Worship & Congregational Activities

PRAYER PARTNERS: St.Mark is offering everyone the opportunity to have a Secret Prayer Partner from March 1 through Easter Sunday, April 5. Just complete the brief form in the narthex at church, or send your name to Pastor David. The name of your secret prayer partner will be sent to you. We then ask that you pray for that person each day, as well as provide little anonymous kindness gifts from time to time such as cards, a treat, baked goods, a poem, a booklet, etc., to your prayer partner during this time period. The items can be put on the Prayer Partner Table on the second floor. Be sure the name of the person whom you are giving the gift to is written clearly on the item.

Prayer Partners will reveal themselves to one another on Easter Sunday!

Fellow St. Mark member and friend, Bishop Kevin Shock, also will be one of our prayer partners! He will receive our complete list of names, then keep those people in his daily prayers as he serves as Bishop of the Allegheny Synod. All prayer partners are invited to include Bishop Kevin to their prayer lists as well.

Thank you for your willingness to spread fellowship and kindness through our congregation via your prayers.

MIDWEEK OPEN DISCUSSION AND DISCERNMENT, AND WORSHIP IN LENT: On Wednesday evenings in Lent, Pastor David will be on Zoom, starting at 6pm, and will be open to studying pieces of scripture and/or having discussions and discernment of faith and following Jesus. Come into the Zoom room and bring your thoughts and questions as we discern together Biblical texts and this call of following Jesus.

Then, at 7pm on Zoom and Facebook Live, St. Mark holds midweek online worship. The worship services are based on a series created by A Sanctified Art called, “Tell Me Something Good.” It invites us into a time of “grounding ourselves in the Good News” during Lent. The services include confession, prayers, scripture reading and reflection, and music.

PREPARING FOR HOLY WEEK: March 29 is Palm Sunday and begins Holy Week. Maundy Thursday is April 2, and worship with Holy Communion and stripping of the altar is at 7pm. We take time that evening to remember the night of Jesus’s arrest, which includes his last meal with his disciples before his death and the new commandment he gives them. 

Good Friday is April 3, and St. Mark holds a Good Friday Tenebrae service starting at 7pm as we take time to reflect on and remember Jesus’s death on the cross. 

Easter Sunday is April 5. St. Mark’s Easter Breakfast is from 9 to 10am in the Fellowship Room, with worship at 10:30am as we celebrate Jesus’s resurrection and proclaim Christ is risen!

WEATHER WATCH: While spring begins this month, March still has been known to have days of snowy and winter weather. This is just a reminder about how we will communicate any changes to worship or other events at St. Mark.

If weather conditions or something else causes us to postpone, cancel, or change anything happening at St. Mark, we will use our Call Multiplier system with an announcement, send out an email to anyone on our email list, and post on our social media platforms — Facebook and Instagram.

If you aren’t on our Call Multiplier list and/or email list, and would like to put on them, message Pastor David.

PROPERTY UPDATE: Gallagher’s Flooring in Lock Haven installed the flooring in church office. On the advice of our realtor, the septic pumping at the parsonage will be postponed until time of sale so that it can also include an inspection for the buyer. If the church’s septic system needs to be pumped, it will be done along with the parsonage. A safety bollard for the Fellowship Room stair chair to protect the docking/charging system. 

CALLING ALL THRIVENT MEMBERS: If you currently hold Thrivent contracts, you are entitled to direct some of their charitable funds to organizations of your choice at no additional cost to you. You need to direct these funds each year, so please consider choosing St. Mark as your recipient. If you have questions or need help, please contact Gary Gates or Heidi Simmons and they can talk you through the online procedure. It’s easy and costs you nothing additional.

COFFEE HOUR IN MARCH: St. Mark’s monthly coffee hour is March 8 and follows worship. Spend some fellowship time together and enjoy some refreshments. Family and youth from St. Mark are “hosting” the coffee hour! 

St. Mark’s Monthly Coffee Hours are usually held the second Sunday of each month. If you would like to help with coffee hours, contact Pastor David.

EXPLORE YOUR FAITH WITH OTHERS: Faith Explorers (Sunday School) classes for all ages are at 9:30am Sundays, and they resume on Sunday, January 11 following a Christmas break. 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 features engaging activities and conversations around life and faith today for both youth and adults alike. 

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.

SHARE YOUR NEWS: Have you recently received a promotion at work? Changed jobs? Does your child/grandchild have a ball game or a part in a play coming up, or made honor roll? If there is something you would like to share with the St. Mark community, let us know! 

It is wonderful that we share our prayer requests and if we or someone we know has any needs. It also is good to share news that is something we want to celebrate as we journey on in our lives of faith here. We can celebrate together.

If you want to share any news, email stmarksnydertown@gmail.com or email Pastor David and we can include that in our weekly or monthly communications. And if you or another family member is doing something that is open to the public, such as a ball game or play or concert, etc., let us know and we can pass it along for people to mark on their calendars if they are able to attend.

We share the Good News of Jesus Christ with one another and with all we meet, and we can share in the good news each of you in this community may have.

COUNCIL MEETING HIGHLIGHTS: Highlights from the council’s meeting on February 12:

• Worship and Music committee suggested that we change to battery operated candles for candle lighting services. The holders don’t always catch all of the wax and it is difficult to remove from carpets and cushions. They would also lessen fire risk. Council had no objections, but the committee will continue to investigate.

• The next council meeting is 7pm Thursday, March 12.

YOUTUBE CHANNEL: Yes St. Mark has its own YouTube channel @stmarksnydertown. Currently, the site has videos 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 are held following worship on Sundays during the winter months. 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.

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.