Spiritual Growth
“…that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom
and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God.” Colossians 1:9b-10
Joining with the angels and the saints of all times and places, we raise our hearts and minds to the Lord in praise, prayer and study. All so that we may mature in our faith journey and grow in our relationship with God.
We do this ministry of spiritual growth by:
- Worshipping the Lord with liturgy and music that is both traditional and varied.
- Offering and supporting prayers for each other, for the church and for all that are in need.
- Learning and developing the faith in classes and study for children through adults.
Worship & Music
Hymns for December
12/06 Advent 2
LBW - 34 O, Come, O Come, Emmanuel
MOD - Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus
LBW - 29 Comfort, Comfort Now My People
12/13 Advent 3
LBW - 34 O, Come, O Come Emmanuel
MOD - On Jordan's Bank the Baptist’s Cry
LBW - 35 Hark, the Glad Sound!
12/20 Advent 4
LBW - 34 O, Come, O Come Emmanuel
MOD - Kids sing
LBW - 39 Joy to the World
12/27 First Sunday of Christmas
Prelude - Angels We Have Heard On High
Postlude - O Come, All Ye Faithful
The Wayfaring Stranger
The Wayfaring Stranger" (also known as "Poor Wayfaring Stranger" or "I Am a Poor Wayfaring Stranger"), is a well-known American folk and gospel song likely originating in the early 19th century about a plaintive soul on the journey through life. As with most folk songs, many variations of the lyrics exist.
According to the book, The Makers of the Sacred Harp, by David Warren Steel and Richard H. Hulan, the lyrics were published in 1858 in Bever's Christian Songster. This may have been the first time the song appeared in print, in English. Steel and Hulan suggest the song was derived from an 1816 German-language hymn, "Ich bin ein Gast auf Erden" (“I am a guest on earth”) by Isaac Niswander.
During and for several years after the American Civil War, the lyrics were known as the Libby Prison Hymn. This was because the words had been inscribed by a dying Union soldier incarcerated in Libby Prison, a notorious Confederate prison in Richmond, Virginia. It had been believed that the dying soldier had authored the song to comfort a disabled soldier, but since it had been published several years before the Civil War had started (and before Libby Prison existed), this was not the case.
Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.
Source: Wikipedia
Christian Education
Bible Study - Gospel of Matthew
From 10:30am to 12 noon on Fridays. we are studying the Gospel of Matthew. Bibles, study materials, and coffee are provided.
Bibles, study materials, and coffee are provided!
Children and Youth
Vacation Bible School - VBS
During the week of August 10-14 St. Mark and St. Paul (York St.) Lutheran churches held their annual Vacation Bible School with a twist. We had 28 children register.
This year, because of social distancing requirements, VBS was done on line through YouTube.
The theme was “God’s Secret Messages” focusing on parables. Each day a different parable was presented along the games, music, crafts, and snacks appropriate to the lesson. The children learned about ‘The Weeds and the Wheat’ (Monday), The Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin’ (Tuesday), The Mustard Seed’ (Wednesday), and “The Good Samaritan’ (Thursday).
On Friday, families gathered on the lawn at St. Mark (socially distancing and wearing masks!) to review God’s Secret Messages, have some music, present their favorite crafts, and have a snack. We had 10 families present.
Gretchen Walter (St. Paul) did a wonderful job of coordinating, presenting and posting the videos. Michael Lobaugh filmed Karen’s message and presentation of the snack each day.
Thank you to all who helped make this virtual VBS a meaningful and fun time for the children!
F.I.S.H.
What is FISH?
-- Calling All Parents and Calling All Youth --
“Fun In Serving Him” Youth Club…our upcoming FISH Youth Club (ages 5 & up) which will be meeting the second Sunday of each month from 2:00-4:00pm. We've got fun and snacks in the room behind the fellowship hall. Note: The FISH meetings are canceled until we are again able to gather together.
All you young fish, please spread the word and plan to jump back into the tank at this new time!
Any questions, please contact Karen Feeser, 717-698-3535, or the office.
Thoughts, ideas, suggestions, volunteering, you name it, we hope to hear from all of you. You just need to call the church office at 717-637-8904 or e-mail us at offcoor129@gmail.com!
Schedule for FISH
Under Construction
May 17, 2020 10:30am
End of Sunday School Year Celebration with Picnic & Games followed at 12:00pm by a FISH presentaton with Tom & Hollis Long about Bees & Beekeeping.
After learning about Bees, we will plan our St. Mark Herb Garden.
Anyone who want to help prepare the herb garden soil, contact church office or Karen Feeser
When we again meet, Please Join Us for Sunday School
Sunday School
Nursery 10:20-11:00
Elementary 10:20-11:20
Middle / Confirmation with Pastor
Sunday School Choir
Martha Lobaugh, our organist, has gathered our youth to create an awesome choir, with beautiful singing as well as saxophone, cello, and trumpet accompaniments.
We look forward to including more youth music in our Sunday worship as the children progress.
Adult Coloring Group
St. Mark Coloring Book Group
The Coloring Book Group schedule for 2020 is shown below. There is no charge and the events are open to the public. Please join us for fun, conversation, and creativity!
Benefits of Coloring for Adults:
* Builds concentration
* Builds visual perception skills
* Relaxing/relieves stress
* Encourages creativity
* Develops fine eye-hand coordination
All dates are a Tuesday and the meeting time is 10:00am -- 12:00noon:
Under Construction
Book Club
Many of us enjoy reading so why not start a book club here at St. Mark?
Susan Miller had just this thought and decided to act on it!
At our first meeting, in the church parlor, we will be talking about All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. It is not too late to join—just stay tuned for the next book selection. Just to clarify, the Book Club is for all readers, male and female, young and old, who enjoy all types of books!
The wise men may not have met Jesus as a newborn - Many scholars believe they arrived when Jesus was between one and two years old. When the wise men did come, the Bible says they visited Jesus at his family's house, not at the place of his birth.
Between seven and 20 children were murdered during the Massacre of the Innocents - After the wise men failed to report back to him about Jesus' birth, Harod "gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under." But because Bethlehem was such a small village, experts estimate the number of boys murdered by Harod's forces to be less than 20.
The Bible doesn't mention any animals being present at Jesus' birth - Finding an ox or donkey in a modern-day Nativity scenes is easy; finding them in the story of Jesus' birth is impossible. In his book Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives, Pope Benedict XVI confirms their absence from the manger scene: "In the gospels there is no mention of animals." People assume the presence of animals due to the fact that Mary "placed him in a manger," or feeding trough.