2009-Thanks to You, Thanks Be to God!
This has been a remarkable year in the life of St. Mark’s. A year and half ago, when your vestry and clergy discussed the needs of our campus, we thought it would be a challenge to raise a million dollars to do much needed deferred maintenance. Little did we imagine that in December this year, 1.6 million would be pledged on the first Sunday of our ingathering, and that we would also be planning a major renovation of our nursery, Sunday School, and Day School in the Willcox Building, and perhaps even more. Furthermore, in the midst of perhaps the worst recession since the Great Depression, giving to the ministries of Jesus Christ through St. Mark’s has actually increased. We are indeed living into our vision of becoming a vibrant community of people who worship weekly, pray daily, learn constantly, serve joyfully and live generously.
Even more important though, a new spirit is growing at St. Mark’s which is the work of the Holy Spirit. People are laughing. Our narthex has become a place of refreshment, a place to linger and greet visitors as well as one another. Vestry meetings are fun. New ministry groups are forming. Missionaries are being sponsored by St. Mark’s. We are once again becoming a people of vision, a people who dream dreams, and people who act decisively on behalf of Jesus Christ.
There is still work to be done, however. We need to increase our annual stewardship, increase our outreach, increase our attendance, increase our focus on making mature disciples of Christ and especially increase our trust in God’s transforming power. And we need to remember that as much our doors are open for all to come in, they are also open for each of us to follow Christ out into the world. Our church exists not for our sake, but for the sake of God’s world, a world in which we are called to serve joyfully on behalf of Christ.
But for the moment, let us simply give thanks for all that has been accomplished, remembering to thank to each other, and most of all-to thank God!
Fr. Danny
Mark McNeece said:
Fr. Danny,
My firm, Rives, Leavell & Company, Jackson MS has been a national provider of fixed rate financing to churches since 1963.
We offer fixed rate packages for up to 30 years with no penalty to prepay. I am going to be in Little Rock meeting with another church on March 8th. Give me a call if you would to visit about your project while I’m in the area.
You can reach me at 800-748-8877 ext. 803.
Mark A. McNeece, Regional Vice President
Rives, Leavell & Company
1430 Lelia Drive
Jackson, MS 39216