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St. Mark’s Strong: Annual meeting points to change, partnerships and great potential

February 20, 2019

Change is in the air at St. Mark’s, Kitty Dombroski said in her opening remarks at the congregation’s annual business meeting, held Jan. 27. That can be great. And that can be dicey. “Most of us don’t like change,” she said. “And let’s face it, change is really hard. It’s disruptive and unsettling.” It is inevitable, though, and also essential for growth. Because of all of that, Kitty chose the “Love Chapter” — the 13th chapter of First Corinthians — as the focus of her devotional. “God is love,” she said. “Let’s remember that today, tomorrow, next week, throughout this year, working together in ministry to serve God. God is love. We should be, too.” Sixty-eight people attended the annual meeting, which included reports from the Leadership Council, adoption of the 2019 budget, information about a major new endowment and updates from many projects.

Compass Team gathering information for strategic plan

January 26, 2019

The St. Mark’s Compass Team, which is working to develop a strategic plan to guide our ministry and life together, wants to send a big “thank you” to all who have participated in the Compass Team Survey. The deadline to complete the survey is Sunday, Feb. 3, so — depending on when you read this — you may still have time to submit your survey if you haven’t done that yet. Please weigh in! The survey will give the team essential information about the St. Mark’s family and provide a profile that we have not had in this amount of detail. Why does it matter? We’re called to be good stewards of the resources God has given us — the human resources, the financial resources, the time and talents and all of the goodness He has given us. That doesn’t happen by default. Good stewardship requires careful thought and a good plan. To expedite our work, the team is working with Vibrant Faith Coach Jim LaDoux, who has worked with many other congregations in similar efforts. He will visit St. Mark’s on Sunday, April 14, speaking in both worship services and also during the Adult Forum at 10 a.m.

St. Mark’s serves families, makes new friends in new partnership with Family Promise

January 22, 2019

St. Mark’s partners with Family Promise of Northern New Castle County again from January 27 to February 3, our second week of “hosting” families at the Hospitality Center. Our first week of service — Christmas Week 2018 — was a great introduction to this ministry, which serves families who are in transition and in need of housing. Scores of volunteers participated — preparing and serving meals, planning activities, providing overnight security and bringing special gifts and other essentials for this holiday week. We made many new friends and one of them — Hector — was featured in Family Promise’s recent report on the things accomplished during 2018. His story, which was also covered by several local news outlets, was shared this way in Family Promise’s report: “Hector had a full-time job and was supporting his four kids. But when his job was cut to just 25 hours, he couldn’t make ends meet. He had to give up his apartment, and his family bounced between houses of friends and family members — eventually ending up in a motel. The day before our new Hospitality Center opened in November, Hector had just enough money to pay for one more night in the motel. For a family like his — one headed by a single father — it was difficult to find resources, and he faced the grim choice of living in his car or splitting up from his kids. Supporters like you gave Hector a third option: our new Hospitality Center. He was able to keep his family together while receiving shelter, food, and hospitality. He shared his story on WDEL and Community Issues with Omar Rashada, and just this week, he moved back into permanent housing!” What a glorious testimony to God’s provision — and what amazing timing for Hector and his family.