Community – St. Mark's Online

July 4, 2025July 4, 2025

Patriotism and Christianity: Reflections from Pastor Kelley

The Fourth of July is my husband’s favorite holiday. He makes sure we have our flag correctly displayed, and decorates our front yard with an appropriate amount of red, white and blue. We find a good spot to watch fireworks, making sure to “ooh” and “aah” at all the right times. And it’s just not the Fourth of July in the Ketcham household if we don’t watch the musical “1776.”

All in all, the day is one of great joy and celebration. I find it difficult to not be swept up in love for my country in the midst of it all. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines patriotism as “love for or devotion to one’s country,” and on this day, patriotism runs deep within my soul.

But I have to admit that this year the Fourth of July hits a little differently. My heart grieves as I see this country — founded, formed and built by immigrants — rounding up and deporting even those who are legal residents. My heart grieves as I fear for the safety of our armed forces, as the possibility of another war looms over the Middle East. My heart grieves as I see people amassing fortunes while exploiting the workers who serve them.

As Christians, we can be patriotic. We can love our country; we can be proud of our country; we can be grateful that we live in our country. As Jim Wallis said in his book, God’s Politics: A New Vision for Faith and Politics in America: “Patriotism means loving your country and its best ideals, enough even to oppose it when it is grievously wrong.” As Christians, we are called to examine how best to live out our patriotism. Some of us may choose to contact our elected leaders. Some of us may choose civil disobedience to demand our country live up to its best ideals.

What we don’t do is put our love and devotion of country over and above our love and devotion for God. Nor do we assume that every other person in this country believes the same way that we do, because that is Christian nationalism.

Christian nationalism is the belief that Christianity should be privileged since our country was founded by Christians. But while the founders were Christian, and a majority of Americans still identify as Christian today, Christianity is not the declared religion of this country. It runs counter to the First Amendment, which states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free expression thereof.” This means that our government cannot mandate a national religion, and that — while we are free to believe whatever we believe — we cannot demand that others conform to the same belief system.

Christian nationalism is a perversion and a threat to democracy. It runs counter to all that we hold dear. It places us over and above others, rather than serving them. Christian nationalism is something Christians should run from and fight against, not embrace.

So this year, as we go to cookouts, watch fireworks and listen to Sousa marches with hands upon our hearts, may our patriotism continue to run deep, and may we continue to call out and condemn Christian nationalism in all its variations.

— Pastor Kelley

February 20, 2025

‘Aging Grace-Fully’ with author Margaret Renkl

Join us at 1:20 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25 for the next chapter of “Aging Grace-Fully,” as we hear from naturalist Margaret Renkl, author of “Late Migrations” in a Zoom-based presentation.

Influenced by her upbringing in Alabama, life in Tennessee and experience as a caregiver to her parents and mother-in-law, Renkl shares a backyard naturalist’s perspective on the cycle of life — in nature, inside our own families and our own bodies. Discover how nature has taught her a speed at which to live, hope and avert despair.

The “Aging Grace-Fully” series brings leading authors to us (via Zoom) to share their insights on how to age with grace and live — fully — with the physical, mental and social changes that come with growing older.

Discussion, facilitated by Dr. Cliff Smith, will follow. Light refreshments will be provided. There is no charge to attend the sessions at St. Mark’s. All are welcome.

Upcoming sessions include Rebecca Chopp (March 27), Missy Buchanan (April 22), Frank Bruni (May 22), Mia Birdsong (July 15), and Anne Lamott (Sept. 11).

October 5, 2024December 6, 2024

Christmas Bazaar 2024

A Christmas Bazaar volunteer holding a candle in the main lobby at St. Mark's.

Join us for our 24th annual St. Mark’s Christmas Bazaar, which will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7.

This popular community event offers unique handmade gifts and crafts, gift baskets, floral arrangements, soups and baked goods, a selection of “white elephant” items and a fun Christmas Lionel train display! Check it out and find something that suits you and yours!

September 21, 2024September 30, 2024

GriefShare offers support, connection

No matter what the circumstances, grief is a painful process. If you are in the midst of this, we invite you to join our GriefShare support group for people dealing with the death of a family member or friend. We meet at 7 p.m. Mondays through December 9 in the Seminary Room.

GriefShare is a safe, welcoming place where people understand the difficult emotions of grief. We provide relief and comfort as those grieving learn what to expect during the grief process and how to navigate their personal grief processes.

Topics include how to manage grief-related emotions such as loneliness, anxiety, sadness, anger and regret, how to cope with the changes to life and relationships and how to recognize what’s normal in grief.

If you have questions or would like more information, please contact Cecelia Cronk or check out the GriefShare website.

GriefShare is an international ministry, part of Church Initiative, a nondenominational, nonprofit ministry serving more than 20,000 churches worldwide.

Learn more by watching this GriefShare video:

September 21, 2024

Roll up those sleeves and join our blood drive!

Did you know the American Red Cross supplies about 40% of our nation’s blood needs? St. Mark’s wants to help with that effort by hosting a blood drive from 2 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 9.

A sign-up sheet to donate and/or volunteer is on the bulletin board in the gathering space. Read more about eligibility to donate on the Red Cross website.

We hope you’ll join us and bring your friends and neighbors!

If you have any questions, please speak to Sandy Pierson.

September 21, 2024September 30, 2024

Happy 100th Brandywine Hundred Fire Company No. 1!

Join us as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of Brandywine Hundred Fire Company No. 1, with which we have historic ties! We have two plans to mark this special year:

On Saturday, Sept. 28, we will participate in the fire company’s parade. We’ll meet at 10 a.m. at the former Hillcrest-Bellefonte United Methodist Church, 400 Hillcrest Avenue. The parade steps off at noon and ends at the Bellevue Community Center, across the street from St. Mark’s. We will walk to the end of the parade route, but plan to have a truck riding in the parade for anyone who wants to participate but cannot walk that distance. After the parade, the fire company invites the community to join the celebration at the firehouse at 1006 Brandywine Blvd. in Bellefonte . For more information, please speak to Greg or Lynne Landrey, Gail Rodger or Vicki McDowell.

On Sunday, Oct. 6, we will host a Service of Honor and Blessing, marking the Brandywine Hundred Fire Company’s 100 years of service to our community. This will be part of our worship service, starting at 10:30 a.m. A reception will follow the service.

September 21, 2024

Celebrating the centennial of Brandywine Hundred Fire Company No. 1!

Historic photo of Brandywine Hundred Fire Company No. 1

Did you know St. Mark’s has strong ties with Brandywine Hundred Fire Company No. 1, stretching back more than 80 years?

Our first service was held on the second floor of the company’s fire house on Jan. 11, 1942. We moved to our current site almost a decade later, and our first service was held in our new building on Christmas Eve 1951. When a disastrous fire broke out in our building in May of 1969, our firefighting neighbors rushed to our aid. You can read more about that fire and our history on our website.

This year, Brandywine Hundred Fire Company No. 1 marks its 100th anniversaryand we have plans to join their celebration and honor these first responders.

On Saturday, Sept. 28, Join us as we participate in the fire company’s parade! We’ll meet at 10 a.m. at the former Hillcrest-Bellefonte United Methodist Church, 400 Hillcrest Avenue. The parade steps off at noon and ends at the Bellevue Community Center, across the street from St. Mark’s. We will walk to the end of the parade route, but plan to have a truck riding in the parade for anyone who wants to participate but cannot walk that distance. After the parade, the fire company invites the community to join the celebration at the firehouse at 1006 Brandywine Blvd. in Bellefonte . For more information, please speak to Greg or Lynne Landrey, Gail Rodger or Vicki McDowell.

May 22, 2024

Swords to Plowshares: ‘Youtherans’ host Shane Claiborne at St. Mark’s May 25

Join us Saturday afternoon, May 25 for a very special event as the “Youtherans” and Lutheran churches (ELCA) in Delaware and Maryland welcome Shane Claiborne and the RAW Tools’ “Swords to Plowshares: Forging Peace. Disarming Hearts” project to St. Mark’s.

Using a forge and a hammer, Claiborne will demonstrate how weapons of violence — guns that were donated, broken down and decommissioned — can be turned into garden tools and other instruments of peace.

The project draws its inspiration from a Scripture passage in Isaiah: “They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, they will train for war no more. Everyone will sit under their own vine and fig tree. No one shall make them afraid.”

Also participating Saturday will be the Rev. Raymont Anderson, a survivor of gun violence and a representative of the Newark chapter of Moms Demand Action, a grassroots movement of Americans fighting for public safety measures that can protect people from gun violence.

Claiborne is the co-author of “Beating Guns: Hope for People Who are Weary of Violence.” He worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta, India, and is the founder of The Simple Way in Philadelphia and the leader of Red Letter Christians, a movement of folks committed to living “as if Jesus meant the things he said.” In 2023, he received The King Center’s Beloved Community Award for Social Justice from Dr. Bernice King, the daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King).

“We do more than turn guns into garden tools. We are turning violence into peace. We are turning fear into trust. Through relationship, dialogue, and resources, we are welcoming neighbors with loving arms rather than bearing arms. Join us.”

February 11, 2024February 11, 2024

GriefShare group to start March 4 at St. Mark’s

Photo of a group of people meeting together.

If you’ve lost a loved one — a spouse, a parent, a sibling, a co-worker, your dearest friend — you know the anguish of such a loss and the hollow place that once was filled with that precious person.

How does life even work when such a powerful bond is severed? Often, it includes searing pain.

Cecilia Cronk knows that feeling. She lost her husband, Homer, in 2018, after 54 years of marriage. Three months after Homer died, Cecelia decided to join a GriefShare support group. She knows the strength it provided for her and the value of the connections made in those meetings, with others who understood.

Cecelia Cronk is starting a GriefShare chapter at St. Mark’s.

Now she is helping to start a GriefShare group at St. Mark’s. The group, which already has five co-leaders and one external registrant, will start its first 13-week session at St. Mark’s at 7 p.m., Monday, March 4.

“Going to GriefShare meetings was such a comfort after Homer died,” Cecelia said. “I learned that it is OK that my grief journey was not the same as everyone else’s. Whereas there is no set roadmap for grief, I came to give myself permission to grieve

in my own way and on my own timetable.

“I was already a Christian, but I came to have an even closer walk with Jesus — partially as a result of the knowledge and support I gained from attending the GriefShare sessions. It is now time for me to share this peace and comfort with others.”

Each session includes a 30-minute video and a time of discussion. The series explores many facets of the grieving process, including loneliness, fear, anger, regrets, relationships, hope and more. A participant’s guide will be provided to each person in the group.

To get more information or register for the group, visit the “Find A Group” link on the GriefShare website, enter St. Mark’s ZIP code — 19809 — and click on the link for St. Mark’s March 4 meeting. You can register online in advance or at the door. There is no cost to participate, but donations are welcome.

GriefShare is an international ministry, part of Church Initiative, a nondenominational, nonprofit ministry serving more than 20,000 churches worldwide.

To hear from some who have participated in the past, watch the video below:

What Is GriefShare? – Find a Group from Church Initiative on Vimeo.

February 11, 2024February 11, 2024

Ash Wednesday

St. Mark’s will host an Ash Wednesday service starting at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 14. Our neighbors at Presbyterian Church of the Covenant will join us.

If you can’t be with us in person, you can join us remotely on YouTube.

For those unable to attend the evening service, Pastor Kelley Ketcham will also offer “Ashes to Go” in the church parking lot from noon to 1 p.m. Pull up outside the main entrance and Pastor Kelley will come to your car, offer ashes, prayer and a short litany. There is no need to leave your car.