Spending Sundays Together

This summer, it has been a tremendous joy to come here every Sunday and witness the return of our present and embodied community. After a year of worshipping by myself or with a handful of folks under a tight capacity limit, being with so many of you every week has been a balm for my soul. You may not know this, but we are one of the few ELCA congregations to have had multiple in-person services on Sundays, and I am grateful to everyone who has made it possible for so many of us to be together both in the sanctuary and on the lawn.

When we added a second service, the timing we chose gave all our leaders and volunteers ample time to set up our outdoor worship space. Every Sunday, the band had the hard work of carting all their equipment and instruments across the parking lot, leading worship, and then carting it all back. That full hour between services was a necessity, and it went by fast. That need was one reason we began our first service at 9:00am

Having one traditional service at 9:00am was also an attempt to find some middle ground between our original 8:00am and 9:30am folks, so that no one felt as if their favored service was cancelled. If you were used to worship in the sanctuary before and you have returned to it this summer, I imagine you have encountered other St. Mark folks you rarely or never saw before the pandemic. It has been so wonderful to see the unity that has come from this combined traditional service. In the past, except for a few folks who bounced between our three service times, we were a congregation divided into three. 

During the school year, in a sense we were divided into four. Since Sunday School was at the same time as worship, our youngest members worshipped downstairs, hearing a children’s sermon from one of the pastors and celebrating a brief communion service with their teachers. For most of the year, our children did not have the opportunity to experience the wonder and welcome of worship.

You may have figured out where I am going with all of this. The two-service Sunday is here to stay. Beginning on September 19th we will have Traditional Worship at 9:00am, a Learning Hour at 10:10am, and a Praise Service at 11:00am. During that learning hour we will have Sunday School downstairs, Fellowship over coffee and donuts in both the café and Fellowship Hall, and a brand new Adult Forum in the Adult Ministry Room. This fall, the content of the Adult Forum will change from week to week, and you can expect to see opportunities for Bible studies, book studies, presentations from local agencies, and group discussions.

This new schedule will give everyone, children and adults alike, the opportunity to both worship and learn every Sunday of the school year. It is my dearest hope that this new schedule will bring us together after so many months apart. We have the opportunity to spend our Sunday mornings praising God together as individuals, families, and community. We have more time to reconnect and grow in faith. And we will be able to welcome people of all ages to come and find comfort in a community of worship. 

Peace,

Pastor Chad McKenna