What do you see?

 Once at a workshop, someone said, "What does a person see when he walks into your building?  What does this say about you and what you think is important?"

 If someone comes to our church for a funeral, a Scout meeting, a basketball game, the House Tour, pre-school, what do they see and what does it say about St. Mark Presbyterian Church and what we think is important?

Mardi Gras Trivia Night

 St. Mark's Mardi Gras Trivia night was a wonderful benefit to support the St. Mark Youth Ministry and their summer trips to Montreat and Mobile, Alabama!  This is our Youth's largest fundraiser which earned several thousand dollars and included many fun activities in addition to the trivia.

 These were the winners in best decorated table, although the tables were already beautifully decorated.

Tornado Season Fast Is Approaching

Joplin, MO

I thought I’d get a head start on dispelling some common myths about tornadoes. The following information was taken from the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) web site. Please read each statement below and answer True or False!  Answers at bottom but if you want clarification, visit http://stormaware.mo.gov/

“Opening the windows in your house before a tornado will reduce damage by balancing the pressure inside and outside the structure.”

“Tornadoes cannot cross lakes, large rivers or wide bodies of water.”

“Tornadoes never strike the same area twice.”

“A tornado is more likely to hit a mobile home park.”

“Tornadoes can always be seen from far away.”

“If I am near a highway overpass, I should abandon my vehicle immediately and take shelter there.”

“The safest place to take shelter from a tornado is in the southwest corner of a basement.”

“If a tornado is not coming directly towards me, I am out of harm’s way.”

“The damage to homes during a tornado is caused by an explosion from changes in air pressure.”

“Downward-bulging clouds mean that a tornado is forming.”

“Tornadoes do not hit big cities.”

“A tornado cannot travel up and down hillsides.”

“A tornado always forms and appears as a funnel cloud.”

Commonly accepted misconceptions about tornadoes often lead people to make mistakes when preparing for tornadoes – the answers to all the above is “FALSE”!

Click here for more photos of the St. Mark Presbyterian Worktrip to Joplin Missouri after the tornado in 2011.

St Mark Emergency Shelter Team

Little Dresses for Africa

As part of this year’s Presbyterian Women's retreat we will be creating pillowcase dresses for Little Dresses for Africa. There are tasks for all skill ...and no… skill levels. If you can’t be at the whole retreat but would like to join us from 2 to 4 pm on Friday afternoon March 7, please come. It’s only 30 minutes to Toddhall from the church and you’ll be back home before the evening rush. Click here for a map.  Can’t come but you want to help? Please consider donating a pillowcase! Contact Mary Beth or the church office (636-394-2233)  if you want to help or have pillowcases to donate.

Click here for more information on this mission.

Psalm 67

MORNING PSALM 67

¹   May God be gracious to us and bless us 
         and make his face to shine upon us, 
                   Selah

²   that your way may be known upon earth, 
         your saving power among all nations. 

³   Let the peoples praise you, O God; 
         let all the peoples praise you.

⁴   Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, 
         for you judge the peoples with equity 
         and guide the nations upon earth. 
                   Selah

⁵   Let the peoples praise you, O God; 
         let all the peoples praise you.

⁶   The earth has yielded its increase; 

         God, our God, has blessed us. 

⁷   May God continue to bless us; 
         let all the ends of the earth revere him.

From the Lectionary 23 Feb. 2014

Updates Needed for Church Directory

Does our Church database have YOUR family membership record correct?

Here is your chance to update YOUR record for our annual Guide Book & Directory (if you haven’t already done so).

It is time for us to update our database with any changes, additions, or deletions that may have occurred in YOUR family over the past year.  This book will be the Who, What, Where, When, Why and How of our Congregation. 

Have you changed your phone number? Have you moved? Are you preparing to move soon? Are all of your children still at home and are they all included in your membership record? Do you want your record published?

If you have not already informed the Church Office about changes to your record, please let us know now so that the information in the Guide Book & Directory is correct. The Church Office number is 636-394-2233.

Recent survey results by Guide Book Publishing show that 92.1% of families would rather patronize a Guide Book & Directory advertiser over a non-advertiser. It “will pay” to advertise in our new Guide Book & Directory.

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The book is being provided at no cost to our Church, including the mailing to each family, and again is being subsidized by local busi-nesses that advertise in it. If you own or manage a business and would like to find out about advertising in our book, please call the Church Office.

Midweek Programs

MIDWEEK PROGRAMS FOR FEBRUARY 2014

-Feb. 19 “Not for Sale” – Documentary – The Fight Against Human Trafficking

DVD with Pastor Susan

-Feb. 26  Human Trafficking – Close to Home

Special Agent Jeff Othic, Homeland Security Investigation

Join us after midweek dinner (5:30) & worship (6:30) in Fellowship Hall at 7 pm.

John McCall, Missionary to Taiwan

Join us for an Evening of Taiwanese Fellowship

The Rev. John McCall, PC(USA) Mission Co-worker in Taiwan, will be our guest speaker during Lent at St. Mark’s worship services on Saturday, March 29 and Sunday, March 30^th.

We are inviting our Ballwin neighbor, the Taiwanese Presbyterian Church of Greater St. Louis, to join us for the Saturday service followed by dinner. By worshipping and eating together we may experience cross-cultural Christian unity here in our own neighborhood while gaining an understanding of the John’s work around the world.

“The Word became flesh and moved into the neighborhood”. John McCall says that he loves this translation of John 1:14 by Eugene Peterson (The Message). It inspires his work. Come and hear John speak on the last weekend in March. Maybe we, too, can discern how to experience Christ in our own neighborhood.

Watch the Weekly Bulletin for more details.

Psalm 119

 PSALM 119:1-8

¹   Happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD. 

²   Happy are those who keep his decrees, 
          who seek him with their whole heart, 
³   who also do no wrong, 
          but walk in his ways. 
⁴   You have commanded your precepts 
          to be kept diligently. 
⁵   O that my ways may be steadfast 
          in keeping your statutes! 
⁶   Then I shall not be put to shame, 
          having my eyes fixed on all your commandments. 
⁷   I will praise you with an upright heart, 
          when I learn your righteous ordinances. 
⁸   I will observe your statutes; 
          do not utterly forsake me.

From Lectionary Readings for Feb. 16

Austin Seminary Award

We are so proud of the Boyds who are finishing their last semester at Austin Seminary.  Four students won the Fellowship Award, but this is the first time a married couple were two of the four. Congratulations to David and Jill (who won the top award)!  Here is a note from Jill explaining the award:

Yesterday [Feb. 5, 2014], the annual ASA banquet was held at the seminary, and four students were awarded fellowships in recognition of their Christian character, scholarship, abilities, and potential/readiness for ministry. David and I, along with our classmates Layton E. Williams and Charlie Shin were the four recipients. From what I was told by a faculty member, the decision was especially difficult this year because we are part of a class that is especially gifted and amazing, and we have many other classmates who meet the criteria for the fellowships that were awarded. It is a tremendous honor to be a part of this amazing journey with each and every one of them, and I am humbled beyond belief by such recognition. Thank you all for your interest, well wishes, and support. None of the class of 2014 would be where we are without your love, prayers, encouragement, and faith in our abilities and calls.

Click here for more photos of the event.