. If you have any questions, contact Pastor David. 

MEETING WITH PASTOR DAVID: If you would like to meet or talk with Pastor David about anything, either in person, on Zoom, or a phone call, you are invited to contact him to set up a time.