Dear Members and Friends of St. Mark's,

I have just returned from a whirlwind trip to New York with some of our choir members and their guests. As many of you know, this trip centered around the world premiere of a new choral cantata called Rhapsody in Bluegrass by Joseph Martin performed at Carnegie Hall. I’ve had a chance to share some of my thoughts about the trip, but I invite you to ask those who also journeyed about their perspectives and activities around this event.

One thing I noted was how quickly the time flew by. It seemed such a short time from our arrival on Friday afternoon to the standing ovation on Monday night. It was described by a few of us as going from here to there to wow in a little over 3 days. As part of this troupe, we recognized that it took many people to make this happen. To all of you, thank you for your encouragement and prayers as we prepared and represented St. Mark’s UMC at Carnegie Hall.

In addition, I would like to thank our Music Director, Frank Williams, for sharing this vision with the leadership, the choir, and the church. Thank you for your work and constant communication with the people in New York to make this trip a wonderful event and lifetime memory for all of us.

And now that I am back I join you as we embrace the excitement of Advent. This will, again, be a time of moving from here to there to wow as St. Mark’s creates an atmosphere of reflection, anticipation, and community engagement. There will be music, drama, food, and candles. There will be quiet spaces and an abundance of laughter. There will be discovery through study and hands-on activities. In a word, there will be life. There is something for everyone, and everyone is invited. We will have church each Sunday morning at 9:30 AM, but here are some additional events:

Dec 7 and 14        Dinner and Taizé Services - dinner at 5 PM, Services at 6 PM
Dec 10                  Free Community Pancake Breakfast beginning at 7:45 AM
Dec 10                  Christmas At St. Mark’s Concert beginning at 4:30 PM
Dec 16                  Living Nativity and Bethlehem Market beginning at 5:30 PM
Dec 18,19,20         “The First Christmas” book study beginning at 1 PM
Dec 21                  Dinner and Longest Night Service – dinner at 5 PM, Service at 6 PM
Dec 24                  Christmas Eve Services at 5:30 and 8 PM

So, come, bring your family and your neighbors. Experience life here at St. Mark’s. Use this time to transform your life from here to there to wow.

Peace,

Jeri