THE MARKINGS...PAGE 5 THE MARKINGS September 2020 Scott Clausen, Director of Music and Worship, can...

MISSION: To share the love of Jesus with and through the people of Talbot County and beyond.

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THE MARKINGS

ST. MARK’S UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, 100 PEACHBLOSSOM ROAD, EASTON, MD 21601 September 2020

Our Vision:

St. Mark’s Church

will inspire people of

all ages through acts

of love and service to

know Jesus Christ.

SHOWING HOW WE ARE BEING THE

HANDS AND FEET OF JESUS!

*See Page 8 for story

Current sermons can be

viewed on our website

www.stmarkseaston.org

THE MARKINGS September 2020

PRAISES AND THANKSGIVING

George & Phyllis Carroll, on their 62nd wedding anniversary, April 12th.

Claude & Carolyn Edwards, on their 66th wedding anniversary, May 22nd.

Royal & Nancy Tysdal, on their 66th wedding anniversary, May 29th.

Rod & Joan Wolff on their 56th wedding anniversary, May 30th.

Buzz and Pat Jones, on their 68th wedding anniversary, June 5th.

Chivy & Sandy Wieland on their 52nd wedding anniversary, June 15th.

Tom & Hannah Alnutt on their 65th wedding anniversary, June 26th.

Al Miller on his 91st Birthday on June 29th.

David & Jackie Dianich on their 58th wedding anniversary, June 30th.

Bob & Anita Guenther on their 62nd anniversary, July 11th.

Bette & Frank Meyerle on their 53rd wedding anniversary on September 9th.

Wade & Janice Dudrow on their 63rd wedding anniversary, September 28th.

Pat Visgaitis on her 84th birthday, September 22.

Tom & Betty Barwick on their 52nd wedding anniversary, November 1st.

Pastor Ed & Linda Kuhling on their 36th wedding anniversary, November 10th.

Dan & Pearl Swann on their 60th wedding anniversary, November 22nd.

Don & Ann Yingling on their 51st wedding anniversary, November 22nd.

Pete & Joyce Bailey on their 56th wedding anniversary, November 24th.

GIFTS IN HONOR OF

Della Andrew for her birthday by Bobbie Ayers.

Bobbie Ayers her birthday by Della Andrew.

Gary Yeatman for his help by Gladys Makovsky.

Dick & Becky VanGilder for their acts of kindness

both great and small by Anonymous.

GIFTS IN MEMORY OF Jane Barton, by

Alpha Delta Kappa, Esther Circle & Joan Wright.

Nettie Robinson, by Sara Matthews Crowder,

Mary Circle, Barbara Friedman, Jim & Sheila

Scott, Shari & Brad Powers.

Lorene Anderson, by Jim & Sheila Scott, Cindi

Watts, Virginia Caudle, Marilyn & Ed Schmidt, T.

Gail Caudle, Gary & Sandra Harris, Benny & Pam

VanHurs & family, Nancy & Dennis Henson, Jim

& Kathy Carson.

Dr. Bill Wharton by Linwood & Barbara Hansen.

Elva Eareckson by Ken & Joni Eareckson Tada,

Susan Schumacher, Stanley & Faye Collier, Ellen

Rajacich, Wade & Janice Dudrow, Tommy & Betty

Barwick, Ray & Gini Appler, Renee North, Mildred

Bullock, Susan Divilio, Jim & Shelia Scott, Brad &

Shari Powers, Sara Matthews Crowder, David &

Jackie Dianich, Della Andrew, Corrine Taylor,

Judith & Jason Taylor, Marie Jones, Joan & Rod

Wolff, Ann & Don Yingling.

Bill Fleming by Evelyn Graybeal, Carroll

Waskins, Rod & Joan Wolff, Sara Lou Casson,

Reinhardt & Karen Sahmel, Paul & Bobbie Ayers,

Wade & Janice Dudrow, Bob & Fran Gosser, John

& Marilyn Morris, Jim & Sheila Scott, Chick &

Sally Blizzard, Dan & Pearl Swann, Ellen

Rajacich, Shirley Blades, Bob & Eenie Burris, Joan

& Harold Soose, James & Betty Crothers, Gary &

Jeannie Moore, Amy & Richard Meekins, George &

Bobbi Seger.

Linda Faulkner by Harriette Hall, Tommy &

Betty Barwick, Joyce & Melvin Faulkner, Wade &

Janice Dudrow, Frances Parks, James Faulkner,

James Mourlas, Jim & Shelia Scott, Frances

Taylor, Stanley & Faye Collier, Marie Jones, Joan

& Rod Wolff, Roger & Christine Eareckson, Sara &

Brian Lewis.

Joan Collier Sanchez by Della Andrew, Susan

Divilio, Joan & Rod Wolff, Roger & Christine

Eareckson, Marion & Barbara Dryden, Tommy

& Betty Barwick, Sara Matthews Crowder.

Sarah Cannon by Marie Jones

Ann Hubbard Howard by Wade & Janice

Dudrow


SERVING IN THE MILITARY

LCPL. Alexander White

GySgt. Harold S. Brice/USMC

CPT. Jacob Shores/ U.S. Army

OUR GLOBAL MISSIONS

Wings of Caring, Central Congo

Paul Lee Webster, Missionary

Mujila Falls Ag Centre Zambia

Africa University, Zimbabwe

Mulungwishi Seminary scholarship

Lifetime Wells International, Kenny Wood

Six Special U.M. Sundays

African Leadership Resources, Rev.

Labala

Central Congo Partnership

LET US PRAY FOR

Candle Light Cove - David Dianich, Jim

Delaney, Joy Kyak, Mary Rabenhorst

Londonderry - Liz Lechthaler

Heartfields - Jim & Wanda Denny

Bayleigh Chase - Gardens - Art & Louise

Shelby

Bayleigh Chase - Lois Dabbert

Homestead - Ruth Pippin

AT HOME

Betty Fleming Ruby Carter

Phyllis Carroll

Thank you to all our friends at St. Mark's who have wished us well through your wonderful cards,

emails and phone calls as we go to our next adventure of moving to Florida to be near our daughter

Sharon and downsizing. It has all happened so quickly but we are blessed that we are truly in God's

hands. Our new phone number is 321-428-4602 and we live in Viera on the East coast. Much love to

you all, Bob and Judy Lawrence

THANK YOU My grandson, Mitchell, wants to thank everyone for their cards & prayers. Unfortu-

nately, he will not be able to receive any more cards at this time. But, keep the prayers coming!

Bless you, Grandma Eva Reeley

Scholarship Recipients Josh & Katelynn Cherry

On behalf of the St. Mark's Scholarship Committee, I would

like to congratulate Katelynn and Josh Cherry for receiving a

St. Mark's scholarship. We wish the best of luck in this com-

ing year. I would also like to thank the many members of the

church who donated to the Scholarship fund. Without your

help, these much needed scholarships would not be possible.

Jennifer Eames,

Chair of Scholarship


HOW TO PRAY: TWO ALTERNATIVES

“It is all about relationships.” Relationships are based on commu-

nication. The most important relationship is the one we have with

God. So, how do you communicate with God? Many Christians

are very uncomfortable praying in front of other people. Many

don’t pray often under any circumstances. Many theologians and

scholars think Christians are uncomfortable praying because they

don’t know how, and that is because they have never been taught

how to pray. There are many different ways to pray, none is nec-

essarily better than any other. There are different styles to suit

different personalities and needs.

This six week ZOOM course is designed to provide open discussion

about two different ideas on how to pray . One alternative is pre-

sented by the popular theologian and author Max Lucado in his book and video “Before Amen: The Pow-

er of a Simple Prayer”, both of which are available on Amazon. The other alternative is presented by

theologian and apologist R.C. Sproul whose video, “Prayer”, will be used in class and is also available at

https://www.ligonier.org/store/prayer-dvd/. The purchase of any of those resources is not necessary for

the course, but the Lucado book may be beneficial in better understanding the contrast and similarities

it presents to what will be seen in the Sproul video used in class.

The course will be held on ZOOM each Tuesday, 29 September through 10 November, with the excep-

tion of 3 November (election day) from 1: 30 to 3:00 pm.

John Taylor will be leading the course. Please let him know ([email protected] or 703 966-1699), not

later than 22 September, if you are interested in joining the class or have any questions.

Ambiguous Loss According to Pauline Boss, a professor emeritus from U. Of MN. “Stress from uncertainty simply wears people down. Individuals feel hopeless, helpless and depressed. Family functioning suffers as decisions are put on hold, daily tasks ignored, and fighting and rifts take place. Resiliency erodes when celebrations and rituals are cancelled and people begin to shut down. Our coping skills diminish. There is a kind of loss that is uncertain.”. In their book, Hit Hard, Pat and Tammy McLeod experienced ambiguous loss when their 17 yr. old son had a major brain injury resulting from a football accident. The McLeod’s loss has been catastrophic. The fall out from it contin-ues now more than 10 yrs. later. After reading their amazing story along with some of my own research, I find that ambiguous loss can also manifest itself in times that would be significant to those going thru it and yet not what would be termed catastrophic. As we continue to live in the midst of this pandemic, many of us are at some level experiencing ambiguous loss. We are being challenged “to let go of what was and learn to live well with what is. “. A few disciplines the McLeods offer which continues to help them thru their loss in a more positive way are: Reading scripture (especially the psalms); prayer where you are honest with God about what you are feeling; worship; nature/beauty; art; Staying connected to friends and family. These kinds of practices are freeing to me ; bringing a peace and calm when my circumstances may not be peaceful or calm. I would encourage all of us during these unusual times to allow God to give us His grace as we experience am-biguous loss. Submitted by Eileen Heistand


ScottClausen,DirectorofMusicandWorship,canbereachedat:

MusicOf�ice(410)822-0001,ext.306

[email protected]

Fall Quarter Worship Notes:

Friends,

I am reminded during these times of all our bible stories that share how the church, or the people of Israel persevered during trying times. The way that Paul and Silas

sang and prayed, even from prison cells. How the children of Israel, even from bondage in Egypt, kept faith in God and found ways to worship him.

I remind us as we are encouraged to limit our contact in groups or are sequestered at home, that our acts of worship are not limited to corporate acts, nor to just Sun-

day morning. We can sing hymns and songs of praise anytime. We are called to pray unceasingly (especially in times such as these). We can stop and be thankful for the blessings in our lives, and be aware of those who are struggling more than

we. We lift one another up in prayer, and reach out through the technology we have to stay connected with one another. We lean on the God’s word for comfort and as-surance. These are all small acts of worship that will not only help us stay in touch

with our spirit, but they will deepen our relationship with God himself.

Our worship in individual acts is as important as the ways we worship corporately, and often reward us in ways we never imagined.

“We can always find a reason to praise. Situations change for better and for worse, but God’s worth never changes.” - Matt Redman

As we prepare to return to the Church building for Worship, we continue to be in need of volunteers to help in our services, as well as helping us navigate the service

morning. These are the roles we are looking to fill at the moment:

Usher Greeter

Scripture Reader Tech helper


Vacation Bible Camp 2020


Our Vacation Bible Camp looked a little different than past

years but that didn’t stop our campers! This year’s VBC was

created in house and our theme focused on the Miracles of

Jesus & the Fruit of the Spirit. Participants picked up take

home kits that included: a coloring book, daily craft kits,

sticker sheets, cool snacks & fun summer toys. Our partici-

pants watched three separate videos each day (Story Time,

Craft Time & Music Time) and have been watched over

2,700 times. If you missed the fun, our videos are still avail-

able to watch on our Facebook page. Thank you to everyone

who participated & helped make this family event possible.

Here are a few of the photos we received and we can tell

that everyone had “Fun in the Son While at Home.”

Wendy Avey, Director of Christian Education.


Food Pantry Feeding Needy Seniors The ongoing pandemic has increased food in-

security for many in our community, including seniors. When the Talbot County Hun-

ger Coalition (TCHC) reached out to churches and other organizations, our committee

helped repurpose and expand the existing church food pantry to meet this need. Using

church member contributions designated for the “virus” fund, St. Marks volunteers

have purchased and delivered over 1150 bags of groceries distributed by TCHC at the

weekly drive-up pantry at the Brooklet's Senior Center. Your generous giving is help-

ing to feed an average of 50 hungry families every week. According to Catherine Poe,

Chairman of the TCHC, we have fed over 946 households, and 1725 people. Generous

contributions from St. Mark’s members have made this possible, Thank you.

Preschool Update October 2020

On Friday, March 13, St. Mark’s Preschool closed for the year due to the COVID-

19 pandemic. Since then I have worked hard to try to come up with a plan to

safely re-open our little preschool program. On July 29 I met with the Adminis-

trative Board and determined that more time was needed to evaluate the feasi-

bility of reopening safely. It was decided that the preschool will remain closed

until further evaluation in late September/early October. We will meet again on

September 16 to review the latest plan to “phase” our preschoolers back into our

program. We would like to have the 4 year olds return to class in October, the 3 year olds return in No-

vember, and the 2 year olds return to school in January.

I ask that you all keep St. Mark’s Preschool in your prayers. Financially, returning to school with de-

creased enrollment will put a strain on our finances. Even on the leanest of budgets we will still experi-

ence a large deficit. I would like to ask you to prayerfully consider joining The Shepherd’s Club of St.

Mark’s Preschool. We ask for a $100 donation to become a member. (Your name will be listed as a

member on the preschool website.) Funds collected are typically used towards enrichment programs,

scholarships, maintaining the playground, and providing new equipment for the classrooms. However,

funds this year will help cover the cost of purchasing additional cleaning supplies to disinfect our learn-

ing spaces and the playground, as well as help with teacher salaries. If you are interested in joining,

you may place your donation in the offering box on Sunday or you may mail your offering to the church,

but place attention Sarah Ewing on the envelope. (Please make sure to write Shepherd’s Club in the

memo field) Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. (410-822-0078 or

[email protected])


St. Marks’ Missions Committee

Committee meetings The committee met on January 27th to review a draft 2020 budget;

to sign up for members to visit & prepare reports on our Local Mission Partners (LMPs);

and to receive financial, Needy Fund, foreign missions, and program reports. Then the

pandemic hit and our May meeting was cancelled.

The big issue was St. Mark’s Thrift Shop, which had made the switch from winter to sum-

mer clothing and was prepared to reopen in mid-March, when the closing of businesses oc-

curred. This meant that we were paying rent, utilities, & phone bills with no income com-

ing in. So a meeting was called for June 22nd to discuss what we should do and a decision

was made to close the Thrift Shop. There were many issues that led us to this conclusion;

but I will not try to review them in this newsletter. The plan was to staff the shop for Sat-

urdays in July; offering “fill a bag for $5.00”. I will not name those that made this possible,

because I will surely leave out some names. I simply want to thank those who made it pos-

sible. In this way, we received some money and were able to reduce the inventory.

The loss of the income from the shop on missions’ income is large. It normally provides

about one third of our funds available to donate to our LMPs and foreign missions each

year; which provided over $28,000 last year and over $29,000 the year before to missions.

These figures represent the net income from the shop. I don’t have the final report yet on

what the total income for 2020 from the Thrift Shop will be; but I think it will be between

$1,000 and $2,000. In addition, through July the giving to missions thru envelopes is down

about $2,000. The bottom line at this point is that, if giving to missions doesn’t increase, we

will have to make some hard decisions on who and how much we can donate to this year.

We plan to meet in October instead of September as we usually do, so we will have a better

sense of what our year ending income will be. Please help increase giving to missions as

you are able.

Presentation of Donations Program We have briefly discussed of holding the Presenta-

tion of Donations to our LMPs this year in the conference room with a couple of church rep-

resentatives on one end of the table and inviting representatives from the LMPs at specific

times to receive their donation at the other end of the table.

Possible plans for the future One of the biggest problems in not being able to reopen the

Thrift Shop where it was located was because it was so small. Thus we have had some dis-

cussion as to where we might be able to rent a larger space. We have stored the racks and

display cases in a Quonset hut on a local farm to have them available when we can find &

rent a larger space. Della Andrew, co-chair


A message from SPRC

During this challenging and difficult time, the congregation of St. Mark’s UMC have had

access to the Word of God through Face Book and You Tube. The efforts that Pastor Ed and

the entire staff have gone through to keep us connected is beyond words. We are most

grateful to be able to hear a sermon, special music, a children’s story, and hear The Word

through a reading from The Bible.

No one I know of has been exposed to this kind of imposed exile. Wearing masks, physical

distancing, numerous hand washings, temperature checks, etc. all sound like something out of

an out-of-this world movie. However, these are all real circumstances and we have all had to

adjust. We must remember that God is in the midst of our discomfort and suffering and that

He alone can give us the constant support that we all need to get through this, and we will.

Blessings and peace,

Marie Davis

SPRC Chair

WESLEY-YATER SUNDAY SCHOOL

If you have an interest in learning more about the Bible with joy in sharing with others, it is here

through the ZOOM program. Here is your opening invitation to a real treat to learn in a relaxed at-

mosphere. Little or no knowledge of the Bible is required.

Join St. Mark’s Wesley-Yater Sunday School that is moving forward with an exciting teaching of The

Book of Matthew. We will combine a DVD of Matthew along with our Bible to bring a vivid and very

explainable presentation for all to understand these wonderful scripture stories we have heard. With

great explanations that are easily understood.

From the comfort of your home please join us. If you are not a member already, ask for an invitation

to our virtual Sunday School starting every Sunday at 11:00 AM, September 20, 2020, following the

St. Mark’s Sunday Service.

Contact John Taylor, email address [email protected] to request a ZOOM virtual invitation to join our

Sunday School Class. You need not join any program, just click under where it says “Join here” to

start our exciting lesson.

For contact information, John Taylor 703-966-1699, or Marion Jackson 410-263-1799

Join us. All are welcome.

In Jesus’ Name

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

PAGE 12 THE MARKINGS September 2020

St. Mark’s United Methodist Church

100 Peachblossom Road

Easton, MD 21601

Staff Rev. Ed Kuhling, Pastor

June Billman, Pastor of Visitation

Sarah Ewing, Pre-School Director

Wendy Avey, Director of Christian Ed

Scott Clausen, Director of Music & Worship

Ranee Reitz, Organist

David Cherry, 9:30 Music Director

Karen Reed, Church Administrator

Erica Kirby, Bookkeeper

Bill Gunther, Building Superintendent

Phone: 410-822-0001

Fax: 410-822-0002

Email: [email protected]

NONPROFIT ORG

US POSTAGE PAID EASTON, MD

PERMIT NO. 239

FALL RADA CUTLERY SALE

Sarah Circle’s Fall Rada Cutlery Fundraiser for 2020 will be in October and November. All

profits benefit Mid-Shore Council on Family Violence which the circle supports throughout

the year. There are many victims of domestic violence, and this is our small way of helping

with their needs. In addition to sponsoring families at Christmas, the circle donates pantry

items to them monthly. Because of your help, we are able to continue this worthwhile project.

In addition to the many different cutlery items offered, are cooking utensils, soups, cheese-

balls, dips, cookbooks, seasonings, coloring books, and inspirational books. Catalogs, which

include ordering instructions, will be available in the Gathering Area. You can also view all

products and prices on line at +++++.

1st shipment orders need to be into the church office by October 26. 2nd shipment orders due

by November 30. If you have questions, please call Ann Yingling at 410-820-8592, 410-310

-8413 or email [email protected]

Current sermons can be viewed on our website www.stmarkseaston.org

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