AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2025
Do you recognize this banner? One like it is on the outside of our building, facing Pottsville Street, for everyone to see. Every day thousands of people drive by the sign. This is our message to the world. It makes me ask, "What does the sign me to us who call St. Mark's our home"?
St. Mark's is a place where we can talk about our faith and what it means to live our faith in the world. St. Mark's is a place where we can fall in love with God -- again and again. And - together - we practice what it means to be the church of Jesus Christ.
Loving our neighbor extends to caring for the environment as well as one another. I am reminded of Wendell Berry's insight: "There is no sacred and secular. There is only sacred and desecrated."
Care for the poor. Anyone is welcome at St. Mark's. We say this all the time, but it is sometimes hard to put into practice. In this time of transition at St. Mark's, help us discover out mission and ministry in the community.
Forgiving takes work. Grace is the dressing we try to apply to wounds intentionally and unitentionally inflicted.
St. Mark's began as a German Reformed congregation in the 19th Century. Today our goal is to serve all people. There, we are called to be open, to embrace diversity and to reject racism. We want St. Mark's to be a safe place. Jesus never failed to welcome all people. Neither should we if we claim to speak in his name.
St. Mark's is the steward of spiritual and earthly resources, probably more than we can ever imagine. We also depend on the generosity of our members and others to have the resources to share. Thank you to all who support our ministry financially and invest in our ministry with your time and energy.
Above all, St. Mark's should be a place of joy, enabling us to enjoy the life God has given us. The strength we need to be the church derives from our sharing together in worship. I look forward to greeting you at worship in August. Bring a friend!
Shalom,
Pastor Karl
At the current time St. Mark's does not have a full-time pastor. Pastor Kevin's last service with St. Mark's was September 15, 2024. The transition team, consisting of members of both St. Mark's and St. John's, have completed the short profile for a new pastor. The profile has been submitted to the Penn Southeast Conference of the United Church of Christ and has been made available online for perspective candidates for pastor. In the meantime, worship services are being conducted by the church's former pastor (1986--2006) Karl W. Jones and lay minister Jennie Strauch.
