Newsletter July 2019 Vol. 17, No. 7

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1 Newsletter July 2019 Vol. 17, No. 7 My St. Mark s Family, Ever since the Virginia Annual Conference ended on June 22, I have had a number swirling around in my head. 54,202. That is the number of health kits, school kits, and flood buckets that our Virginia UMC collected to be sent for help with disaster relief, rebuilding efforts, and for kids who do not have the supplies they need for a successful school year. These kits will help people all over our nation and world. St. Mark s contributed over 150. That number is a huge reminder of how much we can accomplish as a church when we work together. As you know, this is a difficult season for our denomination as we continue to struggle with issues of human sexuality. The coming months and years will continue to include much discernment and prayer over how we interpret scripture, and what that means for the future of Methodism. So as we move forward, I m going to keep that number in mind. 54,202. It is proof that we can accomplish so much more for Christ s kingdom together than we ever can apart. Strength and Wisdom, Pastor Justin INSIDE THIS ISSUE NEWS /ANNOUNCEMENTS 2 CHILDREN S MINISTRIES 5 YOUTH MINISTRIES 7 BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES 7

2 news announcements news announcements news Hi friends, This is a prayer I particularly like, based on Micha 6:8, Gracious God, teach us how to serve Your people. Teach us how to do justice, to teach justice and to seek justice. Teach us to love kindness, to demonstrate kindness and to reach out in kindness. And as you teach us how to serve Your world, Teach us what it means to walk humbly with You. Amen As we are off on our summer adventures, may God go with you, keep you safe and grant you peace! Peggy Lootens, Lay Leader Back to School Blast!! Join as we serve like Jesus! On August 10th a team from St Mark's will be heading over to Parkway Church on the Mountain in order to serve at the Roanoke Rescue Mission's Back 2 School Blast! The Back 2 School Blast ministers to students in the Roanoke area who are under-served by providing school supplies, check-ups and new shoes! Through your generosity and God's grace St Mark's is able, once again, to be the shoe sponsor! The saints of St Mark's will go to Parkway in order to remove old shoes and socks from children, pray for their new school year and all that comes with it, and give them brand new shoes and socks to start school! This service opportunity is for people who are 18 and over. Please sign up for this holy event! If you have any questions please feel free to contact Erin Huddleston (stmarkserinh@gmail.com) Backpack Buddies Thank you to all who have provided food or monies for our Backpack Buddies ministry. Also, thanks to those volunteers who helped us prepare, pack and deliver the meals to children attending the Summer Enrichment Program at Orchard Hills Community Church. You are helping to feed students from Greenfield Elementary who are food insecure. ~The Backpack Buddies Team 2 Finance Corner Through the end of May, our general fund income has been $206,940, and our expenses were $214,381. This leaves a shortfall of $7,441, which is in line with where we were in 2018 as well. The Finance Team is making plans to close this 4% shortfall, and with your help we know we can! Thanks to everyone for their generous giving this year! We also continue to make good progress on the building fund, as our mortgage balance on the Family Life Center now stands at $743,652 as of June 18. Lunch and Learn In June, LOA s St. Mark s Diner s Club transitioned from our weekly meetings here at the church to a once a month lunch outing. This month we are meeting at Pancho s (in Daleville) on Tuesday, July 2nd at 11 am to share food, good conversation and information important to seniors. Brenda Willis is continuing as the coordinator of this group. We hope you will join us. Please call Brenda at if you are going to attend, so that she may let the restaurant know how many to expect. TAME News Looking for a new way to serve Christ? Join the TAME Ministry Team. TAME stands for That All May Eat. Join the team to help plan events to support the hungry in our community, state and world. If you would like to be a part of the planning team, contact Emily Morris emilydmorris@aol.com or Susan Wagner susanbwagner59@gmail.com Our Rise Against Hunger Packing Project is on September 21st. Save the date to help us pack that day and invite your friends and neighbors to help. We have now raised $5, towards our packing event. The TAME Ministry will be providing hotdogs, chips and ice cream for the VBS Celebration on July 21st after the 11:00 Service. Join us for lunch and donate towards the TAME projects for the year. The TAME Ministry will be selling St. Mark s Christmas ornaments this year to help raise money for hunger needs. The ornaments are a 50th Anniversary of the Church Commemorative Ornament. Look for those in the fall at our 50th Anniversary Celebration and at the Christmas Bazaar.

3 news announcements news announcements news Scrapbook Fellowship There will be no scrapbooking fellowship in July. VBS will be using the fellowship hall that week. The UMM will not be meeting in July. We will meet again in August, details will be in the next newsletter. At our June 10th meeting, our program was Transitional Options for Women. Dorothy Owsley talked with us about the options in Roanoke that are available to women who have served time in prison and are transitioning back into society. She discussed the home they can come to in Roanoke that provides a safe and stable place to live, receive some training and help to get back on their feet. The House Manager also spoke about the house rules that are set for everyone. A current resident, who had just gotten out of jail, talked about her experiences and how positive the house has been for her. It was a very interesting and informative program. In July, there will be NO UMW meeting. On August 12th at 6 pm, we will have our Annual Dinner Out. Reservations have been made at O Charley s at Valley View. There will be no business meeting just a time for fellowship and fun! United Methodist Women is open to all women of the church. Please join us! A support group for rising 5th - 12th grade girls, their moms and ladies through 120. Hope everyone has had new experiences and fun memories made this summer. On August 10, at 11 am, you are invited to get in one last summer splash at Randolph Park in Dublin. The group cost is $5 a person. The park has a picnic shelter that allows a cooler of home packed lunches. Due to their full service concession, restaurant food is not allowed at pool shelter. Please RSVP to Becky at reach2sky14@gmail.com by August 1 You Can Save a Life! The Red Cross is always in need of blood, but now the need is critical. Stop by St. Mark s blood drive team s bulletin board located across from the church secretary s office to see how you can help. You can sign up to donate blood, volunteer your time at the drive, make baked goods, use your social media skills, or donate prizes. You can do as much as you like! St. Mark s Blood Drive Saturday, July 13, :00 am - 2:00 pm For any questions please contact Susan or Don Ditzler at God is not unjust, he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. Hebrews 6:10 Women s Evening Bible Study Women s Thursday Evening Bible Study continues to meet at 7 pm each week at the home of Edna Nicely. If you d like to know more about this study please call or Edna Nicely ( or edna.nicely@gmail.com). KITS FOR CONFERENCE What a GREAT 2019 response! Once again we came through with a total of 159 KITS -- consisting of 150 School Kits and 9 Health Kits. This is 51 more KITS than last year. Our 20 boxes of KITS were delivered to our Virginia Annual Conference at the Berglund Center this week. They were then trucked to the UMCOR Sager Brown Depot in Baldwin, Louisiana, to be shipped where they are needed most. (Continued on page 4) 3

4 news announcements news announcements news Thanks to the many hands that provided completed KITS, supplies to make them, and worked so faithfully to assemble the Kits and then box them up. All year, we continue to collect supplies for next year. If you had wanted to help, but did not have time to put a KIT together you can still help! UMCOR does request that we provide $1 per KIT to help with processing and shipping. If you would like to make a donation, please make your check payable to St. Mark s United Methodist Women, earmarked KITS. If you have any questions, please see Mona Tolley ( ). Thank you so much for your continued support of this important mission project! Joyful Journey Opportunities During 2019 Joyful Journey Travelers take note of the following deadlines: Ride the Rails, Sept , payment in full is due by August 5. If you plan to go and have not signed up or turned in your registration form you should do so by August 5. A Wohlfhart Haus Christmas, Nov. 14, has a few openings. If you have not paid or do not have a credit from last year you should pay the $74 cost to hold you a place. NYC Christmas, Dec. 5-6, still has a few openings. Payment in full is due by Oct. 4. Our Alaska cruise this spring lacked 1 person, so we had to cancel. Some of the people are asking that we try it again. We will try once more, for June 11-22, Trip info will be available soon. Kroger Community Cares Program St. Mark s latest Kroger check has arrived. The total amount of $ will be deposited into our Building Fund. We now have 74 households enrolled in the Community Rewards program. Thank you all for signing up! Please consider enrolling and making St. Mark s United Methodist Church (TE560) your organization of choice. Are You on Amazon Smile? Amazon Smile is a program that is run through Amazon.com that gives back to non-profits. It s a great way to support non-profits without an added cost to you! With each purchase that you makes on your Amazon account (after registering).5% of the total of your purchase is donated. This adds up quickly! St Mark s is currently listed as a non-profit that is eligible for support through Amazon Smile. Please consider supporting your local church! Here s how to sign up: Go to (sign in) Hover over Accounts & Lists Click on Your Amazon Smile Search from St. Mark s United Methodist Church Daleville, VA Scroll down to choose which St Mark s you are looking for there are many. As always, if you need help, feel free to reach out to Erin Huddleston at StMarksErinH@gmail.com. 4

5 Children s Ministries Children s Ministries Children's Ministries VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL All children ages 3 through rising 5th graders are invited to Galactic Blast VBS July 15th through 19th from 9:00 to 12:00 noon! Please come and bring a friend! VBS Registration forms are available on the VBS bulletin board in the Narthex and on the church website. To register online, please go to and click on the registration form link. You may either print the form and mail it or bring it to the church, or fill it out and it back to: leeanncritz@yahoo.com. All those registered by July 11th will receive a glow-in-the-dark Galactic Blast t-shirt! Space in the Preschool class is limited now! Registrations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis! Rising 6th and 7th graders are invited to join us for Service Squad during VBS. Service Squad is a hands-on mission program for tweens at local missions. Service Squad Registration form may be found on the VBS bulletin board in the Narthex hallway. ** T-shirts are available for all children, youth and adults registered by July 11th!! Youth and Adult Volunteers may order one by filling out the back of the VBS registration form and turning it into Lee Ann!! Donations for the shirts are greatly appreciated!! Color of the Day: Each day we will all try to wear the same color clothing to promote VBS excitement! The color of the day, Monday, July 15th, will be Green. Please try to dress your child in some piece of clothing that is the Color of the Day. You will be reminded each day of the color of the day for the next day in our Take Home Page. The color of the day for each day of the week is as follows: Monday Green, Tuesday Red, Wednesday Blue, Thursday Yellow, Friday - Purple, and Sunday, July 21st white or your VBS t-shirt! VBS MISSION PROJECTS We are excited that the children will have 3 opportunities to support mission work through our Vacation Bible School this year! Our VBS Mission Projects include collecting school supplies for the Roanoke Rescue Mission s Back 2 School Blast. The following school supplies 5 are needed for OPERATION SCHOOL SUPPLIES : Book Bags, Loose Leaf Paper, 1 and 2 3-ring Binders, Composition Notebooks, Pocket Folders, Pens, Pencils, Pencil Pouches, Erasers, Highlighters, Colored Pencils, Magic Markers, Crayons, Glue Sticks and Scissors. All monetary donations made during VBS will be given to T.A.M.E., the year-round hunger ministry of St. Mark s UMC, that has been feeding people both locally and internationally through Rise Against Hunger Meal Packing events for the past 10 years. The children will also be able to support the Backpack Buddies program by memorizing the 6 scriptures from VBS! These scriptures will be sent home the first day of VBS. An anonymous donor has offered to give $1 to the Backpack Buddies for every VBS scripture that the children memorize! Each child can generate a $6 donation to our new Backpack Buddies! Please encourage your child to support our VBS Mission Projects! VBS NEEDS The following items are needed for VBS (as strange as some may sound)! If you wish to share an item with VBS, simply pick a note off our VBS bulletin board in the Narthex with the item written on it. Then, put the item in the large basket under the VBS bulletin board. If you would like the item returned to you, please clearly mark your name on it. Please leave your donation in the basket under the VBS bulletin board in the Narthex, no later than Wednesday, July 10th. Once VBS is over, your item can be found in the basket for pick-up after July 28th, if you marked you name on it. If you have questions, please contact Lee Ann. THANK YOU! The following items are needed for VBS: Aluminum foil, aluminum foil, aluminum foil! Empty spice containers that have been washed and dried Double size light blue flat sheet Baby powder in a plastic shaker Large brown paper grocery bags Magnifying lens Baking soda (large box) Gallon of Vinegar Your prayers for the Adult and youth volunteers and participants of VBS! Thank you!!

6 news announcements news announcements news We will be DECORATING the church for VBS on Thursday, July 11th at 9 am and also after church on Sunday, July 14th. Adults and youth are needed to help transform our church into an intergalactic observatory! Please let Lee Ann know if you can help either of those times! Helping Hands A Children s Mission Event Join us for an exciting two-day mission experience for children sponsored by the Roanoke District UMC Common Table and hosted by Windsor Hills UMC, July 25th-26th. This mission experience is for all rising 4th through 6th graders and adult leaders! The cost is $36 per person and includes a t-shirt, meals and snacks, and overnight stay at the church, sleeping on the floor. For more information on this mission opportunity to show God s love through serving others, see Miss Lee Ann before July 18th. ATTENTION!! Parents of Children in Third Grade This Fall! The church will be presenting a Children s NRSV Bible to those children who will be in 3rd grade in the fall, on Sunday, August 4th during the Worship Services. These are the Bibles we will be using as we move forward both in The Garden and in FROGs. Your child will be invited to take this Bible home with them, read it daily and return to St. Mark's each week with it. Children who bring their Bibles with them to The Garden and FROGs will receive a FROG dollar each time they bring their Bible to church! Please let Lee Ann know if you wish for your child to receive a Bible. Please contact Lee Ann at or at leeanncritz@yahoo.com, no later than Sunday, July 21st! Blessing of the Backpacks! All children and youth are invited to bring their backpack to Worship Services on August 4th, for a special blessing for the new school year! Please come, bring your backpack and bring a friend! Promotion Sunday Promotion Sunday will be Sunday, August 4th! That Sunday, all children, age 3 by September 30th and toilet trained, will move up to the Preschool Sunday School class. Those heading to Kindergarten this school year will move downstairs to The Garden: Where Disciples Grow in room 101, The Gathering room. New middle schoolers in sixth grade will move into the Youth Sunday School room. This is a great time to start your child or youth in Sunday School! Sunday School; it s for life! 6

7 youth news youth news Birthdays Anniversaries Youth Events and News: We are off to a very busy summer. Big things are happening in the Shipyard and a lot of them are moving us out of the Harbor. June has taken us out for Service in Indy and we have more local activities, planned for the month of July. No Youth July 7th - your 4th of July Holiday with your family and a break after the mission trip and youth Sunday! Thursday July 11th Meet at the Salem Fair, it is Kroger Night bring 2 canned good donations and get tickets for $15 per person. We will meet there at 6 pm. July 14th - No Youth This Sunday as we were just at the Salem Fair and will begin Service Squad/VBS Support the next day July 15th- 19th - Service Squad for Rising 6th and 7th graders will go out into the community and do local missions this week during VBS time. July 21st - Movie Trip to see Lion King after church. Time will be announced closer to the date when they release show times. July 27th-28th - Trip to Ferry Stone Park. This will be our Summer Retreat, before School starts and get to have some fun together being in nature. Thank you for your constant support and love of these wonderful young people, through our fundraisers, activities and in prayer! If you want to volunteer or are of Youth age 6th - 12th grade please me Kelly Berry, at Shipyardyouth@gmail.com. We would love to have you! Newsletter Deadline is 9 am the 20th of each month Bulletin Deadline: Thurs. 9 AM St. Mark s United Methodist Church 19 Cedar Ridge Drive Daleville, VA Phone: Website: Rev. Dr. Justin White: justinwhite@vaumc.org Becky Arthur: stmarksumcdaleville@gmail.com Lee Ann Critz: leeanncritz@yahoo.com Erin Huddleston: StMarksErinH@gmail.com Michele Richardson: stmarksmusicminister@gmail.com Kelly Berry: ShipyardYouth@gmail.com

8 July 2019 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Diners Luncheon 11 am Adult Fellowship Luncheon 11:30 am Cub Scouts 5:45 pm 4 NO Thousand Thursday s 5 6 Church Office Closed 7 NO Youth Group 4th Sunday after Pentecost 8 NO UMW in July NO UMM in July 9 Cub Scouts 5:45 pm VBS Decorating! 9 am Youth: the Salem Fair 6 pm Red Cross Blood Drive 10 am-2 pm 14 NO Youth Group Cub Scouts 5:45 pm 17 NO Midweek Service 18 NO Thousand Thursday s VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL ~ GALACTIC BLAST ~ 9 AM - 12 PM 5th Sunday after Pentecost 21 Youth Group: Go to see The Lion King time to be announced Cub Scouts th Sunday after Pentecost 28 Youth Group 5-7 pm Cub Scouts 31 Aug 1 Aug 2 Aug 3 7th Sunday after Pentecost

9 July 2019 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Diners Luncheon 11 am Adult Fellowship Luncheon 11:30 am Cub Scouts 5:45 pm 4 NO Thousand Thursday s 5 6 Church Office Closed 7 NO Youth Group 4th Sunday after Pentecost 8 NO UMW in July NO UMM in July 9 Cub Scouts 5:45 pm VBS Decorating! 9 am Youth: the Salem Fair 6 pm Red Cross Blood Drive 10 am-2 pm 14 NO Youth Group Cub Scouts 5:45 pm 17 NO Midweek Service 18 NO Thousand Thursday s VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL ~ GALACTIC BLAST ~ 9 AM - 12 PM 5th Sunday after Pentecost 21 Youth Group: Go to see The Lion King time to be announced Cub Scouts th Sunday after Pentecost 28 Youth Group 5-7 pm Cub Scouts 31 Aug 1 Aug 2 Aug 3 7th Sunday after Pentecost