Advent Services – We invite you to join us for an imaginative series in which we hear from some of the prophets about their lives and messages. Entitled “The Prophet Speaks,” each sermon will take the form of a first-person narrative,
in which God’s messenger addresses a modern audience. Every Wednesday in December before Christmas, we will gather either in the morning (11:30 a.m.) or evening (7:00 p.m.) for Scripture, song, prayer, and to consider the stories of
God’s spokesmen. Reserve this Advent time for yourself, and you may find that Christmas takes on deeper meaning this year.
Preschool Bake Sale: Today, the Preschool families and the Preschool board will be hosting a Bake Sale Fundraiser. This will be a great opportunity for the congregation to meet some of our Preschoolers and their families.
Save the Date – We praise and thank the Lord that Pastor Chris Ryan has accepted the call to serve St. Mark in full- time ministry. To ask God’s blessings upon Pastor Ryan’s work and publicly acknowledge this new beginning, we will hold an Installation service on Sunday, December 28th at 3:00 PM. A reception will immediately follow.
St. Mark’s Book Club: We will start 2026 by reflecting on our Bible Reading Challenge. Some of us started in January and others of us have read on and off in 2025. It isn’t too late for you to start. There are some wonderful reading
plans out there that have you reading through the Nativity story in the four Gospels or a chapter of Proverbs a day. We will be meeting on January 14th at 1 p.m. in St. Mark’s Small Dining Room. For our February meeting, we will be revisiting last year’s very popular theme “Can you believe I have never read . . . . .?!” Pick ANY book you never read in school or for a book club – but should have! Read it, complete the optional, simple (firstgrade level) book report from Sue, and come to the meeting ready to share why you’re glad (or not) to have finally read
your selection. We will be meeting at 1 p.m. on February 11th in the small dining room off of St. Mark’s Fellowship Hall. Due to changes at the Fairport Harbor Public Library, book club titles will no longer be available to borrow from Sue.
Please contact Sue Matzke with any questions about either month. All are welcome. Bring a friend or two!
New Tuesday Bible Study – This December, Bible Study will engage in a “Prelude to Christmas.” The gospel of Luke sets the stage for the birth of Jesus by introducing us to Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary, baby John, and more. Please
join us each Tuesday at 11:00 AM leading up to Christmas!
The “Story” Bible Study group has finished studying the Old Testament. As we begin the lessons in the New Testament, you are invited to join us for a Royal Tea on Monday, December 15th at noon to celebrate the “Birth of the
King’s” lesson from Matthew, Luke, and John. Enjoy lunch and see how our class is set up. We will be on a winter break after this, but we will start again in April if you are interested. Please RSVP to Linda Bencic (LLBencic@gmail.com or txt 440
667-3166) so that we have a count for lunch.
The next meeting of New Life, a group for women who have lost their spouses and have experienced similar journeys, is Thursday, December 18th at 11 am. Please join us for coffee, tea, Christmas cookies, and sharing Jesus in our new
lives. Questions? Contact Jamie Nicoletti.
Poinsettia order forms, to adorn the sanctuary for the Christmas services, are available on the Welcome Table in the lobby. Or, scan the QR code to submit the form online. Cost per plant is $10.00 and is due back by December 21st.
Remember to check your mailboxes in the coat room as we exchange Christmas greetings.