Dear Friends.

We wanted to update you all with a sort of a "State of the Church" letter. As you know, we have been in contact with the Diocese regarding Rev. Susan's departure. With the help of Rev. Canon John Thompson-Quartey and Rev. Canon John Bolton, as well as with assistance from Rev. Susan and others, we have been blessed with a number of potential visiting Rectors for the foreseeable future. We will work to get the calendar filled for each Sunday as these potential Rectors are available for various Sunday services. Rev. Canon Quartey has also arranged with our Convocation (geographical area of NW GA) to have priests available for matters of grievous pastoral care, such as serious illness or death. It is critical that you let the church office know of any dire need so we can get them covered as quickly as possible; please don't assume that "we" know! Communication is one key to success in going forward!!! Speaking of Rev. Quartey, he will be at St. Mark's this Sunday (see his bio and photo in this EBB) for both services. Jan and I will meet with him between the 8 am service and the 10:30 service. Feel free to ask him any questions or let us know, so your concerns can be relayed .

Meanwhile, we the church still go about the business of the church. Sally Little and her Ministry Circle of Pastoral Care continue their amazing ministry to our members

and those we know have needs. Please remember, we may not know there is a need unless someone tells us. If you hear of a need, check to be sure that Sally, Rick or Jan know about

it. The Outreach programs are in full swing - Hug Your Church is tomorrow, people are reading at Blue Ridge Elementary School, the quilting group is making quilts, the Blessing of the Animals and Oktoberfest are upcoming; 2nd Sunday Potluck is ongoing. The Choir is in full force and sounding beautiful. Adult Formation and Sunday School continue. The busy Guilds continue their excellent work. Our finances are in good shape. We continue to welcome both parishioners and visitors in a friendly manner with coffee and donuts. As we enter Autumn/Creation season, let us remember to thank God from whom all blessings flow! See you Sunday,

Rick Powell, Senior Warden

Jan Littell, Junior Warden

Bulletin Board September 27, 2019

St. Mark’s

Episcopal Church

901 West Emery Street

Dalton, Georgia 30720

Tel. 706-278-8857

THIS SATURDAY

Beer provided by: Dalton Brewing Company

Music provided by: Sneary Family Band

Blessing of the Animals starts at 5:00 pm

at 5:00pm

AND

My name is Alexander. I am two years old. I like music. Playing on the playground is fun!

Preschooler Spotlight

NURSERY HAS MOVED!!!!! The St. Mark's Sunday Nursery has moved to: DOWNSTAIRS OF THE SANCTUARY (the old Choir Rehearsal Room)

From: downstairs of the Parish Hall. The Nursery is provided for infants & children 5 & younger

(during the 10:30 Service)

We want to honor your gift by letting your church know what the donations are going towards. We will be doing a student of the month. Here are the winners for the month of August. As you can see, they are holding gifts that were bought with the gift cards St. Mark's donated. The young man is the middle school winner and the young lady is the high school winner for the month. Also pictured are the teachers of the Newcomer Academy.

A Special THANK YOU from:

Miguel Gonzalez, Newcomer Academy @ Morris Innovative

Our guest celebrant this Sunday………..

The Reverend Canon C. John Thompson-Quartey is Canon for Ministry Development and

Congregational Vitality in the Diocese of Atlanta. Prior to arriving in Atlanta, he served as rector

of St. Mary’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey for nine years.

Before St. Mary’s, he was Chaplain for Pastoral Care and Director of the Community Outreach

Program at St. Paul’s School in Concord, NH from 1999 to 2005. He holds a Bachelor of Science

degree from Rutgers University, New Jersey and a Master of Divinity from the General Theological

Seminary, New York. After graduating from General Seminary, he served as Associate Rector for

Youth and Family Ministries at Christ Church in Ridgewood, NJ from 1997 to1999.

In his current position, he is responsible for: inspiring vitality in congregations through parish

stewardship support and vestry coaching; vocational discernment and seminarian support; clergy

events program planning; clergy continuing education support; serving as resource person for the

Community of Deacons; and supervision of Campus Ministries and Youth Ministries.

He is passionate about Social Justice and Adaptive Leadership. He is married to Jerlyn (Jeri), and

they have three daughters: Chauncey, Chyanne, and Cheyne.

Creation Care Helpful Hint by Marilyn Lance

Create Less Waste

Recycling is good for some materials we throw away, but whenever possible, let’s create less waste. Here are some of the “Bad Guys of Pollution” we can reduce:

#1 PLASTIC BAGS So many plastic bags end up in rivers and eventually end up in the ocean. In Dalton, we’re probably not direct contributors to bags in the ocean, but I’ve seen plenty of plastic bags in local streams and rivers. And even if all the grocery bags made it to the landfill, it takes a long time for them to break down. SOLUTION: CARRY YOUR OWN CLOTH SHOPPING BAGS TO THE GROCERY STORE. I know. It’s going to take a while to get in the habit. Most of my cloth shopping bags are in the house. I’ve got to remember to put them back in the car. See Jan Littell for a Saint Mark’s bag.

#2 PLASTIC BOTTLES We’ve all seen the pictures on T.V. of the huge rafts of plastic bottles in the ocean. It’s a mess! SOLUTION: BRING WATER IN A REUSABLE CONTAINER. At St. Mark’s we are looking into installing a reverse osmosis water purifier in the kitchen. This could give us safe water to drink and reduce the amount of plastic water bottles.

#3 PLASTIC STRAWS Plastic Straws are small but are a huge part of plastic pollution on land and water. They can be harmful to wildlife and hard to get rid of. Several cities have banned the use of plastic straws and more will follow. SOLUTION: STOP USING PLASTIC STRAWS and SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT OF BETTER PAPER STRAWS.

FROM OUR JUNIOR WARDEN, JAN LITTELL:

We have some new and exciting offerings for Adult Formation this year. These are the outstanding offerings of Don Hoffmeyer (aka "he's not afraid to go there!"):

• Do we need Priests?

• How did God spend his Summer?

• What we can learn from/about some Old Testament characters (Example: Did David kill Goliath?)

• How the Fundamentalist movement begun in the US in 1919 has created “more than one Christianity”

• Are we afraid to believe in Predestination & Hell?

Did God send Jesus to be sacrificed?

Additionally, with a view to Creation Season this fall and the transition to a new rector beginning soon, we will have 3 Sunday Creation sessions. These sessions will include lunch, study and activity.

Study will involve a book review of "The Agile Church, Spirit Led Innovation in an Uncertain Age" by Dwight J. Zscheile. The author "understands that innovation must be a way of life for churches in the next decades." This will be an interesting study on how we can stay flexible yet true to our heritage and bring others to Christ. I have 20 copies of the book at a cost of $15.60 each. I will have them at church beginning this Sunday.

Activities will involve creating and decorating a stole for the new priest; working on a scrapbook introducing ourselves to the new priest; Creation work in our green space; and possibly creation of chalices to be used in various services.

More details later, but for now, mark your calendars!

October 20 11:30 - 2:00

November 17 TBD

See you Sunday!

Just a quick note from Deloris Hefner: There are numerous casserole dishes and plates that have been left behind from previous 2nd Sunday Potlucks. We are doing a clean up in the Parish Hall kitchen and would like these to be picked up as soon as possible. So, please come and get them!!

Also, the Birdfeeder Pantry is collecting condiments (ketchup, mustard, mayo, etc.) along with microwaveable foods (Ramen noodles, soups, etc.)

Thank you for the great response to this OutReach!

TOMORROW!! September 28th - Hug Your Church Day

October 6th - Blessing of the Animals and Oktoberfest with The Sneary Family Band playing and

Dalton Brewing Company providing beverages

SUNDAY SCHOOL

“DOES JESUS LOVE ALL THE CHILDREN OF THE WORLD?”

Classes at 9 & 9:45 in the Parish Hall.

Refreshments Provided by Daughters of the King

Are all invited and Youth Are Welcome

From Joann Williams on 9/25/29:

THE ROGER WILLIAMS FAMILY WOULD LIKE TO THANK EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU WHO HAS EXPRESSED CONDOLENCES TO US EITHER BY CARDS, FLOWERS, HUGS, V I S I T S , C A L L S , A N D O R PRAYERS. ESPECIALLY WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE FLOWER GUILD AND PASTORAL CARE FOR THE BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS THAT HAVE GRACED HIS ROOM AND MY APARTMENT FOR WEEKS. THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT KEEP US GOING!

Francis of Assisi, Friar On October 4, we celebrate the life of one of the best known saints in Christianity, Saint Francis of Assisi. Francis was born in northern Italy in 1182, the son of a wealthy cloth merchant. As the son of a wealthy man he lived a wild and frivolous life up to the age of 25. After experiencing illness and military service, Francis began to reflect on the purpose of life. Christ spoke to him and Francis renounced his wealthy way of life. His father was furious and disowned him. Francis devoted his life to caring for lepers and the sick and repairing churches. He worked or begged for food and lodging but never accepted money. Francis soon collected a following and in 1210 the Pope authorized the forming of the Order of Friars Minor, commonly called the Franciscans.

Saint of the Week by Marilyn Lance

Adult Formation Jan Littell jlittell01012@gmail.com Children and Youth Formation Adam Davenport, Co-Chair adam.jason.davenport@gmail.com Juli Hayes, Co-Chair adawgfan@optilink.us Finance Jim Halverson Jim.halverson@regions.com Jr. Warden Jan Littell jlittell01012@gmail.com Outreach Adam Davenport, Co-Chair adam.jason.davenport@gmail.com Juli Hayes, Co-Chair adawgfan@optilink.us Parish Life Deb Hull deborahmariehull@gmail.com Pastoral Care Sally Little little.sally1@gmail.com Property & Grounds Rick Jackson ricky,martha,jackson@gmail.com Sr. Warden Rick Powell rpowell_pts@yahoo.com Stewardship Rick Powell rpowell_pts@yahoo.com Welcoming Bob Caperton bob@barrettproperties.com Worship Marilyn Lance lancemarilyn@yahoo.com

Church Staff

Vestry

September/October 2019 Sunday, October 6 - Pentecost 17 8:00 am Holy Eucharist Rite I 9:00 am Early Adult Sunday School

10:30 am Holy Eucharist Rite II 5:00 pm Blessing of the Animals 5:30 - 8:00 pm Ockoberfest

Office Hours: Monday, September 30 Offices Closed - Volunteer only 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Tuesday - Friday, October 1 - 4 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Sunday, September 29 - Pentecost 16 8:00 am Holy Eucharist Rite I 9:00 am Early Adult Sunday School 10:30 am Holy Eucharist Rite II

We celebrate the lives that make up the

community of St. Mark’s Church.

Happy Birthday

September 30 - October 6

Ellen Andersen Kyle England Jaxon Bagley

Alan Nichols Kimberly Hudgins

Hugh Kemp Beth Nichols Debora Buckner

Organist/Choir Director Beth Nichols Parish Administrator Curry McClurken Preschool Director Laura Bock

Stewardship Report

Giving for week ending 9/22/19:

Weekly Giving $ 2,030.00

Total Giving for September $ 29,684.50

MTD Budgeted for September $ 25,000.00

Difference for September $ 4,684.50

YTD Budgeted $ 237,500.00

YTD Giving $ 226,311.02

YTD Difference $ (11,188.98)

Thank you for your generosity and support for the

work of God here at St. Mark’s!

(Parishioners indicated by *)

*Geneva Albertson

*Joan Anderson

*Walter Arms

*William Brammer

*Max Buckner

*Jon Burchfield

*Tracey Burke

*Patti and Gary Cole

*Cathie Cope

*Nola Culverson

*Lisa Dinverno

*Scott Hamlin

*Carolyn Hawkins

*Brenda Hoffmeyer

*Jacob Jones

*Steve Jordan Family

Emilie Leyssens

*Jan Littell

*Sandy Martin

*Norman McCoy

*Kim Miller

*Teresa Noble

*Alice Oosterhoudt

*Ethel Rutledge

*John Schwenn

*Doris Shoemaker

*Bernadette Smith

*Pete Smith & Family

*Mary Squires

*Carol Taylor

*Virginia Weaver

*Terry & Celia Williams

Kelly Allgood

Thad Arms

Bobby Ray Armstrong

Lynn Bailey

Jean Bivens

Brenda

Maxine Broeker

Margie Bruner

Mary Bucy

Marita Cantrell

Ron Cantrell

Judith Catalano

Carole Cook

Crystal

Jack Dale

Debbie

William Edwards

Janelle Fergueson

Phil Gailey

Colleen Halverson

Harrison

Mary Haughie

Janet Hayes

Tasha Hemphill

Hyde Family

Katherine Kelehear

Beverly Kellett

Aaron Kitchings

James Lambert

Austin Lansing

Becky Lewis

Hannah Locke and family

Jim Lord

Melinda Lukei

Reese Lukei

Ann Lumpkin

Minnie Marsh

Steve Masingill

Bridget McClure

Maryanne McDaniel

Michelle

Esme Miller

Teresa Mitchell

Charlie Neal

Rebekah Nichols

Billy Nimmons

Jeremy Norton

Martha Painter

Mary Elizabeth Paris

Randy Perry

Steve Plott

Diana Poarch

Michelle Pritchett

Shirley Puckett

Bob Rodric

Sarah

Mary Schaugh

Edwina Schwegmann

John Sewell

Mac Starr

Laura Stephens

Terese

Bailey Underwood

Christine Williams

Bradley Wilson

Melanie Wilson

Jason Yates

Intercessory Prayer List – September 2019