 Image by Peter H from Pixabay Invest In Hope: Jesus said, “For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose their reward.” Mark 9:41
Jesus’ statement about a cup of water shows that very practical and simple acts are precisely the stewardship deeds he hopes his disciples make. Our care and support for others, no matter how small, are significant in the eyes of God. Church School: We are thrilled to announce that the Church School will be resuming today, September 26, 2021 at 9:10am in the courtyard. As we relax under our beautiful new canopy, we will start by welcoming everyone and handing out name tags. A Stewardship Parable: Once there was a church that had a curious circumstance. There was a man in this church who pondered this circumstance deeply. You see, the giving in support of the church had very high peaks and equally low valleys. They occurred every year. After careful observation, the man observed that the descent into the valleys began shortly after the Sunday school ended for the year. He also observed that the ascent from the valley began every fall when Sunday School resumed. One year, in the midst of a low valley cycle, he sat there on Sunday morning preparing to write his weekly check to his church. He knew what he had promised to give each week and as he looked at his bank balance, he thought, “I can do better”. And so he wrote his check for a small amount more than his promise. He continued writing checks for the increased amount even as the ascent started the following fall. When the time came for him to renew his promise of financial support, he promised the higher amount. This went on for many years and the man went from being an average contributor to a tither. Can you honestly look at your own checkbook balance, or credit card statement, every Sunday and not find a way to give a little more? Mask Update: Following NEW updates from the CDC and the Diocesan Office, the St. Mark’s Bishop’s Committee has decided to update the Mask Mandate. Going forward, individuals who have been vaccinated may now attend worship services without masks if they choose. Mask wearing continues to be mandatory for people who are not fully vaccinated. We do ask that you still observe social distancing. If you feel that you are vulnerable, please continue to wear your mask. If you are sick, please stay home. All services will continue to be broadcast online. Food Pantry: Our Food Pantry will continue to operate by out-side, drive thru distribution on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. The Arizona National Guard has been assisting us with this ministry however, their mission to assist us is concluding on September second. We hope to carry on, but we need help from volunteers who are physically able to push carts loaded with food to families cars. Our distributions in September will be September 14th (7am to 11am) and September 28th (7am to 11am). Our set up day s are the Monday prior from 8am to 10am. We would like and appreciate help from volunteers all four days, but any time you can spare would be most appreciated! Food Pantry Volunteers are all vaccinated and clients are asked to wear masks and stay in their cars. We welcome you to join our mission to feed the hungry in Mesa! September Tithing: St. Mark’s is still present and desperately needs your support. If you normally bring an envelope with a check to church, you can instead mail that envelope to the church office, at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 322 N Horne St, Mesa, AZ 85203. If you usually give loose cash to the church, you can instead write a check and mail, or you can donate via the PayPal button on the right or here through FaithStreet - on the "Choose a Fund" drop down menus, scroll to choose "St. Mark's, Mesa". You can also do online payments through your bank, through the Bill Pay option. You could even set up a recurring payment through your bank if you wish, so you will not forget. God Bless and Stay Safe, Dianne Nunez, Stewardship/Finance Chair. Upcoming Ministry Meetings: NONE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE Mark Your Calendars:
CURRENT SERVICES: You can join us for services live at the following times, or watch the recording any time at your convenience:
 Русский: Христос с учениками. by Андрей Николаевич Миронов (A.N. Mironov) is shared under a CC-BY-SA 4.0 license. Invest In Hope: Jesus asked his disciples, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. Mark 9:33-34
Even Jesus’ closest friends had a hard time understanding the command that his followers be the last of all and servant of all. Good stewardship is a wonderful way to be the servant of others. Mask Update: Following NEW updates from the CDC and the Diocesan Office, the St. Mark’s Bishop’s Committee has decided to update the Mask Mandate. Going forward, individuals who have been vaccinated may now attend worship services without masks if they choose. Mask wearing continues to be mandatory for people who are not fully vaccinated. We do ask that you still observe social distancing. If you feel that you are vulnerable, please continue to wear your mask. If you are sick, please stay home. All services will continue to be broadcast online. Food Pantry: Our Food Pantry will continue to operate by out-side, drive thru distribution on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. The Arizona National Guard has been assisting us with this ministry however, their mission to assist us is concluding on September second. We hope to carry on, but we need help from volunteers who are physically able to push carts loaded with food to families cars. Our distributions in September will be September 14th (7am to 11am) and September 28th (7am to 11am). Our set up day s are the Monday prior from 8am to 10am. We would like and appreciate help from volunteers all four days, but any time you can spare would be most appreciated! Food Pantry Volunteers are all vaccinated and clients are asked to wear masks and stay in their cars. We welcome you to join our mission to feed the hungry in Mesa! September Tithing: St. Mark’s is still present and desperately needs your support. If you normally bring an envelope with a check to church, you can instead mail that envelope to the church office, at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 322 N Horne St, Mesa, AZ 85203. If you usually give loose cash to the church, you can instead write a check and mail, or you can donate via the PayPal button on the right or here through FaithStreet - on the "Choose a Fund" drop down menus, scroll to choose "St. Mark's, Mesa". You can also do online payments through your bank, through the Bill Pay option. You could even set up a recurring payment through your bank if you wish, so you will not forget. God Bless and Stay Safe, Dianne Nunez, Stewardship/Finance Chair. St. Mark's One-Room Schoolhouse event: Hello everyone! We are thrilled to announce the first meeting of church school will be on Sunday September 26th at 9:10 am in our courtyard. As we relax under our beautiful new canopy, we start by welcoming everyone and getting name tags. Then our wonderful Kathy Smith will read a short Bible story and lead us in prayer. After that we will gather at the tables with our teachers for a craft and snack. We plan to have an event once a month, and will let you know when the next one will be. Upcoming Ministry Meetings: NONE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE Mark Your Calendars:
CURRENT SERVICES: You can join us for services live at the following times, or watch the recording any time at your convenience:
 Image by tung256 from Pixabay Invest In Hope: And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Mark 7:35
The deaf man with the speech problem experienced immediate relief. Sometimes our stewardship, our charity, our giving, our intervention, has an immediate impact. Sometimes it takes a while. But whether immediate or over time, no kind deed of ours goes without an impact. A Stewardship Parable: Once there was a church that had a curious circumstance. There was a man in this church who pondered this circumstance deeply. You see, the giving in support of the church had very high peaks and equally low valleys. They occurred every year. After careful observation, the man observed that the descent into the valleys began shortly after the Sunday school ended for the year. He also observed that the ascent from the valley began every fall when Sunday School resumed. One year, in the midst of a low valley cycle, he sat there on Sunday morning preparing to write his weekly check to his church. He knew what he had promised to give each week and as he looked at his bank balance, he thought, “I can do better”. And so he wrote his check for a small amount more than his promise. He continued writing checks for the increased amount even as the ascent started the following fall. When the time came for him to renew his promise of financial support, he promised the higher amount. This went on for many years and the man went from being an average contributor to a tither. Can you honestly look at your own checkbook balance, or credit card statement, every Sunday and not find a way to give a little more? Mask Update: Following NEW updates from the CDC and the Diocesan Office, the St. Mark’s Bishop’s Committee has decided to update the Mask Mandate. Going forward, individuals who have been vaccinated may now attend worship services without masks if they choose. Mask wearing continues to be mandatory for people who are not fully vaccinated. We do ask that you still observe social distancing. If you feel that you are vulnerable, please continue to wear your mask. If you are sick, please stay home. All services will continue to be broadcast online. Food Pantry: Our Food Pantry will continue to operate by out-side, drive thru distribution on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. The Arizona National Guard has been assisting us with this ministry however, their mission to assist us is concluding on September second. We hope to carry on, but we need help from volunteers who are physically able to push carts loaded with food to families cars. Our distributions in September will be September 14th (7am to 11am) and September 28th (7am to 11am). Our set up day s are the Monday prior from 8am to 10am. We would like and appreciate help from volunteers all four days, but any time you can spare would be most appreciated! Food Pantry Volunteers are all vaccinated and clients are asked to wear masks and stay in their cars. We welcome you to join our mission to feed the hungry in Mesa! MarkDowns Thrift Store: The thrift store will be closed for the summer. September Tithing: St. Mark’s is still present and desperately needs your support. If you normally bring an envelope with a check to church, you can instead mail that envelope to the church office, at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 322 N Horne St, Mesa, AZ 85203. If you usually give loose cash to the church, you can instead write a check and mail, or you can donate via the PayPal button on the right or here through FaithStreet - on the "Choose a Fund" drop down menus, scroll to choose "St. Mark's, Mesa". You can also do online payments through your bank, through the Bill Pay option. You could even set up a recurring payment through your bank if you wish, so you will not forget. God Bless and Stay Safe, Dianne Nunez, Stewardship/Finance Chair. Looking for a Social Media Team for St. Mark's: If you are active on social media and love St. Mark's, we're looking for you! We want to develop a social media team to help coordinate our communication and engage our congregation on all our social media platforms - currently Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, in both English and Spanish. If you are interested in volunteering, have suggestions, or would like more information, please contact Anali Perry at webmaster@stmarksmesa.org. Upcoming Ministry Meetings: NONE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE Mark Your Calendars:
CURRENT SERVICES: You can join us for services live at the following times, or watch the recording any time at your convenience:
 Image by Jackson David from Pixabay Invest In Hope: Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights. James 1:17.
It’s easy not to remember that when we are generous, we are actually sharing in God’s generosity. Our giving is part of God’s perfect gift to us. A Stewardship Parable: Once there was a church that had a curious circumstance. There was a man in this church who pondered this circumstance deeply. You see, the giving in support of the church had very high peaks and equally low valleys. They occurred every year. After careful observation, the man observed that the descent into the valleys began shortly after the Sunday school ended for the year. He also observed that the ascent from the valley began every fall when Sunday School resumed. One year, in the midst of a low valley cycle, he sat there on Sunday morning preparing to write his weekly check to his church. He knew what he had promised to give each week and as he looked at his bank balance, he thought, “I can do better”. And so he wrote his check for a small amount more than his promise. He continued writing checks for the increased amount even as the ascent started the following fall. When the time came for him to renew his promise of financial support, he promised the higher amount. This went on for many years and the man went from being an average contributor to a tither. Can you honestly look at your own checkbook balance, or credit card statement, every Sunday and not find a way to give a little more? Mask Update: Following NEW updates from the CDC and the Diocesan Office, the St. Mark’s Bishop’s Committee has decided to update the Mask Mandate. Going forward, individuals who have been vaccinated may now attend worship services without masks if they choose. Mask wearing continues to be mandatory for people who are not fully vaccinated. We do ask that you still observe social distancing. If you feel that you are vulnerable, please continue to wear your mask. If you are sick, please stay home. All services will continue to be broadcast online. Food Pantry: Our Food Pantry will continue to operate by out-side, drive thru distribution on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. The Arizona National Guard has been assisting us with this ministry however, their mission to assist us is concluding on September second. We hope to carry on, but we need help from volunteers who are physically able to push carts loaded with food to families cars. Our distributions in September will be September 14th (7am to 11am) and September 28th (7am to 11am). Our set up day s are the Monday prior from 8am to 10am. We would like and appreciate help from volunteers all four days, but any time you can spare would be most appreciated! Food Pantry Volunteers are all vaccinated and clients are asked to wear masks and stay in their cars. We welcome you to join our mission to feed the hungry in Mesa! MarkDowns Thrift Store: The thrift store will be closed for the summer. August Tithing: St. Mark’s is still present and desperately needs your support. If you normally bring an envelope with a check to church, you can instead mail that envelope to the church office, at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 322 N Horne St, Mesa, AZ 85203. If you usually give loose cash to the church, you can instead write a check and mail, or you can donate via the PayPal button on the right or here through FaithStreet - on the "Choose a Fund" drop down menus, scroll to choose "St. Mark's, Mesa". You can also do online payments through your bank, through the Bill Pay option. You could even set up a recurring payment through your bank if you wish, so you will not forget. God Bless and Stay Safe, Dianne Nunez, Stewardship/Finance Chair. Looking for a Social Media Team for St. Mark's: If you are active on social media and love St. Mark's, we're looking for you! We want to develop a social media team to help coordinate our communication and engage our congregation on all our social media platforms - currently Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, in both English and Spanish. If you are interested in volunteering, have suggestions, or would like more information, please contact Anali Perry at webmaster@stmarksmesa.org. Upcoming Ministry Meetings: NONE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE Mark Your Calendars:
CURRENT SERVICES: You can join us for services live at the following times, or watch the recording any time at your convenience:
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 We appreciate your secure online donation to St. Mark's, using either PayPal or through the Diocese of Arizona using FaithStreet. PayPal sends your donation directly to St. Mark's. For FaithStreet, please select "St. Mark's Mesa" from the drop down menu under "select a fund."
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