This Weekend

Pastor’s Sunday School

Begins at 8:30 a.m. in the New Room. Everyone is invited. Child care is available. Below are the lectionary readings for this week:

Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24
Psalms 100
Ephesians 1:15-23
Matthew 25:31-46

"Deck the Halls" Gingerbread Event
This Sunday, 10:30 am, Social Hall

All kids and youth are invited to decorate their own little gingerbread house at this annual event celebrating the start of Advent. Adults are invited to enjoy homemade gingerbread cookies. To reserve a gingerbread house, RSVP with Kris Nieder at kris@StMarksUMCSD.org or sign up in the church office. There is no fee for this event. Participants are encouraged to make a donation towards the Tijuana School Build.

Next Week

Upcoming Dates

Volunteers Needed

Marston students need your help! Volunteers are needed for a special workshop at Marston on December 5 from 3:10-4:40 pm, decorating bags and preparing donations for Christian Community Service Agency. Please come share holiday cheer with our neighbors at Marston! To sign up, please contact Kris at Kris@stmarksumcsd.org or by calling the church office.

Taize Services December 7 and 14

What is a Taizé Service (pronounced Teh-ZAY)? A Taizé service involves sung and recited prayers and chants, meditation, periods of silence, and liturgical readings. No sermon. Prior to the Taizé service, there will be a light meal served in the Social Hall at 5 p.m. prior to going into the Sanctuary and experiencing the presence of God in a refreshing, fresh, and replenishing way through contemplative worship. All are invited!

Christmas At St. Marks

Experience the joys of the season by attending Christmas at St. Mark's on Sunday, December 10 at 4:30 p.m. St. Mark's handbells, chimes, and the voices of children and adult choirs will prepare our hearts for Advent and the birth of Jesus on Christmas. Please invite your friends, relatives and neighbors to share in this wonderful event. A reception will follow the concert to meet and greet all the St. Mark's choir participants.

Something New at St. Mark's Annual Living Nativity

Of course, the animals will be there. And the Holy Family, and shepherds, and wise men, and musical voices. But you will also find the Bethlehem Market, similar to last summer's Jerusalem Marketplace at Vacation Bible School. Several shopkeepers will display their wares. Biblical art stations for kids and a Mediterranean meal for all.

Bethlehem was a crossroads for the mass of people complying to a census called by Herod of Judea. People en route to places of birth. Shops would have been open to serve these sojourners. Kids of all ages are welcome at Bethlehem to witness the story of the birth of Jesus and partake of the Bethlehem Market. Mark the date: Saturday, December 16 beginning at 5:30 pm. Shalom!

What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus's Birth

Want to make this Christmas deeper and more meaningful? Come to an intensive three-day study, entitled The First Christmas: What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus's Birth. It will be offered from 1 to 2:10 p.m. on three successive days:

Monday, December 18: Parable,
Overture, and Context
Tuesday, December 19:
Genealogy, Conception, and Birth
Wednesday, December 20:
Light, Fulfillment, and Joy

The study will be drawn from the book The First Christmas by biblical scholars Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan. Books will be available through the church office in early December at a cost of $9, or may be ordered directly from Amazon

A Need for Warm Blankets

St. Mark's kids will answer the call for warm blankets for distribution by CCSA. This is our Advent Giving Project and we need your help. But it's easy: Simply purchase a new, warm blanket and bring it to church now though December 19. Thank you for your kindness.

Longest Night Service

St. Mark’s recognizes that often during the holidays there is grief or sorrow that cannot be erased by carols and parties. To help those who need a quiet place to sit, remember, and reflect we offer the Longest Night Service on the Winter Solstice, December 21. The service is preceded with a dinner at 5 p.m. and service begins at 6 p.m. This is a service where people can come to sit, pray, hum or sing quietly, and light candles to acknowledge the darkness and sadness that may be very close.

News

Poinsettas For Christmas

Poinsettias will once again be available to purchase to decorate the altar for Christmas. The cost is $8 per plant. You can place your order thru December 10. Order envelopes can be found in the church office or Sunday’s bulletin.

Flowers For Homebound

If you have ordered flowers for the altar on Sunday morning but don’t want to take them home with you, please notify the church office. A representative from St. Mark’s CARE Corps will be happy to take flower arrangements to St. Mark’s friends who are homebound or ill.

Giving Statements

If you have any questions about where you stand in regard to your 2017 pledge to the church, please call Arlene Dempster, Financial Secretary, at 858-273-9938. Arlene is able to check your giving record and provide you with the most current information. A final statement of giving for 2017 will be available in January 2018.

Let Us Know!

Picture-taking and video recording are frequently done during church events. Some of those pictures may be published in our church publications, slideshows, on our website, or on our social media pages. If you do not wish to have your picture published, please let an usher know, or contact the church office by phone or email