On Wednesday nights at Soul Station, during the month of July, we

Volume 56, Number 13
June 21, 2016
It’s back! On Wednesday nights at Soul Station, during the month of July, we
will be offering a variety of fun and interesting learning opportunities. Here’s
what’s on the calendar!
 Book discussion, with Pastor Sharon Ragland — The Nightingale by
Kristin Hannah.
 Creative Card & Rubber Stamping, with Karen Allison — Learn how to
make cards by using rubber stamps.
 Sketching, with Artist Nancy Bautzman — Come and do exercises and learn how to look and see.
Everyone can scribble!
 Book Discussion, with Pastor Tammy Hallam — Chasing Francis by Ian Morgan Cron.
 Pastels, with Nancy Bautzman — A study on tonal value, starting with a demonstration & practice.
 Bible Art Journaling, with Cathy Harris-Herchenroeder — An opportunity to be creative and get closer
to God as you reflect on God’s Word. Artistic skills not necessary to learn these techniques. This class is
held for 3 weeks, with a cost of $3. There will be an information session on June 29th at Soul Station.
 Health, Fitness & Wellness Hints, with Jim Truitt — Jim is a certified strength and conditioning
specialist, working as a personal trainer with Reach Your Fitness Professionals. Putting the information
Jim shares with us to use is one of the best ways to become and remain physically active.
 Ball Room Dancing, with Tricia Chester — Learn the basics of the waltz and foxtrot, how to hold your
partners and best of all, have fun trying. Tricia, a seasoned instructor, encourages closed-toed shoes.
 Movies & Introduction to Watercolor, with Nancy Bautzman — 5% talent, 95% tricks and techniques.
 Bible Art Journaling, with Cathy Harris-Herchenroeder
 Manna Bags for Homeless Youth – Assemble survival essentials in bags that will be distributed to
homeless youth in Tucson by Stand Up for Kids.
 Summer Smoothies & Salads, with Tricia Chester and Linda Hill — Demonstrations and tastings for
easy smoothie recipes and mason jar salads.
 Watercolor, with Nancy Bautzman — 10 minute hands-on painting. This is a “paint along;” one step at a
time. I paint… you paint. I paint… you paint and so on. Come and bring out your inner artist.
 Bible Art Journaling, with Cathy Harris Herchenroeder
 Health, Fitness & Wellness Hints, with Jim Truitt
Soul Station will work a little differently than usual in July. Dinner will still start at 5:45 p.m. but our worship
service, including communion will be over around 6:30 so we can all head to our class of choice. When class
is over, between 7:30 and 8:00, you can go home. There is no need to wait until all of the classes adjourn. If
you have questions, you can contact Pastor Tammy (297-2062 or tammy@umcstmarks.org). So get out of
the heat and come join us!
2 St. Mark’s Messenger
June 21, 2016
Calendar Notes
St. Mark’s
Messenger
St. Mark’s United
Methodist Church
1431 W. Magee Road
Tucson, AZ 85704
(520) 297-2062
Fax: (520) 297-1058
E-MAIL:
info@umcstmarks.org
WEBSITE:
www.umcstmarks.org
SUNDAY WORSHIP:
8:15, 9:45 and
11:15am
WEDNESDAY NIGHTS:
Light supper - 5:45pm
Music/Programs 6:15-7:15
Senior Pastor:
Rev. Sharon Ragland
Associate Pastor:
Rev. Tammy Hallam
Christian Formation for
Children and Adults:
Greg Poling
Youth Ministries:
Kim Ogle
Program Development:
Rev. Steven Akins
Communications &
Outreach and
Messenger Editor:
Kayla Ruiz
Published bi-weekly.
To discontinue mailing
of paper version and
receive email
notification of online
edition instead,
please contact:
messenger
@umcstmarks.org
Next Messenger
deadline:
Wed., 6/29
The office will be closed on Monday, July 4, in observance of
Independence Day. If you have emergency need of a pastor, please
call the church office and follow the prompts on the voicemail to leave
an emergency message. We wish everyone a safe and Happy
Independence Day!
We are happy to let you know that Rev. Sharon Ragland has been reappointed to
serve as our Senior Pastor for her seventh year, and that Rev. Tammy Hallam
has been reappointed for her second year as our Associate Pastor. These
appointments were made by Bishop Robert Hoshibata at the meeting of the
Annual Conference held in Phoenix June 16-19, 2016. We celebrate these
appointments and invite you to do so, too.
Volunteers Needed Urgently
We are in urgent need of volunteers (individuals and/or small groups) to
provide the meal to Primavera Men’s Shelter on Saturdays, July 9th and
August 13th. St. Mark’s UMC has committed to provide these meals on the
2nd (and 5th) Saturdays of each month, and these two fast-approaching dates
are currently unclaimed! Please contact the church office (297-2062 or
info@umcstmarks.org) to sign up, or add your name and phone number to the
calendar in the narthex on Sunday morning.
Dear Church Family...
Once again, dear church family, we
want to tell you how very much we
appreciated your concern, prayers,
flowers, cards and visits, during my
trips to the hospital and rehab last
Fall and this Spring, and then later,
Ed’s hospital and rehab time. You are
such caring Pastors and Congregation, and we are so thankful the Lord
led us to you!
In Christian Love,
Ed and Louise Voelker
I want to thank the people who have
donated material to Heart Works.
More people have been sewing our
bags for children, so a big thanks to
you also. We have donated 1,091
finished bags from October, 2015,
through June, which is approximately
25% of all of the bags that Aviva
gives out to children.
Gale Wenger
The Southern AZ VA Healthcare
System, our chaplains, many staff,
and the Veterans and family members would like to extend our sincere
gratitude for the prayer shawls that
were donated by the Prayer Shawl
Ministry of St. Mark’s. Each prayer
shawl signifies encouragement and
opportunity for personal prayer to our
Veterans during a difficult season in
life. They are warm reminders that
God is always with them, especially in
their greatest time of need.
VA Chaplain David Lundell
3 St. Mark’s Messenger
June 21, 2016
Sizzling Summer Sidewalk Sale!
Nash Neighbors Is Collecting Supplies
SURPRISE!!! Here’s a chance to
find a bargain and take home
some great items. For one
Sunday only, July 17th, Logo
Shop will be displaying some discontinued or extra merchandise for your purchasing
pleasure. Buy some St. Mark’s memorabilia at
slashed prices! Buy a logo shirt from our limited
supply of discontinued samples for less than half
price! These are sizzling hot summer deals on some
things that won’t be offered at our regular Fall Logo
Shop. Staff members may be adding some extras or
leftovers from their shelves and closets as well.
It’s that time of year where St. Mark’s
Nash Neighbors will collect and donate
needed school supplies to Nash
Elementary School for the upcoming
2016-17 school year. The following are
requested classroom supplies we invite
the congregation to donate:
unscented
2-liter pump bottles of hand sanitizer, boxes of
issues, paper towels, clorox wipes,
glue sticks, and black dry erase
markers. There will be a container in
the courtyard in July to collect your
donations. Thank you for your support.
Over 50’s Lunch Group
The Over 50’s Lunch Group will meet on Tuesday, July 5th at 11:30 at Scordatos
Pizzeria, located at 4911 N. Stone Ave., at the corner of River and Stone.
Everyone is welcome to join this lunch group especially newcomers to St Mark's. It
is a good opportunity to meet new people and make new friends. Please make
reservations by calling Jan Nichols at 395-2897 or e-mail her at stuff4jan@aol.com by Monday, July 4th.
Meet the St. Mark’s Prayer Group
We want to thank you for honoring us with your trust and confidence by
sharing your prayer requests with us! In case you didn’t know, we are a small,
confidential group with varying members who have been faithfully meeting
once a week for at least the last 17 years! We seek to honor Jesus’ teachings
that God’s people pray for each other and those in need often, and to humbly
request that His love and wisdom be poured over these requests.
Some of you send your prayers via email to the prayer chain (prayerchain@umcstmarks.org) or call the
church office. These go out to people from the St. Mark's community, who have signed up to pray for you at
that moment of need. The Prayer Group also prays over these and often record these requests for continued
remembrance if needed. The green pew cards that you sometimes turn in on Sunday mornings also come to
us as a list. We receive a summary from all three services, listing those read in church, for the prayer chain
and those just for our prayer group. We usually “keep” these requests for 30 days. Sometimes prayers go on
for months, or sometimes years. Those cards are soft and worn from being handled and loved. When we are
aware of a death in our church family, we continue to pray for family members for one year.
Many people have been letting us know how stories continue so we can update our cards and decide how
long to continue. Sometimes we, or the pastors, will check to see if you would like us to continue praying.
Please feel free to add an email or phone number to your request if you would like to be contacted. We love
what we do, it is such a privilege. We hope that you are comforted in knowing that your cares and joys are
shared, that we stand with you, and that we have brought your concerns to God on your behalf.
If you would like to be included on the email prayer chain list please email or call the church office. If you
would like to join us in our weekly prayer time please call Pastor Tammy and she would be happy to share the
details with you! I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf,
and give thanks for them. 1 Timothy 2:1 NLV
4 St. Mark’s Messenger
June 21, 2016
Advocating for Persecuted Christians
provide information about writing to U.S. government
officials and writing to government officials in other
countries.
Members of St. Mark's can help Christians who are
being persecuted in various countries in several
ways:
1. Writing letters to Christians who are being persecuted to provide them with encouragement and to
let them know they are not alone.
2. Writing to U.S. Government Officials on behalf of
Christians who are being persecuted in various
countries.
3. Writing to government officials in countries in
which Christians are being persecuted.
To write to persecuted Christians:
 Go to the website: opendoorsusa.org (Open
Doors is an affiliate of United Methodist Church’s
Church and Society Committee.)
 Click on Take Action
 Click on Advocacy
 Click on letter writing
 Read the letter writing guidelines
 Select the Christians from the suggested list to
whom you will write
 Send the letter to Open Doors USA which will
translate and deliver the letter. (You do not
include your home address in the letter.)
The following instructions provide information about
writing to persecuted Christians. Future articles will
Questions? Contact the Christian Persecution Task
Force (christianpersecutiontaskforce@gmail.com).
MISSIONS CORNER
June is the month when a portion of your St. Mark’s missions budget goes to
support Tu Nidito. Tu Nidito (which means “your little nest”) is a local organization
dedicated to creating a community of acceptance and understanding regarding
children in grief. It is their vision that no child grieves alone. Through an array of
support groups and individual services, Tu Nidito provides emotional, social, and
educational support to children, and their families that have been impacted by
serious illness and death. They provide assistance to some 800 to 900 children
each year.
St. Marks supports this unique organization with an annual gift of money but we also
participate in other ways. We sometimes restock their pantry with nutritious snack foods suitable for taking
along on hospital visits and we provide easy-to-prepare meals in a can or box for families where the parent/
meal-provider just can’t or doesn’t have the time to make a meal. Other times we have donated low-value gift
cards so that a needy parent can purchase just the items they need such as specialty food, baby supplies,
etc. We also try to participate once or twice each year in Tu Nidito’s PB&J with Love program. This program is
hands-on, where ten to fourteen St. Mark’s volunteers help assemble tasty frozen meals for use by seriously
ill single parents who are unable to make nutritious meals for their families. If you would like to know more
about Tu Nidito and the services they offer, please visit their web site at www.tunidito.org.
Community Service Opportunities
There are two opportunities for you to volunteer for the Marana
Community Food Bank packing food bags INSIDE. 10-12 volunteers are need Saturdays, July 9th and August 6th from 11:15
a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Meet at the church at 11:15 a.m. to carpool to
the Food Bank, or meet us at the Food Bank a little before noon
(11735 W. Grier Road, Marana). Sign up on the Adult Education
bulletin board on Sunday mornings, or call Casey Compernolle for more information.
St. Mark’s United
Methodist Church
He Named Me Malala
Changing the world
through Christ, by caring
for all people.
St. M ar k's United
M ethodis t Chur ch
1431 W. Magee Road
Tucson, AZ 85704
Phone: 520-297-2062
Fax: 520-297-1058
E-mail: info@umcstmarks.org
Sunday, June 26
3:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall
He Named Me Malala, a 2015 documentary, is an intimate portrait
of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala
Yousafzai, who was targeted by the Taliban and
severely wounded by a gunshot while returning
home on her school bus in Pakistan’s Swat
Valley. The then 15-year-old was singled out,
along with her father, for advocating for girls’
education, and the attack on her sparked an
outcry from supporters around the world. She
miraculously survived and is now a leading
campaigner for girls’ education globally.
June 21, 2016
Volume 17, Issue 13
UPCOMING YOUTH EVENTS
June 26, 2016—
4:00 to 6:00
Smoothies and a
Movie
Wesley House
July 3, 2016—
SSP
No Youth Group
July 10, 2016—
SSP
No Youth Group
July 17, 2016—
1:00 to 6:30
Sea Aquarium
YOU
CHOOSE
THE MOVIE
Call Kim if
you have a
request for
the June 26
movie. 297-2062
How do I download a
permission slip?
Step 1: Go to umcstmarks.org
Step 2: Find the site map in the upper
right corner, & click.
Step 3: Go to Youth Permission Slip
(It’s the last thing on the list.)
Step 4: Click & Print
Step 5: Share with a friend!
Summer
Schedule 2016
6-26
7-3
7-10
7-17
7-24
7-31
8-7
WH- Smoothies & Movie
SSP- no youth group
SSP- no youth group
Sea Aquarium @ AZ Mills
Escape Room
Dinner @ host homes
Welcome 7th graders
5 St. Mark’s Messenger
June 21, 2016
You’re Invited!
Doyle Young is celebrating his 90th birthday, and you are invited!
(Doyle is one of St. Mark’s 50-year members!)
When: Sunday, June 26th at 6:00 p.m.
Where: Home of Mark Berg (behind Trader Joes on Oracle)
RSVP: Not necessary, but you can contact Mark with any questions.
No gifts please.
Please Keep These
People In Your
Prayers...
Recovering at home:
Carol Ann Bascom, Than Brademas, Renee
Carrasco, Agnes Fisher, Janelle Holyoak,
Beth Thompson, Yvonne Yare
In hospital:
Jude Anderson, Tiffany Guerette, Bob Ross
In rehab or care facilities:
Michael Campbell, Patricia Keele, Rod Potter,
Howard Russell
Undergoing treatment at home:
Thelma Burkett, Audrey Dawson, Judy
Drescher, Bill Duryee, Cheri Holgerson, Karen
Linebarier, Dell Long, Connie White, Ross
Lakes
♥ A memorial service for Leon Demee will be
held on Saturday, July 2 at 1:00 p.m. in
Fellowship Hall.
Loved Ones In the Military...
Please keep these people in your prayers. Email additions or updates to messenger@umcstmarks.org.
Hank Bautzmann, son of Nancy Bautzmann
William Clark returned home. Praise the Lord!
Jeremy Dodson, grandson of Jan Hooser
Brandonn Eto, close friend of Zirnheld/
Compernolle family
Rob Eubank, son of David and Johanna Eubank
Mike Freeman, son of Ken and Ann Freeman
Patrick Harris, grandson of Marilyn Vaughn
Greg Haynes, son of Bob and Melinda Haynes
Matthew Hughey, son of Juliee and Billy Morrison
and grandson of Joyce Flick
Adam Laurie, son of Ingrid Christensen
Troy Leslie, grandson of Steve and Pat Rouse
Christina Lesnewski, granddaughter of Martha
Mazzolini
Chad Long, grandson of Pat Long
Charles Manherz, grandson of Ray Tyler
Mark Joseph Maver, son of Seymour and
Marcia Maver
Nolan Miles, cousin of Diane Damewood
Joshua Miller, grandson of Ginny Johnson
Jake Newton, son of Robert and Cheri Newton
John O’Regan, husband of Ashley O’Regan and
grandson-in-law of Janet Krug
Brian Osborn, pastor in the Desert Southwest
Conference
Zachary Purdy, grandson of Ray Tyler
William Putt, son of Harold and Susan Putt
Adam Seia, son of David and Vonda Seia
Clint Staschke, son-in-law of Cliff and June Young
Michael and Karisa Szczygiel, daughter and sonin-law of Joyce Flick
Jeff Welsh, grandson of Roger and Donna
Severson
1431 W. Magee Road
Tucson AZ 85704-2116
info@umcstmarks.org
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Reflections
Changing the world through Christ,
by caring for all people.
That’s St. Mark’s mission statement, adopted in 2013.
Today I invite you to think about how you are living that
mission statement. Are you committed to helping to
change our broken world? How is God calling you to
do that?
Is everything you do coming from your faith and
commitment to Christ, who we follow? In other words,
when you speak to co-workers, when you choose
where and when to do your hobbies or recreation, or
when you write on Facebook, are you guided by the
fact that you’ve said you’re a Christian, that you follow
the will and ways of Jesus?
Are you committed to caring for all people, for Jesus’
sake? Of course, each one of us cannot care for
everyone, but we each care for some, and all together
work to care for many. Are you willing to show
compassion and care for those with whom you
disagree, just because they are created and loved by
God? Can you pray for those who do great wrong, like
people who shoot others randomly?
Our church’s Covenant Council, which is our decisionmaking body, has been prayerfully working for several
months to consider, “What’s next for St. Mark’s?” As
I’ve mentioned before, we’re financially sound, worship
with faithfulness, have initiated many programs and
ministries, do a great deal of outreach into the
community, and offer classes that help us grow in our
discipleship and faith. What more could God want from
us?
God wants us to keep working until our world is whole
and well, and everyone has the chance to know the
love and saving power of Jesus. So, you’ll be hearing
about “what’s next.” I can assure you that it will be
consistent with our mission statement.
Our prayer: Guide us, O God, into your great love. We
pray out of grief and horror for those killed and
wounded in Orlando. Guide us into practices that help
people heal, and know your mercy and grace. Help us
welcome all people into your saving love. In Jesus’
name. Amen.
Blessings,
Sharon