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All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: "Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel," which means, "God is with us." - Matthew 1:22-23
There is an old Woody Allen quote that asserts that "80 percent of success is showing up." That is true whether one is working a regular job, responding to a party invitation, or even coming to church! It is even more true for Jesus, who was--and is--quite literally "God with us." I think that there are two great myths about God that are debunked by Christmas. The first is that God will protect us from harm. While there are instances in the Bible where God does fulfill the role of protector, the Bible is filled with many more instances of painful, difficult things happening to faithful people. These are sometimes a result of a person's own poor choices, sometimes a result of another person's poor choices, and sometimes just accidents. Tornadoes, wildfires, and earthquakes don't steer around Godly people and strike only the unrighteous. Even the slaughter of the Holy Innocents by King Herod was shortly after Jesus' birth. We live in a flawed, difficult, and dangerous world. One might just as well give thanks to God that we're even upright and breathing on a day-to-day basis!
The second myth is that God is a sort of Superman who will swoop in and rescue us from calamity. When we experience trials, tribulations, or pain in our lives we often wonder either where God was or why God didn't come to our rescue. The reality of the Incarnation, however, is more amazing than either the Protector-God or the Superman-God. The Incarnate God (Jesus) doesn't go in front of us to protect us nor above us to rescue us, but walks beside us to help is through the many difficulties in our lives. God wants to experience life with us and help us to get though things with God's help. In our independence, we may be reluctant to ask for God's help and may even blame God for the difficult situations in which we find ourselves, but the reality is that God is right next to us, eager to help us through and there to comfort us and sustain us through the difficult times.
--Tom+
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BFF Brief: Plaster Drying, Concrete Curing, & Elevator...
This week continues the progress on the taping and plastering of the inside of our building. Since there is a LOT of wall space involved, it has been a multi-week process that should be coming to an end soon. Wall texturing will be done the week after Christmas, followed closely by interior painting. The concrete contractor will be pouring the ramp walls and the remainder of the patio late this week, with that hopefully completed by Christmas. We will see if we will have access to our front door by Christmas Eve, though... Our elevator installation is going in fits and starts, with the elevator company requesting some modifications related to the electrical system and the water leakage in the elevator pit. We're hoping to have that resolved in the next week or so and the elevator should finally go in at the beginning of January.
Since the launch of our "Close the Gap" supplementary capital campaign, we have received $30,000 in new contributions, or about a third of the amount necessary to completely close our funding gap. We continue to eagerly welcome contributions to the BFF Fund, either in the 2019 or 2020 tax years. A reminder that if you are 72 1/2 and have to take an IRA distribution, you can have that distribution directly paid to St. Mark's (earmarked for BFF or General Fund) and not have to pay taxes on that distribution. For more information, see your accountant or contact Roger Hercl, our Accounting Manager. Thanks to everyone who has donated!
-- The Building For the Future (BFF) Committee
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Pastoral Care Corner
 Pastoral Care is a ministry of caring. It includes hospital and clinic visitations and transportation, counseling, and ministries of shared presence, listening, support and prayer. It utilizes the ministries of clergy and laity who respond to human needs, spiritual, emotional and physical. When people think of "pastoral care" they often think of clergy visitations, but we have a whole team of people--including the Rector---who do such visits!
St. Mark's Pastoral Team meets monthly to review those parishioners who need care in some way. It may be related to changes in health or financial status, family dynamics, legal issues, or grieving a loss. We prayerfully develop a care plan for each person and their individualized needs. Many times the plan includes family. All of our members are aware of the need for strict confidentiality. We intentionally honor and respect parishioners' privacy.
During the past year we have made adjustments in how the altar flowers are provided and distributed. The change seems to be working well. There have only been a few Sundays when the silk flower bouquet has been required. Another change was made to strengthen our connection with parishioners living at the Manor who can no longer attend services at St. Mark's. Fred Moore has developed a plan to meet with each household, either by phone or personally, on a regular basis. When the need for additional support arises, Fred brings that to the attention of the team for review and planning. When any parishioner moves away, Rev. Tom tries to set up a connection for them with an Episcopal parish rector in their new location. Of course, this is done with the permission of the departing parishioner.
In January there will be an opportunity for current Lay Eucharistic Ministers to be re-certified. If you would like to serve in this capacity, please contact Rev. Tom. We are also seeking a volunteer who will send out "Get Well" and "Sympathy" cards to those in need of this support. If you want to volunteer please contact Nancy Miles, Parish Nurse (541-621-8839).
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A Blessed Advent and Merry Christmas message from our Diocesan Bishop Michael Hanley.
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UPCOMING EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Blue Christmas and
Longest Night Service
THIS Saturday, December 21
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Our annual Blue Christmas and Longest Night Service will be THIS coming Saturday, December 21 at 7 pm. Please join us if you are mourning the loss of a loved one, a job, or any other loss. We will come together and quietly mourn those losses while also being assured of God's love and care for us. Please join us, and bring a friend!
Additional Christmas services
are listed below.
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St. Mark's at the Manor:
New Schedule & Bible Study
...and a "new" Chaplain!
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As we wind down the year, our schedule is as follows:
NO RVM Chapel Eucharist
on January 2
Thursday, January 18, 2020
9:30 am - Bible Study (Location TBA)
10:30 am - Holy Eucharist, Rite I - Chapel
11 am - Winter Luncheon - Dining Room
All RVM residents are welcome to join us, and bring a friend!
 AND.... The Rev. Fred Moore
is now the official St. Mark's
Chaplain to the Manor.
Fred, a retired deacon, will be the primary pastoral caregiver for St. Mark's folks at the Manor. Rev. Tom is always available as well, if you wish. Welcome (back) Fred!
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Annual Meeting Notice
The Annual Meeting of St. Mark's Episcopal Church
will be held on Sunday, January 26 following a combined 9 am Service
Candidates for the Vestry
Class of 2023 are:
Kris Conrad
Bill Dames
Kathy Garrett
Please join us!
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End-of-Year
Hors d'oeuvres
Celebration
Please join us NEXT Sunday, December 29 in the Hafer House ballroom after the 9 am Combined Service for an hors d'oeuvres, champagne, and sparkling cider reception to commemorate and celebrate the end of 2019 and the beginning of a new year and decade! Members are invited to bring an hors d'oeuvre to share. Beverages provided.
Please join us for this early New Year's celebration!
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End-of-Year
Donation Reminder
Please be sure to get your 2019 BFF or General Fund donations to the church office no later than Monday, December 30 so that they may be recorded this tax year.
You may also give online
by clicking here.
If you intend to make an IRA-based contribution, please do so ASAP. See below for details.
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NEW Book Study:
The Meaning of Mary Magdalene: Discovering the Woman at the Heart of Christianity by Cynthia Bourgeault
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 The book group will begin a new book on January 8: The Meaning of Mary Magdalene: Discovering the Woman at the Heart of Christianity by Episcopal priest Cynthia Bourgeault.This book is "a radical view of Mary Magdalene as Jesus’s most important disciple, the one he considered to understand his teaching best. That teaching was characterized by a non-dualistic approach to the world and by a deep understanding of the value of the feminine. Cynthia shows how an understanding of Mary Magdalene can revitalize contemporary Christianity, how Christians and others can, through her, find their way to Jesus’s original teachings and apply them to their modern lives." Books are $12 and are available at smile.amazon.com (St. Mark's gets a percentage!). Join us at 5:30 pm on Wednesday evenings in Hafer House for great food for body, mind, and spirit!
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From $5 to $15 and going...
Amazon Smile at work!
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Last quarter (July through September) St. Mark's made $14.93 at NO cost to Amazon buyers. This is up from $5 last quarter. If you shop Amazon, remember to visit smile.amazon.com. It's the same site as the regular one,
it just gives us money!
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Pledge-o-Meter
As of December 16 we have
72 pledges for $198,078.
Our goal is 80 pledges for a total of $205,000 by December 31
--and we're almost there!.
Would you pledge (or increase your existing pledge by) $80 per month ($20 per week)? If a handful more people do, we’ll make it!
Please bring your pledge card to either the 8 or 10 am service, mail it to the church office, or submit one online here.
Thank you for your pledge and financial support!
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Rector's Reflections
