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"But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you. -- Luke 6:27-31
This scripture passage from this Sunday is the conclusion of Jesus' great Sermon on the Mount, specifically the portion called "the beatitudes." While it begins with "blessed are the poor in spirit...", it ends with what is often called the Golden Rule "Do to others as you would have them do to you." This sounds easy enough until one actually puts it into practice! These passages seem tailor-made for abuse. While I believe Jesus does NOT call us to stay in a dangerous or abusive situation, Jesus DOES call us to resist the temptation to treat others as we have been treated. We are to love our enemies, do good to those who hate us, etc... Does that mean loving Donald Trump or Nancy Pelosi and their supporters? Yes, it does. Does it mean praying even for terrorists and criminals? Yes, it does. Does it mean giving someone on the street money. Apparently, it does.
This week we are focusing on the Way of Love's GO practice. Going doesn't just mean leaving the walls of church behind, or crossing the threshold of our houses. It means crossing other walls and boundaries, listening to the lived experience of those who live different lives from ours, praying for them, and doing whatever we are called to do to help them. In other words, it means treating them not as they (or we) deserve to be treated, but as we ourselves would like to be treated. This is the exact opposite of what the world, our culture, promotes. If we take the above scripture seriously, we might well be left with little else (literally!) besides our relationship with God in Christ and with others. No shirt or coat, no money, and bruised cheeks! While we may not be called to wander around half-naked and assaulted, we ARE called to treat others as we would like others to treat us--or even better!
--Tom+
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BFF Brief: Finish Stucco, Parish Hall Ceiling, and Drywall soon!
The cold continues, but the sun is out and things are moving along on the BFF build! Stucco has been completed on the back and side of the new building, with only the final color coat on the front to be completed. Inside, the beams are being stained a dark brown to match the church beams and the ceiling is nearly complete. We are scheduled to have the electrical inspection at the end of this week, so hopefully drywall will finally be going up next week! This should be followed quickly by the assembling of the elevator, door installation, and stucco completion. By Thanksgiving, we hope to be giving thanks for a completed exterior and a rapidly finishing interior.
The BFF Committee is meeting every month and continuing to monitor costs and cash flow. We remain convinced that we do have the funding to bring the project to completion, but we will likely be borrowing from the St. Mark's Fund to do so, anticipating the fulfillment of multi-year pledges and, hopefully, new contributions as well. We will be paying bills through February, but there will be a complete BFF Financial Summary included in the Annual Report at our Annual Meeting at the end of January. Until then, we continue to welcome contributions and look forward to the project's completion!
-- The Building For the Future (BFF) Committee
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SPECIAL VIDEO
A Christian view of Halloween. Worth watching!
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Did the next issue of the
St. Mark's at the (Rogue Valley) Manor bi-weekly eNewsletter is NEXT week! Don't miss it!
Click here to subscribe!
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UPCOMING EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
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THIS Sunday, November 3
All Saints Sunday
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Allhallowtide, Hallowtide, Allsaintstide, or the Hallowmas season, is the triduum encompassing the Western Christian observances of All Saints' Eve (Halloween), All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, which last from 31 October to 2 November annually. The celebration of All Saints Day may be transferred to the nearest Sunday, so we will celebrate All Saints Sunday THIS coming Sunday, November 3. Both services will include a Renewal of Baptismal Vows (with baptism at 10 am) and a Remembrance of All Faithful Departed (Necrology) as well. Please join us!
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NEXT Sunday, November 10
Pledge Ingathering Sunday
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It's here! It's here! What's here, you ask? Why its Pledge Ingathering Sunday!
We will have a basket at both the 8 and 10 am services at which people are invited to place their pledge cards signifying their financial support of St. Mark's in 2020. Please prayerfully consider your pledge and bring your card to church with you. Extra pledge cards are available in the church or click here to submit a pledge online.
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NAME TAGS:
Are you wearing yours?
Do you know where your tag is?
Are you wearing it on Sundays?
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 As fall continues and the program year gets into full swing, we are we continue to get new people visiting St. Mark's. As a gesture of hospitality, we would like everyone to wear their name tags to church and coffee hour on Sunday mornings. Please return them to the baskets provided when finished with them. They will be returned to the church for the following Sunday.
Name tags have been cleaned out, so if yours is missing (and it isn't in your car or house), please put your name on the "Need a name tag" list or email or call TieKara at the church office and she will do a name tag printing run! A batch of new nametags was just printed, so look for yours on Sunday!
THANKS FOR WEARING
YOUR NAME TAG!
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Sunday School CONTINUES!
Meet at the back of the church for procession and prayer.
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Sunday School: God Space
Sunday School continues in Dagwell Hall (our old education building) but with a new name: God space!  We will be creating a sacred space in which children can make that divine connection each week through prayer, song, and story. Join us!
Teaching Assistants Needed!
 Interested in Children's & Youth Ministry? We're always looking for Teaching Assistants for our Sunday School. See Geni or Natalie or contact the office via email or telephone (541-773- 3111) to volunteer. We will work with your schedule!
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Monday Morning Bible Study
Continues Mondays, at 10 am
in Hafer House Library
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 Come join us in Hafer House Library at 10 am every Monday morning for our Bible Study on the Gospel of Matthew.(there is always coffee available...)!
PLEASE NOTE: No Bible Study on Monday, November 11 (Veterans Day).
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Time to Play:
Building for the Future (BFF) Guess-the-Date Contest
Proceeds benefit the BFF Fund
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 As we wait for the completion of our building, we're turning the waiting into a game! Kit Nilles is running a Building For the Future (BFF) Guess-the-Date Contest. You get the chance to submit one guess of what date we will receive our occupancy permit for the new building. Each guess is $20. The person who guesses correctly will receive half of the pot of money, the other half going to the BFF Fund. If several people choose the correct date, that half will be divided among the people who guessed right. See or contact Kit on Sunday or come to the church office during the week to enter. Deadline for entries is Sunday, November 17. Enter early and often!
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NEW Book Study:
"Receiving Jesus: The Way of Love by Marianne Edgar Budde
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 Please join us at our potluck and book study for a new book: "Receiving Jesus: The Way of Love" by The Rt. Rev. Marianne Edgar Budde, Bishop of Washington (DC). Expanding on the themes of the Way of Love, Bishop Budde invites us into a deeper experience of discipleship. Books are $13 and are available at the study or here. Join s at 5:30 pm on Wednesday evenings in Hafer House for a great food and conversation!
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COMING SOON:
Thanksgiving Boxes (Bags)!
Donations accepted @ $30 per bag
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 Our Outreach Committee is gearing up for our annual Thanksgiving Box (this year, Bag) assembly! Our goal is to assemble 280 bags of food plus turkeys to help families through a half-dozen local elementary schools have a great Thanksgiving Meal. One bag and turkey costs $30, so we are encouraging people to sponsor at least one bag. For more information, contact Kit Nilles or the church office. Please put "Thanksgiving Bag" on the memo line of a check or donate here and designate for "Outreach Fund" (NOT Food Pantry). Thanks for your support!
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Annual Giving Campaign
Continues this Sunday
with the GO practice!
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 This week we continue our Annual Giving Campaign with the theme "Turn to the Future: The St. Mark's Way of Love." Borrowing from our Presiding Bishop's "Way of Love" program, each week we are highlighting a single practice on this "way" and link it to our own individual lives and church life.
This week, we focus on the practice of GO: Cross boundaries, listen deeply, and live like Jesus. Crossing boundaries means venturing into places or relationships that might be challenging for us with the purpose of breaking down barriers between us and others. Listening deeply is a counter-cultural act where we listen to understand, not simply to respond. Living like Jesus means asking the once-popular question "What would Jesus do?" in a given situation and then doing that.
A reminder that you are invited to use the information and pledge card you should have received as a reminder to pray about your physical (involvement), financial (giving), and spiritual (prayer) support of St. Mark's in 2020. We will gather these cards at our Ingathering Sunday on November 10. If you want to submit your pledge online--after an appropriate amount of prayer and conversation, of course--you may do so by clicking here. Also, beginning this Sunday, Pledge Packets will be available in the church.
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Rector's Reflections
