Letter from Ryan

Dear St Mark Families,

As many of you have heard, I will be leaving St Mark in the middle of February to begin new ministry with my wife in Peoria, Illinois. Sharing this news, I feel a deep sadness as I prepare to leave, but also a sincere gratitude for your friendship, for your support, for the many ways that we have been able to serve God together in the last 3 years, and for the new opportunity that God is preparing for both Andrea and I. I will miss you all deeply. It truly has been a blessing and privilege to serve alongside you all as your youth director.

While at St Mark, I have seen the Spirit empower and raise up incredible adult and youth servant leaders. I am truly inspired by the commitment that each of you has brought in your own way to serving God and building up the Body of Christ. And I know that God will continue to prepare and push St Mark to be a loving and serving community of faith.

Boston Marathon Tragedy

Sometimes the only prayers we can lift up to God are in our tears. 

I am deeply saddened by the attacks in Boston today. I pray that the loving arms of God be upon all the runners, spectators, friends and families, emergency personnel, as well as the attackers. 

Jesus has called us to pray for our enemies, and hopefully your faith has called to do the same.   It ain't easy though.

Hopefully, we can look with compassion and understanding upon this tragic incident of violence and realize what underlies violence.  Violence is a reality and will always be present. We have all committed acts of violence, whether they be physical, emotional or verbal.

Finding the Strength of Christ's Love in Crisis

In our youth group and Bible study, we celebrate the power of story. We tell the stories of God's resurrecting love that we find in Scripture, in the world, in our community and in our own very lives.  We hope to give youth and families the power, the resources and a safe place to share their stories and listen for how God is moving through each other's lives.

Our Scripture for this week youth group meetings is Romans 8:38-39 from NRSV translation:

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.